Deep Thoughts from Coca Cola's CEO

It's been a month since I've started working again, and I have been pleasantly surprised by how quickly I have adjusted to working life again. Though it was unthinkable while I was in school, I have found that I actually prefer being able to reward myself guilt-free after working hard during the week. Being able to compartmentalize work and play has also enabled me to think about the finer points in life, which have been pinpointed so eloquently by Bryan Dyson, former CEO of Coca-Cola in the following quotes that my sister found after my mom passed along his 30-second speech to us:

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings!

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.

Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

In summary, the quotes emphasize: know yourself and what makes you happy, don't be afraid to take risks, and treasure what you have.

Too often, we seem to be stuck in a vicious cycle of benchmarking ourselves to others, when the true 'north' lies within ourselves. Therefore, be true to yourself, and it's only when you're happy with who you are, that others will want to be around you.

Signed,

Mei