13. "Focus on what really counts in life."

"Focus on what really counts in life--the people you love, the work you can do to help others, learning new things, appreciating the beauty in the world--instead of measuring your success. Work hard and try to do well in life, but spend time doing things where success doesn't matter. Use my sense of humor everyday to lighten the load and make me less driven. Don't waste all my energy plodding along in life striving for the trappings of 'success"--take some chances, do things that make a difference."

From "Getting Your Life Back" by Jesse H. Write, M.D., Ph.D., and Monica Ramirez Basco, Ph.D., author of Never Good Enough

12. "Ask questions rather than make assumptions."

"If you act based on the assumption that you know what your partner is thinking or feeling, there can be a big chance that you will be making a mistake. There is a simple solution to this problem. Ask questions rather than make assumptions. Try "What are you thinking?" "What can I do to help you?" or "Are you upset with me?"... Another option is to delay your response to a perceived attack and give the "attacker" a chance to explain. Say something like "From the tone in your voice it sounded like you were attacking me. Am I hearing you correctly?" or "Is it my imagination or are you angry with me right now?" Allowing others to clarify their statements before you respond defensively will keep you from misspeaking and creating conflict.

From "Getting Your Life Back " by Jesse H. Write, M.D., Ph.D., and Monica Ramirez Basco, Ph.D., author of Never Good Enough

11. "If you are angy... write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal."

"Anger colors your perceptions of events and of people. It will cause you to see only the facts that support your angry point of view and to ignore other information that might change your mind... Angry and hateful words form you will often lead to an angry response from others and vice versa... There are times when it is perfectly reasonable to let off some steam as long as it is not directed at another person and does not hurt you. If you are angry... write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal."

From "Getting Your Life Back" by Jesse H. Write, M.D., Ph.D. and Monica Ramirez Basco, Ph.D., author of Never Good Enough

* Ponion's comment: This really works for me to relieve my stress. Be sure to use a pen or pencil and write down your anger directly on paper, in stead of typing onto a computer which somehow doesn't help much.

10. "Summer is hot and it somehow gives me strength."

"Nourish your hands, legs, head and spirit with a full-course feast of positive words. On a hot summer day, say "Summer is hot and it somehow gives me strength" rather than "Summer is hot and I hate it." You will feel more powerful then."

From "Henna hito no kaita seikoh hohsoku (principles for success written by an eccentric person)" by Hitori Saito, Japan's top tax payer and founder of Ginza Marukan, a cosmetics and health food sales company

9. "Most people do not change overnight."

"Remember that even with the best of intentions, most people do not change overnight. Be sure to acknowledge and praise any positive effort they make."

From "Getting Your Life Back" by Jesse H. Wright, M.D., Ph.D. and Monica Ramirez Basco, Ph.D., author of "Never Good Enough"

8. "Using price indexes to track the cost of living isn't a flawless system."

"Using price indexes (refering to Consumer Price Index) to track the cost of living isn't a flawless sytem... Price isn't the only thing that matters to consumers. For example, what if a beer stays the same price but improves in quality from one year to the next? You'r getting better beer for the same price, but this isn't reflected in the data. This problem is expecially severe for things like computers, cellphones, and video games. For these products, quality improves dramatically year after year while prices either stay the same or go down."

From "Economics FOR DUMMIES" by Sean Masaki Flynn, PhD, Assistant Professor of Economics, Vassar College

7. "Doesn't have to succeed at everything to be a success."

From "KIDS CAN MAKE MONEY TOO!" by Vada Lee Jones, author of many children's stories.

6. "I deserve to be happy and successful."

"Write on a 3 x 5 card, "I deserve to be happy and successful." Read this every day. It will help overcome negative feelings you might have about youself... No matter where you are or what you are doing, you can say these words to yourself. In this way, you are programming your subconscious mind with positive thoughts, so it can more efficiently help you reach your goals."

From "KIDS CAN MAKE MONEY TOO!" by Vada Lee Jones, author of many children's stories

5. "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a political work"

"In 1964, a professor named Henry Littlefield speculated that the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a political work meant to support the farmers' opposition to the gold standard. Dorothy is a young farm girl from Kansas who represents rural U.S. citizens; the Tin Man represents city workers; the Cowardly Lion is William Jennings Bryant, whom the author thought was not a strong enough leader; and the Scarecrow is the U.S. farmer. The four travel toward the East on the yellow brick road -- a road made of gold -- to see the Wizard of Oz, who represents the evil eastern bankers who manipulate the economy by pulling strings and levers behind a curtain. Their destination, Oz, is simply the abbreviation for ounce, as in ounces of gold."

From "Economics FOR DUMMIES" by Sean Masaki Flynn, PhD, Assistant Professor of Economics, Vassar College

4. "Shopping may be fun, but not when you're desperately racing against outrageously rising prices!"

"During the Weimar hyperinflation in Germany, men working at factories were paid two or even three times a day because money lost its value so quickly. Their wives waited at the factories to immediately take the money to the nearest shops, trying to spend the pay before it lost most of its value. Shopping may be fun, but not when you're desperately racing against outrageously rising prices!"

From "Economics FOR DUMMIES" by Sean Masaki Flynn, PhD, Assistant Professor of Economics, Vassar College

3. "The sky is the limit." *

"Do not underestimate your own potential ability. You may be surprised how much you can do when you really try. Don't give up too soon. And don't listen to discouraging advice. Keep your goal high, and take a realistic first step now. And always remember that the sky is the limit." *

From "The sky is the limit" by Atsuko Chiba, economic journalist

* This is Ms. Chiba's original writing, not my English translation.

2. "Don't try to please a person in a bad mood."

"Suppose a person in a bad mood is sitting next ot you. Never ask him or her what happened. He or she is in a bad mood for his/her own reason. You are in a good mood for your own reason. I'm telling you something, all right? No matter how irritated he/she is, just try to PLEASE YOURSELF. Keep smiling, understood? It is EVIL to be in a BAD mood and RIGHT to lead a life in a GOOD mood. You should not adjust yourself to the evil. Keep saying you are happy or lucky, and be careful not to be affected by the evil."

From "Hen na hito ga kaita jinsei ga hyakubai tanoshiku waraeru hanashi (An eccentric person's funny stories that make you 100 times happier)," by Hitori Saito, Japan's top tax payer and the founder of Ginza Marukan, a cosmetics and health food manufacturing and sales company.

1. "ES precedes CS, and FS precedes ES."

ES: employee satisfaction
CS: customer satisfaction
FS: (employee's) family satisfaction

From "Shitsurei nagara sono urikata dewa mono wa uremasen (Excuse me! Your sales method is wrong)," written by Fumiko Hayashi, Director of Tokyo Nissan Auto Sales