Rath Quotes & Sayings

The key to human development is building on who you already are — Tom Rath

I would absolutely recommend against excessive positivity and optimism. Any positive emotion that you're infusing into a workplace needs to be grounded in reality. If it's not realistic, sincere, meaningful, and individualized, it won't do much good. — Tom Rath

It's hard to keep the energy and the emotion of the scene when they're installing a massive green screen behind you. — Meaghan Rath

Clearly, there aren't enough positive moments or interactions happening in the workplace. As a result, our economy suffers, companies suffer, and individual relationships suffer. — Tom Rath

I've seen the same thing emerge in the research around the interaction of sleeping and moving and eating: if you get a good night's sleep, you are significantly more likely to make the right choices about what you eat the next morning, you're more likely to work out, you're more likely to get a better night's sleep the next night. — Tom Rath

The most influential choices you make for your health occur in the grocery store. Once you put something in your cart, good or bad, it is likely to end up in your stomach. Even if you feel some remorse about your poor choice in the store, when you get home, your willpower stands little chance. After all, you paid for it, and it is only a few steps away at that point. — Tom Rath

We engineered activity out of our lives in the name of convenience. We created foods that put fried, fatty, sweet, and salty ahead of fresh, natural, and healthy. We quickly sacrifice sleep to work longer hours in pursuit of the American Dream. Even when we do these things with good intentions, they have life-threatening consequences. — Tom Rath

You cannot be anything you want to be - but you can be a whole lot more of who you already are. — Tom Rath

Fortunately, going from the low end of this continuum to the recommended 10,000 steps can lead to significant health benefits in the short term as well as the long run. — Tom Rath

Spending on oneself does not boost wellbeing. However, spending money on others does
and it appears to be as important to people's happiness as the total amount of money they make. — Tom Rath

I think trust is primarily built through relationships, and it's important because it's the foundational currency that a leader has with his team or his followers. — Tom Rath

The vast knowledge we have to prevent cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses is staggering. — Tom Rath

Every human being has talents that are just waiting to be uncovered. — Tom Rath

Buying experience such as going out to dinner or taking a vacation increases our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others. Experiences last while material purchases fade. — Tom Rath

I've seen so many people - loved ones and colleagues - who jump from one diet to the next, one exercise regimen to the next . I was trying to figure out what were some of the basic things that each of us can build into a lifestyle for good, instead of bouncing from one thing to the next. — Tom Rath

What works for one person's needs is almost always very different from the next. — Tom Rath

The things that change people's lives are usually an accumulation of small acts. — Tom Rath

If a school makes an effort to provide kids the right foods and help them to be more active, this benefits the student and the family's health. If you embark on a program to improve your health with a church or community group, you are more likely to stick with it over time. — Tom Rath

Far too many people spend a lifetime headed in the wrong direction. They go not only from the cradle to the cubicle, but then to the casket, without uncovering their greatest talents and potential. — Tom Rath

I think the term 'friend' itself has lost almost all of its exclusivity. Even the term 'good friend' is overused. Adding the word 'vital' provides a clear definition of what we mean. — Tom Rath

Dave Rath is recovering. A month ago he had hip pocket replacement surgery. — Andy Kindler

Although individuals need not be well-rounded, teams should be. — Tom Rath

People who say they have a best friend at work are seven times as likely to be engaged in what they're doing. And if they don't have a best friend at work, the odds of being engaged are just 1 in 12. — Tom Rath

I've seen people be effective, even among local teams, by offering something that improves wellbeing in a small way - people who get passionate about smart investment strategies and managing finances for retirement, for example. — Tom Rath

When your boss and colleagues care enough to invest in your health, it is good for you and the business. — Tom Rath

Every day, I read about new ideas and research that could help someone I care about live a longer and healthier life. — Tom Rath

Executives must place a priority on wellbeing if they want to attract the right people, keep their best people, and drive their company's financial performance. — Tom Rath

An Australian study of more than 12,000 adults estimated that every single hour spent watching television after the age of 25 decreased the viewer's life expectancy by 22 minutes. — Tom Rath

We don't have any measures in most cases of the health of our social relationships, of what we're giving to the community. — Tom Rath

Half an hour of exercise in the morning makes for better interactions all day. Then a sound night of sleep gives me energy to tackle the next day. I am a more active parent, a better spouse, and more engaged in my work when I eat, move, and sleep well. — Tom Rath

When we build on our strengths and daily successes - instead of focusing on failures - we simply learn more. — Tom Rath

What great leaders have in common is that each truly knows his or her strengths - and can call on the right strength at the right time. — Tom Rath

When we're able to put most of our energy into developing our natural talents, extraordinary room for growth exists. So, a revision to the "You-can-be-anything-you-want-to-be" maxim might be more accurate: You cannot be anything you want to be - but you can be a lot more of who you already are. — Tom Rath

