We've yet to find a better way to start a conversation than by asking questions. One of my writing mentors directs his students to turn subjects contained in book writing into questions. Simply ask a pertinent question for each idea you want to present. The method of bringing our thinking to the forefront seems to work well. It is a good sales technique to answer a question with a question. Well, what about bringing this, "asking questions" habit before you start the day. Ask, for example, "How can I best use my time and energy today?" With a little discipline and thinking about what you would like to accomplish you might find that your day will go very well. Socrates popularized the question and answer method as a way of eliciting truth about one's self. 

The old bromide, "Practice makes perfect" is simply not true...at least in my case! You see I'm always practicing something. Even doctors "practice medicine". Who's perfect? Not me! How about you? Can you tell me you are perfect? The truth is better served by altering the statement thusly: "Perfect practice makes perfect". Then I have to work on perfect practice. I don't give up because at least I'm getting better. As Mt. Everest climber, Edmond Hillary is reported to have said, "Mt. Everest, you can't get any bigger, but I can". Emerson's "flywheel of habit" says that habits have their own momentum. Change bad habits to good ones and let nature usher you to greater heights. This is consistent with practicing for excellence. But perfection...just may never be! However, "If you shoot for the stars you'll never end up with a handful of mud".

Humans have the unique ability and advantage over all other creatures to think, plan and outwit all other creatures. We all can think of creatures which can harm us if we're careful and stay out of life threatening dangers. Although the animal kingdom is repleat with preparation instinct which comes naturally the human mind gives us the greatest advantange to create outcomes. Consider maximizing this feature. The old adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is highly effective but habitually overlooked. It seems to be with health that many lose it before they realize they could have prevented a miserable, inconvenient and/or unnecessary fate. 

Wisdom suggests that we think ahead and work on the prevention of deterioration to a large degree. It is the best and most cost effective insurance. It may cost us in time and discipline but the dividends are worth the extra effort and proactivitity. Rather than offend anyone's ego, may I suggest a daily habit of practicing the prevention of what we dread? Abstain from bad habits. Learn all you can about the effects of lifestyle on health. Watch food intake and adjust in favor of good nutrition. Always remember and apply the principle of self control. You can do it. I've been doing it for years. It pays to program our lifestyle with preventive measures. Share with me some examples of how you manage this wonderful idea of heading off what you don't want to happen. 

Happiness is to often sought after directly. Sometimes seeking a thing directly winds up in frustration and disappointment. Let's say for example, you want to be surrounded by pigeons. You love them and want to be close and feed them out of your hand. You go off moving around them getting as close as possible. You get close and just about the time you think, "this is it" they fly away. But you've seen someone do what you are trying to do but just can't make it "jell". What is their secret? Well, it takes a little patience and know how. You feel that your goal would make you happy. Right? You decide to make friends with someone who knows how to feed the birds as they flock around him or her. You are told the secret. You practice with patience and one day you experience your "dream". Your real happiness came not in reaching your goal but in having something to do...yes, doing the right thing to make it happen. Try the formula in anything you wish if you want to find happiness. The secret is in having something to do to enable you to reach the goal. Try it. Always have something to do. Your happiness will be experienced.

We all know that someone is earning a lot of money with social media. Did you know that you can now get in on the deal. Yep, you can actually be paid for participating in what you already do. I'll share the secret if you ask me how in the Comment section near the bottom of the Home Page.