The Dash

I went to this leadership training course at Rapport Leadership International when I lived in Las Vegas about 3 years ago. I was going through some of my stuff and I came across my binder from the program. It is always fun to go back and look through the stuff I had written about myself. As I sit here and read through some of the stuff we talked about during this course, I am asking myself, Where in my life do I use the tools that I have learned from this class? I can think of many situations where I could have used my leadership training to accomplish a goal or achieve something that has been difficult thus far in my life. Then I came across a quote that said "If I am continuously unmotivated, I either do not have a vision, or I haven't committed to it".

How true this statement has become in my life. I am thinking of printing it up and sticking it somewhere in my house so that I can look at it everyday. Maybe this would help to to realize my own strength to over come the obstacles I have in my life right now (smoking, working out). Part of the class required me to write a Vision Mission statement. I tell you I laughed all the way through reading it. I know that my Vision statement was supposed to be a little far fetched, but mine is just ridiculous:

" Vision: I will be wealthy. I will be so wealthy that money will be falling out of my pockets. I will be honest and have others be honest as well. I will be wealthy by owning a multi-billion dollar company that goes above and beyond Microsoft. I will be empowering and assertive. I will be a leader. I will be so wealthy that I can by a yacht. I will be loving and share. I will be self improving and courageous."

Wow, what a statement. If only it were true. Now keep in mind that the vision statement wasn't meant necessarily to flow and have proper English at the time. It was simply to give me something to live my life by. But I don't feel that the vision statement applies to my life anymore.

Now, more on the reason I started writing this was to share with you a poem that had an impact on my life and still does to this day.

The Dash

By Alton Maiden

University of Notre Dame- 1996

I've seen my share of tombstones, but never took the time to

truly read,

The meaning behind what is there for other to see.

Under the person's name it read the date of birth,

dash(-), and the date the person passed.

But the more I think about that tombstone, the important thing is

the dash.

Yes, I see the name of the person but that I might forget,

I also read the date of birth and death but even that might not

stick.

But thinking about the individual, I can't help but to remember

the dash,

Because it represents a person's life and that will always last.

So, when you begin to charter your life, make sure you're on a

positive path.

Because people may forget your birth and death, but they will

never forget your dash.

Just a little food for thought!