Be kind, live longer, touch more lives
Monday Café con Leche shared with 50 HISD parents in San Antonio that a “Culture of High Expectation” includes a college education. I felt their happiness personally. “Living longer from kindness” is documented says a Big Brothers Big Sisters flyer. Doing or observing kindness stimulates serotonin and oxytocin releases. These hormones facilitate our ability to connect with family or strangers. Kindness also decreases the stress hormone cortisol; allowing perpetually kind people to age slower than the average population.
I’m updating my long-range plan following my challenge last week; build a 10X solution as the key to attaining your goals. Clive Christensen frames career, family, integrity as the boundaries in his article, "How will you measure your life," of living a life of purpose: How can I be happy in my career? How can I be sure that my relationship with my family is an enduring source of happiness? And how can I live my life with integrity?
My first aha — Management can be the noblest of occupations, no others offer as many ways to help people find opportunities. My greatest gifts have been the investment others made in me. Allowing me to run with the ball, failing “affordably,” learning without firing. Lead by keeping people challenged and resourced to win, but stay informed to nudge a person’s growth.
The second, without purpose, life can become hollow. Create a culture of respect, humility and choosing to do the right thing, in family and business. You have to design this into your culture, realizing that the future likely will be different than today. Understanding the “why” is as important as the “how.”
Finally, integrity means no “just this once” exceptions. Do what you say. Christensen closes noting life’s key metric, “isn’t dollars, but the individual people whose lives I’ve touched.”
I’m updating my goals to coincide with Texas’ Bicentennial. I have 4,406 days till they are due; 12 years, three weeks and six days for those using wall calendars. By March 2, 2036, I expect my seven grandchildren, currently ages five to 14, will be joining the workforce. I hope that my children’s impact will be wider than mine and additionally, that the impact of my grandchildren reaches even further. I better appreciate my grandfather’s faith in education.
Consider volunteering, be kind, just show up.
How are the children doing? Jack Browne, https://www.newcollarcoach.com/
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Be kind, live longer, touch more lives
