I have a confession to make… I’ve been discouraged lately. Life has been just… well… hard. I don’t know if it’s the economy, my stage of life, my state of mind… but it’s just been hard. Having said that, I grew up Catholic and have that left over Catholic guilt. You know… my life really isn’t bad at all… so I end up feeling guilty, about feeling discouraged. Go figure. But… I have been discouraged, and found the following that encouraged me today.
I had an interesting discussion the other day with some executives about Organizational Change Management. They asked what I thought Change Management meant to me. It sounds like it would be an obvious answer, but it is not as obvious as it might first appear.
This is obviously a very odd title for a leadership blog, as we should all strive to become better leaders. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that we should make that our goal. Why not? As I read other blogs or posts on leadership, everyone has a different opinion on what good leadership looks like. So let me ask you, if you are striving to become a good leader, what does that mean? How do you translate this into meaningful goals that are measurable and achievable.
I am pragmatic. Sometimes, things or situations are impossible. However, there are times when “impossible” is an excuse. When I was bit younger going through the US Navy’s Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS), things sometimes got rough. The drill sergeants knew how to get everything out of us, and more. The drop out rate (Drop On Request – DOR) was somewhere about 50%.
I had a great experience this week while volunteering at Breakaway to the Arctic Freeze, Bayside Christian Church’s Summer Extravaganza for kids (3000 kids + 2000 volunteers = two fun weeks!).
Here is a video of part of what Breakaway was all about.
I was the speaker every night for about 150 4th graders. The themes we talked about were:
Chosen For a Purpose
Trouble Happens
Hope
Love
The Future
I want to share what I told them about their future. If you are frustrated with your life and feel like your future is bleak… you need to read this…
This was what I got in my fortune cookie today at lunch. Enjoy what you have today, and hope for what you want tomorrow. Well I’m not sure if Confucius would agree with all of this. We must certainly enjoy what we have today. However, I think hope is for the helpless. Hope relinquishes control over to something else. Fate, Serendipity, God, the Cosmos, the Force or the alignment of the planets and stars. Hope is what you do with a lottery ticket. Not your life. You better be “working” of what you want tomorrow, instead of hoping for a ship that may never come in, or worse yet, a ship that never set sail.
This weekend, we pay tribute to our fallen heroes. In our country, we have the luxury of freedom of speech. I know not everyone believes in the military policies our country pursues. Yet, I feel so ashamed of people who live in this great country, who do not see fit to pay tribute to those who gave their life for the freedoms they have.
If you do not believe that our country was won, paid for with the blood of men and women, then you do not understand the realities of freedom. There is always someone waiting to to take your freedoms away, so that their idea of what is right can be put in place. Countries that are ruled by despots and dictators do not happen by accident. Why do people in N. Korea or Cuba live in darkness? Because they are not willing to pay the price. We are fortunate there were Americans who came before us, who were willing to gvve their lives to ensure that we can live a country where we have liberty.
Today, less than 1 in 10 people have served in the US military, the great majority are over 60. Today, just 0.3% of our population serve, so that the other 99.7% can enjoy the freedoms we have. Pretty astounding numbers when you think about it.
Take some time this weekend – to thank those who gave their life… for you.
Thanks to those… who have served, who were injured and who paid the ultimate price for my freedom.
I belong to a leadership group on Linked In where this question was asked: “Are Women Leaders Better Than Men? The discussion generated over 1,000 comments, so obviously it is something many people have an interest in. My take? In my humble opinion, unless you are trying to sell books or fund a research project, this question is a waste of time.
My wife and I were hanging out this morning at one of our favorite places in Roseville called The Fountains, an upscale outdoor mall not too far from where we live. We love sitting in the outdoor air, watching young families with their kids admire the main fountain which moves in synchronization to catchy music blaring over loudspeakers. Inevitably, the young children begin to bounce and jiggle and dance to the music. The older kids and the adults have smiles on their faces as they watch the often hilarious, joyous and free moves of the children. I think that we were created to dance, but over the years something happens. We begin to be conscious of ourselves and soon learn that it’s fun to watch, but not ok, to dance. When was the last time you danced?
Are you worried about your financial future? If you aren’t, you should be. As Bob Dylan said, These times they are a changing. If you put national pride, ego and heritage aside, it is fairly easy to see that the world is changing around us… fast, and that the US is losing ground in many areas. While it is changing, you only have to fear this if you are unprepared. If you see the change coming and prepare for it, you can not only survive, but you can prosper.
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