The more time I spend coaching others – or being coached myself in different areas of my life and work – the more power and perception I see in age-old sources of wisdom. Though written eons ago, sayings that date back to Shakespeare, the Bible, Aesop, and whoever came up with the advice we now refer to as “old wives’ tales,” these deceptively simple sayings from ancient times can provide invaluable insights and guidelines for our lives today.

“Say what you mean, and mean what you say.” One of the coaching sessions I do focuses on integrity – being true to your word. To others, certainly, but – even more important – to yourself. When you know that you’re going to follow through on what you say you’re going to do, you become more intentional and deliberate in the plans you make and the commitments you take on in the first place. You also become more confident and focused as you see yourself fulfilling your obligations and achieving your goals. You’ll start accomplishing even more, and you’ll get more enjoyment and satisfaction from it because you will find that you’re living and working in alignment with your own beliefs and values, dreams and desires. At that point, you’ll truly understand and appreciate one of the simplest yet most rewarding axioms of all: “To thine own self be true.”

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