All I really know I learned from watching billionaire Bruce Wayne.  Self-reliance, for example.  With all those secret passageways leading to the Batcave, he couldn't bring strangers into his home to fix problems or make repairs, he had to do everything himself.

Alfred, his butler, wasn't much help.  He had enough to do cleaning up after all those filthy little bats flying around.

Another thing Bruce taught me was the value of education and preparation.  Batman wasn't a role Bruce played as much as a battlefield position.  That required him to know everything about everything---ancient history, 19th Century mathematics, current manufacturing problems, computer technology, martial arts, you name it.  He had to stay a jump ahead of agents of change and the movers and shakers.  He had to get Clark Smart (clarkhoward.com) and see what others tried to hide.  He had to prove to people struggling through difficulties that they couldn't turn circumstances around by breaking the law.

The thing I loved about Bruce was that no matter how gloomy things seemed, he always found plenty to be thankful for.  Oh sure, there were moments when he got down on himself for things he couldn't do really well (like arm wrestle The Green Hornet); everyone goes through moments like that.  But then he got to thinking, "Well, you know, Tarzan isn't a guy you would call to fix your computer.  And I doubt The Lone Ranger can change the oil in your car.  But so what?  They still score winning touchdowns".

 

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude to me is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than  money, than circumstances, than successes, than what other people think, say, or do.  It is more importance than appearance, giftedness, or skill.   "The remarkable thing is we make a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past . . . we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and that is our attitude.   "I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.   "And so it is with you . . . we are in charge of our attitude."                                                                                    - - - Charles Swindol