July 7th, 2008
As our celebration of Independence Day rolled around this week, I found myself in deep thought. As I sat on the beach, enjoying our family vacation, three main thoughts struck me.
I know what you are thinking: Oh great! Here comes another one of those pieces packed with a plethora of patriotic platitudes and political propaganda!
Well, no, not quite. And it wasn’t just an excuse for a little alliteration.
The three thoughts actually did revolve around red, white and blue, but these thoughts may be a bit different than you might expect. And being the backward thinker that I am, I thought about them backwards. Blue, White and Red. Kind of a dyslexic approach I know, but it seemed to work for me (or at least for this column).
My first thought was of how incredibly fast the last year has flown by. Can it really be 365 days ago I sat here on this same beach watching my brother-in-law turn his thumb to cinder while doing his best Clark Griswold imitation in giving us a great fireworks show? In anticipation of this year, I’m thinking of bringing him a pair of gloves with steel reinforced tips. Either that or a really long lighting device.
So that is the blue of this day, as in feeling a bit blue. The sudden realization, once again, of just how fast time goes is startling and a bit of a downer. Yet, it is a realization that should cause us all to pause (pause…ok, good) and evaluate how we are making use of our time. In the grand scheme of things, our days are few. Yet we are presented the opportunity to use every one of them in meaningful ways.
OK, so Action #1: Don’t be Blue. Make the best possible use of each day, drinking in all that the day has to offer, investing into people and relationships, and seeing to it that every ounce of what I have to offer is emptied out on the things that matter most – like my wife, and kids, and seeing the culture changed, and working toward the lives of others being bettered, and…(fill in your own thoughts here).
So, now you are getting engaged in this piece, and you are thinking what about the white, right? When I thought of white, I thought about purity. The purity of thought, purity of heart is such a great need in our culture today. So much revolves around the profane – both in speech and in innuendo.
Webster’s defines profane as:
1: to treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt : desecrate; 2 : to debase by a wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use
Unfortunately, in our current culture too few things remain sacred. So much that was once private is now unabashedly in-your-face, and has obliterated a sense of virtue. We need a return to personal and corporate purity. We need to remember that “we are not our own”. Our actions and words do affect others – sometimes greatly. In a return to purity of heart, we would all look to the interests and concerns of others, and how what I do will affect them.
Action #2: “Paint” my heart White again. Remember that I am not my own. I am connected to a family, community, society of others and what I do and say has an effect on all of them as well. If I uphold virtue, then I will help my family, community and society become a bit more virtuous. And if we all did this? (Rhetorical)
So what about the red? (Get ready for the partially patriotic portion of this piece, which is part and parcel of the primary point. Ugh! It’s that dreaded alliteration thing again!)
When I thought of red, I thought of sacrifice. Yes, I did think of the blood that has been spilled by red-blooded young men and women who have sacrificed to protect our freedoms. I also thought of the not-so-young men and women, also red-blooded, who spilled that blood to initially gain us our freedom, when all they had to hold onto was a vision. But I also thought beyond that.
Vision requires sacrifice. It requires a willingness to give up what might stand in the way of that vision being fulfilled. What are you willing to sacrifice so that the vision you have for your life, your family, your marriage, your job, your impact on this world, can be fulfilled? Are you willing to lay some things down in order that the greater things can be achieved? Often it is the thing that seems to be good which keeps us from what is actually best. Forfeiting the “good” so that we can attain the “best” requires sacrifice.
Personal freedom also requires sacrifice. In order for me to truly be free, I will have to sacrifice the things that would otherwise bind me – whether physical or emotional. I will also have to sacrifice of my self for others. True personal freedom comes when I am willing to lay down my wants and desires so that I can lift up others. When I desire to see others become all they can be more than I desire to acquire more “stuff”, I will have to sacrifice something. Yet, the rewards are always greater.
So, Action #3: Go Red. Determine to lay my self interests down so that others may be lifted up. Contrary to our current me-first culture, I have learned this way to be the way of real freedom. It was once said, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend.” I have found that to be true.
Action #4: Enjoy the 4th of July from my spot on the beach again…while helping my brother-in-law keep what is left of his thumb this year.
Action #5: Vow to stop using the string of P alliterations…at least for the rest of this commentary.
June 30th, 2008
“It ain’t over until it’s over.” - Yogi Berra
It was the great philosopher…okay, so he wasn’t a great philosopher. He was a great baseball player who happened to have a knack for saying things that were simplistically profound.
