Learning is critical to your success and is a lifetime activity.  This is why I spend so much time teaching others how to learn.  When a person learns how to learn - their only limit to their success is their hunger to keep learning.  Here are my favorite quotes on learning.

Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards. - Vernon Saunders Law

If you take things for granted heres somethings to ponder about...

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married ... you are very rare, even in the United States and Canada.

If you can read this webpage, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

Take nothing for granted. - Unknown

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. – Unknown

Three lessons that will make you think about the way you treat others...

First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello".

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11.30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.

Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely,

Mrs. Nat King Cole.

I was notified that the above story about Mrs. Nat King Cole is an urban legend and did not happen.  I have kept the story in for the principles taught and to notify everyone who has previously read this story that it is an urban legend.  Thank you, Orrin

Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 -year-old boy entered a hotel

coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins.

"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. there, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip. - Author Unknown

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. – Mark Twain

I've Learned....

I've learned - That our background and circumstances

may have influenced who we are,

but we are responsible for who we become.

I've learned - That sometimes when my friends fight,

I'm forced to choose sides

even when I don't want to.

I've learned - That just because two people argue,

it doesn't mean they don't love each other

And just because they don't argue,

it doesn't mean they do.

I've learned - That sometimes you have to put

the individual ahead of their actions.

I've learned - That we don't have to change friends

if we understand that friends change.

I've learned - That you shouldn't be so

eager to find out a secret.

It could change your life forever.

I've learned - That two people can look

at the exact same thing

and see something totally different.

I've learned - That no matter how you try to protect

your children, they will eventually get hurt

and you will hurt in the process.

I've learned - That there are many ways of falling

and staying in love.

I've learned - That no matter the consequences,

those who are honest with themselves

get farther in life.

I've learned - That no matter how many friends

you have, if you are their pillar

you will feel lonely and lost

at the times you need them most.

I've learned - That your life can be changed

in a matter of hours

by people who don't even know you.

I've learned - That even when you think

you have no more to give,

when a friend cries out to you,

you will find the strength to help.

I've learned - That writing, as well as talking,

can ease emotional pains.

I've learned - That the paradigm we live in

is not all that is offered to us.

I've learned - That credentials on the wall

do not make you a decent human being.

I've learned - That the people you care most about in life

are taken from you too soon.

I've learned - That although the word "love"

can have many different meanings,

it loses value when overly used.

I've learned - That it's hard to determine

where to draw the line

between being nice and

not hurting people's feelings

and standing up for what you believe. - Author Unknown

It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he has already learned. - Anonymous

I watched an interesting video on the way new ideas meet resistance and overcome them.  Achieving anything of lasting value means you will go against the grain and think outside the existing patterns.  Your ideas will go through four phases if you persist.  First, they will be ignored - second, they will be laughed at - third, they will be fought - fourth, they will win.  This is why it takes courage and backbone to do anything new.  Here is a video from Linux that explains the process of new ideas. God Bless, Orrin Woodward 

Here are my favorite quotes on overcoming criticism.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt

“When we judge or criticize another person, it says nothing about that person; it merely says something about our own need to be critical.” - Anonymous 

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving. - Dale Carnegie

Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do. - Benjamin Franklin

He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help. - Abraham Lincoln     

If you have no will to change it, you have no right to criticize it - Anonymous

One mustn't criticize other people on grounds where he can't stand perpendicular himself - Mark Twain quotes

Ridicule is generally made use of to laugh men out of virtue and good sense, by attacking everything praiseworthy in human life. - Joseph Addison    

Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how it's done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves. - Brendan Francis Behan    

Let the refining and improving of your own life keep you so busy that you have little time to criticize others. - H. Jackson Brown    

It is better to be making the news than taking it; to be an actor rather than a critic. - Sir Winston Leonard Spenser Churchill    

I criticize by creation - not by finding fault. - Marcus Tullius Cicero

A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her. – David Brinkley

The man who is anybody and who does anything is surely going to be criticized, vilified, and misunderstood. This is part of the penalty for greatness, and every man understands, too, that it is no proof of greatness. – Elbert Hubbard

To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing. – Elbert Hubbard

Criticism is prejudice made plausible. H. L. Mencken

We are never more discontented with others than when we are discontented with ourselves. – Henri Frederic Amiel

You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one. – John Wooden

Read an informational article on envy from Ayn Rand.  Ayn Rand was a gifted economist/philosopher who wrote several best selling books.  She has hit the nail on the head for managers who desire the attributes, respect or possessions of leaders—without the hunger to develop the corresponding skills necessary to lead.  Envy is like taking poison and expecting someone else to die.  Envy kills the host organism and ruins their ability to think, lead and function properly.  I have attached Ayn Rand’s original article and placed my thoughts on leaders vs. envious managers after each paragraph.  If you plan on excelling in leadership—plan on dealing with envy.   You can either learn from leaders or envy leaders.  The choice is yours.  Have you dealt with envy on your leadership journey?  Keep growing as a leader and on your way to the top, you will. God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Superficially, the motive of those who hate the good is taken to be envy.  A dictionary definition of envy is: "1. a sense of discontent or jealousy with regard to another's advantages, success, possessions, etc.  2. desire for an advantaged position possessed by another." (The Random House Dictionary, 1968.)  The same dictionary adds the following elucidation:  "To envy is to feel resentful because someone else possesses or has achieved what one wishes oneself to possess or to have achieved."

