We should all be in the business of economic development. Here are some thoughts about why.
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(Day 176) Economic Development And Trust
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(Day 175) Heros Or Zeros
The list is long, Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, Michael Vick, Marion Jones, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Alex Rodriguez, Tiger Woods and now possibly Lance Armstrong? Why are our heros turning to zeros? If you haven’t heard yet… Floyd Landis admitted today that he was doping when he won the Tour de France. That’s nothing new, he was stripped the prize years ago. But now he’s accusing Lance Armstrong of doing it too. This bothers me because Lance has stood the test of time, he had beaten all the naysayers and come out clean.I sure hope Lance Armstrong does not turn out to be a fraud. His lawyers are saying that Floyd Landis tried to blackmail Lance and that Floyd is the fraud. All this stuff just undermines sports, it undermines bicycling and it undermines trust. Lance Armstrong is an inspiration to many, a cancer survivor who came back from near death to be a seven-time winner of the Tour de France. It’s what children dream about… they want to be like Lance. It’s why adults think it’s still possible… If Lance can do it, maybe I still can do it too.
When our sports heros fall the repercussions are enormous. The sound is heard around the world, not just by adults but young impressionable minds. If Pete, Barry, Michael, Tiger and now Lance..?.. cheat, then surely everyone is doing it, right? If they get ahead this way then everybody must be doing it, that means I need to do it too. It is a subtle and insidious message but it is there… the way to become a champion is to cheat … Is it worth it? Think about it, you become rich and famous and if you are caught, you just deny deny deny and blame others. You might even get on late night TV or a reality TV show. The same is true for a CEO’s that cheat, fake it and you’ll make it… get fired, blame others, people have short memories. You can cruise on your yacht while people are forgetting. Maybe I am starting to sound like a critic and it is time to switch to something more positive.
When I look around, I see real hero sitting next me on airplanes, landscaping a property, checking out groceries, or serving people in a restaurant. Everyday people that are making it happen one step at time. They are moms and dads and sons and daughters, people that face challenges and do the right thing anyway. Of course, I am talking about you. I know you are working hard at “IT” (Integrity and Trust) or you would not be here. I believe in you, I believe in what we are doing here and for the sake of the generations to come I sure hope Lance Armstrong did it right.
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(Day 174) A New Attitude
Yesterday we found out that Jody’s (my sister) breast cancer had moved to her pelvic bone, it was a tough day. I felt a sadness like I have never felt before, bone cancer is scary. It surprised me, I did not expect the cancer had gone that far.
I called Jody this morning to see how she was doing… my heart was feeling heavy when she answered with an upbeat, “Morning, how are you?” Wow, she has such a great attitude. We talked about the days strategy and when we hung up the phone, I thought, god she is working hard. I am over here feeling sad and she is still just living… what the hell am I doing?? I am not helping. OK I had my one day of sadness, fear and worry… now it is time to get back to living. I decided to change my attitude, as a mater of fact, I am going a bit over the top with this idea… I am going to thank the cancer for what it is doing for her. I know it sounds strange, but there are some very good things that are happening because of the cancer. I am seeing Jody’s life transform in front of my eyes. Believe me, I am still very aware and respectful of cancers ability to do real damage, but I am seeing a positive side, Jody is living, maybe better than she ever has. I have a new attitude too, I am going to Trust… I am going to trust that cancer is NOT going to win, Jody is going to win and I am going to trust that, along with my family, we can create an environment around Jody filled with so much love and medical support that the cancer will have to leave. We are already planning a family event on Saturday to bring everyone together to help and show her how much we love her. We also have a great support from doctors at Lehigh Valley, Duke University, and Fox Chase and there is even a possibility for her to be part of a trial at Sloan Kettering. I trust we can do it.
Jody’s boy freind just called me and said that Jody said to him this morning, “Hey… I am living with cancer, not dying with cancer.” You gotta love IT.
Here is my “new attitude” video.
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(Day 173) Live Like We Are Dying
This video blog is a little heavy … I have been spending the day trying to find a way to cope with the information that I received about my sister Jody’s cancer, so I decided to blog about it. We found out it has spread to her bones. It means it’s going to be a tougher fight than we thought. This has all happened so fast; just six weeks ago we found out about the cancer. Every test she has taken has come out positive, which is not the result we wanted. We told Jody she is trying too hard and that if she came up with a zero on some of these tests it would be fine with us. Humor has a great effect on how you feel about the journey, we laugh a lot and she has shown great courage through it all. We are going to do everything possible to beat this thing. If you have any information that you would like to pass on about your experience with cancer please do. I trust that we will find the right resources to help her get well again.
Here are the lyrics to the song “Live Like We’re Dying” from Kris Allen
Sometimes we fall down, can’t get back up
We’re hiding behind skin that’s too tough
How come we don’t say I love you enough
Till it’s to late, it’s not too lateOur hearts are hungry for a food that won’t come
And we could make a feast from these crumbs
And we’re all staring down the barrel of a gun
So if your life flashed before you,
What would you wish you would’ve doneYeah, we gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we’ve been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that’s ticking
Gotta live like we’re dying -
(Day 172) Make IT Right
Today I had the honor of meeting Steve Oliver. He is changing the world one T-shirt at a time. I met him accidentally as I was walking through a blueberry wine tasting festival here in Tampa Florida. I asked him about his T-shirts and was particularly drawn to the “IT” part of his brand. I thought the arrow, showing that peace takes movement, was creative. When I asked him what he was trying to do, he said, “World peace.” Seemed pretty ambitious to me, my kind of guy. I thought I should learn more and asked him if he would talk about to us in a little more detail and he agreed to be on the Trust Tour. I believe in what Steve is trying to do, so I bought the shirt, and I got the bumper sticker too. Let’s give him a hand, hit his website, buy a T-shirt and become part of the movement…
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(Day 171) Transparency, The Magic Behind Success
This interview was created by my partner Jeff Tintle from Lehigh Valley Entrepreneur. “IT” (Integrity and Trust) is a powerful message.
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(Day 170) Did You Get Your Trust Band Yet?
This interview was created by my partner Jeff Tintle from Lehigh Valley Entrepreneur. He ran into Hal Mante from the American Fence company who is using his Trust Band to hold himself accountable.
I was very impressed with the way Hal is using the Trust Band, especially since he said he is not the kind of guy that normally wears these kinds of things”. Watch his story…
Spotlight
Trust: How to Put IT Back in Business
Entrepreneurship starts with a decision to adopt new thinking that everyone in your network can use to improve the speed, quantity, and quality of innovation...
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