Summer Internship with Senator Jim

I am one of the lucking ones who had an opportunity to work for U.S. Senator Jim Abdnor. There are so many things special about this person.

Back in 1980, this was a time of transition. I was starting college, and this was my first election to vote. Jim Abdnor was on the ballot, running an uphill battle for the Senate. During this election, it was the first time I met him, but it was only in a brief campaign stop. Hit the fast forward button to the summer of 1983, and this was when I was fortunate to be selected for an internship in his U.S. Senate office. Hit the button one more time, and I am working for him full-time after college and a campaign experience.

The point in this is I grew up on a small farm and had no political connections. My parents dutifully voted every election, but that was it. The odds of me working for a U.S. Senator were smaller than the seeds we planted. It happened, though, because of the way Senator Jim approached life.

Senator Jim had a part of his life philosophy based in his belief in youth. He gave college graduates a chance to take on roles of a lifetime, setting them up to grab hold of the opportunities presented. Part of his thinking may have been a belief in what individuals can do if given a chance but part may have had to do with how this energized him in the work he did for the state of South Dakota and for our country.

It was more than about individuals though. For Senator Jim, he treated us as his family. He accepted us for who we were, challenged us to do more, argued when necessary, and celebrated to bring us together. You knew you were in for an intense conversation when he started it by “Let me tell you one thing, friend.” It was like being called by all three of your names – first, middle, and last – by your parents. For Senator Jim, it was just “friend” that brought the seriousness of the situation to heart.

Senator Jim treated the state as his family, too. He seemed at times to know everyone’s name. There were challenging times throughout his term, yet he always tried to balance doing the right things for his constituents while doing the right things for our nation. In doing this, there were tough decisions, and he made them. It was done with not only a love of country but a love of the people within it. He always had the servant leadership approach.

And, this was a key reason why Senator Jim was different. He represented all what is good with public service. Today, we focus too much on purity of beliefs rather than how we behave or solve problems. While Senator Jim had beliefs, he also knew what it meant to be a public servant and a servant leader. Reaching a hand across the aisle to solve a national problem was what leaders needed to do in order to make the better decisions for the future generation.

Throughout his Senate career and beyond, one his signature elements worn with every tie was a Black Hills Gold horseshoe tie-tack. Although Senator Jim always worked hard, I think it reminded him of two things. One was his roots in South Dakota, and the second was a little luck always helps. Ray Kroc was said “Luck is a dividend of sweat.” Senator Jim embraced both.

In so many ways, he built a path of service, well enriched with examples of firm challenges, resolute focus, guiding encouragement, and a lending hand.

My life would not have been worse, necessarily, without having worked for Senator Jim, but I do know it would have been different. Taking a chance on me delivered an opportunity to jump on a path to do things I would only have dreamed of back on our family farm. When I look back, Senator Jim enabled the dreams of so many people who, today, are legislators, policy makers, health care workers, teachers, and good citizens.

A few years ago, my family stopped to get together with him and have lunch. He worked the restaurant as if he was still representing them. What it was really about is what others did for him; they invigorated his spirit.

I am so glad my two sons had an opportunity to meet him. Although they may not have realized how special it was, it let me give them a glimpse into the person who gave me a life opportunity. I can only pray they will have a “Senator Jim” in their life to give them a chance of a lifetime when they are ready.

With Senator Jim passing away, it has brought a rush of gratitude and memories. He lived life fully, rarely stopping to even sleep it seemed. I am not sure what lit his spiritual fire so many years ago, but it led him brightly in his career from his family farm in Kennebec, South Dakota, to the state Capitol, and to our nation’s Capitol. Senator Jim served so many, so well.

Rest in peace, Senator Jim. Well done. It is now up to us to pay it forward.

Going through the motions is not a positive indication of living a life fully and completely.

The other side of this is sometimes we are in constant motion, and we feel motion equals momentum. It does not. Continuous motion can create an illusion of momentum. The danger is we may be just running in place, turning up the speed rather than digging in to gain traction.

While going through the motions is drudgery, continuous motion wears us out.

Neither one delivers meaningful actions or, more importantly, meaningful results.

What to do then? It is unique for each individual, especially since we are all distinctive in our personality and circumstances. No matter, there is always a choice in what we can do within our context.

Here are a few thoughts on how to sort through what to do if we are experiencing this motion sickness.