When I was younger, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do, but I told a lot of lies in school. I told my friends once that I was playing John Travolta's daughter in a movie. I also told people that I had this romantic affair with Jonathan Taylor Thomas over a summer. — Meaghan Rath

I've done a couple of series before, and what I like about TV is, as an actor, you get that chance to practice all the time, and that's really how you grow. — Meaghan Rath

If you want to improve your life and the lives of those around you, you must take action. — Tom Rath

Team members care about one another, listen, share secrets, talk about the latest news, have heated arguments, are sometimes jealous of each other, and even cry together. — Tom Rath

Howard Dean announced today he will campaign in seven states. The states are Rage, Frenzy, Fury, Rath, Fever, Agitation, and Delirium. Yeeeeaaaah! — Jay Leno

Service Excellence eats discount and rebate for breakfast. — Carsten K. Rath

At its fundamentally flawed core, the aim of almost any learning program is to help us become who we are not. — Tom Rath

Darling, even raindrops try to wipe my teardrops but your thoughts haul out more tears from my liquid eyes and then teardrops replace raindrops ... — Abhishek Rath

There will be plenty of blame to go around but if you take credit for the sunshine, you also get blamed for the rain. — Tom Rath

The right choices over time greatly improve your odds of a long and healthy life. — Tom Rath

This book is a call to return to basics and focus on innovation around actual problems that the normal person faces in his life. We provide guidance on an experiential journey to enable entrepreneurs to discover their personal truths, tactics and strategies in the context of the specific problems that they are trying to solve. — Samir Rath

If you focus on people's weaknesses, they lose confidence. — Tom Rath

And it is likely that Rudy had teammates for whom the inverse was true - they were a 5 on talent and just a 2 on time invested, which is clearly a waste of talent. — Tom Rath

Make work a purpose, not just a place. — Tom Rath

Instead of celebrating what makes each child unique, most parents push their children to "fit in" so that they don't "stick out." This unwittingly stomps out individuality and encourages conformity, despite these parents' good intentions — Tom Rath

When I speak with people who love their jobs and have vital friendships at work, they always talk about how their workgroup is like a family. — Tom Rath

You can intentionally choose to spend more time with the people you enjoy most and engage your strengths as much as possible. — Tom Rath

Positive defaults protect you from yourself - and that helps you to make decisions in the moment that are better for your long-term interests. — Tom Rath

It appears that the epidemic of active disengagement we see in workplaces every day could be a curable disease ... if we can help the people around us develop their strengths. — Tom Rath

When you ask people about what they enjoy doing, time spent with the boss is even worse than time spent cleaning the house. So this suggests that there are a lot of leaders out there who are not doing an adequate job. — Tom Rath

I love the action stuff. Honestly, I like sci-fi and everything supernatural. — Meaghan Rath

If my colleagues stop eating donuts and are more active, it saves me money on next year's insurance premium, and I get to work with people who have more energy and creativity each day. Yet most organizations fail to make health a cultural priority. Instead, they treat healthcare like any other expense. — Tom Rath

Quick as a flash, Sawney Rath's eyes hardened. "Then I'm ordering you to skin Felch alive!" He took the otter's paw, closing it over the knife handle. "Obey me!"
The crowded clearing became as silent as a tomb. All eyes were upon the Taggerung, awaiting his reaction to the order.
Tagg turned his back on Sawney and strode to the side of the fox strung up to the beech bough. He raised the blade. Felch shut his eyes tight, his head shaking back and forth as his nerves quivered uncontrollably. With a sudden slash Tagg severed the thongs that bound him. Felch slumped to the ground in a shaking heap. Tagg's voice was flat and hard as he turned to face Sawney.
"I'm sorry to disobey your order. The fox is a sorry thief, but I will not take the life of a helpless beast. — Brian Jacques

While the things that motivate us differ greatly from one person to the next, the outcomes do not. — Tom Rath

When we can see an immediate payoff, we are more likely to change our behavior in the moment. This aligns our daily actions with our long-term interests. — Tom Rath

What's more, we had discovered that people have several times more potential for growth, when they invest energy in developing their strenghts instead of correcting their deficiencies. — Tom Rath

Even though people spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, people underestimate how work influences their overall wellbeing and daily experience. — Tom Rath

The most important thing executives can do is send a very clear message to their employees that they care about each person's overall wellbeing and that they want to be a part of helping it improve over time. — Tom Rath

Talent (a natural way of thinking, feeling, or behaving) x Investment (time spent practicing, developing your skills, and building your knowledge base) = Strength (the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance) — Tom Rath

Employees who report receiving recognition and praise within the last seven days show increased productivity, get higher scores from customers, and have better safety records. They're just more engaged at work. — Tom Rath

