We had a great TEC speaker for my TEC 20 group spouses meeting in December. Boaz Rauchwerger is an author, trainer, coach and inspiration! He is without a doubt, the most positive person I have ever met.
We learned a lot from Boaz, and I encourage you to check out some of his video blogs his YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=BoazPowerTV). But what I like best about Boaz is that he started his program with an appreciation of how great we all have it here in America. And despite all of the issues we deal with in our business or personal lives, there are about 6 Billion people who would trade places with us in an instant. (6.9 Billion world population-307 million Americans-600 million world citizens who are happy just where they are).
By the way, we’ll be hitting 7 Billion next year.
http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html
Philosopher, and the best left-handed golfer on the PGA tour Phil Mickelson put it this way AFTER losing (choking) at the US Open at Winged Foot in 2006 said, “I want you to know that I am happy for what I have, and am a very lucky guy. I am not unhappy for what I don’t have.” I think about this statement a lot.
I consider myself a high-achiever, and I hang around a lot of high achievers who are my TEC members. There’s a tendency among many of us toward dissatisfaction. Never quite getting the results we want, never totally happy with the team we’ve got, often not satisfied with the path our kids are taking. Of course, it’s that wiring in our brain that makes us achievers, and entrepreneurs. But it’s so easy to go from being driven, to being unhappy it’s scary. One of the things I have to work on personally is to remind myself how lucky I am for what I have.
So if the US represents 4.5% of the world population, I contend that every citizen in the US is part of the 1%. I am certainly NOT dismissing social and economic problems that exist in the United States. But as Boaz puts it, we are a nation of opportunities and freedom. We have the opportunity to succeed or fail, and the freedom to choose which path we prefer. Or as another philosopher, my Dad, Dick Howman put it long ago, “John, people just need to get off their ass!”
So my New Year’s wish for everybody is to enjoy being part of the 1%, be thankful for what you have, to be a positive force in your home, your company and your community. Have an Unbelievable! New Year.
