October 1993 was the beginning of one of my favorite ventures: my weekly column. Twenty years of sharing stories and advice have passed quickly and have taught me many lessons about the nature of business.

Did I have a long-term plan in mind when I started writing? Only to provide the most helpful information available. As I research topics, I learn plenty myself. I've offered both successful and embarrassing stories from my personal experiences. I have drawn inspiration from readers who challenge me, and I am always delighted to hear that a particular column had a positive impact on a reader's career or life. Newspapers all around the country carry my column every week, plus 50,000 people subscribe to it for free on my website, www.harveymackay.com.

My favorite part of each column, as often echoed by readers, is Mackay's Moral, which sums it up in a memorable lesson.

I'm celebrating this milestone by highlighting 20 of the most important morals that have run with these 1,000-plus columns:

-- People become successful the minute they decide to be. A goal is a dream with a deadline.

-- People don't plan to fail; they fail to plan. It's easier to prepare and prevent than to repair and repent.

-- Practice makes perfect ... not true. You have to add one word: Perfect practice makes perfect. Amateurs practice until they get it right. Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong.

-- They don't pay off on effort ... they pay off on results. A lot of people work very hard but never seem to make any headway. Always keep an eye on the finish line.

-- Knowledge does not become power until it is used. There are plenty of people who know it all but have never bothered to do any of it. Ideas without action are worthless.

-- I know that you don't know ... but you don't know that you don't know. Ignorance is not the problem -- it's not knowing we are ignorant that causes difficulty.

-- Your day usually goes the way the corners of your mouth turn. The most powerful single thing you can do to influence others is to smile at them.

-- Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back.

-- The single biggest tool in any negotiation is the ability to get up and walk away from the table without a deal. Smile and say "no" until your tongue bleeds.

-- You don't have to know everything as long as you know people who do. If I had to name the single characteristic shared by all the truly successful people I've met over my lifetime, I'd say it is the ability to create and nurture a network of contacts.

-- It's never right to do what's wrong, and it's never wrong to do what's right. You cannot do business without trust.

-- Some people go around all of their life asking, "What should I buy? What should I sell?" Those are the wrong questions. Timing is everything. Start asking, "When should I buy? When should I sell?"

-- When a person with money meets a person with experience, here is what happens: The person with the experience winds up with the money and the person with the money winds up with the experience.

-- You will never get ahead of anyone as long as you are trying to get even with them. Helping someone up won't pull you down.

-- The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

-- The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your arm.

-- There will always be a place in the world for anyone who says, "I'll take care of it," and then does it. Remember the 10 most powerful two-letter words in the English language: If it is to be, it is up to me.

-- Failure is no more fatal than success is permanent. You don't quit trying when you lose; you lose when you quit trying.

-- People don't care how much you know about them once they realize how much you care about them. Caring is contagious -- help spread it around!

-- We are judged by what we finish, not by what we start. And this seems like the perfect place to finish.

Mackay's Bonus Moral: Gratitude should be a continuous attitude. Thank you, readers!

I've always been a city boy -- I can't even coax a weed to grow. But I discovered a national treasure, practically in my own backyard, which made me wish my thumbs were greener.

Donna Frantz's greatest skill is not really the organic farming that has dominated her life for the last 16 years. No, she is the poster child for living your dreams with energy and passion. At age 81, she is not about to stop learning and doing new things.

You read that right -- age 81. Donna and her husband, Leon, started a seasonal farmers market that eventually grew into a year-round florist and gift shop that they operated for 21 years. She really wanted a farm, though, and looked for one for 19 years. A farmer finally asked her if she was still interested in buying, and told her he would sell the next year. "I've already waited 19 years," she told him. "I can wait for one more."

So at age 65, when most folks are seriously contemplating retirement, they moved to the farm -- her "25 acres of gold." I recently spent four hours there as Donna proudly showed me her farm. I even had a chance to ride on her tractor, a first for me. As long as she can physically work the farm and her mind stays sharp, there is no desire to retire.

"The soil around Waconia, Minn., is rich and black and perfect for my lifelong dream to grow and share these fabulous vegetables with people," Donna says. She is an organic gardener, and has been all her life. The produce is picked fresh daily, washed and brought into the lower level of their renovated and restored 1890s German bank barn, which houses her business, At the Farm. The stone walls keep the space cool, even on the hottest days of summer.

Besides produce, she also sells seeds, herbs, flowers and vegetable plants. Her five employees, whom she refers to as her "elves," taste everything before they sell the crop -- just to be sure it meets her standards.

But the most important commodity Donna dispenses is wisdom: farming advice to be sure, but also motivation, dedication, common sense, and how to live with passion.

Her mom and dad were farmers. Her mother told her never to be a farmer. "Mother had an A-plus work ethic," Donna said. "Dad was outgoing with a terrific sense of humor. Dad said never, never, never worry. He just flew by the seat of his pants and had a let-it-flow attitude."

