The Root

5 A’s

The Root

My friend’s family has a tradition of educational accomplishment and he came to me the not long ago and was shaken a bit.  He told me that his wife brought him their high school son’s report card.  It contained his first ever C and my buddy was brooding over the matter. He told me that when his son came home he invited him into his study, where he sternly confronted him with the card and said, “Son, what is this I see on your report card?”

“Well, Dad,” answered the boy, “I hope you see the five A’s.”

I felt as if I were looking in the mirror as my friend talked.  Of course, since this particular story had happened to him, it would have been easy for me to remark, “Your boy is fantastic!  He’s only had one C during his whole academic career?  No need to worry, he’ll get back to his best shortly!”  But, I didn’t say that.  Rather, I told him that I could see what he was going through and that if he would promise to see the five A’s then I would promise to begin to see “the five A’s” when they’re presented to me as well.

Perhaps it was in that moment when I discovered that while perfection is a worthy goal, you and I need to remember that we’re just regular people too.  As individuals, we have different capacities and gifts.  But, no mater how hard we work, not matter how hard we try, imperfection is with all of us.

This fact was graphically presented to me again when my daughter Annie, in her final semester of college, was quite stressed.  She was working hard and was on the borderline of getting her final straight A semester.  Being in a position of potentially not reaching her goal was really bothering her.  She couldn’t sleep at night and was worried all the time.  As I witnessed her internal upheaval I could feel my friend’s story burning within my heart and I knew I had to act!

I said, “Annie, did you know that since I graduated from college not one person has ever asked me about my grades?  And, it will be the same with you.  Once you have your degree, no one will really care about your grades.  You’ve done tremendously well and I couldn’t be more proud of you!”

I was hoping to make sure she knows, that perhaps, the most important thing we can do in life is to understand that as long as we give honest and earnest effort it should be acceptable to us.  After all, what really matters is what kind of people we are.  The problems of the world, at their root, are all human problems, and the opportunities in the world are all human opportunities.  And, while I understand that now, it took years study of a tree for me to begin to understand the significance of strong roots.

I planted Mimosa trees in my yard almost twenty years ago. They’re a sensitive leaf, flowering tree and I knew when I planted them that I was putting them in a borderline climate and that they might not survive, let alone thrive.  And, they haven’t all survived.  But, some have!  Most of them live in a continuous cycle where they grow and then die back on the surface.  But their roots are strong.

Just when I think the winter has killed them forever, I begin to see new life springing up from below.  They have taught me that it is the strength of the root that really matters, especially in an imperfect environment.  And, that’s why I have hope!

You and I have strong roots in character.  We are the kind of people who help solve problems and make the most of the opportunities.  We are those whose priorities are straight. We are the people who can see the 5 A’s, even though we live in an imperfect environment, and offer strength and encouragement to everyone around us.

Resistance is Opportunity

“Is your attitude any better than it was last month?” – Brian Gottfredson

Resistance is Opportunity

I was reviewing my business goals with my friend Brian.  As we started he looked at me and asked, “Is your attitude any better than it was last month?”

His question didn’t catch me by surprise.  I had been working with several very difficult transactions and they had taken their toll.  It was right then that I knew I was not looking at those challenges correctly and I remembered a story a friend once told me.

A few years ago my friend was standing in a large crowd of people gathered early in the morning along the waterfront of Apia Harbor in Samoa.  It was an event of the National Holidays, when hundreds of people came to watch the Fautasi, or longboat, races that sweep in from the ocean to the calmer waters of the harbor where they cross the finish line.

The crowd was anxious with almost every eye turned to the water so they could catch the very first sight of the fautasis.  All of a sudden there was a huge cheer from the crowd as they caught a glimpse of the boats.  Every one of the boats had a crew of fifty oarsmen thrusting and pulling their oars as if they were one.  Staying in a steady rhythm allowed them to force their crafts to cut through the waves.  My friend said, “it was a beautiful sight.”

In no time at all, every boat and crewmember was in full view of the crowd as they pressed to the finish line.  Yet, even though the crew was strong and powerful, pulling with all their strength, the large heavy boats, filled with stout men, were always fighting against the powerful, adverse force of the ocean’s water.

When the first boat crossed the finish line the cheering reached its climax.  My friend walked over to the dock where the racing boats were secured at the conclusion of the contest.  It was there that one of the oarsmen explained to him that the prow of the fautasi is constructed so that it cuts through and divides the water to help it overcome the resistance that retards the speed of the boat.  He explained that the pulling of the oars, against the resistance of the water, creates the force that causes the boat to move forward.  Resistance creates both the opposition and the forward movement!

