Ask The Conscience » Hope

No Matter The Pace Run Your Race

admin — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:08:06 +0000

No Matter The Pace – Run Your Race
Inspired by the movie Secretariat

Gail and I just saw the movie Secretariat in Tucson tonight while visiting our son for the weekend. All I can say is: WOW! I couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel to write about what I saw and felt. I remember the spring and summer of 1973 as I was living in New York at the time. Secretariat was the first horse in 25 years, since Citation, to win the Triple crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness and the Belmont) of horse racing during a 5 week stretch. The story is about a horse, his owner, trainer, jockey and his walker. While the racing purist have panned the movie for not being historically accurate, i.e., mountains in the back stretch at Belmont, when in reality there is a parking lot (I grew up 20 minutes from the track). None of that matters to the movie’s heart and the intrepid message of conscience and luvv.

There is a scene where Mrs. Chenery (Secretariat’s owner) remembers a message from her Dad about

“The Race.” He said to her, “It doesn’t matter if they say we won, it only matters that we know we won.” He encouraged her to “Run Her Race”, and run her race she did. Against all odds, and rejections, and financial challenges, she did exactly that and Secretariat led the way.

As the movie came to a close, I could feel the spirit of adventure and hope in the theater. It was most interesting that Gail and I had a private showing. No one else except the projectionist was in the theater. We’ve viewed movies in near empty theaters before and saw a movie back in the late 80s “Run”, with ourselves and Henry on Gail’s birthday, but this was the first time that we’ve had the theater completely to ourselves.

The movie opens with a powerful passage for Job 39 verses 19-25.

When God is questioning Job:

“Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane? Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting? He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength, and charges into the fray. He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing; he does not shy away from the sword. The quiver rattles against his side, along with the flashing spear and lance. In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground; he cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.”

It set the tone for the movie, but more importantly, spoke deeply to me about my own race that I find myself in. It is very funny to me how many times that conscience speaks to me through movies, music, written word and my own writing. I am often lifted to tears and hopefulness when this happens. In the movie, Penny had to take a chance (some would say a risk) that could leave her and her family broke and with nothing. She was willing to do it, with only a few people willing to hold with her. As I was watching the movie I recalled a conversation that I had with Henry about the word “Nothing” and how it was a powerful word full of spirit. Henry went on to say

“We are always looking for something, but it is the something many times comes out of nothing, and it is that nothing that makes something”.

Secretariat was born in 1970 and died in 1989, but his spirit, determination and ability to “Run his Race”, lives on. There hasn’t been another Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

Each day each of us gets up and the race begins. I know for me that sometimes I am not even clear about which race I am in that day. There are days where I don’t want to run and days where the race starts and I find myself way behind. Secretariat mostly ran from the back of the pack, but run he did. I guess it doesn’t matter where you position yourself in the race, as long as you are in the race.

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I Have No Where Else To Go

admin — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 08:09:53 +0000

Monday 10/4/10

I wrote an article last week after a pretty tough day. What I am learning about my writing is that I write for myself and it greatly assist me in my own personal discoveries. The Video clip was really empowering for me. I actually had a different title to the article (Days Like These) that I wrote. Ultimately this video says it all and greatly assisted me to move forward. You don’t need to read what I wrote. Hopefully this clip will assist those that can use a lift today.

I realized that I too have no where else to go, but to the ALL. Have a great day.

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The Train

admin — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:58:40 +0000

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Business and Conscience

admin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:21:49 +0000

Worried about the Economy?

With the global economy being attacked from all sides, along with the news on Monday that Japan, (the second largest economic power in the world next to the U.S) is in a recession, there is a great fear of what the future, and by future, I mean an hour from now, holds for all of us.

Today we are faced with businesses closing down, downsizing their employee ranks, or curtailing some of their business activities. Companies like Circuit City, Starbucks, Home Depot, Linens-n-Things and Foot Locker are reducing their work force from anywhere from 17-25% and closing stores to fight back against a recessive trend that seems to be inevitable.

“With income down 78 percent in 2007, the shoe retailer is running for the hills. It’s putting 140 more of its 3,785 stores on the chopping block in addition to the 274 it closed last year.”— Money.aol.com

Why do we see so many businesses facing these hard economic times? The economic pundits say it’s a combination of consumer wariness about the economy, and loss of real jobs. While all of this can be statistically documented, I would say that there are possibly other reasons.

Let’s take the case of Circuit City. They are the second-largest consumer electronic retailer and have filed for bankruptcy; begging for the financial protection that they need to survive. Does a company like Circuit City just collapse because of a poor economy alone or are there other issues that have brought this about? In Sundays November 16, L.A Times business letters section, Dan Rendant from Arcadia Writes:

“ It is certainly no surprise that Circuit City has filed for bankruptcy. A couple of years ago Circuit City management decided to get rid of the experienced store employees in order to bring the payroll down to near minimum wage levels.

