This is an excerpt from What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life?
“Cheshire Puss, … would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where —” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“— so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”
(From Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, pp. 79-80.)
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a wonderful book, and it’s not just for kids. I taught leadership and strategy at the University of Virginia and consulted with people in a wide variety of organizations for 25 years. Based on my experience during one-quarter of a century dealing with thousands of people — both young and not so young, I reached the conclusion that Lewis Carroll’s epic heroine, Alice, is very much like most of the people with whom I came into contact. Below are some general observations I made over the years:
- Most people don’t have a very good idea where they’re going.
- They don’t give their futures too much thought. At least they don’t give the future enough attention to take action now.
- They’re not overly concerned about their lack of direction. Some of them give you a peculiar look if you suggest that not taking steps now to deal with anticipated future events is dangerous. It’s as though they think that planning for the future is absurd.
- They seem to believe that things will work out for them no matter what they do — or don’t do.
Doris Day made this line famous in a hit song from the 1956 movie The Man Who Knew Too Much: que sera sera. It’s Spanish for “what will be will be.” That’s a good description of the logic I saw most people using. They think their actions don’t matter, but they do.
It reminds me of a Denise the Menace cartoon that I saw several years ago. Dennis and his pal Joey were walking aimlessly through the woods one bright, sunny day. Denise calmly looked down at Joey and said, “We may be lost, but we’re making good time.” After I stopped laughing, I shook my head and thought, That’s right. Most people are extremely busy, but they aren’t going in any particular direction and don’t seem to care. They’re lost, but they’re making good time.
Not planning is planning to fail. In the quote at the beginning of this chapter, that’s what the Cheshire Cat was telling Alice in a roundabout way. If you don’t have a destination in mind, it doesn’t matter which way you go. Sailors have another way of saying it. If you don’t know where you’re heading, no wind is the right wind.
The Cheshire Cat was right about another thing too. You’re sure to end up somewhere. All you have to do is just keep walking. Problem is that unless you take some time to figure out where you’re going and why, you’ll probably end up someplace where you don’t want to be.
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Thomas Jefferson
“For here we are not afraid to follow the truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.”
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Jeremiah 37: 1-2
Now Zedekiah the son of Josiah whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made king in the land of Judah, reigned as king in place of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of Yahweh which He spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.
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Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided. They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Hosea 4: 6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
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Stand! is a gripping novel about the subterfuge surrounding the global warming debate. It lays out the facts concerning climate change through an exciting story that pits a college professor and his research collaborator against corrupt university administrators and radical environmentalists. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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- Scholarly world abuzz over Jewish scrolls find
- Stocks Have Smallest Annual Change Ever
- Abortion Doctors Charged With Murder
- U.S. Officials Holding Secret Talks With the Taliban in Qatar
- Daniel J. Mitchell: Obama Has United the World…in Opposition to Bad U.S. Tax Policy
- America Loses If Obama Wins
- Abbas primes West Bank for ‘Palestinian Resistance’ (Third Intifada)
- Muslim villagers burn houses of Christian family Upper Egypt
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Top 5 diggtm articles yesterday:
- Occupy Oakland Camp Dismantled by Police — Again
- John Maynard Keynes Was Right
- Arizona Legislators Still Want Guns on College Campuses
- Major Ron Paul Supporter Favors Death Penalty for Gays
- Colorado Asks DEA To Reclassify Marijuana
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The Jerusalem Post:
- EU open to talks with Iran, without preconditions
- Iran backtracks on missile firing report
- China urges calm in Strait of Hormuz
- Syrian opposition fears failure of Arab mission
- Short spring, long winter
- Opposition groups sign deal on post-Assad Syria
- Al-Maliki – Iraq’s next autocrat?
- ‘Iran ready to renew nuclear talks with powers’
Haaretz:
- EU open to nuclear talks with Iran, without preconditions
- Syria’s two largest opposition groups sign draft deal for post-Assad democracy
- Major Israeli businesses helped quadruple donations to right-wing Im Tirtzu movement
- Palestinians told to dance to shake off Gaza stress
- Netanyahu is losing the fight against the ultra-Orthodox on all fronts
- Iran Navy says long-range missile tests delayed, refuting state media
- Arab League monitors demand that Syria remove snipers from rooftops
- In second term, UN chief seeks to sustain Arab Spring
Other:
- Arab Uprisings Bring a Change in Priorities
- The Muslim Brotherhood in the Arab World and Islamic Communities in Western Europe
- Hamas Sees Opportunity in Discontent
- Iran and the Threat to “Close” the Gulf
- Jordan Discovers New Phosphate Reserves Worth $30 Billion
- US lawmakers free up $40 million in frozen aid to Palestinians
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What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Business:
- Make The Most Of Big Moves In Crude Oil And Energy Stocks
- Europe’s Gift to Investors
- Spain sets out plans to cut deficit
- For 1st time, nation’s top export is fuel
- Euro hits 10-year low vs yen, more trouble seen in 2012
World:
- Russia denies radiation leak in nuclear sub blaze
- World Rings in 2012, Bids Goodbye to Rough Year
- North Korea Says South’s President Lee Blocks Better Ties
- Nigeria’s Jonathan vows to “crush terrorists”
- Hundreds of Kurds protest death of ‘separatist rebels’
- Cyclone leaves at least 42 dead in India
- Wildfires shut down Chile’s Torres del Paine national park
- Bomb Blast Kills 2 Pakistan Soldiers
- With protests spreading, Yemeni president now says he’ll stay in country
- ‘Iraq Day’ marks deadline for US withdrawal
- Police Break up Moscow Protest
- Egypt arrests Christian over anti-Prophet posting
- Afghan forces take control in former Taliban hotspots
United States:
- Ron Paul: ‘I Think I Can Connect With Both’ Tea Partiers and Occupiers
- ‘None’ Beats Obama in Gallup’s ‘Most Admired’ Survey
- Ron Paul: Iran Would be Justified in Closing Strategic Waterway in Response to Sanctions
- Did Iraqis Snooker NY Times?
