Being good wasn’t good enough! When I was in my teens, I put up a basketball goal in our round top so I could practice, and practice I did! Neighborhood kids came over frequently and we literally spent hours in very energetic competition.
I loved sports, music and drama in high school. I played my trombone in the band and sang first tenor in the school choir. I was really good, but soon realized that good was not enough. My face is not displayed alongside any trophy in the school’s trophy case and I can still hear the disappointed tone when I finally got chosen to a team in our round top, “Oh ok, you can come play on my team.” Auditions placed me in third chair in band, there was no fourth chair, and a girl in choir told me she thought it would sound better if I didn’t sing.
All those “being good is not good enough,” scars have healed. I can finally enjoy a feeling of gratification in bumping the top of good and still look up in admiration for those who are better than good. An endorsement for those who were able to hone their gifts, achieving higher levels of accomplishments than I did.
For whatever reasons, not everyone will attain the same skill levels in life. Do I have an obligation to help someone feel ok about being good but not better than good? How about these “good” people? Don’t they deserve to discover self-worth and gratification? Can I help someone? Can you help someone?
Life is not about what we look at, but what we see!

When you respond with, "I think you're right" and have no idea if you just bought a herd of cattle or agreed to go skydiving, its your listening skills!

While my friend was sharing an incident with me, my memory was suddenly awakened by a recall. In a split second, I was entertaining this overwhelming desire to interrupt and share my experience. My listening mask had begun to shred and my listening skills were beginning to dangle noticeably. Admittedly, I’d totally lost interest. Maybe I should have cut in!
All of a sudden I sensed a presence watching me. When I turned, I saw Father Time sitting on a bar stool, a long flowing beard awesomely gracing is countenance. He was sitting tall, his beard gently cascading down to below his knees and folding elegantly back below his chair. He balanced an hourglass delicately in one hand with the scythe leaning against his left knee. The twinkle in his eyes had turned into a look of concern.
That long graceful beard held my interest captive! Why, instead of keeping it trimmed, if I would have left my beard uncut like he did his and at a growth rate of ½” per month, I could be sporting a 270 inch long beard myself! I wanted to rush right over and tell that to Father Time!
Then I heard my friend ask, “So, what do you think?” And you know, I had absolutely no clue what ----------- but I bravely said, “I think you’re right!” I felt like ------ well you know what I must have felt like.
Have we really achieved a listening level so we can rejoice with those who rejoice? Perhaps we need to cinch up the elastic around our listening mask to help secure it in place. It needs to fit tight so it doesn’t slip and get tangled up with our own thoughts. I think we can do it with enough practice! A mature listening ear does not have a mind of its own.

“Let me see, the pattern for a cocoon has got to be here someplace, they gave it to me during leader orientation. I’m going to be responsible for a herd of caterpillars beginning tomorrow and I’ll have to know how to build their cocoons by then.”
This company has been building cocoons the same way for twenty four years and doesn‘t anticipate any changes soon. The pattern shows the cocoon at the far end of a loading ramp with a squeeze chute attached. They try to entice the caterpillars up the ramps and suddenly pop them into their molds. Once the caterpillars are squeezed into their mold, uncomfortable as they might be, they are given these instructions. “Read the employees manual, just do what it says and you will be transformed into a beautiful employee, and that’s an order!”
And they call us their leaders, I say we should be called pushers! To me a leader would explain to the caterpillar that to retain employment, it will be necessary for them to learn how to build their own cocoon. “I will walk the ramp with you and will help you transform into a beautiful employee. To the best of my ability, I will help guide your efforts and ideas, so you can spread your wings in flight toward a common goal.”
It appears to me that when we try to push caterpillars into their mold, we will suddenly have unexpected humps to contend with, pulling them into their cocoons seems much more streamlined and less painful.
I’ll confess, being a leader takes much more effort than being a pusher, but the rewards are immeasurable!
If, you have leadership responsibilities and you’re a pusher, I challenge you to do your employer a favor and become a leader. For you pushers who aren’t assigned the charge of a herd of caterpillars, you can become a silent leader and strengthen your popularity ratings.

When I press the play button on the recall unit, one of my favorite gems pops to the top. It was provided by one of our granddaughters when she was three or four years old and is written the way I recall it today.
“Grandma, Won’t you come along with me, I want to take a trip.”
“Ok, where shall we go?”
“I don’t really care, let’s go to Kansas City.”
“That sounds good to me, how will we get there?”
“We can ride on the back of a firefly!”
“You mean both of us, on the same firefly?”
“Sure, I’ll get on first and then you can get on in back.”
“But, how will there be room for me if you’re already on the firefly?”
“I’ll move over!”