Thursday; March 26


          During the mid-1950s one of the greatest fears of the American people was polio.  It had a history of impacting Americans – even famous Americans like Franklin Delano Roosevelt – and killing thousands of people each year.  Then, along came Dr. Joseph Salk.  During the middle of the 20th Century Dr. Salk and others developed a vaccine for polio and by the time I arrived on the earth in the late 1950s, polio had all but disappeared.
          I tell Dr. Salk’s story for two reason.  First, to provide history and hope in the midst of today’s crisis.  But, secondly, to highlight a couple of quotes by Dr. Salk.  The first one,  “I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams.” and the other one is, “It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up to me, like gifts from the sea. I work with it and rely on it. It's my partner.”.  As I read about Dr. Salk and thought of his accomplishments and his perspective I was inspired by his optimism.  He saw himself a part of a solution and was driven by what he thought was possible.  He understood the challenges he faced and the “nightmare” it brought, but he also dreamed of being a difference-maker. 
          We face incredible challenges in our lives.  At times, it even seems like the dark clouds are everywhere, but we must never give up hope, inspiration or personal development.  Who knows, maybe we will be the ones who make a difference.  Remember, even if it is only one person at a time – for that person, it might be the thing that changes their lives forever! 
          Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; November 29

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan has changed our world. Notice I didn’t say that it had change religion or even Christianity, it has influenced the world. There are very few people who don’t know the moral of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. In fact, the phrase has become a common description of everyday people doing good to their neighbors. While Jesus’ parable from Luke 10 shares several spiritual lessons, one of the most practical is that good can be done by anyone. You don’t have to be a church official to do good, it is not only possible for each one of us to help, it is required of all of us. If a Samaritan can be good, so can we! After presenting the parable, Jesus asked the man who had originally asked the question about being a good neighbor which character in the story was a good neighbor, “… he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’” at which point, the discussion from theoretical to personal, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke
Read more

Thursday; January 12

The other day I was watching a television show that used a rather common term applied to overcoming challenges. When organizations experience unexpected setbacks – especially when they lose key people – they rely upon the concept of “Next Man Up”. In essence, when our starters (or stars) go down, effective organizations rely upon their next levels to step into the vacancy. While this is an effective response, have we given much thought as to how we prepare to be the “next people up”? First, we must know our job. Even when we aren’t the primary players, we need to be preparing ourselves to be ready when we get the opportunity to shine. Second, we must do our best when we get the chance. Knowledge is important but what turns potential into talent is effort. Yet, maybe the most underappreciated aspect of this concept is a willingness avoid excuse-making and whining about the unfairness of our situation. When we complain about the circumstances that caused the need for replacements
Read more

Monday; September 25

When I was a youngster, I remember hearing about this thing called the Generation Gap. I was a little bit too young to be active in the social movements of the 1960s, but I do remember listening to the challenges the generations were experiencing way back then. Interestingly, now that I have been on both sides of the aging process, I have to admit that the Gap of the 1960s was nothing new. With the development of each generation comes conflict. The young people don’t feel like the older people understand them and the older folks tend to believe their input is being underappreciated. Too often trust is the casualty when two generations collide. The sad thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When we can capture the innovation and energy of the younger folks and harness the wisdom of those who have been around for a while we can develop a winning combination. No, we won’t always see things eye-to-eye nor will we necessarily speak the same emotional language, but when we app
Read more