and lastly..... too good not to share....

James Michener, the author of Tales of the South Pacific, Texas, Centennial, Space, and many other novels, was a prolific writer who gained respect for his literary prowess and sales success. However, he always had one detractor who remained a thorn in his side for years.

Abandoned as an infant, the author never knew his biological parents. Fortunately he was taken in and raised as a foster son by a widow. He became a Michener, adopting the name of his new family. But each time he published a new book, he received nasty notes from one of the Michener clan. The relative chastised him for besmirching the good Michener name, which he said the novelist had no right to use, despite the fact the writer won a Pulitzer Prize.

Despite the berating, Michener did agree with one thing the relative said. The novelist particularly remembered the comment: “Who do you think you are, trying to be better than you are?” Michener said. “I’ve spent my life trying to be better than I was, and I am a brother to all who share the same aspiration.”

People who embrace the high road make excellence their goal. That’s something that can be accomplished if we….

Care more than others think is wise
Risk more than others think is safe
Dream more than others think is practical
Expect more than others think is possible
Work more than others think is necessary

When we conduct ourselves according to our highest standards, we are less likely to be defensive and take the low road when attacked by others. I say that because when you know you’ve done all you can do, you can let criticism roll off your back like rain.

Have you ever heard the fable of the lion and the skunk? A proud, loud, and especially obnoxious skunk challenged a lion to a fight. The lion promptly and emphatically declined the challenge.

“Hah!” sneered the skunk. “You’re afraid to fight me!”

“No,” answered the lion, “but why should I fight you? You would gain fame from fighting me, even though I gave you the worst beating of your life – which I would do. But how about me? I couldn’t possibly gain anything by defeating you. On the other hand, everyone I met for a month would know that I had been in the company of a skunk.”

The high road is the only path that brings out the best in others. Philosopher-poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe advised, “Treat people as though they were what they ought to be and you will help them become what they are capable of becoming.”

Making it your practice to always treat others the best that you can affects the way you see the world – and yourself. President Abraham Lincoln said, “Die when I may, I want it said of me by those who knew me best that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower were I thought a flower would grow.” That is what the High Road Principle does to a person’s heart over the course of time: it plants flowers where thorny weeds once thrived. The way that you treat others is your statement to the world of who you are. Are you making the kind of statement you desire?

If you don’t already practice the High Road Principle, I hope you will embrace it from this day forward. It is probably the best investment you can make in a relationship. If you need a little help moving to the high road, then follow these “directions”:

1. Stay on Kindness Street as long as possible.

2. Turn right on Forgiveness Avenue.

3. Avoid Get Even Alley because it is a dead end.

4. Climb to the top of the hill, for there you will see the high road.

5. Take it and stay on it; and if you lose your way, ask God for help.

The high road is often not the easiest road, but it is the only one that leads to the highest level of living.

Blessings!