This week's Pep Talk: "The Best We Possess"

It’s that time of year again, the holiday season and its tsunami of greeting cards arriving daily. I do love the yearly chronicles many friends send at this time. I must admit to being terrible about making the time and taking the effort to send holiday greeting cards. I can’t remember the last time – probably when I was a married man a decade ago – that I’ve sent anything to anybody. I promise though, I’m not a Scrooge.

Recently I was opening various cards that had arrived during the week. I rip open one from a buddy who is veteran of the human resource world. An entrepreneur, he’s built a fine career and always sends cards, not just at Christmas, but many other holidays.

This year’s card did not recite events of the past twelve months. Instead it listed eight thoughts about life. You have probably heard them before but it never hurts to be reminded occasionally, right? Each on its own, and certainly all collectively, help us play like champions – home, work and elsewhere. Allegedly they come from a sign hung on the wall of a children’s home in Calcutta, India. They are excerpted from Mother Teresa’s book, A Simple Path:

· People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered – Love them anyway
· If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives – Do good anyway.
· If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies – Succeed anyway.
· The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow – Do good anyway.
· Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable – Be honest and frank anyway.
· What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight – Build anyway.
· People really need help but may attack you if you help them – Help people anyway.
· Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth – Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

What a great list! But, let’s be honest. It’s easy for me to read it, easy for you to affirm it, but when times get tough and we have to LIVE that list? Easier said than done.

To love unconditionally; to never grow weary of doing good; to strive constantly for success; to be unfazed when good deeds go unnoticed; to be honest and frank; to realize “stuff” happens that can wipe out all the hard work; to realize some fear help and reject it. Living with a mindset where wonderment defeats fear does leave us susceptible to bumps and bruises to the mind, body and spirit. Hey, it’s life.

The simple act of opening a holiday greeting card reminds me of the importance of being a student, not victim, of life’s experiences. It’s not easy, we get kicked in the teeth more often than we’d like but let’s always encourage – give hope and confidence to - each other to keep on offering the world no less than the best we possess anyway!