Dear Hannah,

Your friends will be the people who accept and affirm you, hold you accountable, and present you with authority that you respect.

You and your friends will exert powerful influence over each other.

Your charisma will give you powerful influence in the world, too.

Everybody you influence will not become your friend - and that is OK.

The most powerful influence, though, is exerted via self-control.


Love,

Daddy


I read books and articles to weigh and consider - even to "wrestle" with - the ideas conveyed by authors.

Sometimes I understand, like, and embrace those ideas - and sometimes I do not.

Sometimes I discern that the author's experiences are different than mine - therefore, their assertions, opinions, and conclusions are different.

Sometimes that is OK, and simply is what it is.

Sometimes I have to "unlearn" the author's assertion, then "relearn" and apply it in the context of my own life.

I often read and wrestle with Dale Carnegie's classic book "How To Win Friends And Influence People".

Its principles have helped me to become a more effective, charismatic leader ...