Recent books I've read...

I just finished reading Thomas Merton's book New Seeds of Contemplation which he wrote in 1961.  Among the many quotable passages, I really resonated with his thoughts on humility.  He wrote, "When a proud man thinks he is humble, his case is hopeless." (p49)  Not seeing one's own pride is dangerous indeed!

I also am in process of reading through J.R. Parrish's 2009 book You Don't Have to Learn The Hard Way which is written from a business man's perspective on success through great human relations.  Its a great perspective on how to be a person that other people are drawn to.  On being an unnecessarily difficult personality, he writes, "Generally speaking, if you are contradicting, you are losing." (p39).  He speaks of taking ownership of how you react to stress and to people - good practical stuff like:

• Be on time.
• Send hand-written thank-you notes.
• In the presence of others, turn off your cell phone.
• Smile.
• Return calls promptly.
• Compliment.
• Use people's names when addressing them.

And so much more...