Today, Eldon’s Porch looks at some quotes from A. A. Milne, the author of Winnie the Pooh books.  I am a rather new fan of the sayings contained in Winnie the Pooh.  Had I known the wisdom contained in Milne’s books, I would certainly have exposed my own three children to them.  But, I have another chance with my grandchildren, so they will be getting a steady dose starting soon.

Milne’s quotes apply very well to life in general and the things we experience in our world.

1. “People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” — When you enjoy what you do, it does not seem like work.  In fact, our work, especially when things go as we plan, can be fun and enjoyable.  It can also seem that we can easily work hard all day, yet accomplish nothing.  Some of the greatest inventions or greatest works of art required years of day-by-day progress.  When it seems that you are not making progress with our transformation, with compliance, with continuous improvement… whatever the task, remember that progress occurs item-by-item, day-by-day, success-by-success.  Don’t give up!

2. “You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.” — I hear individuals say to me at least weekly, “I sent him/her an e-mail and need an answer before I can go to the next step.”  Sometimes, you make greater and faster progress when you go see the person face-to-face.  As Pooh says, “You have to go the them sometimes.”

3. “It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?” — Don’t overuse the language.  As someone once said, “The best solutions are often the most simple ones.”

4. “If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.” — Patience is a virtue.  It is easy to jump to conclusions about someone – that is, until you know what they are going through in their lives.  Before you place blame or become frustrated with others, first put yourself in their shoes.  When you know the real story, their actions may be totally understandable.

5. “When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.” — We are all in a Great Adventure at our company.  It can be an exciting time, but there are challenges occurring every day.

The question for today is, “Will you put on your Big Boots or will you go hide in the forest?”

Have a very productive and wonderful day!