Harvey Mackay: He shares a compendium of wisdom

Readers of this column are remarkable when it comes to telling me what they like most about my weekly musings. Of course, I'm honored when they tell me they have posted my words on company bulletin boards or used the lessons as motivation.

But without question, the most frequent feedback I get is that the column-ending morals are a very useful summation of the message. Occasionally, I compile a list of my favorite morals from the past couple of years. Be my guest to share them!

• Whatever you're selling, you're selling yourself first.

• Don't presume what you assume is correct.

• Accountability is the ability to accept responsibility.

• Some of the best lessons we ever learned, we learned from our mistakes and failures.

• A sense of humor is almost as important as our other five senses.

• Don't let excess stress get in the way of extreme success.

• Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success.

• Even if you can't achieve perfection, you should never stop trying.

• Unhappiness always seeks to get. Happiness always seeks to give.

• Great brainstorms should produce plenty of enlightening!

• Clean up your act, or be prepared to clean out your desk.

• Your job is always to make someone else's job easier.

• You can't buy confidence, but you can sell it!

• Parents teach lessons even when they think no one is watching.

• Negotiation is not just about winning. It's about win-win.

• Confidence is keeping your chin up. Overconfidence is sticking your neck out.

• Persuasion is an art. The tongue can paint what the eye can't see.

• Let curiosity turn "I don't know" into "I want to find out."

• The biggest mistake you can make is pretending that you didn't make one.

• When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at often change.

• Take control of your attitude before it takes control of you.

• A little spark can lead to a blazing success.

• Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.

• Optimal customer service is not optional.

• The hardest sale you'll ever make is to yourself. But once you're convinced you can do it, you can.

• Solving employee turnover is easier when they own a piece of the pie.

• Selling isn't rocket science — it's people science.

• The friendships you cultivate will help you grow.

• It's just as easy to look for the good things in life as the bad.

• Make your stumbling blocks your stepping stones.

• Hope is what allows us to remember yesterday's disappointments and still look forward to tomorrow.

Mackay's Moral: Don't just make a living, make a life worth living.