Deep thoughts…

And some words of wisdom I have heard recently

• Better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie. I was married to a pathological liar, so this really resonates with me.
• Is this really the hill you want to die on? I have been using this when something upsets me. It puts things into perspective and stops me wasting energy on things that ultimately mean nothing in the larger scheme of things. I think when we are faced with many problems, it is easier to get bogged down by the little ones. One of the role play exercises I do with my students is that they have to create a new European Union after the present one has collapsed (12 years ago it was totally hypothetical, but recently it does not seem quite as unreal a scenario). They each represent different countries and are given differing positions on vital points (defence, trade, immigration, labour market). They then have to negotiate. You know what they get stuck on and spend more time arguing about than anything else? What the flag should look like!
• This one I have been pondering and not sure whether I agree or not. What do you think? Your first thought in response to a situation or person is how you were raised to think. Your second is how you choose to think. 
• Paralysis by analysis. I tend to be very decisive. When I am deciding about something I usually know what I want right away. There seems to be just one obvious choice. If I am faced with a number of choices and I can’t choose, I do tend to suffer from paralysis by analysis. This results in me not making any decision at all.
• Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
• I am an old man and have known many troubles, most of which never happened – Mark Twain