GHOST ON THE WALL

As 87^th National President of the United States Junior Chamber, I have a plethora of resources at hand, however, the one resource that I use the most is our National Service Center, located in Tulsa, OK.

Just recently my personal assistant and I had visited the Service Center and I had the opportunity to show her the upstairs room where our organization keeps the archives, and while she was observing our heritage I was observing the Past President’s wall. As she made her way towards the same wall she asked the question “What are you going to do after your term has ended?” For a short moment I pondered the question and ran my hand across the top of a picture and replied “Well, the first thing I will do is hire someone to dust these pictures and trophies off and then I will use this opportunity to better my professional life, because I don’t want to be just another picture on the wall, I don’t want to be just another ghost on the wall!”

Young professional business LEADERS, it is real simple, YOU have two more quarters, a half a year left and that is it. Now, most of YOU have been playing this game for many years, and now it comes down to, two quarters, a half a year left and most of YOU won’t be playing this game again, as long as YOU live.

I know there are some out there who have known me for a while and for a long time YOU have heard me talk about winning, conditioning, change, and courage. Now, I want YOU to understand something, to me, winning, conditioning, change, and courage is not about al the numbers, graphs, data, we give you or show on the screens/walls. It is not about our history, present, or future. It really isn’t even about YOUR legacy; it is about YOU and YOUR relationship with YOURSELF, YOUR family, and YOUR friends.

Winning, conditioning, change, courage is about being able to look YOUR friends in the eye and know that YOU did not let them down, because YOU told them the truth, and the truth is, is that YOU did everything YOU could, there wasn’t one more thing YOU could have done. LEADERS of the world, can YOU live in that moment? As best as YOU can, with clear eyes, and love in YOUR heart? With joy in YOUR heart?

WORLD LEADERS, if YOU, can do that, then YOU have won, YOU’RE conditioned, YOU have changed, and YOU have the courage.

I want you, at your next meeting, to take a moment, and I want you to look at each one of your teammates, members, and I want you to look each other in the eye and put each other in your hearts, forever, because, forever, is going to happen in just a few minutes.

Then I want you to close your eyes, and I want you to think about that one person in your chapter/state, your brother/sister, who would love and die to be in the position or spot that you are in, but for some worthwhile reason cannot do so, I want you to put them in your hearts.

UNITED STATES, INTERNATIONAL, WORLD LEADERS, my heart is full! My heart is full!!!