- Feds chasing fast-moving Hollywood arsonists
- Analysis: Iowa race leaves GOP identity unclear
- In 2012, Obama to press ahead without Congress
- Rick Santorum thrives in Iowa on evangelical support
- Wisconsin Prosecutor Asks State Court to Void Union Law Ruling
- New Year’s Eve parties take Huntsman across NH
- Protester Defends Flag-Burning at Occupy Charlotte
- Will Gingrich be hurt by show of emotion?
- Hope Reigns as Americans Prepare to Ring in 2012
- DC Circuit Stays Pollution Rule
Townhall Opinions:
- John Ransom: Top Obama Administration Predictions for 2012
- Ken Blackwell: Holder’s Race-Baiting is about Obama’s Re-Election, Not Voting Rights
- Rachel Alexander: Showboating Evangelical Elites Split With Congregations on Issues
- Dave Ramsey: Dave Says When to Buy Toys
- Bob Beauprez: George Will: Carl’s Jr. is Choking on Regulation
- Jeff Carter: 2012: Year of the Pawn Shop
- Michael F. Cannon: Obamacare – The Way of the Dodo
- Bob Goldman: Don’t Raise Your Hopes
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/
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- After long road, a quick rise for Santorum
- Amid backlash, Verizon backs off plan to charge $2 convenience fee
- U.S. seals $3.48B deal to sell missiles to UAE
- What’s so threatening about Tebow?
- Confident conservatives
- ‘Occupy’ lives on
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- Iran ready to resume 5+1 talks: Salehi
- Extremism is a poison to Islamic awakening: Hassan Khomeini
- Color coup is part of U.S. strategy against Iran: official
- Details released on identity of Iranian engineers abducted in Syria
- Sanctions against Iran ineffective: Russian envoy
- Talk of boycotting elections an empty slogan: Ayatollah Khatami
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If You Voted for Obama in 2008 to Prove You’re Not a Racist, You Need to Vote for Someone Else in 2012 to Prove You’re Not an Idiot explains why voters in the United States need to elect someone besides Barack Obama to lead them. Whoever is elected President of the United States in 2012 will have to contend with the monumental problems that Obama’s misguided policies have caused both at home and abroad. One thing is certain, though. It should not be Barack Obama. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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http://www.americanthinker.com/
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- Obama’s Foreign Policy
- Leftist Talking Points of 2011
- A Beatable Bishop
- The Death of DeSoto and the Decline of the American Auto Industry
- The Case for the Lady with the Titanium Spine
- Four Brokered Convention Prospects
- European Health Care: Economic Malpractice
- Teddy vs. Calvin
- Remembering Baroness Thatcher
- Warning: Being politically correct can be hazardous to your health
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http://www.weeklystandard.com/
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- A Tale of Two Ricks
- The Great Society’s Great Defender
- A Gloomy New Year’s Forecast
- Boycott the Virginia Republican Primary?
- Gallup: Romney and Gingrich Are Running Neck-and-Neck Nationally
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- Ron Paul’s big moment
- Make it federal
- End them at once!
- Han on a minute
- China spent 2011 worrying about others’ debt problems. In 2012 it will face one of its own
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- Kim Jong-un named army commander
- Bird flu virus kills Chinese man
- Egypt reassures US on NGO raids
- Mass Syria rallies prompt clashes
- Iran denies missile test reports
- Chinese heritage ‘disappearing’
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http://samsonblinded.org/news/
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- Ten 2011 Examples of Major Media Malfeasance
- The Power of Positive Campaigning
- It’s Been a Tough Year for the Brady Campaign
- Is Ron Paul a Racist?
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http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/
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http://www.nationalreview.com/
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- The Christmas Conspiracy: The Pagan Origins Of Christmas
- Dozens dead as India hit by cyclone
- Will Occupy camps return in 2012?
- Bloodshed as Arab observers tour Syria
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Yahweh to Jeremiah—Jeremiah 16: 21
“Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.”
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If you haven’t been there already, you should take the opportunity to visit Natural Healthcare Store. Each product selected for sale at Natural Healthcare Store undergoes rigorous research to make sure that it is the highest quality at an affordable price.
Natural Healthcare Store carries skin care, hair care, and oral care products. Be sure to check out the Dead Sea products imported from Israel and support the Israeli economy with your purchases. Natural Healthcare Store carries makeup, deodorant, and detoxification products. It also carries supplements, weight loss products, and loose leaf tea. Rounding out its product mix, Natural Healthcare Store carries natural household cleaning products.
Katie and I believe strongly in healthy living, and we use the products. We’re proud to say that our daughter Melanie owns the store.
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http://www.commentarymagazine.com/
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His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important. It’s available in eBook format and in paperback.
God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.”
Exodus 3: 15