Hello tremendous tribe! Although school is out for summer, yours truly has been up to her eyeballs in writing and rewriting my dissertation research on the Theory of Motivation. I interviewed 28 individuals who went through a merger, which turned into a crisis. Part of this study is about resiliency. If you are an innately resilient person, external events don't matter much. You can do a merger a day, no matter how chaotic, and remain grounded. If you're not resilient, it’s all bad, no matter the reality. Anytime we are faced with something outside our comfort zone, we have two options: to become excited or to become entrenched.
They say change is only welcome from a vending machine and leadership literature backs this up. Here’s an insightful read outlining the fact we would rather die than change. What does it take to view obstacles as opportunities? One word: ambition. In the Gospels, Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love, and love is active. Without ambition, love becomes lazy; vows become void; talent goes untapped. I read a great joke signifying this truth a couple of weeks ago:
In my father’s classic, Life Is Tremendous, the tagline is Enthusiasm Makes a Difference. It sure does! He built his legacy on catching people’s attention and causing them to sit up and take notice. The word enthusiasm derives from two Greek words: "En," which means IN, and "theos," which means GOD. So enthusiasm means "in God" or "God in us." And any of you who met, read, or heard my father, saw this poured out repeatedly.
The quality of your life is directly related to your mindset. If you have a fixed mindset, you're butt dust. If your mindset is growing, your butt will be dust-free. Remember, if you’re not fired with enthusiasm—you’ll be fired with enthusiasm! Talk is cheap; hope is not a strategy; and 'coulda, woulda, shoulda’ need to be eliminated from our vocabulary.
Ambition is what makes life grand and defines our time on earth. So whatever you do, do it with gravitas, with excellence, and with purpose.
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2 comments
jeremy
It does take ambition to do things one has never done, this can be a type of double edged sword, though. People stuck working under a chain of command that does not know how to manage, the ambition is not there for the employee to go into “work”. A person can be a manger or supervisor over a group of people, but not know the first thing about leadership. Managing and Leadership are two separate things. Most people cannot have ambition if they " have to do as they are told" or listen to stupid managers.
Phil Hess
Tracy, what a timely post. I was awake most of the night; I must admit praying for guidance on a change in my life, and low and behold I read your post today. What a meaningful message for me. I hope you turn your dissertation research into your next book. We all need more of your guidance and humor. Good luck on your dissertation . Thanks and Continued Blessings. Phil