While Berra was definitely a better batter than super scholar, his point is well taken. Things really are not at an end, until they reach the true end. (Sounding a bit like Yogi, aren’t I?) What I mean is that when situations look hopeless, there is always still hope.
Do you believe? Let me convince you.
I’m not sure how many of you paid any attention to the College Baseball World Series (the sport’s championship tournament), however, this event gave us one of the greatest stories in sports history. And since sport is the ultimate metaphor for life, there is application in this story for us all.
The Fresno State University Bulldogs were not even supposed to be in the tournament. The team’s regular season record was only 37-27. They did not even win their own conference. They began the season by losing 12 of their first 20 games. They had to come from behind to win the Western Athletic Conference tournament just to make the NCAA field of 64, then fought off elimination in regionals and super regionals, and became the first No. 4-seeded team from a regional ever to advance to the College World Series.
In Omaha, the site of the College World Series, the Bulldogs lived up to their name. Coming into the tournament ranked 132nd in Division I in batting average, 102nd in scoring, they were playing with what looked like a MASH unit. Their best pitcher was injured and out for the season. One of their best hitters had a torn ligament in his left thumb. Another had a torn ligament in his knee. They lost their first game in the double-elimination event. Playing with their proverbial backs to the wall, they proceeded to play through the roof.
Facing elimination, FSU came back from the brink of defeat in five times, down in each game, to win and finally advance to the best-of-three championship final versus the University of Georgia. It was Bulldogs versus Bulldogs. And one dog showed they had a bit more bite and a bit more fight.
Fresno lost the first game 6-1. They were down by 5 runs in game two before erupting for 15 runs late in the game to win. It was yet another return from the brink to play one more day. In the deciding final game, it was clear Fresno was a team of destiny. With a 6-1 win, the team from the central California town that is known most as the largest city in America not directly connected to an interstate highway, took home the school’s first ever national championship in a men’s sport. The Rocky Balboa of college sports reached the Promised Land. No previous national champion has ever had more losses than the Bulldogs with 31, and to do so meant defeating 7 of the top 10 teams in the nation in the post-season.
So was it serendipity?
It was William Jennings Bryan who once said, “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice.”
The Fresno team won because they did whatever was necessary to win. While they may not have been the most talented, fastest, strongest or deepest team, they were the most tenacious. They never gave up. They understood that destiny is not a matter of the planets aligning properly. Rather, it is a matter of choosing to never let go of the dream.
“It’s mind over matter,” outfielder Steve Detwiler said of playing through the pain and overwhelming challenges. “It’s just a little pain. The pain is temporary. Pride is forever.”
So, I ask you, what is your dream? In life, in your marriage, in your job, in relationships, what is your vision? How are you doing in terms of hanging on to that dream? Are you a bulldog? Your destiny is a matter of your choice – what you choose to believe and what stance you choose to take.
If you have a vision in your heart (which most of us do), and it is not yet fulfilled, here is a simple piece of advice: hang on.
No matter what the scoreboard shows, even if it’s the bottom of the ninth inning, the opposition you face is formidable, you are on the brink of elimination, and you feel like walking-wounded, do as Winston Churchill once famously told a group of college graduates and, “Never, never, never, never give up.”
After all, it ain’t over until it’s over.
June 2nd, 2008
The World Values Survey, a study released in December 2007, shows that among all of the 194 counties in the world, the United States ranks as the 23rd happiest nation on earth. Does that surprise you as much as it did me? I would have thought that a nation whose constitution guarantees its people the right to “the pursuit of happiness” would have ranked higher, wouldn’t you? It can be hypothesized from the lower than expected ranking, that the U.S. is not as happy a nation as we should be; meaning that we have a relatively sizeable amount of unhappy people. With the freedom and prosperity we enjoy, this is somewhat puzzling.
So what are the keys to personal happiness? Where you live? How much money you have?
According to the study, these are not the key contributing factors. If they were, we would all move to Hawaii, right? Well, actually, Hawaii ended up in 2nd place among the happiest places in the U.S. to live (And you thought Disneyland was the happiest place on earth, didn’t you?) In fact, the happiest people in America actually live in South Dakota.
Now, I suppose you would like to have me explain that one. Well, okay, here goes. We can only conclude from the results of this study that happiness has nothing to do with climate, material wealth, or fame and popularity. So there must be something else to it. According to Dr. Ron Inglehart, director of the World Values Survey, there is.
