What’s a day worth to you? And how do you measure the value of a day? Do you measure a day by the contribution you make? By the people whose lives you touch? By the money you make? By the art you create? By the miles you travel? By the books you read? By the […]
On November 18, 1995, the violinist Itzhak Perlman, came on stage to perform a concert at Lincoln Center in New York City. Getting to his chair is no small task for Itzhak. Struck by polio as a child, he walks with leg braces and a pair of crutches. His routine to reach his chair is […]
The world mourns the loss of Nelson Mandela at the age of 95. He lived his life for others and from an early age, entered the fight for freedom and equality to come to his nation. Mandela has been a leader and example for me as I’ve been learning to navigate my own adversity. Studying […]
Survivability – n The ability to remain alive or continue to exist The capability of a person or system to fulfill its mission in the presence of threats, failures or accidents Survivability is more than staying alive physically during or after an experience of failure, calamity, injury, hurt or loss. It is also about being […]
Sometimes in life, we find ourselves in situations unplanned, dark and without hope. We feel a lot like one particular donkey who found himself down in his circumstances and fighting for his life. How he responded to his despair and hopelessness is a lesson worth pondering. The Donkey’s Choice One day a farmer’s donkey fell […]
You might be in a storm right now, have a storm on its way, or see your storm in the rear-view mirror. Regardless of the relationship you have with adversity, your attitude towards it makes a world of difference. Since adversity is unavoidable, why do we have such a hard time accepting it as the […]
Fear if allowed to dominate, holds us back and paralyzes us from action. If fear warns us of a legitimate threat, it’s our friend. But if fear is unfounded in reality and comes as an emotional disturber of the peace, it’s a different story. What exactly is fear? FEAR – noun a distressing emotion […]
Nelson Mandela tells a story of a hope inspiring visit he had with his daughter while in Robben Island prison. The visit occurred shortly after his daughter Zeni had married into the Swazi royal family to the prince Thumbumuzi. Once married to a member of the Swazi royal family, it gave Zeni diplomatic privileges and […]
The story of Nelson Mandela is a story of courage, tenacity, and transformational leadership. His book Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela is a journey describing both his formative years and his long struggle to bring freedom and equality to his people and to the nation of South Africa. One theme that […]
An old Eastern proverb says: The fox has many tricks, but the porcupine has one big trick. In his book, The Gift of Adversity: The Unexpected Benefits of Life’s Difficulties, Setbacks, and Imperfection, Dr. Rosenthal suggests when dealing with adversity, we are better off being more like the fox than the porcupine. In other words, […]