I’m writing this from a Delta flight — thank you GoGo onboard wi-fi! — from New Orleans to Atlanta.
It’s Saturday morning, the weather is beautiful, and (believe it or not) one of my favorite actors, Ray Liotta, is in the seat across from me.
What struck me most, however, is that as the flight was loading its passengers, a group of school children boarded with unbelievable enthusiasm. I am guessing they are about sixth or seventh-graders, and they told the flight attendant they are embarking for a trip to Washington, DC.
Almost breathlessly as they passed, they were talking about the places they would visit — the Capitol, the White House, the Smithsonian, and more.
Then, one of the teachers mentioned to the flight attendant they were not certain until about midnight if they were even going. You see, she said, if the government had shut down, all of the wonderful monuments and buildings the kids were looking so forward to seeing would be closed — and the school was prepared to cancel the trip.
I’m certain when Congressional leaders were debating this past week about the budget, a field trip of youngsters from Louisana was not part of the consideration. Yet, memories and experiences that will be remembered for a lifetime were determined by their negotiations.
I’m not trying to be political here. It is just important all of us in business remember that the decisions we make — and the actions we take — can have an impact upon others far beyond what is right in front of us at the time.
Somehow, I would like to think our nation’s leaders were sensitive about how the lives of these kids would have been disrupted if they had not reached a decision — but, I am not optimistic. However, you and I CAN control the experiences we create and deliver to those people who cross our paths.
You never know. Sometimes a good word you say can brighten someone’s day. Or, the stress you display might cause someone else more upset than you possibly realize.
It is easy to presume the only people we impact are the ones in our path. The truth, however, is that our efforts — for better or worse — have much more significant consequences.
Is that something you — both personally AND professionally — take into consideration? Have you communicated this message to your colleagues?
Why I don’t want a “bucket list”
On bucketlist.org, for example, there are 10,000 recommendations of things to do before you die…and it contains everything from visiting the Louvre (which I’ve done and want to do again) to eating at Del Taco for thirty straight days (which I have no desire to achieve)!
From my perspective, the life well lived is not one about collecting and holding — it’s about growing and sharing. To merely gather experiences to be placed in the bucket to contain doesn’t help anyone except the owner of the pail.
Don’t get me wrong — there are LOTS of activities I want to take part in before I depart this earthly existence. However, I want to share those in person with my close family and friends — and communicate in a variety of ways with others in hope it will provide insight or motivation for them to do something distinctive and memorable.
A pitcher, unlike a bucket, is generally used for both obtaining and storing — AND sharing and pouring. It would make us consider that not only should we push ourselves to do what we dream, but we should also require ourselves to be disciplined enough to share what we’ve learned and done with others…so they might be similarly inspired.
Don’t fill up your bucket with items from the list and keep it to yourself…rather, load up your pitcher and then pour out the benefit of your actions to nourish the seeds of inspiration you may plant.
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