Mike Sansone

To Love, Live, Learn, and Lauch

Love is a Only Smile Away

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The loving look of a smile
With a still moment of pause
To show the passerby
They’re important to your cause.

Whether they are young or old,
Or diff in income or gender
Doesn’t matter their race or religion
Whether they are stocky or slender

Just take but a moment
With all the muscles in your face
And let that person know
You’re glad to see them in this place.

There are no coincidences
Only the illusion of chance
And the loving look of a true smile
Will make even the coldest heart dance.

So if it’s in the store or in a cafe
Walking by or driving alongside of
Take a second and smile a real smile
Kindly, with good love from above.

Criticism and Praise

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In this life, you’ll occasionally receive some criticism. You may or may not deserve it. You may or may not respect those who give it to you.

In this life, you’ll receive some praise here and there. Maybe you earned it, maybe not. Maybe you respect those who give it, maybe not.

Don’t get hooked on avoiding the sting of criticism or addicted to the sweetness of praise.

Either way and in any case, don’t let either criticism or praise affect you too much. It could distract you from your goal.

You can’t control either, so don’t let either control you.

Who They Might Become

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It helps me as I help others to remember this from Goethe

If you treat a man as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be. – Goethe

Many of the people I work with come from a checkered past. I too, come from a checkered past. Checkered with mistakes and failures, periods of poor judgment in actions or people. I’d like to think we, who go through such times, grow out of it, eventually.

If you treat a man as he is, he will remain how he is…

The growing out of such periods need a boost sometimes, from others. Folks who see in you a higher ceiling and treat you as if you’re already on that level of life. A glimpse of the promise or prospect in their eyes, in your spirit, and a small action towards the “as if” of who you can become.

But if you treat him as he were what he ought to be and could be…

I do my best to remember this quote along with a caveat of my own. Something important (for me, at least) to remember:

Be aware of the circumstance(s) of how the man became who he is today.

Remaining open and aware (aka diligent and vigilant) of the possibilities that surround the present situation AND raising the bar by showing kindness and respect to who they might become.

Even a Stubborn Mule Responds to Gentleness

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Have you ever tried to jostle for position with a donkey or mule?

They can be pretty stubborn. I’ve always found a gentle spirit or a kind word softens their opposition. This practice also works well with people, something I would do well to remember more often.

We find such instruction in Proverbs 15:1 –

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

I try to remember the advice of “Horse Whisperer” Buck Brannaman: “[Be] gentle in what you do, firm in how you do it.”