Living Life to the Fullest

Yesterday I attended the memorial service of an inspiring woman, a very close family friend of Rosemarie. In listening to the stories, it was clear that Ann lived her life to the fullest in every aspect. Since our blog focuses on changing how/who we are in our worlds - individually, at the team level, and at the organizational level - I wanted to say a few things about "living" in these environments.

First of all, life takes courage. Courage is required to overcome our fears at a personal and professional level to obtain our unique goals and successes. Courage is required at the team level - whether in the family or the workplace - to stand for what is right and provide valuable input to potentially contentious conversations. Lastly, courage is an absolute must at the organizational level. In business, all employees are stakeholders and need to call on courage to be ethical and right in their everyday work.

Second, life takes reflection. We learn from our successes and correct based on our failures. Without courage, we often don't take chances to learn from our experiences. Reflection enriches our lives and the lives of those around us. We can reflect on not only our lives but on the lives of those we admire.

Lastly, life takes perseverance. If we don't have courage to do the things we deem important and reflect on our results - we may be apt to give up. Imagine if Edison gave up on the light bulb - our lives would clearly not be the same without that. Edison tried to get the light bulb to work around 1,000 times before succeeding. That is perseverance.

If we have courage, reflect on events around us, and persevere through it all - life will be full and meaningful - for ourselves and for all those around us. People will be inspired by our actions as Ann inspired all around her. Thank you Ann - an amazing woman, mother, friend and professional - Rest in peace and enjoy the dancing in heaven!

Questions to Ponder:
Are there areas in my life, workplace, or organization where I am afraid to take a stand and do the right thing? What result would happen if I had the courage? What would I learn from that?
When things fail, do I give up or try again? What "light bulb" opportunities am I trying to ignite in my life that have been put on the back burner?