When a lesson can be summed up in a few well-chosen words, the message often stays with the student. A little tool to jog the memory, a clever saying to remind you what is truly important -- that's why "Mackay's Moral" appears at the end of each of my columns. All of my books also have aphorisms to sum up chapters, as I find it a great way to teach.

I file away helpful sayings and use them to drive home the point when the occasion presents itself. I know this method is effective, because my readers often cite these witticisms in their letters and emails to me. I love that they remember these little nuggets and find them so useful.

For today's column, I am pleased to offer up some of my favorite aphorisms not used in my columns or books. They are self-explanatory and can stand on their own without a longer explanation. If you prefer, think of it as 37 quick columns all in one.

-- Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

-- Goals are like stars; they may not be reached, but they can always be guides.

-- A mistake proves that someone at least tried.

-- If we are facing the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.

-- What you build easily will fall quickly.

-- When life gives you 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1,000 to smile.

-- A word and a stone once thrown away cannot be returned.

-- It isn't hard to make a mountain out of a molehill; just add a little dirt.

-- Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.

-- Friendship is like a bank account. You can't continue to draw on it without making deposits.

-- A positive attitude is a magnet for positive results.

-- The key to keeping your balance is knowing when you've lost it.

-- Remember: It's not what you have, it's what you do with what you have that makes all the difference.

-- Life is a continuous process of getting used to things we haven't expected.

-- There's only one endeavor in which you can start at the top, and that's digging a hole.

-- You have to take it as it happens, but you should try to make it happen the way you want to take it.

-- Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

-- The trouble with self-made people is that they worship their creator.

-- If you always give, you will always have.

-- You can't get ahead when you're trying to get even.

-- The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win.

-- No matter how much dirt you throw at someone else, you'll always be dirtier.

-- Judge other people's faults by their effect on the work, not by their effect on you.

-- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.

-- Too many people stop to think and forget to start again.

-- If you're not sure where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else.

-- Ten out of nine people don't realize they're weak in math.

-- Try not to become a person of success, but rather a person of value.

-- The grass isn't greener over there. It's greener where you water it.

-- Hire for character; train for skill.

-- You know you need a change when all you exercise is caution.

-- The person who makes no mistakes usually doesn't make anything.

-- Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing him- or herself.

-- Nursing a grudge is bad for your health.

-- Life is a bumpy road, and laughter is your best shock absorber.

-- Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.

-- We could learn a lot from crayons: Some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names and all are different colors ... but they all exist very nicely in the same box.

Mackay's Moral: In the end, we only regret the chances we didn't take, the relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.

"You can't stand out if you're trying to blend in." That's the message Sally Hogshead drives home in the updated edition of "Fascinate," her how-to handbook for making any brand impossible to resist.

"In any crowded marketplace, you have to make a choice," she writes. "Either have the biggest marketing budget ... or be the most fascinating. Otherwise, your messages will be ignored and forgotten."

Her research shows that a product or service can charge up to 400 percent more, without changing the product, by identifying how to fascinate buyers. She goes on to demonstrate how anyone can make anything fascinating. Her book gives the tools to prove it.

In her original version published in 2010, Sally explained how our brains become captivated by certain people and ideas. She shared the seven ways in which brands fascinate people, or as she puts it, "the why, but not the how."

The new version of her book includes more than 60 percent new content. Most exciting is the introduction of her Brand Fascination Profile, a process that enables you to measure the advantages of your own service or product.

Another new feature is TurboBranding, a step-by-step process that shows you how to create branding messages in about an hour.

Sound like useful information? You can't begin to imagine how many ways you can apply this advice. After all, as Sally writes, "Corporations don't create brands. People do."

What attracts people to certain branding messages and not others? "Every day, in every relationship, you're 'marketing' your ideas to be heard," Sally says. "You want clients to hire you, or customers to recommend you. ... Your influence will be measured by your ability to fascinate."

The word "fascinate" comes from the Latin "fascinare," which means "to bewitch or hold captive so that others are powerless to resist." Fascination is the most powerful force of attraction, drawing customers into a state of intense focus.

How do you harness this fascination? "If you master the forces that influence human behavior, you win," Sally says. "You can win bigger budgets, more time, better relationships, greater admiration, deeper trust."

But if you don't attract people, you lose the battle. She cautions: "As a business, if you can't persuade customers to act, you might as well donate your entire marketing budget to charity."

You will know that your brand is fascinating if you are provoking strong and emotional reactions, creating advocates and inciting conversation, or forcing your competitors to realign.

