Personal lessons learned

Things I've learned
Commentary: Looking ahead to the new year with hard lessons of 2008

By Todd Harrison
Last update: 6:06 p.m. EST Dec. 30, 2008

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The carnage of 2008 forever changed the socioeconomic landscape and seismically shifted the collective perception of what we do, how we do it and who we do it with.

As we look back at the year that was and cast an eye toward what will be, a little perspective will most certainly go a long way. Herewith are some personal lessons learned, some of which relate to the market but most of which apply to life.

All you have is your name and your word.

Emotion is the enemy when trading.

The only difference between genius and madness is acceptance.

Adapt but don't conform.

The reaction to news is more important than the news itself.

Time is the most precious commodity.

Opportunities are made up easier than losses.

The purpose of the journey is the journey itself.

What goes around comes around.

The greatest wisdom is bred as a function of pain.

Bad times define good friends just as bad seasons define good fans.

There is a difference between having fun and being happy.

Be good to others and better to yourself.

Work to live. Don't live to work.

Profitability begins within.

Gratitude is latitude.

Seeing old friends is good for the soul.

When in doubt, sit it out.

Time is the arbiter of all fate.

The air of integrity gets thinner with age.

Free will is God's greatest gift.

Experience is a close second.

Negative energy is wasted energy.

You've got to have faith.

Hope isn't a viable investment vehicle.

The only difference between intervention and manipulation is communication.

One hand washes the other.

Good traders know how to make money but great traders know how to take a loss.

Where you stand is a function of where you sit.

Life is shaped by decisions made.

Take the high road. It's less crowded and boasts a much better view.

To appreciate where we are, you must understand how we got here.

The opposite of love isn't hate; it's apathy.

Stay out of debt.

The friction between opinions is where true education resides.

A dream is only as powerful as those who believe in it.

Money comes and goes.

The best way to build a growth company is by surrounding yourself with people who can themselves grow.

Tenacity and resolve are the hallmarks of success.

View obstacles as opportunities.

The only difference between a lesson and a mistake is the ability to learn from it.

The definition of an investment should never be a trade gone awry.

By the time you get to where you think you want to be, the journey will be over.

Think positive.

Speak against work discrimination

BA worker, magistrate ask churches to speak against work discrimination

Posted: Tuesday, November 20, 2007, 12:20 (GMT)

The British Airways employee disciplined for wearing a silver cross necklace and the Sheffield magistrate who resigned after refusing to place youngsters with same-sex adopting couples called on church leaders last weekend to speak more forcibly against work discrimination.

Nadia Eweida, 56, and 63-year-old Andrew McClintock - whose cases are before the courts - made their appeal at the annual conference of the Christian Peoples Alliance party in London.

With her claim for religious discrimination still before an Employment Tribunal in Reading, Ms Eweida said she would have been dismissed by BA if it were not for the press attention.

Last year she was sent home with no pay after BA said a silver cross the size of a 5p coin contravened internal uniform policy and might offend other British Airways employees.



Despite changing its policy after a national outcry, the company held back Ms Eweida's pay and threatened to send a huge legal bill for costs and damages. BA says its stance is right in law, but it had only changed its internal policy as a result of negative publicity.

Ms Eweida said that now her case was not in the headlines, BA had chosen not to settle her back-pay and had sought to gag her.

She urged church leaders to speak up so other Christians didn't face work-place discrimination: "I have to resort to law to establish Christian liberty in the workplace, but it is vital that church leaders continue to make their voice heard.

"British Airways bends backwards to be politically correct towards other religions. They just forgot there are also Christians working for them. I'm an Anglo-Egyptian Christian and in Egypt, where Christians experience persecution, to wear the Cross is second nature and widely respected.

"BA is sensitive to Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and those of other faith groups and all I want is the same right to wear the symbol of my faith. "

In his remarks, Andrew McClintock said his case was going to the Court of Appeal and that it was vital for church leaders to highlight that where possible, it was in the interest of a child facing adoption that they should be placed with a mother and father.



He explained to CPA delegates that he had to resign as a JP in the family courts as it would be wrong in conscience to place youngsters with same-sex couples.

"Placing children with gay couples is an experiment in social science because it is not known what kind of impact it may have on them. By legalising homosexual adoption, Labour are not making paramount the best interest of the child," he said.

Mr McClintock has resigned from his role as a JP in the family courts. His stance and that of Ms Eweida won wide applause from party members and the backing of CPA Leader, Cllr Alan Craig, who is an opposition leader on Newham Borough Council.