Before you become a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. ~ Jack Welsh
Beth Macy, author of the National Best Selling book Factory Man, held an author talk and book signing in Steamboat Springs, Colorado a few weeks ago. I attended and bought the book. It is a narrative non-fiction about Bassett Furniture Makers. The story is jam-packed with complicated family relationships, history and a whole community of people whose lives depended upon the livelihood of the textile and furniture industry in the town of Bassett, Virginia.
At the foundation of the story is a “full of himself” character who often strained the family dynamic with his leadership style. Add to that the exodus of industry – furniture products being manufactured overseas more cheaply, and the battle that ensued in saving an American town. What do you have? An impressive and fulfilling tale to tell.
A very well-researched book that award-winning journalist Macy writes in a compelling and “you’ve gotta hear this style.”
Business people in every industry at all eschelons of power will glean something from this story about a multi-generational family furniture dynasty.
Life is just a chance to grow a soul. ~ A.Powell Davies
Building a life for oneself that includes all things fulfilling means different things to different people.
Some people have big life ambitions, some small and some none at all. Personality, culture, family and societal environments, values and education are just a few factors that play into how we design our lives or not.
We’ve all heard the expressions “life is what you make it or make the best of your life or you only have one life to live so make it a good one.” Self-reflection and self-growth is needed if you want to follow these adages because we need to know what makes us happy and then make a life in sync with our interests and passions.
Summertime is the best time of year to grow anything. It’s the high time. The sun is shining, we are feeling optimitic and spending more time outdoors in nature. What are you doing today nuture your spirit?
“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you will discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” ~ Alan Alda
Home Sweet Home! Where everything is familiar, safe, and there are few unknowns. I found out seven years ago that you can find fulfilling things when you leave your comfort zone and strike out on new adventures. I left my home state of more than 30 years and ventured into unknown territory, by moving to a place site unseen. It was a culture shock at first for an East Coast gal to move to remote ranching/ski community in northwestern Colorado. But I’ve grown to appreciate all that it’s brought to my life. It ended up being good for the mind, body and spirit and a time of enormous personal growth.
I jumped in wholeheartedly, and did something even more risky. I independently published a book, a memoir, about my remarkable young life.
My life is far from over, and there is more to discover about myself. I suspect it will come next time I step out of my comfort zone and into something else.
Speaking of comfort – did you know there is a place called Comfort, Texas? What I found interesting is there is little information about the place on their website. Perhaps that’s by design so visitors will come see the place for themselves.
When was the last time you really stepped out of your safe environment? If nothing else you might learn you are stronger than you think!
This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. Award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.
My personal favorite out of the movies listed is Jiro Dreams of Sushi, which I featured in a blog posting some time back.
Have a fun weekend. The summer is slowly getting away from us, so enjoy every moment.
See you on Monday on All Things Fulfilling. I hope you found something meaningful that related to the context of your life in this week’s blogs postings.
This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. Click here for information on her publications Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.
Real courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway. ~ John Wayne
I doubt I would have ever become acquainted with the term “cowboy ethics” unless I had moved West. Sure, I believe and practice what it is about but I’d never attached such a term to it.
In fact, when I began this blog All Things Fulfilling, before I even knew what cowboy ethics were, I had decided I’d use all the principles associated with the term as I went about my mission of inspiring, informing and educating people about independent publishing. The fact that I found personal fulfillment in my writing was a bonus and a God-send.
In an interview on Living a Richer Life talk radio some months ago, the host, Earl Cobb, mentioned that many people say they are going to write a book but never accomplish their mission. “How is it that you were successful?” he asked. When I set out to prove to myself that I could publish a book independently as an inexperienced writer, I took to heart the inspirational words I’d heard someone say “I wanted it more than I was afraid of it.” I also changed my vocabulary from I was going to try to write a book to AM writing and publishing a book. I eliminated the word try out of my vocabulary completely. What a difference it made in the outcome and I even became an award-winning author, to boot!
If you want to accomplish your goals and if you can’t eliminate the word try completely, this video featuring Jim Owen of Cowboy Ethics points out another way of looking at the word TRY. You will find it interesting!
Last week in the blog post A Shepard’s Tea, I mentioned having a celebration after the New Year. Perhaps a Hoe Down might be more appropriate since I found fulfillment using Cowboy Ethics in Colorado. Want to learn more about the principles behind the term Cowboy Ethics, visit this website.
“Take note of all the good and beautiful. It is there. Sometimes in the smallest crevices and sometimes boldly standing there.” ~ Lisa Desatnik http://www.GoodThingsGoingAround.com.
Last week my husband and I were granted what I considered to be a great priviledge. We were given permission to look in on the daily operations of a business that reaps the beauteous bounty of the sea. Nothing goes to waste from the harvest. What does not get processed to feed people, goes toward’s growing crops. The crustacean shells are used for fertilizer.
