The Paradoxical Commandments
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
—Dr. Kent Keith
Give the world the best you have anyway.
These commandments might seem counter-intuitive, even self-defeating. That’s the paradox. But, like a diamond hidden in coal, these commandments contain the raw material for both sterling leadership and enduring personal happiness.
So, step into the storm, plant in rocky soil, play to the empty seats, paint in the sand, unlock your heart. Be paradoxical. You’ll not only become a beacon for others, but you’ll also light the path to your own happiness.
After all—isn’t the goal of life to dance in the rain, rather than wait for the storm to pass?
