Have you ever wondered how things always work out for some people and don’t work out in others? I’m celebrating my 50th birthday this week. Reaching this milestone has me looking back at past successes and failures to determine which direction to take the second half of my life. I’ve always believed that the best way to have the life you want is to plan for it, then pursue the things that you think are important and leave the rest behind.
In my career I’ve always taught my teams to look to the past for indicators of the future. This practice has provided a solid foundation for many of my friendships and business partnerships. I don’t expect my friends and clients to change and hopefully they will not expect major changes from me in our relationships. Not only am I facing a major milestone birthday, but my aunt Carol also passed away last week. Her funeral gave me opportunity to look back on my past with an eye towards the future . Aunt Carol inspired me to truly use my gifts. She was pivotal in helping me understand that a spiritual person can stay true to themselves and still serve others. She was a free spirit who was able to walk in the same world with corporate and government titans. I spent time greeting family friends that included congressmen, judges, mayors, police chiefs, editors, and corporate leaders. These were people who had been impacted by Carol’s life and passions. What struck me is that they all had one thing in common, they all were servant leaders. They were people who invested their lives for the well being of others.
My Aunt Carol discovered at an early age that many people don’t have the interpersonal skills or the family connections to get the help they needed for themselves or family members. Aunt Carol would help them with their causes and many times get amazing results. Like my mother she believed people deserved a second, third, or fourth chance at life. This was a tie that bound them together throughout the years.
Aunt Carol loved music and the Celtic traditions of our family; she shared these stories and folklore with family and others. She never lost touch with her eternal youth even when fighting MS for past decade. As we were reminded the last time she walked was on the birth of her granddaughter, her granddaughter who is now going to be a Junior High Cheerleader in Westlake Ohio. She was a competitive woman with a soft heart. She could not imagine not playing an active role in her family and her community. She served as chaplain for first responders and worked with wounded warriors long before it was popular. It made me wonder why so many healthy parents choose not to be involved in their children’s lives.
Now what does all this have to do with my blog on extraordinary partnerships? I’ve spent my past 30 years working with many extraordinary partners in many places around the world. I’d observe that most, if not all, are serving leaders. The people who inspire me are all servant leaders. Serving others has fallen out of favor over the past several years to be replaced by a celebrity culture, one that will continue to fall short of our expectations. Just because a person has one talent we appreciate doesn’t always mean that they are people we should elevate to the platform of examples for our children. Values still matter in challenging times and people we elevate should bring real value to the world. It’s interesting that we pay a teacher $50,000 per year and an average professional athlete in excess of seven figures. What does this say about our society and what we value? We keep thinking that our heroes are significantly more because we are willing to be significantly less than we can be. This is not a formula for a successful life and community.
I’m not sure this will ever change, but we must strive to provide our children and community with role models and tools that can provide a foundation for personal growth and healthy relationships. I hope my blogs will inspire and challenge you to become more active in your community. I look forward to hearing from you on your successes and help you with your challenges. This is my commitment to you for second half of my life. Please feel free to share my blog or share stories that you think I should share with my readers. I plan to work hard and challenge your thinking on what you are capable of.