During this season, with Thanksgiving upon us, I’m especially grateful for the support of good friends. Life these past months has been a flurry of activity. Sometimes that activity has been connected to goals and appropriate vision. Often it has felt like I’ve been bounced or yanked from one thing to the next with the stress of what “I’m not getting to,” or what ”I’m not doing enough of,” in order to meet the expectations of others (and sometimes my own.) In the midst of a marketing strategy discussion with good friend, Lori Saitz, she could tell that I and our team were stressed. [Lori is a pro at helping business improve customer experience, market strategically and increase client loyalty. She knows how to get things done efficiently with a sense of humor and fun] Shortly thereafter, I received the following from Lori:
I’m a big fan of TEDx as an inspiration and a movement. It’s awesome to see the interest in sharing such powerful ideas. This recent video from a youth focused TEDx event in Asheville, North Carolina features 11 year old Birke Baehr. He’ll make you reconsider your diet!
Funny that a friend, one that doesn’t know me so well, thought to post this short video clip on my Facebook wall. Awesome scene. Even better message.
“The Pursuit of Happyness” is one of my favorite films. Will Smith is a REAL actor and Gabriele Muccino is a wonderful Director – they did “Seven Pounds” together too.
I like mindmaps and mind mapping tools [Mindmeister is a good one]. It's a natural fit for those like me with a lifehacker bent. This mindmap is of particular note, though, as it's a real user tool (perhaps as a desktop background) for managing your time effectively.
We’re proud to be associated with such a powerful message. Who’s got your back is not just some new flavor of the month self-help book. Our connectedness to others that are not just telling us what we want to hear, but instead telling us what we need to hear has been lacking. This is the beginning of an amazing change for those willing to embrace what it means to have true lifelines and to be a lifeline to others.
Character, selflessness and focus
are the reasons
that the Pittsburgh Steelers are Super Bowl Champions.
Coach Tomlin:
“…The standard is the standard. We don’t choose to point fingers. We
stay humble in times of excellence, and achievements individually are part of a team. By the same token we don’t point the fingers as members of the team. The issue has been, is and hopefully will continue to be winning in this game indefinitely for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s where the focus is. We care less how others may judge portions of our football team or portions of our football game and are more concerned about the final outcome, which is having one more point than our opponent…”
“Rabbi Yossi was born and raised in a family of Chabad emissaries in the vibrant and friendly Jewish community of Melbourne, Australia. He attended Yeshiva College (Melbourne) for his Elementary & High School education, and later continued his studies at the Educational Institute Oholei Torah in Brooklyn, NY. In 2001, he was chosen as a Yeshiva exchange student and sent for two years to Toronto, Canada. Upon completion of his studies in 2004, he received his Rabbinic Ordination from the Central Lubavitcher Yeshiva in New York.Ever the trail-blazer, Rabbi Yossi, was the founding director of the highly successful Student Outreach Organization of the Yeshiva Lubavitch in Toronto.”
Our conversation was about staying the course through difficult challenges. Many of us are facing tough economic times. This means not having enough money to pay all your bills, right? Or, spending your savings on groceries instead of keeping it for retirement. I know my family is in a tough bind. Maintaining our belief that we’ll still accomplish great things and overcome obstacles is hard.
Rabbi Yossi reminded me of a concept similar to the old addage, its darkest before the dawn. I couldn’t find it in hebrew, however, he explained that a more effective jump is always produced when starting from a crouching position. Historically, great discoveries and terrific achievements often occur just beyond decline and struggle.
A while back I came across a company that advertised "Sisu" as a character quality they were seeking in new-hires. Great word. It’s what I want to think of being when I start my day. It is who I am and what I aspire to be. As defined in Wikipedia, It is not momentary courage, but the ability to sustain the same:
Sisu is a Finnish term that could be roughly translated into English
as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally
in the face of adversity. The equivalent in English is "to have guts",
and indeed, the word derives from sisus, which means something inner or interior.
Usually sisu means
the will and decisiveness to get the things done against impossible odds. It reminded me of Stephen Covey’s statement that true character is revealed in the crucible of life.
"A man’s true confidence is rooted in the wells of
courage, and courage is evidence of character. In the
end, a
man’s character is revealed in the crucible of everyday
challenges."
Life brings moments when
extraordinary courage is required. Decide. Have the will. Get things done.
Long time good friend Joe Garcia sent me quite a character reminder today. He forwarded a copy of headmaster Jack Pidgeon’scommencement address to our class at The Kiski
School. I read it right away – I hadn’t heard it for more than twenty years. The message resonated as vividly as the authoritative New England intonation and cadence I could hear delivering it.
Wonderfully written, it’s chock full of Mr. Pidgeon’s own warm memories that brought me momentarily back to boyhood. In the speech he says, "The longer I live the more I believe that the essential factor which places some men above others is their superior capacity for self-discipline." Jack also reminds us to, "never, never, never, never, never quit." He goes on to remind us of how we are all capable:
"You don’t have to have been born with talent or brains or special abilities or a capacity for leadership. You don’t even have to have been born tough. The happiest fact of life is that the one ingredient we need the most is ours for the taking. All you have to do to acquire it is this: beginning today, stop doing something you shouldn’t do and start doing each day something you know you should do."
Thanks Joe. It was especially generous to send this out. Reading "On Self-Discipline" was a heartwarming connection to the roots of my commitment to a life of character and principles.
