Were Your Eyes Opened?

"Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve." Martin Luther King Jr.

It started as a simple thought, "let's participate in the National Day of Service." We chose The Center in Asbury Park, NJ a residence for individuals with HIV/AIDS. The posting on the website for the National Day of Service said they needed canned goods and hats and scarfs. We drove over to ask them what they really needed. Colleen and Bob, two volunteers, met us at the door and gave us a tour. The care and concern for everyone who walked through the doors was immediate. Throughout the tour, meeting and acknowledging residents and volunteers alike, everyone was smiling and upbeat. The Center opens the doors to help many others who are not residents and have an amazing food pantry. But Colleen took us into another storage room. "What we don't have are basic toiletries. There is no deoderant, shampoo, or especially in this cold weather, skin lotion." A list in our hands, we left with the awareness that we take so much for granted. Two more messages awaited us on our service day.
Filling our basket full at a local CVS we told the woman behind the register what we were doing. She was thrilled and glad that we were helping out. Then shared her story of having been very wealthy, but she went through a divorce and spent all of her remaining money on health care for her mother who had no insurance. Now she wasn't sure how to pay the bills. But she thanked us for helping others. We walked out more aware of our health and our insurance.
Stepping out the door of the CVS we were asked for money. A "train ticket" was the reason he told us. But after giving him a little cash we watched as he walked into the nearby Burger King to get something to eat. Now we were conscious that we are always able to eat.
The Center was very grateful for the donations, but the residents especially were overjoyed with the candy. Colleen tipped us off that they rarely got treats and the residents loved them. The little bags of chocolate bars were the highlight. Amazing the things that make a day special.
Service opens eyes. It opened mine. So, what did you do today? Were your eyes opened.

Hopeless? Not Yet

Sunday morning. Typical ritual for me. Coffee, relaxing music and the New York Times. By the time I finished reading the paper I felt physically beaten down. The news shouted about Israel and Gaza, Russia and the Ukraine, about new conflicts starting in Africa and the continuing tension between India and Pakistan. Pummled by the world I turned to business only to be buried under the avalance of news about bad markets, bad business, and bad people. It was endless. So, I felt myself searching for some sign of hope in all of this bad news.

Our society revels in bad news. Some people claim that it is "reality." Perhaps. But studying great individuals you discover that they thrive in difficult times because they simultaneously see both the current difficulties and a hopeful future. The difference is that they work on the hopeful future. Hope is not just wishing. It is a discipline of establishing a goal, setting the path, and doing everything in your power to succeed.

After I put the paper down I thought of what I hope for in this world. Perhaps this moment can be a turning point. There is a growing distaste globally for violence as a resolution to anything. I hope for more avenues to peace. The partisan war in politics has paralyzed this country. I hope for rational, cooperative politicians to work together to move us forward. Finally, the global financial meltdown highlights that money is not the only answer. I hope we rebuild an economy that focuses more on providing opportunities for everyone to achieve his or her greatness.

Hoping creates energy and drive. It spurs us to move from complaining and worrying to discovering innovative ways to deal with challenges. What do you hope for?

Integrity in the HOV Lane

In the wake of the financial crisis, where CEOs made selfish decisions that destroyed the lives of many people, the question arises "Didn't they teach ethics in business school?" We look at Bernie Madoff and Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois and easily condemn them while opining that they are not men of integrity.

It would be easy to place the guilt on MBA programs, law schools, universities and other institutions. Others might blame parents and say that they are not doing their job. Still others might cry the lack of religion and long for the day of hell-fire and brimstone. But the toughest place we might have to look is in the mirror. Are we tolerating lack of integrity in ourselves and others and in doing so encouraging greater and greater lapses in integrity until someone finally gets caught.

A quick example might help. This evening, driving back to Trenton from New York City, I was amazed at all the cars that were driving in the HOV Lane, which is supposed to be for vehicles with 3 or more occupants, and was stunned with how many of them had only one person. So I started counting and identified 14 cars in a row with only one passenger. By the way, I know the HOV was not lifted tonight.

So, though it might be easy for us to point fingers at those who showed a lack of integrity and hurt others, my question is where did it start? It started with some small broken law, infraction, bent rule because someone thought no one would get hurt. After a while it gets easier.

If I've learned one thing, it is that greatness begins with the small things, not the big ones. We build from seeds that we and others plant. So, our behaviors now, are our destiny to come. What do we choose?

Who Has Time For Greatness?

Lunch today provided a deeper glimpse into a world Jan Sparrow and I are just beginning to explore, the universe of social networking... online of course. A good friend, Meredith Gould, gave us a crash course on the use of these social sites to expand our social real estate and promote ourselves. It amazed me the various ways that I can link to our business website, www.asgmc.com, my publishing company, www.greatinsightspress.com, our passion for greatness, www.greatnessproject.com, and even our hope for our next venture, www.greatnessarchitects.com. Okay, so after the conversation today I joined Twitter. So far it's the most complicated networking site I've seen. But of course I'm also already on Facebook, LinkedIn and Ning and that is aside from my three email addresses. Our question to Meredith at the end of lunch was "who has time for all this?"

Supposedly this is the 21st century way to do business, and perhaps it is. But is this a way to live? Over the recent holiday I had an interesting experience in "unplugging." I left my laptop at a friend's house knowing I would be back the next day and I went home without it. For 24 hours I was without a computer. Of course I had my BlackBerry, but that is not the same. I found myself wandering into my study looking longingly at the table where I usually get online. It amazed me how seduced I've become to this electronic world.

