Quotes of the Week from Me:

“A lot of quotes begin with “sometimes”, because nothing is all the times.”

“Don’t rush to eat the peanut butter sandwich, you might miss out on the jelly.” -Lesson learned by my son who whined impatiently about getting his half-prepped peanut butter sandwich placed in front of him, only to feel his jaw drop and eyes widen when his Mom walked over 3 seconds later, smacking her lips from a bite of toast with peanut butter AND jelly.

“My guess is that you are right where you need to be. Just remember to appreciate the importance of the next step.”

“It’s really fun to be alive, sometimes it’s all you need to have a great day.”

“Mistakes grant wisdom.”

“Plan ahead.”

Quotes of the Week from Someone Else:

“Be the person who still tries. After failure, after frustration, after disappointment, after exhaustion, after heartache, be the person who musters up the courage to believe that a new attempt can manifest a new outcome. Be the person who still tries.” -Michell C. Clark

“It’s just when people are shooting at you and trying to blow you up – it’s hard to build roads.” -William H. McRaven

“The people when rightly and fully trusted will return the trust.”

– Abraham Lincoln

“Initiative is doing the right thing without being told.” – Victor Hugo

Quick Optimism

You are all right as you are. Inevitably, you’ll change as you feel you remain stagnant. So, do not worry, there is more going on than you know. But remember, you must always continue to work, confidently, toward your potential. Without potential, stagnation is stifling.

“When we plant a rose seed in the earth, we notice that it is small, but we do not criticize it as “rootless and stemless.” We treat it as a seed, giving it the water and nourishment required of a seed. When it first shoots up out of the earth, we don’t condemn it as immature and underdeveloped; nor do we criticize the buds for not being open when they appear. We stand in wonder at the process taking place and give the plant the care it needs at each stage of its development. The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed to the time it dies. Within it, at all times, it contains its whole potential. It seems to be constantly in the process of change; yet at each state, at each moment, it is perfectly all right as it is.”

—Timothy Gallwey

Full Newsletter

Part I

Happy 4^th of July Eve! I hope everyone has a very fun, safe celebration of America’s history of freedom today and tomorrow.

1. Massachusetts was the first state to make the 4^th of July a state holiday (1791)
2. There have been 27 versions of the U.S. flag – The original flag featured 13 stars and stripes to represent the 13 colonies. Today’s American flag features 50 stars and 13 stripes.

Part II

Well, Admiral William H. McRaven has done it again. I just snagged his book, The Wisdom of the Bullfrog, at my local bookstore and I am already hooked. And by hooked, I mean I bought it on Tuesday at lunch time and nearly finished it before the kids went down for the night that same day.

If the name sounds familiar, McRaven also wrote the very famous, Make Your Bed, and Sea Stories. And like many great books about the United States military, McRaven tells some pretty incredible stories that demonstrate the necessity of strong leaders in our world today. Just below the title of his new book, it says: “LEADERSHIP MADE SIMPLE (BUT NOT EASY)” and as many of you know by now, one of my favorite mantras is that simple does not mean easy.

From McRaven’s introduction –

“In 2009, on a return trip to Afghanistan, I was reading a foreign policy magazine. There were two articles in the magazine written by a couple of East Coast academics. The professors explained how the U.S. military just didn’t understand the best way to win the war in Afghanistan. They wrote, rather condescendingly, that if the military would only build roads, they could connect the villages to the districts. Then with more roads they could connect the districts to the provinces and finally provinces to the capital… All the military had to do was build roads. Well, no kidding! Why didn’t we think of that? Well, we did think of that! It’s just that when people are shooting at you and trying to blow you up—it’s hard to build roads.”

He goes on to explain that these scenarios are the nature of leadership. It is simple, not complex. But the simple things are extremely difficult to do.

Part of my fascination and respect for people who have served in the military comes from their unwavering commitment to respect, honor, and brave optimism in the face of unknown horrors of war. McRaven says, “It would be simple to say, ‘Be men and women of integrity’ or ‘Lead from the front’ or ‘Take care of our troops,’ but it is difficult to do. Why? Because we are humans and each of us has our foibles, our weaknesses, and our shortfalls that can affect how we lead. But as difficult as leadership is, it is not complicated.” Another thing that comes to mind is human instinct. I doubt these lessons from McRaven always come to mind when bullets are flying and bombs are going off.

Well, Admiral William H. McRaven has got me thinking again. I do not think of myself as comparable to someone who has 37 years of military leadership under his belt. But I am committed to some of the lessons he has learned and shared, and I know how applicable they are to everyday life.  

1. Follow through on your promises
2. Show up early, leave late, work hard
3. Be confident, decisive, and passionate
4. Bring enthusiasm to all you do

Simple. Succinct. Effective.

Lastly, as I have learned from my interest in the Navy SEALs, humor goes a long way. It will help you run farther, do more pushups, and endure more. It builds teams up and can get people through some pretty rough stuff. This week, I needed all the above to complete a survey.

On Thursday morning I went to war with a debit card thief. I had logged onto my TD Bank app to check my credit card balance and I noticed three separate charges for Starbucks gift cards. There were two charges for $20 and an order for $26. I don’t drink Starbucks anymore, but I hope their lattes don’t cost that much these days. Either way, that is a lot of coffee!

Unfortunately, I had been here before and I knew that TD had a pretty sound refund policy. All I had to do was call them. Simple. Difficult.

For some reason, more so than other days, my family decided to fire off what felt like hundreds of rounds in my direction. I started dialing and all of a sudden, toys were flying through the air, the mailbox needed to be checked, diapers needed to be changed, and neighbors walking their dogs needed to be barked at.

One side of my head was partially protected by my iPhone (though maybe our phones are doing more damage than we realize) while my temple on the other side was greeted by a wooden truck that my son had thrown across the room. It was the red one. His favorite. Ouch.

At the end of the call, the gentleman who had solved my problem requested that I complete survey based on my experience with him. In the past I did not think much of it. But after a few years of knowing people with similar roles at other companies, I know that the surveys and feedback are part of their review. So, I promised him that I would fill it out with high marks to show my appreciation. Think of how many calls they get per day. Would you rather contribute to the 150 positive feedback surveys or the opposite? The little things matter.

Queue up another battle.

Completing a survey while a toddler rips your house to bits and pieces is difficult. I am not comparing survey completion operations to U.S. military operations, nor am I claiming that my toddler is like the Taliban, but getting hit in the temple with a wooden toy truck felt like a bomb going off.

Maybe that’s one reason why companies get such little survey feedback. Their customers are fighting off toddlers and pets. Regardless, I completed the survey and kept my promise. It might not feel like a huge deal in the moment, especially from my end of the phone, but I know that it matters on the receiving end. And I hope it helped another person.

Make it a great Monday!