You would think that when someone accepts a position with a company, they would assume that their life will be better off because they have that job rather than a different one. — Tom Rath

When we get at least six hours of daily social time, it increases our wellbeing and minimizes stress and worry. The six hours includes time at work, at home, on the telephone, talking to friends, sending e-mail, and other communication. — Tom Rath

Perhaps the ultimate test of a leader is not what you are able to do in the here and now - but instead what continues to grow long after you're gone — Tom Rath

Followers have a very clear picture of what they want and need from the most influential leaders in their lives: trust, compassion, stability, and hope — Tom Rath

There is certainly some predisposition to wellbeing, based on the research I've looked at. There are people who have a lot more natural discipline. But for most of us, it takes a lot more in terms of social expectations, where, say, we tell people we're going to run a 5K. — Tom Rath

It turned out that looking forward to a vacation or event provided even more happiness than the event itself. — Tom Rath

When you ask people what affects their wellbeing most, they think of health and wealth. — Tom Rath

People with high levels of wellbeing have been careful to work out early in the morning and not to have heavy meals throughout the day because you kind of fall off a cliff in terms of your energy by 2 or 3:00 if you have a lunch with a lot of heavy foods. — Tom Rath

The reality is that a person who has always struggled with numbers is unlikely to be a great accountant or statistician. — Tom Rath

On average, spending time with your boss is consistently rated as the least pleasurable activity in a given day. — Tom Rath

Ignoring negative things that need to be changed is destructive and does nothing to alleviate negativity. Instead, we should focus on the way we're treating other people in our brief interactions with them. — Tom Rath

First class Manager hire first class leader, second class Manager hire third class manager and third class manager fire first class leader. — Carsten K. Rath

The data suggest that to have a thriving day, we need six hours of social time. — Tom Rath

Our relationships with people are formed by small moments - and relationships are crucial in business. — Tom Rath

If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything. — Tom Rath

Happiness is Homemade! — Carsten K. Rath

What we've learned is that if you can make the right decision in the supermarket aisle, it's a heck of a lot easier to make a good decision when you reach in your cupboard when you're craving a snack at eight o'clock at night. — Tom Rath

When we asked people if they would rather have a best friend at work or a 10% pay raise, having a friend clearly won. — Tom Rath

Wanting a more positive environment isn't enough. You need to do something, and it doesn't require a great deal of effort or some huge change in the way you approach things at work. — Tom Rath

Making better choices takes work. There is a daily give and take, but it is worth the effort. — Tom Rath

There aren't as many roles for people who look like me, and it was always complicated when it came to casting my parents. But now I couldn't be more grateful that I have a different look. — Meaghan Rath

People who have at least three or four very close friendships are healthier, have higher wellbeing, and are more engaged in their jobs. But the absence of any close friendships can lead to boredom, loneliness, and depression. — Tom Rath

I love being physical. It makes me feel like I sickly love the pain of it. — Meaghan Rath

I always try to look at the episode overall, and try to figure out where I can add something that's a little ironic or self-aware or light because I think that's what makes the show special. — Meaghan Rath

Having fewer unhealthy days and, in turn, more days when you have the energy to get things done is probably the global constant through which businesses and individuals can think about the quantifiable upside of increasing wellbeing. — Tom Rath

No matter how healthy you are today, you can take specific actions to have more energy and live longer. — Tom Rath

The mome rath isn't born that could outgrabe me! — Nicol Williamson

Washington is not a city that takes great pride in being a healthy place, necessarily. Now, I have no data. That's just my own observation. — Tom Rath

Figure out what you really love doing and use your strengths on a daily basis. — Tom Rath

That sense of family. And the way that we all interact and collaborate together. It's really gonna be something I'm gonna miss. — Meaghan Rath

The pursuit of meaning, not happiness, is what makes life worthwhile. — Tom Rath

High school was hard for me. I tried really hard to fit in and said the things I thought people wanted to hear. But I was unsure of myself. I was self-conscious, and I didn't really know my place or where I fit in. — Meaghan Rath

Every hour you spend on your rear end ... saps your energy and ruins your health. — Tom Rath

The lesson here is clear: If you want people to understand that you value their contributions and that they are important, the recognition and praise you provide must have meaning that is specific to each individual. — Tom Rath

The real energy occurs in each connection between two people, which can bring about exponential returns. — Tom Rath

I fully believe in ghosts. I have, my entire life. The first house I ever lived in was haunted. There was a grave of a man in the backyard. I was just a baby then, but my parents would tell me that every night, at the same time, they would hear someone walking up the stairs. — Meaghan Rath

Go maire tu' I bhfad agus rath!
'Live long and prosper'. — Diane Duane