Friction, or resistance, is one of the most interesting phenomena in our world.  Without this force, a person or vehicle, could not move about, or if already in motion, could not be stopped except by collision.  Think about it!  Without resistance, simple things such as nails, screws and bolts would not stay in place; a cork would not stay in a bottle; a light bulb would drop from its fixture; a lid would not stay on a jar; a hat would not stay on our heads.

Brian and my friend’s story reminded me that my thinking was caught.  I was thinking that the law of friction or resistance only applied to science!  It doesn’t!  It has application to our personal lives as well. 

It is resistance that allows us to move forward.  It is resistance that gives us gain.  It increases our strength and our intelligence.  It is the creator of experience.  If we view it in the right light, it will be for our good and benefit.  In fact, it is this very law of opposition that makes freedom of choice possible.

So now, I choose to see the progress that has come out of my caldron of struggle and heartache.  You and I have known great trials and personal difficulty.  But, we can see them for what they are, opportunities.  We can remember that the same forces of resistance, which prevent our progress, afford us the opportunities to overcome!

Stimulating Thoughts

“Time spent with family and friends.”

 Stimulating Thoughts

I went to do something I would never have done on my own!  It caused me to reflect on the words of William James.

William James, the great Harvard psychologist, once asked this question, “How would you like to create your own mind?” But, isn’t that exactly what you and I have been doing our entire lives? Professor James explains, “The mind is made up by what it feeds upon.” He said that the mind, like the dyer’s hand, is colored by what it holds. If I hold in my hand a T-shirt full of red dye, my hands will surely become red. And if I hold in my mind and heart great ideas of faith and enthusiasm, my whole personality is changed accordingly.

So, if we think negative thoughts, we develop negative minds and attitudes. If we think depraved thoughts, we develop depraved minds. On the other hand, if you and I think enlightened thoughts, then we develop enlightened minds and fulfill the meditation of Edward Dyer when he wrote:

My mind to me a kingdom is,

Such present joys therein I find,

That it excels all other bliss

That earth affords or grows by kind.

But, our minds are not a kingdom alone.  We are influenced by the thoughts and actions of others.  Thanks goodness!  If this were not the case then the world would be a dismal place indeed.  We need the encouragement of other people to draw us out of our own one-dimensional worlds.  Family friends drew me out of my one-dimensional world just a couple of days ago.

As a result of their invitation I went to Boise and we enjoyed a barbeque where I met new and interesting people.  Then, we went to the Idaho Shakespearian Festival to have a picnic dinner and engage with a play.  I have to admit to you right here that I usually avoid plays of all types because they cause me to become drowsy.  Yes!  To all of you theater lovers out there I have been to the best Broadway offers and yes, I slept.

But on this night I did not sleep.  I was shown a world, in the play and outside of the play that I had never imagined.  In fact, I commented to my wife, “I had no idea people did this kind of thing!”  Of course I knew that there are people who love plays and they spend lots of time and money enjoying them.  And, I knew that people like to go out and have picnics at such events.  But, I had allowed my mind to feast on its own for so long that it has become quite one-dimensional.

So thank you to my friends and family for offering me these stimulating thoughts!  These wonderful people have given me more than an unforgettable day.  They have given me a vision of what my life could become if I will simply allow others the opportunity to give me new and stimulating thoughts.  Doing so will in no way shrink my minds kingdom.  It will allow it to expand and become beautifully diverse.  How dismal the universe would be without its infinite miscellany!

What have you and I missed by not accepting invitations from people who do not think as we do?

Give me This Mountain!

“Pursuing work with a purpose is the new economic period.” – Cliff Hurst

Give me this Mountain!

Cliff sat directly across from me as we talked.  I must say, it was hard for me to talk because of the scrumptious scone that was tickling my tongue.  That’s O.K.  It made it that much easier for me to listen.

The other reason it was easy for me to listen to Cliff is, he believes in the science of “soul purpose.”  Humans perform to their highest and best capability when they are guided by their own sense of purpose.  And, just as there have been other economic trends, e.g. The Agrarian Age, Industrial Age, and Information Age, the world is moving steadily to the “Age of Purpose.”

I have often wondered at the power of purpose.  What it is that will cause one person to look at an obstacle and shrink while another person will look at the same obstacle and cry, “Give me this mountain!”  In personalizing this, are you and I viewing our own futures with excitement and confidence or are our hearts melting at every obstacle?  Perhaps the best illustration I can give of this question is the result of a life-changing experience.

When in college I was reading the campus newspaper when an ad caught my interest.  It was the ROTC offering a rappelling adventure to all students who would like to come.  I had seen those guys rappelling off the tower of the football stadium many times and had thought, “Wow, that looks like fun.”  So I was excited to go on this escapade with those I had admired for so long.

When the anticipated day arrived, we all drove out to the Mountains in Eastern Nevada to a place of beautiful pine forests and shear cliffs.  The beauty was breath taking!  We camped for the night, nestled in the trees, and then in the morning we all awoke and got out and up.

