Think About It

On the morning of September 11, 2001 I went to work burdened by a lot of things that seemed important to me.  It was Homecoming Week for our High School and, as the School Resource Officer, I was already concerned about the shenanigans I was going to have to deal with throughout the week.  To add to that, our community was hosting a huge celebration for World War II veterans that was going impact the entire community.  We were going to have thousands of visitors come into to town and we were going to be working twelve hour shifts to deal with the influx.  Yes, I was pretty worked up about the upcoming week.  Then, at 7:46 a.m. Central Time, my issues seemed very small.  We watched in horror and disbelief as the world seem to unravel right before our eyes.  The attacks on the United States on 9/11 adjusted the way we think about a lot of things – but there are a couple of lessons that we must never forget:  First of all, life can change quickly....

          I spent some of my youth in South Florida so, naturally, I was interested in hurricanes.   I think it was a thought of filling up the bathtub with potable water that fascinated me, but no matter the prompt, I remember being intrigued by these massive storms.   I remember getting the grocery bags from Publix (the ones with the storm tracking maps) and listening to the 6:00 p.m. newscast so we could track if/when the storm would hit.   I recall my grandfather watching the barometer and adding his experience into the equation.   There were fewer sources of   “information” available to us back then and there was an overriding philosophy that said you can never predict a storm so as I look back, I recall us talking about the storms and planning for the storms, but I don’t recall it gripping our attention the way the storms do today.             The reason for ...

What would you do if someone gave you $1000 on the condition that you gave it away to ten people?   You couldn’t give it to anyone who earned it by doing a task for you, it had to be given out to people just because it made them feel good to receive the gift.   I am sure that some of us would be uninterested and others would probably fuss because no one ever gave us $100 out of the goodness of their heart, but I also know that several of us would be happy to play along.   I mean after all, how many times do we have the chance to make someone feel good without it costing us a thing – right?   We’ll, maybe more often than we think. How free are we with our compliments?   It is easy to be verbose in complaining about things, but how many of us take the opportunity to offer up compliments for no reason at all – not because people deserve them, but just because we want to make their day better.   The great thing about complimenting someone is that it doesn’t ...

          In 1972 Luther Ingram hit the charts with the soulfully-charged song, “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right”.   Through the years, the song has been redone by several other artists, most notably Barbara Mandrell who had a monster hit with it on the Country Charts in 1979.   The song, which chronicles a couple’s struggle with their adulterous relationship, seems to capture the dissonance in the battle between good and evil.   The principles in the song know that what they are doing is wrong, but for the sake of their relationship, they continue the affair.   They are willing to live with their consequences of their sin rather than change their ways.           While this song might be considered “romantic” by some, it signifies a spiritual challenge that transcends sexual purity.   This type of logic – an unwillingness to give up sin because it feel...

          Do we put too much emphasis on being the brightest kid in the classroom?   Do we feel that if we can confound those around us that we have accomplished something special?   Sure, being intelligent and articulate is a blessing, but it is also important to understand that being understood is the ultimate goal.   In his book “The Trust Edge” , David Horsager quotes Colin Powell as saying, “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers who can cut through the argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everyone can understand”.     When it comes to leadership, understandability is more important than brilliance.           There have been a lot of books written through the years that try to explain life.   Many really intelligent people have offered incredible insights into how to be successful.   Yet, there is one book that is the definitive answ...

          If there were an Emotional Olympic Games I would be able to participate in the decathlon, but if I were to have to narrow my expertise into two areas:  “pouting” and “taking things personally”.  I am a world-class pouter and have been known to mope around for days and weeks.  Yet, if there is one thing at which I excel, it would probably be taking things personally.  I am an expert at internalizing people’s comments, over-analyzing non-verbal signs and critiquing people’s general comments to the point that I am sure they are talking directly at me.  I have a tendency to be thin-skinned and it has cost me way too much personal peace.           When it comes to over-personalizing things, I know that I am doing it, I just need to do commit to being better.  So with that, here are some suggestions (for me and maybe you can apply them, too): 1.  Stop eavesdropping on people...

           Thank you ... ... to the people who work all day, every day so that I feel safe and confident when I travel to work every day. ... to the people who work all night, every night so that I feel relaxed enough to rest comfortably every night. ... to the people who sack my purchases so that I easily carry them to my car. ... to the people who take on an overtime shift so that my favorite store is able to stay open late at night. ... to the people who do inventory so that when I have to make a last minute run to the store to pick up what I forgot I know that you will have it in stock. ... to the people who smile at me in their place of business (even when I am having a rotten day). ... to the people who spend years and years planning the infrastructure that I will be able to enjoy in the future. ... to the people who are gracious enough to exchange the product that I bought by mistake. ... to the people who are will...