Wednesday; October 25

My wife, Jeane, has been an incredible asset to me throughout the years. She has been with me through a lot of ups and down and has literally been the reason I have been able to get to do what I have gotten to do with my life. Even now, after all these years, she still serves as a reminder what I can be doing. She continually reminds me to think about the people I work with and see things from their perspective. Not only that, she models it for me. In fact, it was just the other day that she babysat some children of a younger couple to allow them time to be alone with each other. She still remembers the challenges of being young parents and is willing to help them stay connected.

Who are the unsung heroes in your lives? Most of us have well-known people who we identify as role-models, but how many more are standing there close to us? Maybe it is a parent, spouse, neighbor or co-worker … but, how many folks shape our lives without even being recognized? Their gentle reminders and positive example help us develop into the best we can be. Once we become consciously aware of them, there are a couple of things we can do. First, we learn the lessons they are trying to teach us; then, we can acknowledge the influence they have had on us. We don’t have to wait for some celebration to honor them, a simple “thank you” might be all they need to keep going.

Who has helped us along our way? Do they know we noticed them?

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