The examples and stories that Sally shares offer convincing evidence. One describes how women who were given the choice between sunglasses with a designer logo and plain sunglasses were willing to pay more for the logo, although the functionality of the product was the same. The experiment showed that they weren't concerned about buying something that was better, but something that was different.

"That's the heart of differentiation," she writes. "It's tough to be better. But far easier to be different."

Fascination goes beyond rational thinking, she says, "transforming customers into fanatics and your brand's products into must-have purchases."

But what if your marketing budget is limited? "The goal here is not to spend more money on marketing. It's actually to spend less money by marketing more effectively," Sally advises.

"Spend less, but see better results. Outthink instead of outspend. If you don't have the biggest budget, then be the most fascinating."

The real meat of this book comes in Part II, "The Seven Fascination Advantages: How to Make Your Brand Impossible to Resist." Here, Sally describes the creativity of innovation, the emotion of passion, the confidence built by power, the new standards set by prestige, the stability of trust, mystique's language of listening and the rules of alert.

She next moves into tactics, a practical system to customize your message. The seven advantages are coupled with specific tactics to position your message more effectively. Sally also shows how to combine the seven advantages with each other to customize your branding.

The closing section sends you on your way with a five-step action plan. The "Fascinate System" is not a "substitute for a full-service agency," she says. But "it condenses the time-honored marketing process into a streamlined and straightforward process for identifying your brand's message and key competitive advantage."

In a nutshell, "Fascinate" is fascinating. Your brand can be fascinating too.

Mackay's Moral: Big-time branding doesn't require a big-time budget, just a commitment to fascinate.

A small village by the sea depended on fishing to survive. Each year the village boats had to go farther and farther from shore to catch enough fish to feed the population.

But as the anglers ventured farther away, they encountered a problem. Their usual practice was to put the fish they caught in big tanks to keep them fresh until they returned home. But the fish grew lethargic in the tanks, and many died before the boat could reach shore again.

After much thought, one of the crew hit upon a solution: On their next fishing trip, they caught a small shark and placed it in the tank along with the fish. The shark ate only a few fish, but the rest swam frantically around the tank trying to keep away from the predator -- and made it to shore fresh and healthy for the villagers who depended on them.

The moral of this story is that sometimes a little fear is what we need to stay active and alive. I certainly find that to be true. If I begin to coast, I lose concentration and focus. I perform best when I have a little anxiety or fear. I am sharper and more on my game.

A little fear can be healthy. But fear can hold a lot of people back and stop them from living life to the fullest. I understand that feeling of being afraid. However, there is only one thing worse than a quitter, and that is a person who is afraid to begin. There are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless about them.

Dale Carnegie once said: "Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."

Don't let fear block your success. If you truly want to learn to control your fear and advance in your career, I have some ideas that have worked for me. They can work for you too.

-- Explore your memories. Look back over your career. What situations have made you feel afraid? Do you see any common denominators? When was the last time you were afraid to do something and did it anyway?

-- Look at your responsibilities. You have a lot of priorities in your life. Which ones make you fearful? Why are you afraid of them? Dig deep, and keep asking "why" until you are satisfied that you have found the root of your fear.

-- Construct a worst-case scenario. When a certain situation makes you nervous, try to think of the worst thing that could realistically happen. Chances are the reality won't be as devastating as you think, and examining the possibilities ahead of time will prepare you to avoid the potential pitfalls.

-- Shift your focus. When you're confronted by a task that makes you fearful, stop and think about all the positive benefits it will produce in the end. Focusing on the outcome helps you put the small worries aside.

-- Try new things. At every opportunity, take on a new task or a different responsibility. This will increase your capacity to take risks. It will also expand your skill set and build your confidence.

-- Review your risks. Look at some of the risks you've taken recently. Chances are, most of them turned out OK. Figure out what made them work. Can you duplicate those decisions that led to success and apply them to other situations?

-- Know that your fears will resurface occasionally. Accept this fact, because there will be times when you feel like you are out of control. Outside factors can influence situations adversely. Prepare yourself to handle disappointments and unsettled situations. Stop and assess the circumstances so you can decide whether further actions will help or hurt.

Not knowing how to control your fear can have disastrous results. Consider the great tightrope walker Karl Wallenda. He died many years ago in a tragic fall. His widow was quoted as saying: "All Karl thought about for three straight months prior to the accident was falling. It seemed to me he put all his energy into not falling – not into walking the tightrope."

Mackay's Moral: Don't let your fears get in your head -- get ahead of them.