Thought 1:  Move on.

Although this can be challenging to do at times, if drudgery is our daily experience, then we need to find a different opportunity. This should not be done whimsically or haphazardly, but thoughtfully. Jumping to just jump is just another form of unproductive motion. Dig deep within to determine what your calling is and then plan out your next step. Make your step a positive motion forward.

Thought 2: Stop moving for 15 minutes in the morning and in the afternoon.

There is continuous motion all around – phones ringing, texts arriving, and activities growing. It is the increasing volume as a day unfolds. We need to breakaway and find a quiet spot for 15 minutes in the morning and in the afternoon to get away and capture some silence. Taking two quarter breaks during our two halves of the day bring some rest and renewal. It gives us a chance to catch our breath, re-gain our center before continuing with the work to be done.

Thought 3: Identify the mile markers in your motions.

If we feel the continuous motion yet don’t feel the progress, then we need to place some mile markers to indicate a positive direction forward. As we drive down most roads, we can see our progress, if we take the time to notice. We see the green mile markers along the way. We should do the same in our life. They should be a mix of small and significant ones. When we reach some, we need to do a little victory dance and celebrate our movement forward.

Life is too short to waste our motions or lack purposeful forward movement. When all motion stops, our life should represent all that was possible.

There is momentum to life, but it requires traction to roll with meaning.

What advice do you have on how to keep your motions in-check and momentum purposeful?

Love Does is a book of short stories woven together in a fun and inspiring way. It is an easy read, which doesn’t mean it lacks in relevance. It is hugely pertinent to the way we live our life, and Bob Goff serves as a great role model of how to embrace life fully.

Here are the three things I learned from Bob Goff and Love Does.

1 – Pull life’s threads.

“It’s about going to extremes and expressing the bright hope that life offers us, a hope that makes us brave and expels darkness with light. That’s what I want my life to be all about – full of abandon, whimsy, and in love.” (page 24)

There are many seemingly random things falling into our lives, and we can choose to ignore them or take them on. Too often, we select the first option. In doing this, we may miss the opportunities to really experience life fully and differently. We need to pull the threads of our life story more often. Bob Goff’s stories enlighten and enliven what life can offer.

2 – Mistakes shape life usefully.

“And for me, I’ve realized that I used to be afraid of failing at the things that really mattered to me, but now I’m more afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.” (page 30)

I love this quote! It is the trap or danger of succeeding at things that don’t matter. It is so very easy to step into this snare and be pulled away from doing our more purposeful activities. Doing this may create mistakes, but these shape us more fully.

As Bob Goff says, it isn’t about the “fold-over” mistakes; it is about what shapes us, ultimately, into “human origami” in which “the more creases we have, the better.” We need to do what matters, no matter if mistakes happen along the way. It is what will leave a better mark.

3 – Live life based on a philosophy.

“What I noticed, though, is almost every time I type the word love, it gets changed to the word live… I learned that fully loving and fully living are not only synonymous but the kind of life that Jesus invited us to be part of.” (page 16)

Whether Bob Goff would call this a philosophy or not, he has pursued his life centered on love and embracing love as a verb. It is an act of doing, living fully. Basing our life on a philosophy changes how each day is lived, I believe. For me, reading Love Does brings home this fact completely. Bob Goff shows how it can be done.

Love Does delivers a message of acceptance, living to make a difference, and loving each opportunity and what it brings to us and our greater community. You can feel Bob Goff’s warmth throughout the book and, ultimately, he inspires us to act with the love inside us.

As a teenager, one of the jobs I had was cultivating corn. I was on a tractor and, behind me, was an implement designed to remove weeds in between the rows of corn. The corn rows were left intact, as long as I could drive straight enough. If I swerved, then four rows of corn would be lost.

It was an unnerving responsibility for someone closer to ten than twenty years old. I also felt the power of not only the responsibility but the impact I could have on those proudly independent stalks of corn. In whatever way I drove, the results were clearly shown behind me.

This is my version of a wake. In boating terms, it is the track of waves left behind. It can be neatly V shaped, like a flock of geese heading south. It also can be messy, like a path left behind a tornado.

What does your wake look like?

This is a powerful question to think about. What do I leave behind with my actions and conversations? What wake do my colleagues or team members leave behind in their actions and conversations? It can an exponential chain reaction between leaders and team members of an exceptional or chaotic wake.