A leader is someone who has a following.  The hungry student desires to learn from the leader to develop their own following.  This is natural and why mentor-mentee relationships are so important.  If someone desired to have a following, but was not willing to develop into a leader—they have a major problem.  Groups will only willingly follow leaders—not managers.  If the manager desires the following of a leader, but the group follows the leader—the envious person will attack the leader (object of envy) through slander, libel, legal system, etc.  The envious manager would attack the leader and attempt to bribe, cajole, threaten and intimidate the followers to convince them to stop following the object of their envy and to start following them instead.

This covers a great many emotional responses, which come from different motives.  In a certain sense, the second definition is the opposite of the first, and the more innocent of the two.   For example, if a poor man experiences a moment's envy of another man's wealth, the feeling may mean nothing more than a momentary concretization of his desire for wealth; the feeling is not directed against that particular rich person and is concerned with the wealth, not the person.  The feeling, in effect, may amount to: "I wish I had an income or a house, or a car, or an overcoat) like his."  The result of this feeling may be an added incentive for the man to improve his financial condition.

If a manager desired to be the leader of a group of people—they may experience a twinge of envy against the real leader.  This desire is natural and if used to seek counsel from the object of envy—they would learn to lead and perhaps develop their own following.   Recognizing the vast gap between the leader’s influence and the manager’s influence is called confronting reality.  All the manager would have to do is ask the leader how they developed their influence.   Successful leaders are always willing to help managers develop into influential leaders because they do not envy others success.

The feeling is less innocent, if it amounts to: "I want this man's car (or overcoat, or diamond shirt studs, or industrial establishment)." The result is a criminal.

This is where envy can eat at the manager doing the envying and destroy their ability to influence.  The manager no longer desires to develop the skills necessary to lead their own group of people—instead, the manager’s envy drives him to take the followers from the leader against their will.  People will not willingly follow the manager which creates an environment of threats and intimidation to force people to do the envious manager’s will.  The result is criminal as Ayn Rand states. 

But these are still human beings, in various stages of immorality, compared to the inhuman object whose feeling is: "I hate this man because he is wealthy and I am not."

The manager states, “I hate this leader because he has influence and I do not.”

Envy is part of this creature's feeling, but only the superficial, semi-respectable part; it is the tip of an iceberg showing nothing worse than ice, but with the submerged part consisting of a compost of rotting living matter.  The envy, in this case, is semi-respectable because it seems to imply a desire for material possessions, which is a human being's desire. But, deep down, the creature has no such desire: it does not want to be rich, it wants the human being to be poor.

When the manager is consumed with envy—they no longer desire to develop influence.  Their only desire is to destroy the influence of the leader they envy.  The followers see the manager for what he is: a small person that is not capable or willing to learn leadership.

This is particularly clear in the much more virulent cases of hatred, masked as envy, for those who possess personal values or virtues: hatred of a man (or a woman) because he (or she) is beautiful or intelligent or successful or honest or happy.  In these cases, the creature has no desire and makes no effort to improve its appearance, to develop or to use its intelligence, to struggle for success, to practice honesty, to be happy (nothing can make it happy).  It knows that the disfigurement or the mental collapse or the failure or the immorality or the misery of its victim would not endow it with his or her value. It does not desire the value: it desires the value's destruction.

The managers continued envy eventually develops into hatred of the leader’s character and virtues.  The manager drops all pretence of attempting to help the followers.  The manager only seeks to destroy as many people following the leader as possible.  The manager realizes the leader’s followers will never be his followers, but this is no longer the goal.  The goal is not to maintain the value of the community: the goal is only to destroy the value of the community. 

“They do not want to own your fortune, they want you to lose it; they do not want to succeed, they want you to fail; they do not want to live, they want you to die; they desire nothing, they hate existence ..."(Atlas Shrugged. – Ayn Rand)

The manager does not want to own your community of people, they want the leader to lose it; they do not want to succeed as a leader, they want you to fail as a leader; they do not want to survive, they want you to die; they desire no leadership, they hate leadership.  

What do you do when a manager envies your leadership and influence?  I believe you must answer personal attacks with a restorer’s heart.  The envious manager seeks to destroy, but the principle centered leader seeks to restore.  As a leader, you are responsible to follow God's law—let Him be responsible for the consequences of your obedience.

Here is the incredible "Last Lecture" from Randy Pausch a PHD from Carnegie-Mellon.  Randy has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and has only months to live.   The professors at Carnegie-Mellon have a tradition of giving a "Last Lecture" to their students.  The first eleven minutes is Randy's last lecture shared again on the Oprah show.  Some of the key points to think upon from this courageous man are:

1. Anything is possible to someone willing to dream.

2. If you don't get your dream - you still learn alot in the process.

3. Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.

