Find JOY living an “In Spite Of Life” each and every day!
It’s just a habit of mine to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way to compliment and encourage others. It simply brings me an extremely high level of joy. Side note: Complimenting and Encouraging Others can bring YOU an extremely high level of joy. While not required, the opportunity exists every time you’re engaged in conversation with another individual.
When speaking with community leaders that I admire, nearly all of them seem to deflect attention away from themselves and give others credit for the things I most admire them for. This is precisely what happened when I had the privilege of speaking with one of my personal heroes recently. We had begun to discuss all the incredible things that had been happening in our region lately and how our region seemed to be accomplishing extraordinary success in areas that most communities in the country continue to struggle with.
Further into our conversation we began to acknowledge that there was an abundance of leaders in our region that consistently place the welfare of others ahead of themselves. The person I was talking to is a perfect case in point. He didn’t know that during a recent conversation I had with people “in the know” that it was this particular individual’s character traits that quickly became the subject of our discussion. I came to find out that he offers his time, talent, and treasure (lots and lots of treasure), all while requesting anonymity. Turns out the only time he allows his participation to be recognized is when it directly results in others joining in the cause. Truly the sign of a great leader. He’s the kind of person that I’m willing to pledge my loyalty to while following their lead.
Back to our conversation regarding all the extraordinary accomplishments in our community and the surrounding region and the great things that are in the works. As he mentioned them, I heard him begin with the phrase “In spite of” which caused me to pay closer attention to the point he was making. The discussion included some recent successes like our region hosting Minor League Hockey’s Memorial Cup Tournament (which our local team ended up winning!) which brought a 12-day economic impact of over $30 million to our region, followed up with the LPGA Dow Invitational that 4 weeks later brought a 7-day economic impact of over $20 million to our region. As this incredible leader deflected his own contribution, he kept pointing me in the direction of all the other leaders in our community that came together to make these two events happen.
Not every community in our nation is experiencing success like this. Further thought brought me to a belief that our community is accomplishing great things “in spite of” all that’s going on around us. Things like the current political climate, protests, wars around the world and civil unrest in many countries. We have social issues like climate change, hunger, crime, lack of adequate housing, health care access, homelessness, and drug, alcohol, and gambling additions. While some of these challenges continue, our region’s “in spite of” mentality has made great strides in finding solutions that provide positive movement in eradicating and taming the issues. So, what’s different in the Great Lakes Bay Region of Michigan? Well, we have several Leadership Programs throughout our region that provide skill sets to people that want to be involved in the solutions that all communities face. Other communities have leadership programs, but what sets our apart is instilling the “in spite of” mindset in all the participants providing them inspiration to “get it done” and “stick with it until it’s impact is felt” in all they do.
Not only do the communities these leaders are a part of benefit, but so do the companies they work for, their families, their neighbors, places of worship they belong to, non-profits they become involved with, and more. Everyone in some way prospers when people who want to be part of the solution embrace the “in spite of” lifestyle.
That’s powerful! So powerful that I’ve adopted the “in spite of” thought process and perspective to enhance my own drive at accomplishing my goals. You can, and SHOULD, too! How? By never allowing negatives to interrupt your progress of helping others and doing what you know is the right thing to do. If you have a worthy goal, one that benefits other people, don’t let the barricades and blockades created by others get in the way of what you want to accomplish. If indeed your goal helps others, it becomes an easy task to garner support and encouragement from other leaders in pursuit of anything that benefits the community’s we live, work, and play in. So, plow forward in spite of. Commit to changing the world helping others in spite of. Wake up each day with a positive vibe in spite of. THAT’S how you’ll live a fulfilling and joyful life in spite of all the excuses you could use not to.
The truth is every person has the potential to make a positive difference in the world. Our world can’t afford for you to embrace what’s going wrong. Our world needs you to embrace the in spite of mentality and give us the beauty of what your life can mean to improving this world that we all share. Live an “In Spite Of” life! It’s a choice you’ll never regret. And remember, Hey…I Believe In YOU! GiddyUp!