What do you stand for?
Just the other day I asked myself, “What do you stand for?”
“Lotsa things!”, I replied. Being the only employee at a self-employed company, you have conversations with yourself a lot.
“If you had to boil it down to a few key items, what would they be?”, I continued.
“Taking responsibility for my actions, living a life in balance, and treating others the way they would like to be treated”, was my answer.
“Can you simplify it more?”, I persisted. “How about Love!”, I returned.
“That’s sure simple but explain how you got to love from your previous statement”.
“Love to me is going out into the world without bias, judgment, ego, treating others with respect, and being present in the moment.”
“All you need is love when you put it that way.”
Rein Kansman stands for love.
We are celebrating the birth of our country on July 4th. Our founding fathers stood for Freedom. Today many fellow Americans continue to battle for that freedom. Sometimes freedom gets used as a means or word to get to a personal goal. So, does love. Both are great words with impactful messages. As a leader, it is easy to spout “Love” or “Freedom”. Do you live by those words?
Congruency in words and actions creates integrity. Having integrity attracts followers. Without followers, you are not a leader.
I really work at living a life of love. I certainly throw the word around a lot! My intentions are good, my follow through is not always as good. I have said unloving things and made unloving actions towards myself and others. Even to my wife, who will be celebrating 38 years of marriage with me this summer. Building that loving relationship is crucial to me (as well as my success), and still I fail to be loving always.
I am getting better at apologizing and taking responsibility for those inappropriate actions. A good marriage requires love and a lot of work (you can’t just “go through the motions”). So, does leadership.
I stand for Love, and I am getting better at proving it in action. I am grateful for those of you that stand for Freedom. Many of you I have never met and yet, you stand for my freedom also. Thank you. That is love.
Happy Birthday, America!
Comments