I have heard six different commencement speeches during the past couple of days. They were all very good, but the best one was from an undergraduate student (now a new graduate) from the Smith School of Business at Maryland, Manas Kulkarni. The theme of Manas’ message was “Now Let’s Go Fail.” You can hear the entire speech at this link and fast forward to the 54 minute … [Read more...] about “Now Let’s Go Fail”
Inspiration
The Moon Shot vs Cancer
One of the best examples of a successful Almost Impossible Stretch Goal is the Moon Shot. (To read more about the power of Almost Impossible Goals, click here.) On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy – in a speech to a joint session of Congress – announced the goal of landing a man on the moon and safely returning him to Earth. For those of you not alive in the 1960s, … [Read more...] about The Moon Shot vs Cancer
Fighting Gravity
Why is it that even the most inspiring visions sometimes . . . fizzle? It’s because excellence and true leadership are really, really hard. It’s like Fighting Gravity. Gravity – normalness – pulls at us every day. Try to escape gravity by pulling away from the “norm” to do something “special,” “unique,” and “exceptional?” Gravity tries to pull you back down. “Who are … [Read more...] about Fighting Gravity
The Value of Impossible Dreams
Regardless of one’s political affiliation, the fact that President Obama’s second inauguration coincides with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day provides an opportunity for reflection on many levels. When Dr. King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, many people thought that his dream was impossible. Given how divided the country was at that time, one can appreciate how … [Read more...] about The Value of Impossible Dreams
Thankfulness & Savoring
You probably don’t have time to read this because you are ON THE GO! Same here. In fact, I didn’t have time to write this because I am ON THE GO! But, if you take a couple of minutes to read this it just might improve your quality of life. I have been reading some of the positive psychology books recently, two in particular by Martin Seligman. One is Learned Optimism, … [Read more...] about Thankfulness & Savoring