Since I had never rappelled before, and was the only novice in the group, the first thing they did was teach me the mechanics.  Their instruction was clear and gave me confidence.  To give me more confidence, they took me to a small outcropping of stone and let me practice.  It was fun and I was successful!

That success then turned us to a larger challenge.  We hiked to the top of a one hundred twenty foot cliff and said, “Now we’re really going to have some fun!”  A couple of guys wanted to show me the way so they threw their ropes out and ran down the cliff face first.  It was amazing!  I was not so bold until I approached the cliff myself!

When it was my turn, my coach helped me harness up and then he reviewed directions.  He was there with me the whole time.  I was no longer filled with confidence.  I began to back off the cliff!  I hesitated!  I turned chalk white!  I froze!

I was in such obvious turmoil my coach asked, “Are you alright?”

I said NO!

My purpose was no longer to have fun and feel the freedom of romping down the face of a shear cliff.  My purpose became survival.  So, that’s what I accomplished.  I survived, but I didn’t have the fun and glorious adventure the others had who looked at the same mountain and said, “Give me this mountain!”

So, in the here and now, when Cliff said, “Pursuing work with a purpose is the new economic period.”  I pictured that long ago cliff and the mountain that held it and I knew and could feel the difference between surviving and living with purpose and intent!

Are you and I willing to say “I will wholly follow the purpose of my heart to the fullest extent of my energy and my ability?”  Have you and I determined exactly what it is we are able to best contribute to the world, to change it for the better because we were here, being ourselves?

Are you and I crying out, “Give me this Mountain?”

Growth Through Change

“When a choice plant . . . became root bound and began to deteriorate, Wade told me I needed to transplant him into a larger container.”

Growth Through Change

My daughter, Annie, left to chase her dreams last week; she’s the last of our three to have done so.  The event made my wife look like a Hollywood Star as she took shelter behind huge sunglasses so as to hide her flowing tears during the trek to the airport.  It is a momentous change in our lives.

There is nothing so unchanging or as inevitable as change itself.  The things we see, touch, and feel are always changing.  Annie has noticed this very acutely as outlined in her text messages to me from New York this entire weekend.  Relationships between friends, husband and wife, father and daughter, sister and sister are all dynamic, changing relationships.  It is a constant that allows us to use change for our own good.

I can’t think of anything that describes this process of change better than an experience with my friend Wade Anderson.  He and his wife Regina own Tooele Valley Nursery.  I rely on them to help me plan, execute and correct problems in my landscape.

“When a choice plant”, Fred the Fern, “became root bound and began to deteriorate, Wade told me I needed to transplant him into a larger container.”

I rescued Fred from an office more than 35 years ago.  Someone had thrown him in the trash thinking he was a goner.  I could see that there was still life in him and as a result, he’s provided me with joy for more than half my life!

Wade told me I needed to put Fred’s pot upside down, pull the plant out, shake the soil from the roots, and clip and pull all the stragglers from the root system.  Then I got a much larger pot, and following Wade’s directions; I vigorously pushed the soil tightly around the plant.  Soon, Fred took on a whole new life and has grown to be huge!

Perhaps too often in life we set our own roots into the soil and become root bound.  We may treat ourselves too gently and defy anyone to disturb the soil or trim our root system back.  When that happens we, just like Fred the Fern, must struggle to make progress.  Change is hard!  It can be rough!

But, we need not feel that we must always be what we are right now.  If you’re like me you have a tendency to think of change as the enemy.  Many of us are suspect of change and will often fight and resist it before we have even discovered what the actual effects will be.  When the change is thought though carefully, it can produce the most rewarding and profound experiences in life.  I look at my daughters and realize that they are the reflected beauty of this important truth.

Through my daughters, I’ve noticed that as opportunity for change reaches into our lives, as it always will, we must ask, “Where do I need development? What do I want out of life? Where do I want to go?  How can I get there?”  Weighing alternatives very carefully is a much-needed prerequisite as one plans changes.  We are usually free to choose the changes we make in our lives and we are always free to choose how we will respond to the changes that come.

Yes, there is pain in change, but there is great satisfaction in recognizing that progress is being achieved.  Knowing this keeps me from driving to the airport and getting on a plane to New York or Arkansas right now!  Life is a series of hills and valleys, or pots, and often the best growth comes in the valleys.

I’m sitting here with Fred the Fern.  He’s been with me since before my marriage, though the birth of my daughters and is here now in fanned glory to remind me that even though my girls have departed and there are many changes to come, I can evoke the greatest discovery to welcome the coming change.

William James once said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that we can change our circumstances by changing our attitudes of mind.”  Will our minds tell us that change is our enemy?  Or, will our minds tell us change is a reflection of beauty yet to behold?