As the youngest of seven kids growing up in rural Wisconsin my memory was that we had a lot of some things (strife, bickering, togetherness, chores, beets) and not enough of others (money, harmony, bikes, free time). My dad, who wanted to be George Jefferson but was trapped in the mindset of Archie Bunker was a big fan of the self help/self improvement books, which in the 70s, were just then developing as a full-fledged, if not fully respected genre.

Every day at 6 am breakfast my dad would slam his hand down on the table and say “Dale Carnegie said “every man is just about as happy as he made up his mind he's going to be.” I am pretty sure that wasn't a Dale Carnegie quote, and it was lost on the groggy under ten set, but was consistent with his ardor: this was an every morning tradition.

We were highly encouraged to read Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People as soon as we were cognitively able. My dad would also institute what he called “Dale Carnegie Days” usually on rainy Sundays when our bickering got to be too much. On Dale Carnegie Days if said anything that wouldn't fall under his suggestion of “winning friends” and/or “influencing people” (ie name calling, being critical, talking ill of another person who was not present etc) we had to go to bed 15 minutes early for each of the incidents. I can recall going to bed as early as 4.15 once. Read more about How to Win Friends and Influence People