Practically overnight the atmosphere in the stores changed when the new employees couldn’t get off their cell phones long enough to help the customers. That is when I took all my personal and corporate business to other chains.”

I chuckled to myself when I read this, because I had just mentioned the same thing to someone a few days ago. I realized that somewhere along the line, our business model for this country moved from that of having customers to wooing consumers. We have become a country of consumers and businesses have reacted to this trend. It seems that product consumption has outgrown product production.

Many companies jumped on the consumer bandwagon and started to target the consumer while disconnecting from the customer. The idea of customer has a spirit to it, a connected link to an exchange. The image I get of the consumer is similar to the one I had as a child while feeding the pigs on my Grandma Maggie’s farm in Georgia. They would eat what ever I threw in the pen. There was very little discrimination on what it was they were being fed and how much of it was there. We have become pigs in many ways and our retail stores and business saw an opportunity to make a quick buck, without much effort on their part. On Progress-index.com the editor wrote:

“According to recent news reports, Circuit City didn’t take the threat of Best Buy seriously enough, focusing on making a profit in the short term rather than building value for customers in the long term.”

From Worry to Hope

This downturn in the economy and the election of Obama has the spirit of business associated with it. All areas of America including Government, businesses, households and individuals are being called upon to show a profit. We are being commanded to remove the shackles of economic slavery and to replace those shackles with Freedom. It’s time to move away from the “free money” and put luvv back into our money and the products we produce. In a conversation I had with Henry Conyers, my spiritual advisor, he said:

“ We are running for nation to nation looking for an honest dollar. It’s time to let go of the dream and embrace the Vision, the CAP has come off the world and the conscience has been unleashed”.

I have seen people from the “Blue States” and the “Red States”, all acknowledge that no matter what their political affiliations or beliefs are, that they can’t deny the feeling of hope they feel from the Obama election. Hope is very high right now, despite, CNN daily and sometimes hourly reports on how dim our fiscal future looks. I sense that we have embraced Obama’s key message on the night that he won the election, when he said:

“The Road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even one term. But America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there.”

What Can You Do?

This is a time of great opportunity for learning and growth. I am hearing more about retrenchment of adult learning in companies, cutting back on fun opportunities for employees and cutting sales staff. These decisions are usually coming from the top of the corporation and don’t involve the people in the middle or the bottom. This is how the 700 Billion dollar bailout was decided too. We see how well that is working. Go Green Learning offers a “Happy Hour program” and I can’t think of any better than now for people to get a little happier in an aligned way.

Step I

It’s time to laugh more, play more and learn more. While cutting back on what seems to be fringe benefits, you have to recognize that right now, we are all living on the fringe, and cutting those things, might lead to a less productive work force and the inability to build a comeback.

Step II

Change from the mind to the heart. Michele Obama in an interview said:
“ I think to the extent that people think that I’m good, It’s from the fact that I really try to speak from my heart”.

Take a look at what changes need to be made in how you do business. Involve employees in real discussions on how to bring the company back into production. You never know what might come from this process.

Step III

Become a great listener. Listen to conscience, which in turn will assist you to listen to others, your customers, your employees, your children and mate.
Check out our communication workshops.
Step IV

Strengthen your compassion level. Becoming a better listener will allow you to develop a greater level of compassion for yourself, first and foremost, and for others. Don’t feel sorry for people or try to walk a mile in their shoes. Just bring a greater level of luvv and heart to the office or boardroom.

Step V

Develop vision teams. These are people who don’t even have to like each other or get a long. I will never forget when I was the director of Student Activities at Cal State University, Northridge and I hired Jeannie Rosenberger on the staff. I hired her for two simple reasons, 1) she was very structured and organized and 2) she was a fighter. I knew she would fight me when she didn’t agree and that is what I needed. President-elect Obama is taking the same approach in filling his cabinet positions. The popular Lincoln-est term is “Team of Rivals”. This vision team should be comprised of people from the custodial staff to the President – anyone who has demonstrated that they have vision and have acted upon it in some way.

Step VI
Finally, stay true to you. Do it your way with alignment and focus. Continue to acknowledge, embrace and act on your desire when possible – even if your desire seems to be out of step with the times. Never recoil or give up. Hope is a magical aspect of life.

“Hope is the bedrock of this nation-the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us, by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is, who have the courage to remake the world as it should be”—Obama in Des Monies after winning the Iowa Democratic caucuses.

Many people, Jesse Jackson for one, had the idea of hope as their message. The difference is that unlike others, Obama has been called by the conscience to do the work associated with the word.

Start remaking your company today, by Asking The Conscience.

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What A Great Time To Be Alive

admin — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:49:57 +0000

What A Great time to be Alive

This is a great time to be alive. You can hear it in the music of Beyonce and Will.i.am. It’s a new day full of opportunities that are unleashing our individual expressions and evoking waves of change. It feels like a tsunami has overtaken the world and we are being bathed in the sea of hope that we haven’t seen in quite some time.

