If I could shadow you for a few days, although it would be creepy, I could predict who and where you will be in five years. I do not claim to see or know the future, but I know a law of life. Who and where you will be five years from now will be greatly determined by the spaces (of your mind), the places (you attend), and the faces of your life (the people you surround yourself with).
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There is a common saying that “experience is the best teacher,” It sounds good and is easy to remember but it does not tell the whole story. We have all made the same mistake multiple times. We see others fall into the same trap over and over again. Why do we not always learn from experience? Because experience alone hasn’t taught anyone, anything.
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What an unexpected surprise my wife, Teri, and I will celebrate today! Seven years into our marriage, we were heart-broken to learn we were unable to physically give birth. Later that year our hearts rejoiced as God brought our miracle son into our life through the amazing gift of adoption. No child is “given up” for adoption, they are “loved into” adoption. The first time I held my son, at 26 hours old, I knew he was created by God to be my son.
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For those of you struggling with loss and grief my heart goes out to you. I pray God will provide you strength and creativity to expand the legacy of the one you grieve..
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My great-grandfather Abe Abdo came to the United States from Lebanon in 1906. His wife was pregnant with their first child, Sadie, who later became my grandmother. He homesteaded land in Williams County in northwest North Dakota outside of Williston.
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On November 27, 2016, I wrote my first column for The Forum after receiving a personal invitation from Bill Marcil Jr. With both of our busy schedules, I hadn’t talked to Bill for two years. But, Bill emailed me and invited me to his office. He had a couple of items on his heart. I was so glad to spend time with him as our conversations are always insightful and helpful to me.
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The strength of our nation is not in our political system, our military supremacy, or our key economic indicators. The strength and foundational piece of any society is our families and, specifically, our marriages/ Our community or nation will never be stronger or healthier than our homes.
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Effective leaders must learn to become great connectors, not to become a better leader but because people really matter. How are you doing at connecting with the ten people you hope will circle your hospital bed as your time here on earth ends? What can you do today to “CHAT” with them?
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You will never go any further in life or leadership than your ability to connect and communicate with others. For all of us this includes one-on-one communication. For many it includes communicating to a small group. For some this also means the dreaded, frightening public speaking. Effective communication is key to the effective outcomes of almost every initiative: marriage, parenting, customer service, relationships, construction projects, growing organizations and winning teams..
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I recently re-read the story of an extremely gifted leader, Abigail, who saved her family after her husband made another leadership blunder. Although materially successful, his leadership was a mess in numerous ways.
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