The Power of Combining with Others

"It is the Puritan work ethic that has made us great as a people."

Jessi Butterfield

The Power of Combining with Others

I was driving home from my last appointment on Saturday night when I received a call from my daughter in Brooklyn. Thank goodness for wireless headsets! The call lasted long past my drive time and well into the evening. She had great news to talk with me about. Her business is continuing to grow.

"It is the Puritan work ethic that has made us great as a people." She said. "The formula is simple. You just work hard and pray a lot and things go well. Just look how far we've come since the Puritans and others came to live together in America."

Her comments caused my mind to think about the process she was describing. People have indeed come here from all across the world to succeed.

That same night this was demonstrated to me again as I watched the VISA Championships with other members of my family. The gymnastics floor of the US Championships was covered with coaches from all over the globe as they added their expertise to the best American Gymnasts who were competing for a spot on Team USA so they could contend in the World Championships. One of my other daughters commented, "It's like we've taken people from all over the globe and put them in a big blender to produce a super-charged elixir of success!"

Mother Teresa once said something like this, "You can do things I can't do. I can do things you can't do. If we work together, we can accomplish a lot." It's the combination that makes all the difference.

One of the most important things you can do for yourself, and all of us, is to surround yourself with others who can compliment your talents; people that can help be helped by the addition of your capacity. Doing so will make you, and the people you work with, greater than simply adding by ones. You may say that I don't understand the math. But, I say in this one case one plus one doesn't add up to two. The combination of knowledge, experience, love, desire and faith create infinite possibility.

Look for the opportunity to give of yourself today. If you will, you will begin to see how a "new math" will change your life along with the world.