Every year we have included the sage of theater from popular and lesser known African Proverbs to help in life, love and business.  This year the blog has expanded to include the sage of great thinkers from Chinese and Native American culture.  Today we will explore eight proverbs for love, business and life from the Zhong Guo Ren!

1.  It is better to be without a book, than to believe a book entirely.

Great advice.  This advice encourages us to be critical thinkers.  It also points out the value of our own thoughts and experiences.  Information is precious, but information from one source should not inform everything we do.  Diversify! It’s why I encourage you to explore news outside of the mainstream.

2.  A smile will gain you ten more years of life.

Researchers discovered in a 2019 study at the University of Knoxville Tenessee in the United States that smiling can actually make you feel better. They found that facial expressions can have a small impact on how we feel. But most certainly,  a smile can make others feel great too! Smiles convey warmth and openers and they make you feel good. Be sure to smile at yourself in the morning in the mirror too!  You deserve a smile too!

3.  A little impatience will spoil great plans

Many times we are impatient to start many things: business, project, marriage or a move. Often we donttake the time to consider all of the factors and grow impatientto make things happen in our own time. Don’t make this mistake. Particularly in times like these it is best to weigh your choices, be sure you understand people’s character before you commit and remember take your time to be sure.  A little impatience can spoil great plans.

4.  A man who cannot tolerate small misfortunes can never accomplish great things.

It is hard to have staying power in business, marriage and love if you don’t expect some misfortunes.  If you are easily deterred by misfortunes, you may miss the beautiful  payoff if you don’t quit!  Life is bound to have ups and downs, you might as well face them doing what you believe in and what will make the world–or even just your world a better place to live!

5.  Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one.

Nothing is perfect in earth, so finding a diamond is a real gift! No one would throw it away if it had a flaw in favor of a pebble that didn’t. This proverb teaches us to understand what real value is. Don’t throw away what is truly valuable for something that is perfectly, flawlessly worthless. Consider when evaluating opportunities,  people and choices!

6.  Habits are cobwebs at first; cables at last.

A study in the journal Neuroscience found that it takes 50 repetitions to create a habit.  It further found that the faster you get to 59 repetitions the more sure the habit will be.  Which means we can create good habits and bad ones! Knowing this, we will want to be careful what we repeatedly do.  This proverb is an excellent example of what happens in real time when we are not aware that we are creating a habit.  In the early stages, before we hit 50 repetitions the habit is easily broken like a cobweb, but once it has developed into a habit they take on a power of their own. They master us instead.

7.  Govern a family as you would cook a small fish, very carefully.

True intuition! Many people do not see how that family must be carefully managed as a valuable commodity.  Instead, many people are flippant and careless with loved ones, children and spouse only to realize later it would be the only meal they would have to enjoy later on. Be careful with those in your family and appreciate and treasure them with great care and kindness.

8. A hundred Nos are less agonizing, than one insincere Yes.

Sincerity is the key.  Honest, sincere people are the thing that make life beautiful.  There is great comfort in having a life full of sincerity than even one liar or cheater.  An unattractive truth will always be batter than a beautiful lie.  Hold on to honesty and sincerity in business, love and life.