Happy Friday, Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this glorious Friday morning in my Sweet Home Alabama!
This morning, I have three quick hitters I want to share with you all.
1. Each week, I have a memory verse. A couple of weeks ago, the verse really spoke to me and has become a daily prayer for me:
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me.” – Psalm 51:10
It gets me every time! My daily prayer and commitment is to live each day of my life with a pure heart and a steadfast spirit! I thought it might mean something to some of you as well!
2. Earlier this week, I was speaking with a friend and thanking her for something very kind she had done for someone else. She stated, “That’s what I do.” It wasn’t proud or arrogant, just factual. And then it got me thinking about all of you; there are things you do every day in just being you that make a difference in someone else’s life. What you do matters, and I hope you understand the truly significant difference you make by just being you.
3. I am reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey. Earlier this week, I was reading Habit 6, Synergize, and the section was titled "Valuing the Differences." I want to share a few excerpts that I found particularly profound with you all.
“And the key to valuing those differences is to realize that all people see the world, not as it is, but as they are.”
“The person who is truly effective has the humility and reverence to recognize his own perceptual limitations and to appreciate the rich resources available through interaction with the hearts and minds of other human beings. That person values the differences because those differences add to his knowledge, to his understanding of reality.”
“And unless we value the differences in our perceptions, unless we value each other and give credence to the possibility that we’re both right, that life is not always a dichotomous either/or, that there are almost always third alternatives, we will never be able to transcend the limits of that conditioning.”
“So when I become aware of the difference in our perceptions, I say, “Good! You see it differently! Help me see what you see.”
“If two people have the same opinion, one is unnecessary. It’s not going to do me any good at all to communicate with someone else who sees only the old woman also. I don’t want to talk, to communicate, with someone who agrees with me; I want to communicate with you because you see it differently. I value that difference.”
To illustrate the importance of valuing differences, Covey then shared the parable of The Animal School by G.H. Reeves.
The Animal School
Once upon a time, the animals decided that their lives and their society would be improved by setting up a school. The basics identified as necessary for survival in the animal world were swimming, running, climbing, jumping, and flying. Instructors were hired to teach these activities, and it was agreed that all the animals would take all the courses. This worked out well for the administrators, but it caused some problems for the students.
The squirrel, for example, was an A student in running, jumping, and climbing but had trouble in flying class, not because of an inability to fly, for she could sail from the top of one tree to another with ease, but because the flying curriculum called for taking off from the ground. The squirrel was drilled in ground-to-air take-offs until she was exhausted and developed charley horses from overexertion. This caused her to perform poorly in her other classes, and her grades dropped to D's.
The duck was outstanding in swimming class - even better than the teacher. But she did so poorly in running that she was transferred to a remedial class. There she practiced running until her webbed feet were so badly damaged that she was only an average swimmer. But since average was acceptable, nobody saw this as a problem - except the duck.
In contrast, the rabbit was excellent in running, but, being terrified of water, he was an extremely poor swimmer. Despite a lot of makeup work in swimming class, he never could stay afloat. He soon became frustrated and uncooperative and was eventually expelled because of behavior problems.
The eagle naturally enough was a brilliant student in flying class and even did well in running and jumping. He had to be severely disciplined in climbing class, however, because he insisted that his way of getting to the top of the tree was faster and easier.
It should be noted that the parents of the groundhog pulled him out of school because the administration would not add classes in digging and burrowing. The groundhogs, along with the gophers and badgers, got a prairie dog to start a private school. They all have become strong opponents of school taxes and proponents of voucher systems.
By graduation time, the student with the best grades in the animal school was a compulsive ostrich who could run superbly and also could swim, fly, and climb a little. She, of course, was made class valedictorian and received scholarship offers from all the best universities.
What would our world look like if we truly valued the differences? That, my Friends, is my challenge for each of us: to truly value the differences in one another. While the fable is funny, when it becomes the reality we are living, it is no longer funny; it is tragic.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, and please stay well!
Kev
