Category: Leadership

Can We Change?

“Tomorrow we will become what we choose today. To change means to choose to change.” – John C. Maxwell

I love this quote because there is so much wisdom in just fifteen words.

1. Change takes time. We must work today for what we want tomorrow. Our focus needs to be on the future. Very little permanent change occurs within one day.

2. Change is a choice. It will not occur without intent. We have the opportunity to decide what we wish to change.

3. Change is never ending. Every day we can work towards tomorrow’s goals. Incremental change has a huge impact over a lifetime of effort.

Often we stumble on these points, and we don’t change as much as we expect. We can choose to change to meet our goals in our professional life, our personal life, in our diet, our exercise, or our habits. Can we change? Each day we can strive to make ourselves better tomorrow.

How Much Does This Cost? You Have to Be Joking!

Imagine walking into a bakery to buy a loaf of bread. The scent invades your nose as soon as you enter. You notice that none of the loaves have any prices. There are at least a dozen different types but no prices.

The person checking out has a loaf of whole wheat, and you notice the charge of only $0.79 on the register. That is a great price. You grab a loaf of the whole wheat bread, and get in line.

The person in front of you has a loaf of whole wheat too. But when his purchase appears on the register it is $4.59. That’s strange. The person pays and leaves.

The cashier takes your loaf of bread to scan, and the register shows $28.99. You ask the cashier, “How can it be so much? It was much cheaper for those other customers.”

He responds, “I am sorry sir, this is the price for you. Some customers are on a bread plan. Others have discounted prices based on their employer. Some of our customers actually get their bread for free from a government program. But it looks like your price is $28.99.”

Can this actually happen? You would think in today’s global and competitive marketplace you would not experience this. But this is exactly the system we have for prescription drugs in the United States.

I don’t want to start a political debate, but want to encourage you to think about the consequences of our current system for healthcare. It does not matter if you believe in a free market based system or a government subsidized system. What we have now is a mess and neither of those. Two people can be on the same medication, one paying $20 a month, the other paying $1200. The prices are not market based or subsidized.

Before you respond about the need for companies to recover their development costs, consider this. Other countries are buying the same drug for less. In effect, we are subsidizing the whole world for the development costs of prescription drugs, because companies are able to charge more in the US, than elsewhere.

Whatever your views, I encourage you to think for yourself, not just listen to the political rhetoric. For me, I like to know what bread costs before I pick up a loaf.

3 Lessons I Learned About Keeping a Positive Attitude

President Thomas Jefferson said, “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” Keeping a positive attitude can be challenging in certain situations. Here are some lessons I have learned that help me.

1. Protect myself from negative attitudes that I encounter. If I am not careful, I find myself adjusting my attitude to those around me. Attitude is contagious after all. But when the surrounding attitude is negative, I must be strong enough to keep my positive attitude. I have two choices, allow my attitude to influence others, or leave the situation.

2. Focus on tomorrow’s possibilities rather than yesterday’s results. When I find my attitude slipping away from the positive, it is usually because I am too focused on what has happened rather than the opportunities of tomorrow. Walt Whitman said it best, “Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”

3. Learn more about myself. Carl Jung said, “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” When I find myself getting irritated, it affects my attitude. The aggravation however is within me, not with the other person. If I spend time understanding myself, then I am better prepared to turn negative situations into positive situations.

Another thing to consider when faced with differing attitudes. My attitude is mine. The attitudes of others are owned by them. I am not better, just because my attitude may be more positive at the moment. As Ziad K. Abdelnour said, “Don’t judge someone’s attitude until you’ve felt their pain.”

What Is Truth?

We are celebrating the 241st anniversary of the United States this July. At times, I wonder if we remember the founding principles and values that created our country.

Divided opinion is nothing new in America. Throughout our history, our country has enjoyed diverse thinking and differing views. If we were unable to voice our ideas, then we would not be the land of the free. So even if we disagree with one another, healthy debate keeps our country strong.

Conflict is something we face consistently in life. I use this question for my personal reflection when faced with a struggle. “Am I seeing the truth of this situation, or just what I choose to believe about it?”

Enjoy your Independence Day wherever you may be celebrating! I hope you have a few moments to reflect on whatever is on your mind.