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Nuggets of Wisdom
Words
to inspire, motivate, and guide you to
Successful
Living
Training for Success
“I offer thee
three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.”
God to David
2 Sam. 24:12, 1 Chron. 21:10
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EVENT: Dr. G is a keynote speaker at an
Economic Opportunity Business Conference - Grand Ballroom of the Casino
Queen - in East St. Louis on Thursday, September 25. His topic
is: “A New Day, A New Way, A New Community … Change”.
The article
below is written by Effenus Henderson, and is taken from George Fraser's Power Networking Minute
magazine.
What’s Your
Dream?
It’s anchored in helping each other.
By Effenus
Henderson
WHAT IS “THE DREAM” ALL about today? What speaks to the
soul of our nation? And how can you and I be part of the solution to build
a more diverse and inclusive society? The cornerstone of the twin concepts
of diversity and inclusion is an appreciation and respect for the
difference we bring to a given situation.
This appreciation is amplified in the way we embrace and
nurture those differences for society’s greater good. And, the dream is
anchored in helping each of us become a better person as we journey through
life.
We each face a set of givens in life. We know, for example,
that equal opportunity is not guaranteed in life; however, we know that
personal choices, those day-to-day choices we make, define and determine
who and what we become. Life and opportunity are not fair. But working
hard, honing your skills, and getting all the education you can—along with
self-determination—can counter this inequality.
This
lack of fairness isn’t just about race, class, or opportunity—it comes in
many ways. However, we can’t wallow in self-pity and doubt; we must learn
to take accountability for our own success.
This success can’t be defined by another; it comes from
the inner spirit behind our mask. Every one of us is adorned with a soul
that wears a unique mask. The soul is where achievement and drive reside.
The soul is where the engine of opportunity or failure resides. It
manifests itself in our positive and our negative spirits.
If we are to succeed in life, we must pay close attention
to these positive and negative spirits that can and do influence our daily
actions. Positive spirits push us to excel, to appreciate, to value, and to
love. Negative spirits drag us down, teach us to hate, offer excuses for
lack of success, and to cast dispersions and hurt on others. We must learn
to recognize them and their differences, and work to build antidotes that
vaccinate us from these negative behaviors and choices.
Five Principles for Success
I offer five principles for success.
Principle 1: Choose wisely. Success is
deeply rooted in the choices and decisions you make daily .
Principle 2: Work hard. Idleness
and a lack of engagement in the work you do can kill a career.
Principle 3: Develop discipline. Distraction
and loss of focus are killer attributes, as they cause you to take your
eyes off the prize.
Principle 4: Stay an adaptive student. Life is
full of change and uncertainty. Always consider yourself a student and a
learner.
Principle 5: Respect the differences of others. Difference
and diversity are not limited to minorities and women. In a room full of
white males, we would soon discover a world of difference and diversity.
Embrace Your
Positive Spirit
As you use these principles to guide your life, learn to
embrace your positive spirit. Don’t focus on your mask to guide
your actions. Seek to understand the other person’s spirit and allow them
to understand yours. Practice patience, discipline and love in
counteracting notions of inequality, failure, and low self-worth.
You are part of the creator’s glorious world, and you
have a lot to offer your family and community. Learn to respect
and appreciate others while taking full accountability for the choices you
make and the impact others have on your life. You can’t wallow in the
circumstance of where and to whom you were born. You can, by the choices
you make daily, determine your life’s destiny and the legacy you leave.
This takes affirmative action to a personal level. In all of life
circumstances, choose wisely.
ACTION: Dream of contributing service.
Effenus Henderson is the chief diversity officer for
Weyerhaeuser Company. Visit www.weyerhaeuser.com or call
800-525-5440.
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