where character counts and integrity is the keystone

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The Magic in Differences

We see a lot of destructive focus on our differences in many places today.

The beauty in diversity is the respect we should be showing to each other. I was scrolling through YouTube today and came across a song called “Why”, I had not heard of the artist before and so I figured I would watch it. This is video and song were the impetus for this post.

As the young man in the song explains the reason some people don’t think they belong together is because of their differences. There is magic or synergy that happens when people from different backgrounds come together to work on a project they are committed too. If we look at Silicon Valley, there is a huge number of success stories that come out of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. We can look at Apple, Google, and HP as examples of people with differences coming together to make amazing things!

We can go all the way back to America’s founding and see how brilliant people came together and created this great nation. Their success came because of their willingness to listen to each other and work together. They had strong opinions and expressed them with vigor and vim! There were rivalries and duals and reconciliation. Even with all the strong personalities, they were able to create the smallest and most powerful form of government know to man. In a mere 18 pages they framed a federal government that was to protect the citizens and assist with discrepancies between the states. Some consider it a marvel that of 2 million people, this body of men bubbled up and were passionate about their homes and government.

My marriage has moments when we are working on some chore around the house and we just hit it out of the park. There is an understanding that comes when people work together and it helps us work out a solution for the problem. In my work, I have seen the benefits of a team working together on a goal. There are often times when someone takes part of 2 other peoples ideas and they come up with something awesome! It helps those working together to see the genius in their co-worker.

The only way that we can get to those places of ingenuity is by focusing on our goals and working towards them with passion! When we focus on our differences, it causes us to see them and push away form those around us. It is when we accept each others differences and learn to love and respect those people that helps to make our society a much better place!

I feel pretty blessed, growing up BRAT, I learned that it was the character of person that matter more then how they looked. I have made my own mistakes as a kid, in this area, and I learned that I was wrong. Since then, I have learned to develop my character to be a man of integrity. This is not meant to be a brag … it is meant to simply be a truth. Each one of us can become a better person and as Gandhi said, “be the change you wish to see in the world”.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts.

iron wil