In the book “Pedagogy of Hope”, written by Paulo Freire. The author takes dead aim at the principle of hope His thesis is about the teaching of hope and the impact that hope can have on the world. It is the follow up to his book, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”, which discusses the teaching of Oppression. I read and constantly refer to both of these books as my personal guidebook to understanding my role in the world. The one important principle that Friere addresses in “Pedagogy of the Oppressed “ is the responsibility of both the oppressed and the oppressor to bring about change. Friere speculates that the oppressed have to learn how to love the oppressor and the oppressor has to learn how to let go of power. I feel Obama will Sheppard this change with his leadership and heart.

“Freire reminds us that a critical understanding of oppression will not succeed in and of itself in achieving liberation from oppression. Nevertheless, the comprehension of oppression is “indispensable” to a new vision of the world based on justice and freedom. Hope helps us to “understand human existence, and the struggle needed to improve it.”

With the economy in the crapper, job uncertainty at an all time high, and a 700 billion dollar bailout that seems flawed at every turn, there still seems to be a spirit of hope that resonates much louder than the problems themselves. Change is similar to death, and I am not sure that the American people fully realize this. The tidal wave of change that we are anticipating will come with some casualties. From the Civil War to the Civil Right Movement, we had to endure loss to realize the victory. Victory is here, it’s at our doorstep, awaiting us to take up arms and embrace the new battles of Gettysburg and Selma.

The conscience has brought about this great change in the form of President-Elect Obama. He is a symbol of a new day that brings with it new opportunities and hope. For there to be a real change and not just s shift in the ways we do things can’t happen without some bumps and bruises.

I am very happy to be alive to witness the spirit in action. Have you noticed that more people mention spirit now than ever before? We can call feel it and it’s hard to deny. Our failing companies need spirit more than a 700 billion dollar bailout. The mind has run out of options. It has nowhere else to go, other than to the conscience. America voted for conscience over the mind when it elected Obama as President. I have hope that we all will get though these tough financial times with a greater appreciation of each other. It is time for each of us to expand our luvving and to seek the freedom that has long been lost. Luvv has gotten us through tough times before and it can do the same thing again if we allow it.

IT’S A GREAT TIME TO BE ALIVE. ENJOY IT, EMBRACE IT AND LEARN FROM IT.

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Everyone Has The Opportunity to Change

admin — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:41:32 +0000

Everyone has been Given the Power to change.

I first said “No, No, No and now I say, Yes, Yes, Yes”. These were the words from my mother-in-law at our wedding reception 20 years ago. In 1988 my wife Gail (who is white) and I (black), took a bold step, even for the 80’s. We got married. A black man and white woman getting married and doing it in public (wedding was over looking a bluff in Santa Monica), was not a popular decision.

On the night of the election, after the results were in. My mother-in-law called and asked to speak to me. There was energy of newness in her voice. There was a deep connection beyond the words. There was a spiritual connection and an opportunity for change in the air. We laughed and loved and talked about the power of the present and the hope of the future.

I could feel life coming through the phone. I had goose bumps while I was watching the speeches of Obama and McCain and even greater goose bumps in speaking with Bernie, my mother-in law. She has always been one of my favorite people. She’s had her beliefs and they were strong, but over the years I’ve seen her surrender more and more to the conscience. I’ve seen her being willing to learn and grow. I’ve seen her lose a husband, go through her own process of learning how to deal with that lost and come out of it stronger and more vibrant than anyone could have expected.

The Time is now

The time is now. The work to be done is now. We’ve gotten a new lease on the conscience. This election has given us the opportunity to expand our listening and our ability to become world leaders again. The world is watching us, counting on us to deliver on the promise. Yes, Obama is the new president, but it doesn’t stop there. It begins there. Each of us has been called into duty, called to do our job, bring our love and deliver on our destinies. If you now feel that Obama is your savior, then get out of the way. He isn’t. He isn’t even the first black president, just the first acknowledged one. We had Jackson, Coolidge, and Lincoln before, just to name a few.

We now have an opportunity to follow the conscience in our daily lives. We’ve always wanted our vote to count and this time it did. What happened on Election Day was a spiritual action. It wasn’t a political action. I could feel the spirit in the speeches of McCain and Obama. Even Bush, who has been devoid of spirit during his 8 years in office, had a twinge of spirit in his voice when he addressed the nation today.

The party is on

Everyone is partying and rejoicing with the new levels of hope that hit us like an astroid. Even the people who didn’t vote for Obama felt lifted by the results. I was talking to a dear companion of mine, Henry Conyers and he said, “I hope the party continues by each individual stepping up and doing their part”. “If each of us doesn’t do our part, the party will be short lived”.

Don’t leave the conscience hanging. If you truly want change, then embrace the opportunity and get your butt’s moving. Demonstrate your willingness to listen to conscience and follow it. The world is now again focused on America and Americans. Will we do our duty or will be run, get scared and not deliver on the spiritual message that came through as a result of the election.

Ask the conscience and when you do, then be willing to listen and act.

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