Dr. Inglehart has discovered 10 keys to happiness, as evidenced in the findings of the survey. They are:
1. Genetic propensity to happiness
2. Marriage
3. Strong friendships
4. Desire less
5. Do good
6. Have faith
7. Stop comparing
8. Make more money
9. Embrace age
10. Don’t worry
Notice how far down making more money placed on the list? And since most of us have no idea whether or not we have a genetic propensity to happiness, we know can’t control that (oh-oh, one more thing we can blame on our parents), however, we can focus on the other factors that appear to bring about happier lives. According to the study, the happiest people living in the U.S. don’t just reside in South Dakota. Regardless of the part of the country in which they live, they are: married, have children, attend a place of worship regularly, and adhere to a set of moral values. And according to Dr. Inglehart this not only makes up happier, but also makes us healthier.
Case in point is a study reported in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, in which Dr. Sheldon Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University examined happy people, sad people, and the connection of each to the common cold.
Dr. Cohen injected 334 participants with the rhinovirus, the germ that causes the common cold. Sad people got the cold while happy people had no change in initial status. Cohen’s reasoning was simple: symptoms of a cold are caused by a release of chemicals that makes us sick; yet happy people naturally combat the release of these chemicals because of increased levels of so-called “happy” hormones which offset the common cold. According to Cohen’s study, those who are happier are indeed healthier. Perhaps laughter is indeed the best medicine after all?
So, I’ll go back to my initial question: Are you happy? If you are, then either you are tracking well with Inglehart’s 10 keys (or you recently moved to South Dakota!). If not, and you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, then maybe it’s time to pursue real happiness by pursuing those 10 keys.
Throw your energies into strong, significant relationships. Make do with less. Give more of yourself, and your resources, to the benefit of others. Embrace faith and your age – one will change you and the other you can’t change anyway. Stop comparing and worrying – you cannot gain one good thing from either.
You have the right to pursue happiness, so go after it and live healthier, longer and with greater peace.
…or you could always check out those real estate prices in South Dakota.
June 2nd, 2008
Recalling Eleanor Roosevelt’s great quote on perseverance in the previous blog entry had me thinking more about the topic. I was reminded of how a good friend of mine tells the story of visiting a Caribbean island shortly after the hurricanes had battered that region a few years ago. As he scanned the landscape, he noticed something unusual: The trees that lined the shoreline were still standing, which the trees that were inland were part of the devastating destruction. He asked a local why this phenomenon occurred.
What the local told my friend is so pertinent to us today. He said that the trees on the beach were accustomed to wind. They were constantly hit with the strong winds that blew off the ocean, which caused them to bend and sway. This also caused the roots of these trees to grow stronger to keep them anchored to the ground beneath them. Conversely, the inland trees rarely were hit with much more than a breeze. Therefore, they had not been bent back and forth, nor had their root structures grown stronger. Simply put, they could not endure the winds the hurricane brought in the same way the trees on the shoreline could.
What, you ask, is this a lesson in botany this week? No, I am clearly not a botanist; hardly able to keep my grass alive without help. Rather this story illustrates a great lesson in perseverance.
While none of us look forward to the strong winds of adversity that hit us from time to time, we can be certain of one thing: If we can stand in those winds, the chances are great that we will be able to stand when the unexpected hurricane hits.
The winds of adversity, while challenging, test us in a way to make our roots deeper and stronger, as it is in adversity that you clearly determine the principles and ideals you have based your life on. If these are solid, they grow even stronger during hard times. The winds of adversity also bend us back and forth – much like the trees – without breaking us, and enabling us to develop a much greater flexibility to deal with the trials and challenges of daily life. All of you reading this know this first hand. As you have been hit with various challenges, your have undoubtedly become much more flexible.
The result of the wind that we face in our lives is not only do we grow stronger and more flexible or adaptable, but we also gain hope that we can face – and endure – the storm that hits us next.
As my 17-year-old daughter has learned through high school track meets when she has run three grueling races – the 400 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meter relay – all in about a 45-minute time span, the idea of “If I can get through this, I can get through just about anything” quickly becomes an object lesson of great reality.
So, I ask you, is what you are facing truly a hurricane, or is it just wind?
If it is wind, then take heart in the knowledge that you are being made stronger and more capable to face the next thing that life brings your way. And be thankful that your life is lived on the shoreline where the real action is.
June 2nd, 2008
At this time of year, when it seems that a good dose of perseverance is needed…
“I gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which I must stop and look fear in the face. I say to myself, ‘I’ve lived through this and can take the next thing that comes along.’ We must do the things that we think we cannot do.”
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Whether you are dealing with adversity, facing seemingly insurmountable odds, have experienced failure, or are working through challenging emotional issues, stand firm. Look fear and obstacles in the face and press on. You will gain strength and confidence from the experience and know that in standing firm in this one, you will have confidence to stand when the next one comes along.
