Month: January 2017

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When a person is well-liked, admired,
enjoyed by many people, and favored,
others sometimes viewing from the
outside attribute this person’s success
and prosperity to chance.

They say this success accidentally
happened without being planned
rather than through the person’s own
actions.

What sometimes those outside viewers
do not see is that over time this person
failed, cried, sacrificed, got no sleep, was
disappointed.

They also do not see that this person came
back, moved on, persevered, stayed up, got
up early, and showed up right every day in
the rain.

You see success cannot come without hard
work and resilience.

Showing up over time WORKS.

OK, so this may not be one of our times.

We may not be feeling fortunate.  We did
not get that favorable outcome.  We did not
accomplish our aim.  Our contest did not
result in triumph.

So, what do we do?

There is always apathy, indifference,
and dispassion.  It just sucks when things
happen and the circumstances do not
appear to be fair.  After all, we bet on a
reservoir of fairness and goodness.

But ….

Every day is not promised.  We have no
assurance that there is an indefinite
continued progress of existence and
events.

It is our responsibility to recognize
the full worth, the implications,
the significance of our time on earth.

No one is guaranteed TOMORROW.

So we must jealously guard our thoughts,
our actions, our time, and the beauty of
NOW.

Worry, negativity, apathy, indifference,
inaction, disappointment, and self-pity
are too expensive.

Value TODAY.  Enjoy this VERY moment,
the NOW.

You are reading.

STOP.

BREATHE.

Know that we will ultimately be successful,
because we are going to get back up.  We
will put in the work.  We are going to wake
early.

We can take care of NOW.

We can appreciate our time. 

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Where we work, in our country,
in our family, with our friends,
in our churches, we want to belong,
EVERYDAY.

We want the proper qualifications.
We earn the proper qualifications.
We want to be a member.
We expect to be appropriately placed.
We feel bound by the ties of membership.
So, we produce readily.

We are creative.
We are innovative.
We are productive.
We act in concert with a shared vision.
We commit to the great perception of
future developments.

We feel this belonging EVERY familiar,
usual, placid, mundane, ordinary
work day.

We show up RIGHT every day.

We make great products.
We positively astound our customers.
We make great companies.

When NOT everyone feels they belong,
it is harmful, it undermines product and
business achievement.

This sense of not belonging hinders
performance, accomplishment, and
the actualization of vision.

It inhibits unification of purpose and
action.

It is harmful and injurious to goals and
will manifest itself in apathy, lethargy,
and worse.

If we actually assume commitment
without question and treat those who
want to belong with carelessness and
indifference, we pay with overall
sub-optimal performance and sometimes
with costs that are severely deleterious.

Whatever the context, it is difficult to
develop an argument against this, and
why would you?

We win when we unify.  We win when we
work to be in a state of mutual empathy.

We win when we make everyone belong,
EVERY DAY.

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Joseph Welch once asked Joe McCarthy…
SIR, have you no decency?

I say we should have shame (in small doses).

Remember the things Robert Fulghum
reminded us that we learned in Kindergarten;

Share
Play fair
Don’t hit
Clean up
Put things back
Do not take things that are not yours
Say sorry
Wash your hands
Flush
Work, learn, drink, draw, paint, nap, sing,
dance, & play SOME!

These activities are taught to help us grow
into courteous citizens able to participate
in civil society.

Who would willingly encourage their
children to…

Hit
Take other people’s things
Keep everything for yourself
Don’t wash
Work, learn, drink, draw, paint, sleep, sing,
dance, & play TOO MUCH!

The reason is that when your children do
the above, your baby becomes the kid with
whom no one plays.

Shame provides that inner experience of
not feeling wanted.

We need some shame.

It encourages us to consider apologizing,
take responsibility, confess, and
change our behavior.

Kevin in Home Alone realizes even when
you are blessed with the run of the house,
ultimately it is no fun being home alone.

Once we get past a certain age, no one
should have to explain to us that it is
wrong to …

Demean those that are weaker than you
Insult people
Bully people
Lie
Cheat people
Take advantage of those without privilege
Cry about petty slights
React and not respond

And if someone does have to explain these
things to us, we should feel somewhat
ashamed and attempt to change our behavior.

And if we recognize and call out bad behavior
because it is disqualifying, we should continue
with that stand.

We can not just overlook disqualifying behavior
in search of a high-status job!!!

I ask all of us that sanction and normalize the
disqualified and those of us that have earned
disqualification, have we no shame?

We all need some shame.

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The last year provided insight about
listening to, advocating for, and
defending the invisible.

There are those of us that feel invisible
or unheard for one reason or another.

These sentiments always manifest
themselves in some manner eventually.

Sometimes, they can manifest
themselves in a way where you feel
aligned with a demagogue. That
person just says the things that you
have kept bottled up for years.

If we are blessed enough to take up the
cause, we should do so.  If we can not
agree  with the reason, we should
attempt to understand the sentiment.

We ignore these feelings at our peril.

We can understand the other side
without agreeing with the other side.

It is just best not to IGNORE the
counterpole.

Today, who is out there feeling
invisible?

Why are they feeling unheard?

Let’s all go take a look.