Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate you and define you. Thomas Jefferson (American President 1743 – 1826) ‘Yes, talk to me but also look into my eyes…then listen carefully!’ These are often said words and often not followed. Sharing is a powerful source. We are going through vast changes, they spin our head. Sometimes it is called the Digital Revolution, then the Information Revolution after the Industrial Revolution. Whatever it is called, it plays havoc with a world we thought we could master. The demands on common sense are overwhelming, yet we must remember that this havoc also brings new growth and demands and requests on our thoughtful relationship with each other. The demise of civility filters through our society on every level. I am not talking about the ashes of history but of occurrences, we hear and experience daily.
Yes, looking into the eyes of another human can elevate your relationship to this person to a better understanding. Listening to another can teach something of value, giving respect and dignify the other. This respect is rooted and starts in the family. Values instilled in early youth are never lost. Lucky you if you had this experience! In private life and in business these values last throughout life.
In Mitzi Perdue’s book titled: How to Make Your Family Business Last…she writes about this value instilled throughout generations. In one of the chapters she says: “Investing the thought, time and energy to create close and enduring family relationships is one of the most important things a family can do. Every family has a culture, but a high-functioning family has a culture with the following characteristics: family members enjoy being together…they support each other…they want to help one another to be their best selves…they are aware of the enormous benefits of belonging to a close family. For a family to work, members can’t expect always to get their way. Compromise is the key. Each family member must support the family and at times make sacrifices for the family. Membership in a family is not a one-way street. You don’t get the benefit of your family’s financial and social benefits without owing a lot in return. The elders are responsible for teaching the younger family
members the attitudes and values that will give them the greater chance at happiness and fulfillment.”
I recently sat down with Mitzi and here was her sage advice: “Want your family to last across generations? Don’t leave your family’s culture to chance! Family members need to learn from the youngest ages that they can’t always be right, that they’re part of something bigger than themselves, and that relationships are 100,000 times more important than money.”
Such great advice is not limited to a family, but can be applied to a business, to a country, to humanity. It is rooted in the common bond and interest to apply these tools that we are taught to use…even with the tools of modernity. Daily! Rich or poor…there is a responsibility we have for one another to make this a more rewarding life. Listening and learning is the key…and always valuable. Christa Dowling The Flipside Magazine Signitt