Thursday, February 2, 2012

I Met Jim Wallis

I received an extra special gift at Christmas this year. It was an old picture of my father introducing me to Jim Wallis. The picture means a lot to me for several reasons:
- I met Jim Wallis!
- It's my Dad doing the introduction
- And it's forced me to evaluate how I'm going about my business in the world today

For those of you that don't know about Jim, he is a champion for what's right in the world. Period. As a young man starting my career, and being raised in a household that focused overwhelmingly on doing what's right, this was a huge moment.

I met Jim Wallis.

What About Now
So now I have this picture on my desk at work...and it speaks to me...it challenges me...it calls me out each day. "What are you doing that will make a difference in the world? A real difference." Some days I don't feel like I have a good answer. Other days I feel like I'm doing reasonably well and am contributing to my team, my organization, and my profession. But is it enough?

Life is About Choices
It's time for a new round of questions to be asked in my world. How much more can I do? Where should I invest my time and energy to make the biggest impact? How can I be more effective in my professional life, considering the privilege I have to work at such an amazing organization? How should I modify my leadership style to reflect a true "do the right thing" approach?

All of this from one picture.

How About You
What questions do you need to ask today? Take some time to reflect and honestly answer how you are going about your business. I bet if we stop worrying about mistakes and start focusing on action we'll all be happy with the road that lies ahead.

Thanks for the picture Mom.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses. 

pic of Me, Dad, and Jim Wallis courtesy of Janet Kuhns

2 comments:

  1. Hello Jay. This is a very touching post. As I go tumbling towards my Dad's funeral tomorrow I feel that I'm evaluating almost minute by minute. It's very odd, and very up and down.

    I'll come back to your post and think more about the 'how about you' in a few days.

    You've struck a wonderful chord for me today.

    Doug

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  2. Best of luck tomorrow Doug. I'll be thinking about you and your family as you go through this process. Many thanks for the kind words.

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