What If?

• What if? Ich bin zufrieden

  Born and raised in Germany, “ich bin zufrieden” was a phrase that not only defined my mother-in-law, but was used by her on a regular basis. “I am satisfied.” A mother of five with a husband often away on military duty, she embraced a simple life surrounded by family and friends. She found comfort, joy and satisfaction in the life that she led. Her recent passing brought this phrase to life again for everyone in my family. I imagine that if we asked her to reflect upon her life she would have remarked, “ich bin zufrieden.”

• What if? No Regrets

  An article I recently read noted that the wealthiest places on earth are neither the oil fields of the Middle East nor the diamond mines of South Africa. Rather, the wealthiest places are the cemeteries. “Buried in the ground are businesses that were never formed, songs that were never sung, books that were never written, potential that was never realized, and dreams that never came to pass.”

• What if? The Procrastination Mode

  I confess. At times, I procrastinate. I credit my college experience for the continuation of this sometimes stressful habit. College was awesome for me – an extrovert who loved to socialize. There were so many wonderful “distractions” to keep me occupied.

• What if? “Succeeders” are Readers

  American novelist Ray Bradbury once said, "There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." According to the American Booksellers Association, 58% of Americans will never read another book after they graduate from high school. Shocking? It was to me. For someone who grew up with a love of books and reading, I found this statistic to be most startling.

• What if? Just Wing It!

  O.K… I admit that telling someone to “wing it” – you know, carry out some type of task, program or event with little to no planning – may not sound like great advice. But sometimes, especially in the world of higher education, a little “winging it” every now and then could do us a lot of good.