Category: Monday Motivator
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On Endurance
The signature of the truly great vs. the merely successful is not the absence of difficulty. It’s the ability to come back from setbacks, even cataclysmic catastrophes, stronger than before. ~Jim CollinsWhenever I need a refresher in the fundamentals of great leadership, I return to Jim Collins and his seminal work, “Good to Great“. Within…
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Carpe Diem!
After 8 years, 3 months and 17 days of living the Spartan Life, Colleen and I are headed back home to Florida.On January 1, 2010, we began our MSU Alumni Association adventure at the Alamo Bowl. Since that time, we have lived and loved the MSUAA lifestyle. Michigan State cured her Ovarian Cancer twice, giving…
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What the world needs now…
It’s been a week off the grid recentering with my family and a time to ponder some of the things that that the world needs now.When I see the often overt hate speech that proliferates so freely in the pseudo anonymity of social media I feel two powerful emotions: anger and sadness.I am angry that…
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Drink, Steal, Swear and Lie
I’ve been at a conference of my alumni peers this week. On the last evening, one of our valued colleagues announced her retirement, telling the crowd to “Drink, Steal, Swear and Lie”. I was a bit taken aback… until she explained..Drink daily from the cup of knowledge. Never stop learning and you will never stop…
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Therapeutic Gratitude
I recently spent some time with Dacher Keltner, a perpetual student of the art and science of emotional wellbeing. He reminded me of one of its great prerequisites: Gratitude.This came home to me in a powerful way the morning after. A brave friend who deals with clinical depression uses gratitude as a weapon to beat…
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Life Lessons From the Red Cedar
Of all the natural wonders that caress our beautiful campus, the Red Cedar River is, perhaps, most symbolic.Its waters flow inexorably toward the west, reminding us that we must continuously expand our own horizons of thought and explore new vistas beyond our comfort zones. It is a combination of gently undulating currents and explosive rapids,…
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What I Learned on the Farm
Listen to an audio version of this message. “When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization.” Daniel WebsterMy first radio job involved reading commodity prices on our local radio station. I was just 14 and did not yet have a driver’s license. So every morning as the sun…
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You’re Always On Probation
“Excellence is not a skill. It’s an attitude” ~Ralph MarstonI never worked in a role where I was “protected” by a union and quickly progressed to a level where my employment was “at will”, meaning that my boss could let me go at any time for any reason… or as was often the case in…
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Safe Places & Sucking It Up
Listen to an audio version of this message.“Face your unpleasant current realities head on, but never lose faith that you will prevail” ~Adm. James B. StockdaleThe death of a loved one, an unexpected health diagnosis, losing a job, a breakup, moving to a new community, an election outcome; All of these things can kick us…
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You get what you accept
Listen to an audio version of this message.”There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” ~ Denis WaitleyThe quickest way to get blown out of my social media stream is to talk about politics or religion. Not because I’m not interested in other…