Think We more than Me...

In deciding whether you’d rather be right, or happy, make it your work to discover your happiness.

 

·      No one is all right or all wrong: there is always a middle ground.

·      Resist polarization by listening to all sides of the issues you face.

 

As 2023 draws to a close, I am saddened that our society continues to devolve into opposite camps and positions, with little thought of finding common ground and purpose. My entire professional career revolved around finding shared objectives and values and building a culture of community in the companies we managed. We had employees from every walk of life and background, as diverse as the communities we lived in: we valued and honored that diversity of thinking, perspectives, and approaches and found strength and competitiveness in the blending of those differences. Whether because two heads or more are better than one or the 360-degree perspective it shined on everything we did, we truly believed we were better together than apart. Nobody gave up who and what they were when agreeing to work together harmoniously. It was hard work, but it was worth it. My wish for 2023 is that we somehow find ways to bridge our differences and become stronger together. Listen to others, seek to learn why they are who they are, and find ways to still be friends, colleagues, neighbors, and mutual supporters. Discover who you are and how to live a more collegial life and then, with all your heart, give yourself to it in 2024. That might be a good resolution to consider today.

 

Siddhartha Gautama, commonly referred to as the Buddha ('the awakened'), was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. 

·       According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lumbini, in what is now Nepal, to royal parents of the Shakya clan, but renounced his home life to live as a wandering ascetic. After leading a life of impoverishment, asceticism, and meditation, he attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in what is now India. The Buddha thereafter wandered through the north-central section of the Indian subcontinent, teaching and building a monastic order. He taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and severe asceticism, leading to Nirvana.