A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city and attached the following message to his windshield: “I have circled this block 10 times. I have an appointment to keep. Forgive us our trespasses.”

When he returned to his car he found this reply attached to his own note, along with a parking ticket: “I’ve circled this block for 10 years. If I don’t give you a ticket, I lose my job. Lead us not into temptation.”

We are all tempted in many ways. We want to purchase something, but don’t have the funds. We know we should exercise, but it’s easier to sit at home and binge-watch last season’s episodes. We want that dessert, but know it’s better if we don’t eat it.

"Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals," according to Wikipedia. Simply put, the human desire for the instant or the pleasurable can have negative consequences in the long run.

Temptation is all around us. For businesses, it might be bad-mouthing your competition. I can’t tell you how many salespeople I’ve come across who do this, but it’s a dangerous turn-off for customers.

For example, a co-worker was recently in the market for a new hot tub. He chose not to go with a specific manufacturer because the sales rep kept bad-mouthing his rivals.

Another temptation is to toot your own horn. I learned many years ago that if you can get someone else to broadcast your accomplishments, the message will go a lot further. No one likes a shameless self-promoter.

Similarly, I see many companies and individuals putting personal needs ahead of business needs. Be careful not to overspend, because nothing sinks a ship faster than people and companies overspending.

Another huge temptation for companies is expanding too fast. It’s helpful -- perhaps critical -- to have a seasoned veteran or two check your lavish plans. This can also apply to new executives coming into companies and doing too much, too soon, too fast. It’s better to listen and educate yourself before you shake things up too much.

I came across the book “The Five Temptations of a CEO” by Patrick Lencioni. He lists the most common pitfalls faced by leaders. The No. 1 temptation is choosing status over results. Many leaders are more interested in protecting their career status than focusing on company results. Achievement, not ego, should be the driving force.

The No. 2 temptation is choosing popularity over accountability. Leaders need to hold themselves and everyone around them accountable and communicate what is expected of them. If leaders do this successfully, they will be respected.

Coming in at No. 3 is choosing certainty over clarity. Leaders don’t have the luxury of waiting until they are absolutely certain before making a decision. There’s nothing wrong with saying, “I was wrong.” Clarity is usually more important than accuracy.

Choosing harmony over conflict is temptation No. 4. Most people don’t want to rock the boat, so they seek harmony. However, establishing productive conflict is important, and that usually only happens in passionate conversations where people challenge each other.

Finally, the No. 5 temptation is choosing invulnerability over trust. T-R-U-S-T is the most important five-letter word in business. Without trust, you have nothing. And to trust your employees, you must put your careers in the hands of others and be vulnerable.

Face it: It’s hard to resist temptation. Sometimes the difference between wanting something and having it is too great. Sure, once you give in to temptation, you feel better. But that feeling usually doesn’t last.

We live in an instant-gratification world. But studies show that people who delay their gratification have more success when it comes to finances, relationships and achievements.

A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to become an owner in an emerging European basketball league. It was an enormous temptation. I love basketball, and to be a team owner would have been a dream come true.

But when it was my turn to commit, I passed. The other owners were shocked, to say the least. Sadly, the league folded a year later, and the owners lost millions. Temptation avoided. No regrets.

Mackay’s Moral: When you meet temptation, turn to the right.

A man attending a seminar on interpersonal relationships became convinced of the need for him to begin showing appreciation to people. His family seemed like an appropriate place to start. So, on his way home, he picked up a dozen long-stem roses and a box of chocolates. This was going to be a real surprise, and he was excited to begin showing his wife how much he appreciated her.

Arriving home, he walked up to the front door with his hands full, rang the doorbell and waited for his wife to answer. Immediately upon seeing him, she began to cry.

“What’s the matter, honey?” asked the confused husband.

“Oh, it’s been a terrible day,” she responded. “First, Tommy tried to flush a stuffed animal down the toilet, then the dishwasher quit working, Sally came home from school sick, and now ... now, you come home drunk.”

Oops.

Maybe this husband had bad timing or he should have shown more appreciation in the past. Or maybe he was suffering from the taking-things-for-granted syndrome. Many of us are comfortable with our lives, and we often fail to appreciate our loved ones, friends, people we work with, our health, and on and on.

Whether spoken by you or to you, two words are among the most meaningful in the language. We teach them to tots learning to talk, to get them in the habit of showing gratitude. We write them when we receive a gift or a special favor. We say them when we remember to, which is often not enough.

“There are two words that, when spoken, have the most unfathomable power to completely change your life,” wrote Rhonda Byrne, author of “The Secret.” "The only thing standing between you, happiness, and the life of your dreams is two words ... THANK YOU!”

William James, psychologist and philosopher, said, “The deepest principle of human nature is a craving to be appreciated.”

Studies by other experts reflect this as well. Psychologists Michael E. McCullough and Robert A. Emmons performed several studies in which participants were asked to practice exercises of “counting their blessings” either on a weekly basis for 10 weeks or on a daily basis for a couple weeks. Participants were asked to record their moods, coping behaviors, health behaviors, physical symptoms and overall life appraisals. Their research is one reason many people believe appreciation is the most essential and powerful component of well-being.