The answer to this question can be eye-opening. There can be a significant cost to a messy wake. Costs include:

• Dissatisfaction
• Disempowerment
• Discouragement
• Disengagement

The wake concept comes from Dr. Henry Cloud, author of Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality. He outlines two sides of a wake:  tasks and relationships. This is centered on: “What did he accomplish and how did he deal with people?”

Dr. Cloud states clearly:

“The wake is the results we leave behind. And the wake doesn’t lie and it doesn’t care about excuses. It is what it is. No matter what we try to do to explain why, or to justify what the wake is, it still remains. It is what we leave behind and is our record.”

On the relationship front, it really comes down to whether or not the people who worked with us would work with us a second time. It is very likely we have certain people we would never want to work with again. This is the wake left behind with relationships.

The concept of our wake is haunting and exhilarating. It is haunting because it visualizes clearly what our character and actions leave behind. It is exhilarating because of the focus it delivers in what we believe, do, and say. There is a stream of consistency needed in order to leave a good path behind.

In my opinion, we leave a wake in three key areas:

1. Our work
2. Our family
3. Our community

We may be good in one or more but not in another. Getting solid wakes in all three can be challenging yet necessary.

When I think about my wake today, it brings clarity to what I have done and what I need to do. If you really want a challenge, ask your co-workers, teammates, family, and neighbors the following question:  What wake do I leave in my actions and in our interactions?

For me, it goes back to one of my earlier questions:  Do I make people better?

An added question may be: Do I make situations better?

There are many questions to consider. However, questions lead to answers of how to be a better leader, spouse, parent, and neighbor. It is essential to ask the tough questions to gain better answers on how to improve our relationships and our work.

Turning back to the farmer’s perspective, the leading question may be:

What path are we cultivating?

It isn’t a look forward. It is a look back to see if we are fostering individual growth and productivity or devastating everything as we move through. We have an awesome responsibility – and opportunity – as we sail (or plow) ahead.

Do you think about the wake or path you are leaving behind? Are you cultivating or destroying?

Note: A special thanks to the Willow Creek Association for enabling me to participate in the Leadership Institute for Transformation (LIFT) class entitled Leading for Results. It is from this class, designed by Dr. Cloud, in which this blog post is inspired.

Nature has a way of spurring memories and calming minds. It is that fresh breeze blowing through the prairies or those cool, fresh mornings where everything seems renewed and possible. We hear a meadowlark sing their continuous song, oblivious to all around. During the day, we may see squirrels playing in a park, running carefree until a dog may interrupt their joy. As a day ends, we hear crickets in the night, chirping us into a silent sleep.

All seems good and right, right? And, what does this have to do with leadership?

Here’s the point.

Meadowlark. A meadowlark sings a beautiful song, no matter what may be going on in the trenches. All seems good from up above. It is a state of oblivion of sorts, ignoring what is happening on the ground and all around. From their viewpoint, all seems to be going well, and they do not take the time to see reality and deal with it. The easier approach is to sit high up and sing a song of beauty.

Leaders can be meadowlarks. While all seems well from their viewpoint, on the ground, teams are struggling, and individuals are facing continuous hurdles. Unrealistic optimism in the face of facts that don’t support it creates a big disconnect between leaders and the rest of the organization.

There is no problem in being overly optimistic as long as the leader is also on the ground supporting what is really happening, removing barriers, absorbing metrics, setting goals, and enabling people.

Squirrel. This may be unfair to squirrels, because it isn’t necessarily their fault. They serve as a distraction. The famous scene in Up in which the dogs get distracted by their “squirrel” moment. We have all seen these moments in our organization. As we try to solve problems or present ideas, all of sudden the conversation is steered in a completely different direction.

Easily distracted leaders can be some of the worst. It is frustrating to try to get an answer when you have to go down an endlessly winding road and never reach a destination. Getting through those “squirrel” moments can be exhausting, especially when there are so many important things that need to be done.

There is no problem in taking on added topics as long as the original question or issue is resolved. It is important to give people your undistracted attention when they have done their work to present an idea or solution.

Cricket. Crickets sing into the night, indicating all is quiet and normal. Even though there may be stillness in an environment, an undercurrent of activity may be pulling people and activities in a wrong way.