In the time without emails (I turned my BlackBerry off), Facebook, Ning, LinkedIn, or surfing I rediscovered the joy of a good book. I sat for a while and just thought. I even played my guitar which I haven't touched for months. And all of a sudden it hit me. How can we accomplish great things if we are online all the time? What greatness can we aspire to if all we are doing is reading the accomplishments of others and satisfying ourself by making them our "friend?"

So for me, I'm limiting my time. Once in the morning and once at night. It's not easy because now I have time when I'm finished work. But maybe tonight I can use that time to think about changing the world. Or perhaps I'll just play my guitar again.

Our new book is published!!

Okay, I'm pretty excited about this. We launched our new book after 8 years of study on greatness. The reviews are just coming out and everyone loves the book. Not that I live by reviews, but it's good to hear. What is also happening is that people are talking about the book. It strikes a chord in them. They challenge themselves to develop and are heartened to read about others who have also struggled with unleashing their greatness.

What is also gratifying is that the academic community and psychology community are looking seriously at the book. A review is forthcoming on positive psychology news daily and they found the research and studies we cite to be compelling as well as readable.

More than anything I am excited about the dialogue. Focusing on greatness and how to develop it in ourselves and others creates a totally different dynamic for academic, corporate, religious and political groups. Greatness shifts our focus to possibilities we had neither previously considered, nor thought possible.

If we move the global dialogue just slightly toward unleashing the capacity for greatness in all people the impact will be enormous. Now is a perfect opportunity to begin the dialogue. That's why I'm so excited about the book.

Our New BookPathways To Greatness: 77 Inspirational Essays from The Greatness Project is published. Go to www.greatinsightspress.com to order a copy today!

Opportunity Galore

Prior to the Presidential election, Barack Obama appeared via satellite on John Stewart's comedy show, The Daily Show. One of the most important questions John asked of Barack Obama was "why do you want this job?" But he went further and clarified what he meant. He compared America to a car. "It is like getting a car" Stewart said. "When you were looking at it at first it was brand new. Now it's looking pretty dinged up and bad. Why would you want to be president with all of the difficulties facing you? Why not just walk away?" Obama laughed and replied that it is in difficult times that a president can really make a difference. So many people need someone to help them right now. Now presidential decisions really impact people's lives.

Earlier today, I was in a room full of middle management leaders of non-profit organizations. They listed all of the challenges facing them in this economic crisis. Some were content to stay mired in the difficulty of it all, bemoaning the fact that they could not do anything. Yet, all of a sudden some other managers spoke up and said that there was opportunity here. One saw the opportunity to offer a lower cost, high quality option for parents desiring good education for their children and stated that now they are being taken more seriously. Still another manager acknowledged that this downturn gave permission for some people to admit they needed help and her agency could now step in to offer help to so many more people.

Same situation, yet some people see barriers where others see bridges. Some leaders stop and wait for the difficulty to go away while others stop momentarily to roll up their sleeves and then dive in to see what they can do. Some complain that the circumstances inhibit them from proceeding, while others embrace the circumstances and proceed anyway. Greatness resides in the latter responses.

Difficulties always arise. Yet difficulties are only an indication that the path is not straight or level. It simply means that we have to steer a little differently.

The current situation in the world is challenging. It requires new ways of thinking and acting. Most of all, it requires great individuals to step up and lead. This time is ripe for great women and men to come forward. Historically, it is in the times of turmoil that great individuals rise and are recognized.

How are you responding? Are you searching for bridges, rolling up your sleeves and embracing the circumstances?

Missed Opportunity

Sadly both Obama and McCain missed an opportunity to move this country toward greatness Even now they could do it, but it will take a strong leader. At the second debate, they were questioned when they would ask the citizens of this country to sacrifice. We are in the midst of two wars, tumultuous upheaval in the financial markets, and a deepening reliance on foreign oil. Yet in all of the talk, there has been no request for us, as citizens, to do anything. We are just supposed to go on about our business and not be a part of the future of our nation. That cannot happen.

Individuals, organizations, and nations that achieve greatness do so through sacrifice and struggle. They put aside individual comforts for the greater good. They realize that even small actions, combined, have tremendous impact. There is no person, organization, or nation that achieved greatness without sacrifice. Our nation was built on that notion, but recently we've seemed to have lost our concept of personal responsibility. Once we elect our leaders (which only a small percentage of us do) we then leave it to them to make everything right. It gives us great comfort that when things do not go our way we can blame them and not have to look in the mirror.

Whether they do it now or when one of them gets in the White House, either Obama or McCain has to call on all of us to help fix the problem. Though both of them have promised to end the Iraq war one way or the other, we still have to deal with the return of our troops and treating them well. We have a tremendous dependence on foreign oil and we could curb our use of it daily, move toward more energy efficiency and assist companies to find alternative fuel sources. We could even assist in repairing our international relations. All of us know people in countries around the world. A focused effort of contact with friends, asking for their assistance and getting a strong message out about our global concern, could begin to turn the tide, rather than wait for diplomats to do it.

I'm sure there are other ideas you have to change the world. But there are few of us who have the impact of a Bill Gates. Together, however, we can make a difference.

We need to be challenged by a leader who tells us what we can do and doesn't take it all on him or her self. We need to know we are part of the remedy. That struggle unites a people. That struggle unites a nation. That struggle makes a nation great.