June 2nd, 2008
It was a small note found on page 6 of the sports section in the local newspaper. Just a few sentences actually. And yet, those few words spoke volumes.
Last week, at the U.S. Olympic media summit in Chicago, sprinter Allyson Felix and decathlete Bryan Clay – both favorites to win gold medals in their events at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games – announced they have been undergoing an extraordinary number of voluntary drug tests each week. Their actions come as part of Project Believe, a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency program that has not yet been officially launched or explained.
In participating in the program, Felix and Clay submit to urine and blood tests in addition to mandatory in-competition and random, no-advance-notice tests. While the process is undoubtedly both inconvenient and unpleasant, the two athletes have been clear this is all about restoring credibility in the aftermath of the recent steroids scandals, and more importantly, a way of living out their personal convictions.
“I just felt like whatever I can do to prove I’m clean, no matter what time I have to wake up or where I have to drive, I’m willing,” Felix told the Los Angeles Times. She is favored to win both the 100 meter and 200 meter runs in Beijing.
Clay also determined he wanted his nutritional supplements tested to provide documentation of the absence of performance enhancing substances. “I want people to know I’m clean and I want people to know I’m doing everything in my power to make sure I stay clean,” Clay told the Times.
“It’s more of a pain for me and it might end up costing me money,” he said, “but as long as I can say I’m clean and can take that doubt away from people, that’s my No. 1 goal.”
Both athletes are known as people of faith, who exemplify integrity in their approach to athletics and life. With this step, Clay and Felix have shown they are also people of serious conviction, who are willing to be accountable for their words and actions. For this, they are to be applauded.
Said Felix: “I feel more responsible myself to be a role model for younger kids…that’s important to me.”
Spread the word about these two athletes who have determined they will do all they can to stem the tide of cheating in sport, and in doing so are willing to become spokespersons for competing the right way – with integrity and honor.
Now if we can just encourage more men and women like them to stand up – in whatever field they are in – and do the same.
June 2nd, 2008
re • spon • si • bil • i • ty – The state, quality, or fact of being responsible; something for which one is responsible; a duty, obligation, or burden.
“It’s not my fault.” “If they had just done their job better, this would not have happened.” “There’s nothing I can do about it.”
Each of the above responses has become all too common in our current culture; a culture that grows increasingly more determined to avoid responsibility and accountability.
That is why, then, the words that crossed the lips of American Airlines CEO Gerard Arpey seemed so shocking.
In the aftermath of grounding some 300 MD-80 planes last week, which caused the cancellation of 3,000 AA flights and the stranding of some 150,000 passengers, Mr. Arpey uttered these words to the assembled press: “I run the company, So if there’s any blame to be had, it is my fault, and I take full responsibility for this.”
Wow, what a moment. The head of a large corporation actually took responsibility for his company’s failure. Immediately following Mr. Arpey’s remarks, it’s entirely possible that the sound of the cheer emitted from my living room was heard from coast to coast.
Responsibility is a big word with a simple meaning. Responsible people do what needs to be done, fulfill their obligations, are accountable for their actions, use good judgment, and don’t let people down. This is how Mr. Arpey responded last week, and in doing so, set himself apart from a generation of public leaders who have consistently “passed the buck.”
Aldous Huxley said, “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” The facts are all around us, yet many leaders simply choose to turn a blind eye to them. Not Mr. Arpey. He showed us what it means to accept responsibility for the performance of his company, As such, he should be hailed for his example and, at the same time, be held accountable for the failure by shareholders.
Whether the response was heartfelt or calculated, only God and Mr. Arpey truly know. Still, his immediate acceptance of responsibility is worthy of our acknowledgement and applause. As John D. Rockefeller said, “Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing.” This is what Arpey did.
And as a consumer, his response earned my respect, and caused me to want to continue to fly American.
There is a “price” to greatness, as Winston Churchill once said, and that price is responsibility. Would that we all take a page from Mr. Arpey’s book and stand up and take accountability for our actions rather than pronounce blame in order to absolve ourselves from responsibility. Then, we would see our culture begin a return to greatness.
June 2nd, 2008
“Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates.” - Ervin “Magic” Johnson, Basketball Hall of Fame
As I watched the NCAA Men’s Basketball championship game unfold on the night of April 7, 2008, I was struck by two things.
One was the remarkable perseverance shown by the Kansas team. Down by 9 points with just over 2 minutes left in the game, the Jayhawks scratched and clawed their way back to even the score at the end of regulation and send the game into overtime. They never gave up and – even when many of their faithful fans had – never stopped believing they could win. Because they believed they could, the team stayed focused on the goal. Because they refused to give up, they drew together as a team, which is the second thing that struck me: Teamwork.
