Jan
03
And for our first series of 20twelve…it’s Day ONE of Optimist/Pessimist Week at the NDD.
I am old enough to know that many people with great ideas aren’t necessarily people with the wherewithal to turn those ideas into reality. Since I have no money to invest that has never made me a poor pessimist. But it has taught me that a great song and dance routine does not a success make. I don’t mind the song and dance, but I would want to know that the person has a track record, that I can verify, of following through on their plans.
Could they still fail? Of course. But it isn’t failure that bothers me (at least to the me with no money at stake). What bothers me is lack of effort, lack of focus, lack of follow through. I don’t like it in myself, and I don’t like it in others. I still love plenty of people with those issues, but I am not going to trust them with my money or, even more importantly, my emotional and time investment.
Have you invested in an optimist? Did it make you a pessimist? Tell us the story.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, a man who can’t touch his left shoulder with the fingers on his left hand.
Quote by C. T. Jones, that’s all I know.
Aug
12
>
The first half of this quote is ‘The Measure of an enthusiasm must be taken between interesting events”.
In other words, keep your faith and your drive going when there is nothing outside yourself to bring it out or else you will likely falter and give up.
Don’t give up.
Drawing by Marty Coleman, the Napkin Dad
Check out my work and merchandise at
http://www.martycoleman.com
and
http://napkindad.blogspot.com
quote by Edwin Way Teale, 1899-1980, American naturalist, photographer and writer.
Jul
30
>
Day 4 of aging week! I missed yesterday, just a bit too busy between visiting my dad in the hospital and taking some time off. Sorry about that.
Having dealt with my elderly father all week, trying to get him up and moving after a hip break, I have seen once again how important motivation and enthusiasm is to recovery. In his case we are helping him remember his friends back at his assisted living home (his girlfriends at his dining table in particular)!
But enthusiasm is more than motivation. It is about interest, curiosity, feeling like you have something to reach for, something you want to know about. In my father’s case he has started to think he might want to live to 100. It’s a goal, it’s something to think about and imagine.
We are encouraging that by saying we are expecting another party (we have one every 10 years for his big birthdays) so we expect him to live to 100. He might not make it, we understand it, and he understands it. But we have hope, and we have enthusiasm and we impart that to him as best we can. That is the key, not just to have it in yourself, but to figure out ways to impart it to others.
Drawing by Marty Coleman, the Napkin Dad
Jun
21
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This is the Napkin Dad’s #1 in the list of things I hope I have imparted
to my daughters. It’s #1 because it won’t matter if they want to be a
secret agent or an insurance agent. They will understand that enthusiasm
is the backbone of achievement, purpose, satisfaction and joy.
Happy Father’s day to those who are, and Happy ‘you ain’t a father yet’ day
to those who aren’t. If you have one on the way, it’s wonderful. Be
ENTHUSIASTIC!
Aug
18
>
I couldn’t agree more. Get carried away today.