Lindy’s Seafood, a Mary Ellen Brand, in Woolford, Maryland allowed us to see their business first hand and take photos and video. What an eye-opening and educational experience. We arrived in the wee hours of the morning because the work day takes place from 1am to 9 am on Hooper’s Island a remote place on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake.
Grace, the plant supervisor, described to me what this line of very tedious work means to her 36 crab pickers, who come to the U.S.A. to find a job to support their families in Mexico. Typically women are crab pickers but for the first time ever, this harvest season, there were approximately four or five men among the workers at Lindy’s.
It was evident from my observations, these employees mean business! Picking crabs is treated like an art and the craft is taught to the younger generation when they bring their family members into the fold of working in the seafood industry. Crab picking is very tedious and detail-oriented labor and not for everyone. Grace mentioned the Mexican’s wonderful work ethic and the fact that they are as reliable as the change of seasons. She said they WILL NOT go home until the catch of the day is processed and will work as many hours as need be. She said she nearly has to herd them out the door to take a lunch break, which comes at 6:oo in the morning! They don’t want to stop what they are doing. From I what I gathered from our conversation, finding that kind of dedication and attention to detail from American workers is very difficult.
As they labored, not a word was uttered but Spanish music played in the background, and the fast paced rhythm kept their hands briskly moving.
From my observation, economy of movement in the workers and efficiency of the operation allows the plant to process many bushel baskets of seafood daily. It was a very fulfilling morning observing this group of people who depend on the fruit of the sea for their fulfilling livelihood.
More photos:
My husband and I would like to personally thank Terry Vincent, President of Lindy’s Seafood and his sidekick, his daughter Aubrey for allowing us to see the business operations first hand. And thank you to Grace for providing us with answers to our questions.
This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. For information on her books Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart and Soul.
Never work just for money or power. They won’t save your soul or help you sleep at night.” ~ Marion Wright Edelman
If you read my blog on Monday called A Shepard’s Tea, I mentioned how combining business with spiritual-centered idea has brought personal fulfillment to me. It is a growing concept in this country that I hope we hear more about in the future. Because working an entire lifetime at something that is not personally satisfying seems to be a waste of a life and not what life is intended to be.
The other day I came across an article from McKinsey and Company. The good news is our country needs more leaders in all aspects of industry. At the center of leadership there needs to be certain conditions for successful outcomes. They are as follows:
Meaning
Managing Energy
Positive Framing
Connecting
Engaging
If you wish to know more about the principles that are the cornerstone of centered leadership, I suggest you read this article.
If you are unhappy in your current work environment or career, take time out to read and consider how you might be able to make changes in your life which will lead to greater levels of personal fulfillment. Even baby steps toward a greater goal will make a difference.
How long has it been since the biggest decision in your day was which hue to use out of a box of sixty-four colors of crayons? If only life was that elementary.
Have you ever considered this thought?
No doubt about it, there is truth in that statement.
Unfortunately life is complex. Things aren’t always reduced to black and white.
Next time you’re agonizing over decisions or find life challenging – simplify your thought process by remembering this –
If a man loves the labor of his trade, apart from any question of success or fame, the gods have called him. – Robert Louis Stevenson
An exciting landmark is coming to All Things Fulfilling. Soon, one hundred-thousand readers will have hit this website which is amazing because when I began writing about what was an obscure concept to many people I had no idea how many would be interested. What I’ve concluded is that incorporating business with a thoughtful mission makes work more meaningful. It puts the emphasis on conducting business for a reason beyond financial gain. It’s fulfilling way to live and work.
Shepard’s Garden, a Montana company is another company that has taken this idea and incorporated it into their products. They sell tea that has a verse attached to every tea bag which has been chosen “with the blessing, encouragement, and comfort of the customer in mind.”
What a great way to reinforce the contemplative moments that come with the restorative ritual of having tea. If you are like me, the time I most appreciate a cup of tea is in the quiet of the morning. What better way to start the day than by reading a meaningful passage.
Stay tuned in the coming months. I am developing some ideas for the New Year that includes gifts for a few lucky recipients.
Tomorrow we will highlight another company of interest that puts a heart & soul centered mission at the core of their business.
This blog is brought to you by the author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul by Sue Batton Leonard.
To some people, living the simple life conjures up thoughts of living out in the woods with no running water, cooking over an open fire and being entirely self-sufficient by growing one’s own crops and hunting and fishing. A bit extreme for most people in this world of modern conveniences.
The good news is there is more than one way of living a pared down lifestyle. We can chose to simplify our lives in ways that might better suit us rather than returning to the homesteading concept.
In the interest of simplifying my blog writing today, here is a link to a great article that outlines 10 ways to simplify your lifestyle. Do a little soul-searching by assessing which choice suits your interests best.
At the foundation of the story is a “full of himself” character who often strained the family dynamic with his leadership style. Add to that the exodus of industry – furniture products being manufactured overseas more cheaply, and the battle that ensued in saving an American town. What do you have? An impressive and fulfilling tale to tell.
All Things Fulfilling 