It took a concentrated effort from every player on the team – from playing great defense, to creating turnovers, to grabbing rebounds, to creating offensive opportunities, to scoring points – to pull out this win. While it is true that Mario Chalmers’ game-tying shot will be most remembered from this game, there was no one superstar that decided this game for Kansas; no one outstanding performance. In order for KU to cut down the nets, a total team effort was required, and that’s just what they got. In the he end, every player contributed down the stretch of the game, each making a big play, key pass, a great screen.
Just as our body has various parts that must work in harmony for our greatest physical efficiency, or members of an orchestra must all be reading the same sheet of music and playing their part on that sheet, great teams are made up of diverse individuals, who attain true unity in seeking a common goal that is bigger than the individuals who make up that team. In striving together, they find they have what it takes to overcome challenges, to persevere, and to reach the common goal.
A great team won the college basketball championship in San Antonio on Monday night, and it reminded us that those that put the success of the team above individual achievement are those that are most successful, and share the greatest sense of reward.
June 2nd, 2008
Recently a politician told the accompanying press a story about a harrowing personal experience. The politician’s account of the event was then later discounted publicly by an eye-witness. In the aftermath, the politician described her retelling as a “misstatement.”
This incident was just one more in a long line of public figures justifying their “misstatements.”
The question that we are left with is when we, as a society, will call our public figures into accountability for such “misstatements;” and not just our public figures, but all individuals.
When a witness called to testify in court is sworn in, they swear an oath to tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” Why then, should we expect any less of a civic leader, corporate head, family member, or neighbor?
Truth is truth and nothing changes that fact. Too often, current culture imposes a “do as I do, not as I say” mentality. Yet, this never works. If you want to help develop honest people in your school, at your workplace, on your team, or in your family, it is not enough to just tell them to be honest. Rather, it is imperative that we model that honesty and integrity and show others a more excellent way to live. If the words and deeds don’t match, then the effect of our lives is nullified.
We have heard that behavior is more easily “caught” than “taught”. What are those around you and under your authority “catching?”
Elbert Hubbard said, “Live truth instead of professing it.” By living a life that demonstrates the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, your impact, as a model of honesty and integrity to be followed, will be profound.
June 2nd, 2008
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
It was Henry David Thoreau who stated that a single man of conviction is a majority; and how we long for that man.
We live in a current culture so void of true conviction, that when we recognize it in someone, we are drawn to that person and often follow them. A wise man once told me that if you are going to follow someone, you had better be certain that they know where they are going. Well, when we find a person of true conviction, it is easy to see where they are going and follow them on their way, because we recognize them as people of moral authority.
Yet, today, it is uncommon to find a man or woman of true moral authority or conviction. Way too often it is hard to tell anymore what a person stands for. And this, unfortunately, is where there is trouble. Why? Because if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. And oh how so many have fallen today, for just about anything.
As Dr. King said years ago, in a world of convenience and comfort, it is easy to stand. This is where most in our society find themselves. Not wanting to disrupt their comfort and convenience. Yet as things grow increasingly challenging and controversial around us, fewer and fewer are willing to take a stand. So where are the MLKs of our day? Where are those who would stand in the gap for the oppressed and needy in our communities and our world?
Our production group is currently nearing completion of production of a documentary on the plight of the people in Sudan. In putting this film together, it has been easy to recognize the desperate need for men and women of conviction who will stand up and declare the truth and stand for what is right. This is true not only in Africa, but on our very own streets and in our very own schools. Cheating, stealing, dishonesty, physical and verbal assaults, disrespect. For too long we have tolerated such behavior and then wonder why we find ourselves in such a moral quagmire.
Yet in our current landscape of moral relativity and general malaise of disengagement and disinterest, we live with unprecedented opportunity. The world is hungry for people of conviction to stand up and show the way. And technology now allows for one person to influence beyond what anyone could have imagined just a decade ago.
Change almost always comes from within. The generation that we are currently raising can be the very generation to take a stand and make a world of difference. Let me encourage you: the next Dr. Kings of the world – those who will stand in conviction and in doing so change the world – are under your tutelage, your mentorship. We already know they are fed up with the status quo and crave change. So think of the opportunity you have to breathe life into their dreams and speak conviction into their hearts. I implore you to empower them to know that as they stand in conviction in perilous times and become men and women of moral authority, they can make a difference that is both widespread and lasting – simply by being one person with conviction.