Leaders who are silent when something dishonest is said, a wrong action is taken, or a bad behavior is exhibited are ones who let cultures spin out of control. Spinning is the right visual, as we can see the spiral going down the drain. We see our hard work over the months and years being wasted. We see our voices being ignored. We see waste continue to happen.

It is inexcusable when leaders look away, for whatever reason. Part of being a leader is to take on the tough tasks, have the critical conversations, and hold people accountable. Silence is not an answer when the noises of wrong or inappropriateness rise up.

There is no problem in being quiet when someone is trying to speak up or deliver insights that may be challenging to give. However, when something needs to be addressed, a leader needs to be vocal and take action. Ignoring problems or challenges leads only to discontent and eventual demise.

This is what a meadowlark, squirrel, and cricket have to do with leadership.

• Don’t just sing positive sayings when realistic work and effort is required. Keep spirits up while keeping the work grounded.
• Don’t be distracted when your full attention is required. Keep focused to move ideas and solutions forward.
• Don’t be quiet when taking a stand is required. Keep standards high and hold all – and, I mean all – accountable.

Lift people up by giving them your attention when needed and your actions when required. It is the lesson of the meadowlark, squirrel, and cricket.

“Don’t do something that you would not want to appear on the front page of The Washington Post.”

Pick your favorite newspaper, as this was one the used while I was working in Washington, D.C., early in my career.

The simple statement delivers sound advice. As always, the evidence of our character is made on what we do when we think no one is watching. Even though we know this to be true, there are still many failures of character that occur. One of the most recent examples is what happened with several Secret Service agents in Cartagena, Colombia.

The content of our character is always on display with:

• Our actions taken or untaken
• Our words spoken or unspoken
• Our choices made or unmade

When we “think” no one is looking, we should use the “headline” notion as a trigger to think through the choices and impacts more clearly.

There is something that needs to be added to this approach, I believe.

Another spin on the adage may be:

“Do something that would appear on the front page of The Washington Post, making you and others proud and inspired.”

A great test at the end of the day and week would be asking: Did I do anything positively front page worthy?

It is a quick sanity check way to ensure we are working on the things that matter the most and that we are making noteworthy progress in accomplishing our personal mission and philosophy.

In fact, maybe each week, we should do something that would be front page worthy for each section of a newspaper. Think about it:

• Front section: Our big new story of the week, highlighting a big challenge overcome, issue resolved, relationship enhanced, or milestone achieved.
• Metro section: Our big community story of the week, outlining how we made our immediate or social community better.
• Life section: Our big personal well-being story of the week, featuring how we improved ourselves through what we read, ate, or made us generally healthier in mind and/or spirit.
• Sports section: Our big athletic activity of the week, underscoring what we did to exert ourselves in an effort to ensure we keep fit.
• Business section: Our big financial or operational success of the week, outlining how the fruits of our efforts are being used, saved, and given.

Maybe, just maybe, designing our life activities on doing things that are front-page worthy in each of these areas is a good way to live spiritedly, purposely, actively, and charitably.

What headlines would you like to see in your life?

What if we treated time differently? Would this make a difference in how we use it?

What if time was an object?

If time was an object, we would grab on to it firmly. We may treat it like a pen or keyboard and actively write a meaningful life story. We may embrace it like a piece of art, understanding the full value while sharing it with many.

The danger may be that, as an object, time sits on a shelf, collecting dust.

What if time was a recipe?

If time was a recipe, we would select the right ingredients to create something enticing and nourishing. As we tried to perfect the recipe, we might try different items to craft something new or spice up the result.

The danger may be that, as a recipe, time becomes like a cookbook, taking someone else’s creation to claim as our own.

What if time was a ticket?

If time was a ticket, we would let it take us to new places, gaining fresh experiences and expanding our horizons. We would understand different cultures, soak in environmental beauty, and interact with unique communities. We would view life as an adventure.

The danger may be that, as a ticket, time would become just a destination, ignoring the daily challenges and forgetting those closest to us.

What if time was a field?

If time was a field, we would plant seeds with great faith and hope of harvesting abundance as seasons unfolded. We would use our time to get our hands dirty in caring for the soil from which good, enriching things would spring from.

The danger may be that, as a field, time would be rushed to results by adding too many chemical additives or skipping a reasonable, refreshing rotation.

What if time was ours?

Time is ours. It is not a “what if” question. It is ours to show, mix, go, and plant.