To live her dream, she ignored her mother's advice. She works every day -- seven days a week. She's never had a vacation. Her vacation is on the farm. She doesn't go anywhere else. She loves work and can't believe she created this.

Every morning, she gets on her tractor and travels around her farm and continually reminds herself that all this is beyond her wildest dreams. She reads self-help books, not for enjoyment, but to learn. She says you cannot learn enough in a lifetime.

I asked one of her employees to share Donna's secret: "She's always in the moment. She always wants to know what is going on in our lives and the lives of customers -- success of kids, sickness, vacations, everything." We do something similar here at MackayMitchell Envelope with our Mackay 66 customer profile.

Then I asked Donna to prioritize what made her successful. Aside from her first answer, which is what every good farmer would tell you, the rest of her advice is universal, regardless of the business you're in.

1. Soil. The soil smells good after it rains.

2. Quality of products. It's important to not be too economical and don't let the cost of your seed get in the way of quality. You must have good seed to be successful.

3. Research, research, research. If it's a new seed, you test and test. You will never know how good it is until you grow it and try it.

4. Be good to your customers. Tell them when you don't know.

5. Above all, you must be honest.

6. Stand behind your product. If someone gets a bad melon, they can throw it away and get a new one.

Donna said, "I don't care how many zeros you have in sales -- from $1 million to $100 million -- business concepts won't change. It's better than money when people like what you do."

Mackay's Moral: It's never too late to plant the seeds of success.

Hercules, according to legend, grew increasingly irritated by a strange, menacing animal that kept blocking his path. In a fit of anger, he struck the animal with his club, killing it. As he continued his path, he kept encountering the same animal, each time larger and more menacing than before. At last, a wise messenger appeared and warned Hercules to stop his furious assaults.

"The monster is Strife, and you are stirring it up," said the messenger. "Just let it alone and it will shrivel and cease to trouble you."

We all have conflict in our lives, whether at home or at work. How we deal with it determines whether it conquers us.

Conflict in the workplace means less commitment in the workforce.

Human resources managers report that they spend anywhere from 24 percent to 60 percent of their time trying to resolve workplace conflicts, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). SHRM says that almost 60 percent of survey respondents have seen violent incidents in their workplace over the last three years, with "personality conflicts" as the main cause.

More troubling results from researchers at the University of North Carolina revealed:

-- Fifty-three percent of workers have lost time at work over worries about a previous or potential confrontation with a colleague.

-- Twenty-eight percent have lost work time in their attempts to avoid confrontations.

-- Thirty-seven percent are less committed to their employer because of a hostile workplace altercation.

-- Twenty-two percent say they're putting less effort into their work due to conflicts at work.

So why can't we all just get along?

Unless you work in a one-person operation, conflict is inevitable. There will be as many opinions as there are people. Most often, differences can be set aside and somehow, the work gets done.

While it is not unheard of for people to disagree, conflicts with co-workers or customers don't have to turn unpleasant. Peaceful resolution of issues starts with rational behavior, which requires all parties to put emotions aside.

But when a serious conflict arises, circumstances can change dramatically. Unresolved disagreements can cripple a workplace.

Before you blow your top, pause and listen. Stop whatever else you may be doing and focus on the situation. Pay attention to what the other person is saying, and demonstrate that you are listening carefully.

Make sure you know the real issue, and validate the other person's feelings with a response. Talk about how the two -- or three or more -- of you might solve the problem cooperatively. If the solution is your responsibility, tell the other person what you plan to do to resolve the problem, and when he or she can expect the matter to be settled.

And it's often effective to repeat yourself. When you have a point to get across and the other person is evasive and avoids it by bringing up side issues, changing the subject, asking you nonproductive questions, or intimidating you with his or her point of view, calmly keep repeating your point of view or question. Keep the discussion focused on the central issue and refuse to be drawn into a spitting match.

If you come to the realization that your actions may have initiated the problem, accept or recognize your error or mistake. Everyone is entitled to an occasional mistake, but taking responsibility is an important first step. It is better to acknowledge the situation than to feel guilty or defensive about what has happened.

When someone makes a negative statement about you, ask for specific information. Use it to correct your behavior. However, if you feel someone is manipulating you, or just using you as a convenient target, keep asking for specifics. Chances are, they will get tired of the whole thing and give up.

Remember, it's no fun to fight with people who won't fight back. Show some restraint, and your attacker will likely move on to his or her next victim -- and will leave you alone.

One final piece of advice: Don't involve other co-workers in your disagreement. Recruiting supporters should be limited to political campaigns and athletic teams. Drawing battle lines in the workplace is immature and unprofessional. And it will eventually lead to an unproductive environment that will snowball into yet another conflict: Who will be willing to give me a recommendation when I am looking for my next job?

Mackay's Moral: Conflict resolution doesn't have to be a Herculean task -- but it requires inner strength.