The Little Red Book of Wisdom offers time-tested principles for professional and personal fulfillment. In the book, Mark DeMoss gathers insights for living wisely from history, Scripture, and a lifetime of listening. The result is a handy, accessible book that gives readers a new way to enjoy lasting success in the work world and beyond. Topics include finding and keeping your focus in life, building a winning corporate culture, and setting aside time for good thinking. The Little Red Book of Wisdom By Mark DeMoss Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2007 Mark DeMoss All right reserved. ISBN: 978-0-7852-2168-5 Contents Preface.................................................................................................................xvPart One: Wisdom for Your Professional Life1. A Matter of Death and Life Life is brief............................................................................12. Stay Under the Umbrella Finding and keeping your focus in life......................................................73. Tackle Something So Difficult You'll Never Want to Do It Again Getting out of your comfort zone.....................154. The Amazing Power of Understatement Under-promise, over-deliver.....................................................225. Work Less, Think More Good thinking requires some effort............................................................306. Buy Some Stamps Reclaiming the lost art of letter writing...........................................................367. Technology Isn't Everything Learning to use it wisely...............................................................478. Honesty Can Be Costly But telling the truth is always good business.................................................569. Good People Are Everything; Money Isn't Building a winning corporate culture........................................6210. Everyone's in PR Are you practicing it poorly or well?.............................................................7011. And Another Thing ... A few more thoughts..........................................................................76Part Two: Wisdom for Your Personal Life12. God Owns It All A wise perspective on things.......................................................................8513. The Wisdom of Firsts The first hour, the first day, the first dime.................................................9114. A Turtle on a Fencepost Appreciating how you got where you are.....................................................9815. There Are No Degrees of Integrity You either have it or you don't..................................................10416. A Proverb a Day Wisdom for every aspect of your life, in one short book............................................11317. The Wisdom of Age Seek out older people............................................................................12018. Shut Up and Listen Learn to listen more than you speak.............................................................13019. The Best Defense ... Is a Good Defense Why I won't ride alone with another woman...................................13520. Anticipate Deathbed Regrets Take steps now to avoid regrets later in life..........................................14221. Here's to Not Drinking at All Wisdom and alcohol-a good mix?.......................................................14822. And Another Thing ... A few more thoughts..........................................................................15423. The Wisest Decision Anyone Can Make Answering the "And then what?" question........................................160About the Author........................................................................................................169 Chapter One A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow. Euripides During the summer before my senior year in high school, I spent only a few days at home because my father had encouraged me to take a job with the Southwestern Company selling books door-to-door. My dad was my hero, and I agreed to the work unaware that it would mean thirteen-hour days for eight straight weeks with no breaks to see my family. I hated being away from home. I hated that the time with Southwestern didn't allow me to join my parents and six brothers and sisters on vacation in the Caribbean. My father and I spoke each weekend by phone-he took great interest in my progress-but nothing could substitute for being with him. I was back home that Friday in late August, just before classes started for my senior year, when he and I met for lunch at the headquarters of National Liberty Corporation, the life insurance company he had founded and led to considerable success. I was always so proud to be his son when I walked through the beautiful corporate headquarters by his side. That day we talked about my plans for college and possibly for business later on. The next day, Saturday, Septem