I recently picked up my copy of Servant Leadership by Greenleaf and started reading the forward by Stephen Covey (He wrote it for the Silver Anniversery Edition of the book).  Sometimes Dr. Covey’s forwards for books seem to have more content then some books that we buy.    This forward is particulary wonderful and it’s 10 pages is packed with wisdom and truth.  Perhaps I can convince my 14 year daughter Brittany to type in for us.  She does owe me $30 for a recent online clothing order .., hmmn.   Here is one tiny little piece from the forward…

The things that will destroy us :
politics without principle;
pleasure without conscience;
wealth without work;
knowledge without character;
business without morality;
science without humanity; and
worship without sacrifice.

- Mahatma Gandhi

A few years ago a friend and at the time colleague Stephen had an experience in a bathroom stall that I shall never ever forget.  Here he shares it in his own words.  It happened on a business road trip where after a particulary long stretch of hiway we found ourselves in a roadside bathroom.  Steve writes…. 

We left St. Louis on route 70 heading back home to Salt Lake , when we decided to stop at a Flying J to “dehydrate”. The first toilet stall was occupied, so I went into the second one. I was no sooner seated than I heard a voice from the next stall: “Hi, how are you doing?”

Well, I am not the type to chat with strangers in highway filling stations, and I really don’t know quite what possessed me, but anyway, I answered, a little embarrassed:

“Not bad.”

And the stranger said:  “And, what are you up to?”

Talk about your dumb questions! I was really beginning to think this was too weird!  So I said:  “Well, just like you I am driving east?”

Then, I heard the stranger, all upset, say:  “Look, I’ll call you right back, there is some idiot in the next stall answering all the questions I am asking you. Bye!”

I heard Gordon and Kirk start laughing over by the Urinals…I knew then, it was going to be a long drive back to Utah.

I was just trying to be nice…jeeshe…

Stephen Schultz

Today’s thought comes to us from a great teacher, counselor and personal friend who I met many years ago on life’s wonderful journey.  Dr. Ray Gwilliams!

“In developing our own self-awareness many of us discover ineffective scripts, deeply embedded habits that are totally unworthy of us, totally incongruent with the things we really value in life. We are “response-able” to use our imagination and creativity to write new ones that are more effective, more congruent with out deepest values and with the correct principles that give our values meaning.”

“write new ones”
Kirk Out

Is worry limiting your capacity?

There is a counterfeit to responsibility, and that is worry. We all want to make sure that we are fulfilling our obligations, paying our bills, and making ends meet. But every moment you spend worrying about these things is a moment that you are not thinking about producing value! In fact, to worry about our responsibilities is a manifestation of irresponsibility in and of itself, because the worry decreases your ability to fulfill your responsibilities. You can and should solve problems without worrying about the solutions.

Stop worrying and start producing!

 

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow.   Learn as if you were to live forever.”
- Mahatma Gandhi: Was an Indian political and spiritual leader

 I guess you could say “Learn as if your life depended on it.”…. orperhaps more accurately we might say… “Learn as if the happiness of your life depended on it”  Hmmn, that’s not quite it either…. maybe a person shouldn’t try to improve upon the words of someone like Gandhi 

Well Ok, let’s learn and learn to love learning… because it will bless our lives.

Kirk Out

I believe with all my heart that civilization has produced nothing finer than a man or woman who thinks and practices true tolerance.  — Frank Knox

Tolerance is a bigger and more meaningful word than one might suppose.  Taking a moment to ponder this quote led me to dictionary.com  While considering the greater context of the definitions provided there….my aspirations for greater tolerance in myself grew…as did my respect for those who exemplify mastery of this principle.

tolâ‹…erâ‹…ance

/ˈtɒlərəns/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [tol-er-uhns]
-noun

When we accept tough jobs as a challenge to our ability and wade into them with joy and enthusiasm, miracles can happen.

– Arland Gilbert

When the well threatens to run dry, it’s time to rest and refill.

We can’t always be doing and giving and producing. There comes a time when we run out of steam, and that’s when we need to know how to replenish our supply of energy and enthusiasm.

Some of us get recharged by being with other people. Some of us need to be quiet and alone. All of us can profit from an inspirational uplift, whether it comes from music, something we read, a conversation with a friend, savoring the beauty of nature, or a period of meditation.

Vacations can be wonderful, but we’re not always able to take them when we need them. What we can do is learn how to create for ourselves islands of recreation —  re-creation — which may be inserted into our busy, everyday schedule. We can learn to stop and refill the well before it runs dry, so we do not drive ourselves into the kind of exhaustion that threatens recovery.

I will build an island of re-creation into today’s schedule.