• Our time illustrates who we are as a person.
• Our time contains a mix of actions taken, relationships built, and words spoken.
• Our time shows where we have been and where we are headed.
• Our time produces as much as we put into it, if not more.

It is our choice on what we do with our time.

Do your opinions matter? From time to time, this may be a key question we may think about, as it affects our perceived value from within as well as in our outward interactions.

We all want our voice to be heard. We want it to matter in our relationships.

At times, though, we wonder if our opinions really matter.

We offer them at home to our spouse and kids, yet we may often feel the only one that really understands is the person speaking them.

We offer them at our workplaces, yet we get a smile of acknowledgement with no real action or reaction.

We offer them in our churches and community organizations, yet emails go unanswered or another pat on our back comes our way as we are shown the door of indifference and inaction.

The answer to this question carries a responsibility on our part, along with the leaders and participants in the places where we are active.

The question also serves up several other ones that we need to answer first.

Are we relevant? The answer to this question centers on whether our opinions and information are based on current, thoughtful sources. It includes more than just re-stating what is already in print. If this is it, then our opinions are just repetition of what others have already stated. We need to spend the time to think through and assess what we have read. Our opinions need to be identified as part of our character and our thought process. Our viewpoint is then expressed as a part of who we are as a person and leader.

Are we with the right people? If our opinions are being brushed off or talked over, then we need to really evaluate whether or not we are hanging out with the right crowds. This is challenging, as it relates to our family members, co-workers and managers, and community leaders. Although it may be a tough choice to make, it may be time to move on and find others who value what we have to say and the value that we can add.

Are we living an “in gear” life? Another way to ask this is: Are we living on the sidelines or in life’s arena? Opinions given by people who have made the tough decisions and have lived fully engaged carry more validity. People listen closer to those who have a life story in which much can be learned. Living a life of digging in, and through, life’s challenges and taking the roads less taken deliver a more willing ear.

Do we really listen to understand? In our own interaction with others, we need to ensure we are delivering the same attention that we expect in return. We need to turn off the devices, eliminate the distractions, and really listen to what someone is trying to tell us. It is about giving what we expect to receive. It is about exemplifying the behaviors we want others to exhibit, too.

Do we express honest agreement or disagreement to opinions given? It is give-and-take. It is civil, meaningful discussions. In order to raise the level of our understanding and enhance our learning, we need to challenge each other in a way that all individuals involved get better. Stale thinking leads to stale opinions. Stale analysis leads to stale organizations. Better thinking and raised analysis leads to advancing societies, families, and organizations. For opinions to matter, we need to have meaningful conversations.

The simple question of “do our opinions matter?” turns into five more challenging questions to answer. Each question answered leads us closer to clarity on the first one.

As individuals, we need to honestly assess where we stand.

As family members, we need to ensure we are establishing and encouraging the right environment.

As leaders, we need to foster a culture where opinions can be shared, valued, and challenged in order to advance missions and objectives.

Do our opinions matter?

Yes, our voice matters. We need to raise our standards in all areas to elevate our voice to be heard clearly and profoundly.

What suggestions or questions would you add to ensure your opinions matter?

Always trust your cape

It was like a voice from my dashboard speaking directly to me. Always trust your cape.

Immediately a few images came into mind. The first was Superman standing with his hands firmly planted on his hips with his cape confidently waving in the breeze. The other image was the VW commercial where the little kid was dressed in a Darth Vader costume, cape included, trying to see if he had the power.

It is that vivid image of the fearlessness of our youth.

Needless to say, I fell in love with the phrase – Always trust your cape.

When I searched for this song, it came as no real surprise that Guy Clark was the writer. Guy Clark is a legend for composing wonderful lyrics that are wrapped in stories. The complete refrain to this song goes:

He’s one of those who knows that life

Is just a leap of faith

Spread your arms and hold your breath

Always trust your cape

We all need to always trust our cape. We all have special powers. I believe that wholeheartedly. Do you?

What I mean is that we have a special purpose to embrace and live fully. We need to make the choice to do it. We all have unique talents. We need to make the choice to use them to gain positive life momentum.

We need to have confidence in our purpose and our ability to pursue it. We need to trust our cape.

Including the word “trust” fuels this phrase.

Last year, I had an opportunity to hear Stephen M.R. Covey discuss trust. He makes many skillful points about trust and speed. If we trust others completely, then we can work through any challenge or initiative much faster. There is no second-guessing; we believe in the each other’s capabilities and judgment.

