Purpose & Direction - JFK!

"Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction."

John F. Kennedy

Returning from a Board/Staff retreat over the previous weekend, I thought this quote was timely upon finding it and I thought it worthy of sharing. We all contributed greatly to the productive weekend - discussing our Mission, Vision, Goals and Objectives of the organization.

I know all that attended have passion for our nonprofit and they exhibit strong effort in various ways, but now we have the task of executing the our plans - more specifically, the purpose behind our efforts and the directions in which we are to go.

Too often we all have witnessed managing by the moment or even crisis management - primarily reactive with a sense of unorganized urgency. Whether it be a small business, the government, volunteer organizations or nonprofits, the results that follow those types of systems/processes are unpredictable, inconsistent and less fruitful for all concerned - not to mention the stress it brings to those charged with the tasks inherent. Without clear direction, consistent messaging and commitment to a common goal, the process can be unbearable and frustrating.

I am confident that our directives and understood purpose will propel us to higher levels of success - removing the chances of wasting efforts and/or questioning why we are all here. Through ups and downs in my career, it took some bruising to realize the importance of corraling my courage and efforts in order to truly make the differences I intended and I am fortunate to have learned from my miscues in most instances.

I firmly believe in Identify, Plan & Execute now as my business/personal mantra, but I know I am not perfect and that I have to be adaptive, flexible and anticipatory to changes in those plans.

Thanks JFK for sharing your wisdom, and I hope others can find use for your words.

Thoughts?

Mickey

Lou Holtz....

I was watching the college football kick-off show a week or two ago, and I heard a quick quote from Coach Holtz that I just had to share. Of course, this is a great time of year - MLB playoffs coming soon, the NFL season just started and the college football season is finally under way! All of these sports, individuals, businesses and the like can get something out of his quote he shared that day.


"What the mind perceives, the body achieves."


In the end, is it really mind over matter? Can our brains get our bodies to do things through visualization, concentration, will power? Or does the body just refuse to play along?


Simply put for me, I think it comes down to "I can" instead of "I can't"....positive thinking. I talk to many folks that give up before they ever even try! That disappoints me....



Take running for instance. I have to continually tell myself "I can make it a little further, I can push a little further". Training and conditioning will help your body prepare for what you are asking it to do, but it will recognize limits that can only be breached by mind power! Push, Push.

I've watched the science of sports show before that included Navy Seals. The Seals displayed their mental capacity to keep their bodies warm while sitting in freezing water for an enormous amount of time! It was impressive....

Obviously, we all have limits. I know I can not throw a baseball 90 miles an hour - regardless of how much I push myself, or perceive that I can do it. I have tried before - pitched 3 years in an adult baseball league in Tallahassee! I once pitched 1o innings, over 200 pitches....we won! That was beyond what I thought I could do, but I set my mind to it. I threw a lot of curve balls!

All I know is that it doesn't help anyone's case if you start out doing something with a thought of failure or "I can't". Lou believes, as I do, that you can accomplish unbeknownst things if you focus your mind on doing it. Your body will go where you tell it to - it should not be leading the way!

Do you have a story about pushing yourself beyond a previous barrier? What do you think about the quote?

Look forward to your comments.

"Some of your best passes are incompletions."

I have heard this many times, but it stuck a few weeks ago while watching an NFL game. Obviously, in the game of football it pertains to a QB's ability to throw the ball away instead of taking a sack or trying to force a throw into tight coverage - at the risk of an interception....the incomplete pass is better than the alternatives.

Well, does it fit in our lives today? Any analogy? When things go wrong, we seem to be quick to judge as to why. However, there is a belief that things happen for a reason, but sometimes it takes so long to see the reason! Point being....we may not know that our "incomplete pass" was good at the moment it happened - but it may end up being better for us than "forcing a throw into coverage" or "taking a sack". Make sense? What do you think?