The cost of praising someone is nil -- but a recent study has found that the payoff can be huge. Employees want to be seen as competent, hardworking members of the team. Good managers want satisfied, motivated and productive staff members. What better motivation than thanking employees for their contributions to the company’s success?

Showing appreciation also generates respect and builds relationships. The keys are to be sincere and specific. Whether it’s in person or in writing, it’s always good to praise others in public, which raises morale. Just keep it genuine -- going overboard can have the reverse effect.

Fortunately ,there are many simple ways to show appreciation to people at work:

-- Take note of a talent or skill they have and compliment them.

-- Ask co-workers about their lives outside of work. Show a genuine interest. Everything doesn’t have to be about business.

-- Give recognition for a job well done.

-- Offer to help if you know a co-worker is in a bind.

-- Buy lunch.

-- Tell their boss what a good job they did on a project.

Little things mean a lot -- not true. Little things mean everything.

Just remember: You get what you give. When you give appreciation and acknowledgement, you are showing that you value the people around you. You might be just one person, but hearing a simple “thank you” may be all it takes to turn someone’s day around. I guarantee that you will get something in return -- the satisfaction of knowing that you have made a difference for someone. And that’s all the thanks you need.

Mackay’s Moral: “Thank you” is always a welcome message.

Social work students were learning the value of reflective listening -- summarizing what someone has said to show you heard them accurately. At the conclusion of several practice sessions, each student was asked to choose someone with whom they could practice their new skills. One student, Mary, chose her 8-year-old neighbor.

“Hi Jimmy,” she began. “How have things been going?”

“Not very good,” Jimmy responded.

“You haven’t been doing too good?" Mary questioned.

“No, I have been in trouble with my mom most of this week.”

“You have been in trouble with your mom?”

“Yes, and it’s not my fault.”

“Not your fault?”

“Mary, you seem to have the same problem my mom tells me I have,” Jimmy exclaimed. “It seems we both don’t hear too well.”

Kenneth Haseley, a communications professor at Ivanovo State University in Russia, offers some very interesting statistics on listening: “Most of us spend 70 to 80 percent of our waking time communicating; nearly half of it -- some 45 percent -- is spent listening.

“But we are poor listeners. We listen at an efficiency rate of only 25-50 percent. One reason for this is that the average person speaks at a rate between 100 and 200 words per minute (wpm), but we can hear at a rate of at least 600 wpm. That leaves a lot of time for our minds to wander. When someone is talking, most of us are thinking about how we're going to respond.

“Listening is hard work. When you listen actively, your pulse goes up and you breathe faster. To listen effectively, and to show that you are listening, do the following: Take notes. Repeat or paraphrase what the speaker has said. Ask questions. Ask the speaker to clarify or elaborate on what was said. Don't interrupt. Look at the speaker.”

Listening at work is an important skill to develop. You need to listen well for many reasons: so that you can understand others, so you know what it is that you are supposed to do, so that you can predict and prevent possible problems and so that you can set your goals for the future in a positive and realistic manner.

“Learn to listen,” says author H. Jackson Brown Jr. “Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.”

Listening can be hard work, and some people are more challenging to listen to than others. But when you find yourself tuning out what someone is saying, you should ask yourself why. Are you tuning them out because what they’re saying is irrelevant or boring? Or are you tuning them out because you don’t want to hear what they’re saying?

Listening goes both ways. If you want people to listen to you, you need to listen to them. To build better relations with your employees, customers and managers, avoid these listening mistakes:

-- Discounting the issue. Don’t minimize the importance of what another person has said. Saying, “Oh, it’s not that big of a deal,” can make someone feel that you think his or her concerns are trivial. The intent of a response should be to support and encourage.

-- Offering unwanted advice. When you jump in to tell the other person what to do, you may be solving the wrong problem without understanding all the issues. You may also send the message that you don’t think the speaker can solve his or her own problems. Give advice only when asked.

-- Interrogating the person. We often respond to a problem by analyzing it: asking a lot of probing questions and judging the other person’s response. Asking too many questions or interrupting can alienate the person. Let him or her finish before searching for solutions.

-- Monopolizing the conversation. Being a good listener means giving the other person a chance to talk. As simple as that sounds, learn to watch for signals that you are talking too much. Sometimes actions speak louder than words. Non-verbal cues are an important part of listening.

The editor Maxwell Perkins, famous for discovering Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, among others, decided to test his theory that no one really listens to what others say at most social events.

Arriving late to a cocktail party, Perkins told his hostess, “I'm sorry I'm late, but it took me longer to strangle my aunt than I had expected.”

“Oh, I completely understand,” said the hostess, smiling sweetly. “I'm so happy you could come.”

Mackay’s Moral: Two ears, one mouth: nature’s way of telling you to listen more than you talk.