The same is true for trust in ourselves. If we trust ourselves, we can move forward much more quickly and completely with our purposeful initiatives and projects.

Trust translates into continuously doing those things that matter.

Trusting our cape needs to be inclusive of our inner spirit, mindful thoughts, human capabilities, and community. Trust is multi-dimensional and empowering. Trust your cape means:

Trust your inner spirit. There is an inner voice that sets a direction for us to consider and take. At times, that feeling may make us experience restlessness, which may mean we are not listening fully. We need to trust our inner spirit and what it is trying to get our attention about.

Trust your mindful thoughts. During the course of any given day, we have hundreds of thoughts. Most, probably, can be just ignored. Others need to be grabbed and thought through more fully. As we do this, we need to look for the connection to other reference points, like our inner spirit. If our thoughts are aligned to what our soul is telling us, then we need to stand up confidently to it, plan accordingly, and do something with it.

Trust your body. Our human body is amazing! If you ever took a moment to think about how it all works, you cannot help but be in awe of our human body. Sometimes, we take our blows, and we need to recover. Our body is remarkably resilient though. We need to keep our body tuned up, push ourselves at times, and then get busy getting our hands dirty doing the work we are built for.

Trust your community. This is the trust but verify moment. It is trust with a strong dash of accountability from friends and family members. Our community delivers cheers and hands of support but also needs to hold us accountable in the choices we make. We need to trust their support as well as their guiding voice to keep us on the right path.

Trust your cape. Life is a leap of faith, and we need to spread our arms and grab onto our inherent faith, fervently and boldly. We need to wrap ourselves in our cape to take on the world at times. By doing this, we can move forward to living a resilient life of meaning.

What makes your cape a super power in your purposeful work?

While the family skis, I spend time to catch up on projects and hike. This year it was to the Continental Divide with an exhilarating hike up. The climb looked daunting.

I had to tap into my stamina to reach the top. I stopped several times thinking that this was it. My lung capacity is not used to these elevations. After several thoughts of stopping, I powered on. I sounded like a 1950s John Deere tractor, huffing, puffing, and chugging my way onward.

It was worth it, probably more for the ability to tell my kids that I did make it to the top.

At the top, it was peaceful. Blowing winds. Serene landscape.

As I started my way back, I realized there is another side of stamina, and it is managing the pace a little to not trip and fall. It is easy to accelerate out of control as you achieve a breakthrough or major milestone.

We see so many stories of this happening. Big successes lead to big falls.

It is the crash-and-burn scenarios we, unfortunately, see play out. No professional area is immune.

• Sports
• Business
• Movie stars
• Singers / Performers

In each segment, there are the “stars” we read about in the papers, but we also know these scenarios play out on a smaller stage in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities. Overconfidence or some false sense of self-over-all-else sets in.

After reaching some landmark, it does not mean abort the principles and stamina that got us there. It may mean enjoy the view a little and then using our stamina to:

• Recalibrate. After reaching a certain point in our mission and work, it may be time to think about what has been accomplished and then raise the bar to a degree. It is about keeping our stamina engaged and stretching our actions to stay on a worthy path.
• Keep high standards. Reaching a certain life point should not translate into lowering the bar of conduct and effort. If the work is going to be wasted by frittering away what has been achieved, then why do it?  When we reach a point, we shouldn’t sacrifice our standards. We need to keep them intact and raise the bar here, too.
• Maintain self-control. Self-control plays a key role in our lives. It is an element that empowered our stamina to achieve and endure, and it becomes even more critical if notoriety comes our way. Essentially, it is remembering that what got us through challenges needs to be embraced with the same fervor when everything seems to have come together. Without self-control, we will stumble and lose ground.
• Embrace humility. Humility is a principle I believe is so central to living a good, decent life. It is a value to be embraced always, no matter what good fortune may have come our way. We need to be modest in all interactions and behaviors. By doing this, it will set an example others may follow.

The other side of stamina may be success. By embracing the principles of recalibration, high standards, self-control, and humility, they will help us navigate the paths of success, keeping us on the straight and narrow and setting the right, complete example.

If you are fortunate to be on a “downhill side” of achievement, congratulations! But don’t lose your stamina. Endure your success with the same principles that enabled it.