Eighteen Principles

James H. Gerberman, Ph.D.

Founder, Ideaist, Fruitionist

AARKENSTONE QUEST

1. Play the Game

• Learn the rules.

• Play to win.

• Win or lose- be gracious.

“Life is the Greatest of all Games. Play it with courage, wisdom,

and loyalty.”

-- inscription on flirtation walk at West Point

2. Be Unafraid of Thinking or Being Outside the Box

• Be sure to consider the “not so obvious”.

• Be curious…continuously learn new things.

“If you always do what you've always done, you're always gonna

get what you've always got.”

-- Old Texas Saying

3. Be Different- Not for the Sake of Being Different, But in Order to

Make a Difference.

• Trust yourself. • Realize that you’re imperfect…and, an unfinished

product

“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far

they can go”

-- T.S. Eliot

4. Connect the Dots

• Look for interrelationships.

• Match capabilities and needs.

“Read dozens of books about heroes and crooks, and I learned

much from both of their styles.”

-- Jimmy Buffet, Son of a Son of a Sailor

5. Give More Than You Take

• Take the initiative in serving unconditionally. • Others will follow when they’re ready. • Make a habit of giving. Give something away

every day.

“We find comfort among those who agree with us; growth among

those who don’t.”

-- Frank A. Clark

6. Take Responsibility, Give Credit

• When things go well, spread the credit by recognizing the contribution of others.

• It’s a team effort.

“Courage is the virtue that makes all other virtues possible.”

-- Aristotle

7. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously, But Take Your

Responsibilities Very Seriously

• What you’re doing is important to someone or something.

“Always take your job seriously, never yourself.”

-- Dwight Eisenhower

8. Keep Your Word. Under-promise. Over-deliver.

• Set reasonable expectations.

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.

Your character is what you really are while your reputation is

merely what others think you are”

-- John Wooden

9. Pay More Attention to Actions Than Words.

• Talk is cheap.

• Whether it’s intentional or not, people seldom mean what they say.

“Well done is better than well said.”

-- Benjamin Franklin

10. Be Intentional.

• Have a clear idea of what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

• Think big.

“The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high

and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”

-- Michelangelo Buonarroti

11. Be Encouraging.

• Help others.

• Be a source of inspiration.

“A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries

up the bones.”

-- Proverbs 17:22

12. Look Beyond the Next Step.

• Anticipate the reactions of others.

• Plan for contingencies.

“Skate to where the puck will be.”

-- Wayne Gretzky

13. Find a Way. Adapt and Overcome Obstacles.

• Learn from mistakes.

• Keep the end in mind.

“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things

work out.”

-- John Wooden

14. Analyze With Your Head, Decide With Your Heart.

• Set the context.

• Get enough information to make an informed decision.

• Trust your intuition.

“Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything

that can be counted counts.”

-- Albert Einstein

15. Don’t Let Other People Do Your Thinking For You.

• Everyone has and is entitled to their opinion.

• Listen to others.

• Get the facts.

• Decide for yourself.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other

plans.”

-- John Lennon

16. Be Part of the Solution.

• Avoid blaming others.

“It had long since come to my attention that people of

accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them.

They went out and happened to things.”

-- Leonardo da Vinci

17. Love and Serve Unconditionally.

• Do things without regard for “what’s in it for me”?

“People don’t care how much we know, until they know how much

we care .”

-- unknown

18. Matter.

• To someone.

• To something.

• Leave the world a better place for having been here.

“Be the change that you want to see in the world.”

-- Mahatma Gandhi