4. People who care will push you.  It's only when they no longer care that you will not be pushed.

5. Brick walls are in your life for a reason - they let us prove how bad we want our dream.

6. You can spend your time in life complaining or playing the game hard.

7. Live your life properly and the dreams will come to you.

8. Tell the Truth.

9. Apologize (Properly) A. I'm Sorry  B. It's My Fault  C. How do I make it right?

10. Wait & people will show their good side.

11. People are way more important than things.

I feel strongly that a classical education undergirded with Christian principles will be a major plank in the restoration of our countries.  I feel I have learned so much more after I finished formal training than I did in school.  I am not knocking my education more than I am conveying an urgent need to be a generalist and a specialist.   We will all specialize in our certain areas, but we must be educated generally to be part of what Mortimer Adler called the Great Conversation.  I believe the reason we see people so divided today is because they have no way of communicating across their specialties.  Reading the classics will give us the common ground to communicate about the great ideals from our past to take with us into our futures.  I have attached a portion of an article that describes the value of a classical education.  When I read this, I thought of this community and how we are enjoying reading and thinking together.  Our goal is to help each other think, not to force people to think like us.  If we all are thinking and communicating respectfully, we will all gain knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.   Here is the thought provoking article:

Overview of Classical Education

Those who assume that methods used for millennia can be dismissed within a generation forget that time is the best laboratory, especially regarding human behavior.

It has taken modern educators only 50 years to disassemble an educational system that took thousands of years to refine and establish. The classical method was born in ancient Greece and Rome, and by the 16th century, it was used throughout the Western world. This system educated most of America's founding fathers as well as the world's philosophers, scientists and leaders between the 10th and 19th centuries. What other period can claim so many advances in science, philosophy, art, and literature?

Why Classical Education?

For education to be effective, it must go beyond conveying fact. Truly effective education cultivates thinking and articulate students who are able to develop facts into arguments and convey those arguments clearly and persuasively. Parents from Seattle to Orlando are recognizing that classical education adds the dimension and breadth needed to develop students’ minds. Rigorous academic standards, a dedication to order and discipline, and a focus on key, "lost" subjects is fueling the rapid growth of the nation's classical schools.

There is no greater task for education than to teach students how to learn. The influence of "progressive" teaching methods and the oversimplification of textbooks make it difficult for students to acquire the mental discipline that traditional instruction methods once cultivated. The classical method develops independent learning skills on the foundation of language, logic, and tangible fact. The classical difference is clear when students are taken beyond conventionally taught subjects and asked to apply their knowledge through logic and clear expression.

In 1947, Dorothy Sayers, a pioneer in the return to classical education, observed, "although we often succeed in teaching our pupils 'subjects,' we fail lamentably on the whole in teaching them how to think." Beyond subject matter, classical education develops those skills that are essential in higher education and throughout life - independent scholarship, critical thinking, logical analysis, and a love for learning.

We hope you agree that this movement "back to and beyond" classical education develops timeless skills that are as important in today's rapidly changing world as they were to our founding fathers.

A Love For Learning

Occasionally, parents who are interested in classical education express concern that it will be too difficult or too demanding for their children. Disciplining and challenging students is certainly part of the classical method. However, we believe that education is inherently enjoyable for children. The classical method is based on the philosophy that students should be encouraged to do what they naturally enjoy during particular phases of their life.

In Dorothy Sayers' essay "The Lost Tools of Learning," she promotes teaching in ways which complement children's natural behavior. For example, young children in grammar school are very adept at memorizing. They enjoy repeating songs, rhymes, and chants to the extent that they often make up their own. In classical education, the "Grammar" phase corresponds with this tendency by focusing on the teaching of facts. During the junior high years, children often become prone to question and argue. Classical education leverages this tendency by teaching students how to argue well based on the facts they have learned. We call this the "Logic" phase. During the high school years, students' interests shift from internal concerns to the external. Teenagers become concerned with how others perceive them. This stage fits well into the "Rhetoric" phase of classical education, where students are taught to convey their thoughts so that they are well received and understood by others. The education culminates with the debate and defense of a senior thesis.

The classical method not only "cuts with the grain," but it develops a true sense of accomplishment in students. Many educators are artificially positive and soften grading scales in an effort to bolster their students' self-esteem. We believe that a sense of self-worth comes from accomplishment. The student who excels after working hard achieves a greater sense of accomplishment than one who is given the grade. By holding students to an objective standard, they gain a true understanding of their abilities. Where self-esteem offers an artificial appreciation, classical education provides a realistic and true estimation of a child's ability. Students who work hard to achieve a "C" based on accomplishment are more satisfied than a class of students who all receive "A"’s and "B"’s.

Finally, we believe that learning, hard work, and fun are not mutually exclusive. Learning should be a joyful endeavor - one that presents a challenge. A visit to Foundations Academy quickly demonstrates the delight of students who love to learn. Learning is exciting, especially for children. In our experience, children who transfer from a conventional classroom to a classical classroom usually develop an increased appreciation for education and for the pursuit of knowledge.