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Guest Post by @JohnSerpa: What Do You Choose?

by Britt Michaelian

John Serpa is a talented writer who I enjoy connecting with on social media.  When he offered to write a guest post for the Work Smart Lifestyle blog, I was delighted to be able to share his work with you. 

In the post below, he asks you to think about what you choose in this new year, as we embark on so much change in the world. 

I am a big believer in asking questions and pondering the possibilities, so with John’s lead, this post will help you to ask yourself some big questions.  Please leave your thoughts in the comments at the end of the post so that we may continue the dialogue about what we choose in this moment of change.  I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

Thank you.

-Britt

 

 

Flashback <<<<
Rice University, September 12, 1962. Where were you on that date? I wouldn’t be born until four more years would pass and yet it was then, that John F. Kennedy would deliver a message so powerful, it would inspire millions of people and change the course of history. What was it about?

Putting a human being on the moon.

This two minute clip above captures his speech in its finest moments.

So…as a guest blogger on Britt Michaelian’s Work Smart Lifestyle Blog, why talk about this.
Because our nation is at a turning point.
Like many of you, I’ve grown dismayed and disgusted with the political landscape. Mud-slinging and the constant barrage of ‘blame-game antics’ does not solve problems or foster innovation. Hence, it’s time for a makeover from a new breed of change-agents that see the unseen and seek one thing—to change the world by uniting people.

It’s why I follow Britt Michaelian on Twitter and read her blog. What she says and does—links the hearts and minds of individuals. That my friends, is the catalyst needed to turn our economy around.

The salient truth is that that when we attempt to build a legacy and enact change on the shifting sand of rhetoric, it won’t survive the onslaught of social, economic, and political waves that crash against its jetty. Furthermore, the latest technology, a rich legacy, and a pile of cash aren’t enough to hold back the raging surf. Rather, dynamic and dream-weaver leaders are the pylons that’ll keep it intact.

Our primal nature is to seek out others and share in community. This necessitates a cadre of organizational leaders who obliterate dogma and choose the following:

Choose to grant empathy and attentiveness to everyone.

Choose to pump human minds with stimuli that improves our influence and ability to solve problems.

Choose to remove the stagnant waiting room organizational cultures, and usher in the fever-pitched biome of a jazzy sports bar.

Choose to create motivational moments.

Choose to ensure mechanisms are in place so that everyone can become involved and be active contributors, and not passive observers.

Choose to listen and ask questions of everyone, especially the people on the margins (those not popular, the ones ignored because they don’t meet the criteria of the “in” crowd).

Choose to transform their surroundings by linking the hearts and minds of people toward a “Call to Action.”

Choose to take the role of a dream-weaver.

A bold challenge? Yes.

But here’s the takeaway. There’s a tectonic shift afoot within social and economic frameworks around the globe. Barriers that stood cemented in place for centuries are crashing down, becoming relics of a time since past. Therefore, let’s sandblast bravado off the walls of organizations and replace it with—unity.

The surprising truth is we’re all fashioned to link our minds in ways we never deemed possible. And as the sun rises on this new year, I leave you with this profound axiom.

Becoming a vanguard leader means tapping into the deep reservoir of the human minds around you to promote the exchange of information and experience. If we do this, we’ll—with certainty—find ourselves basking in the vision that John F. Kennedy spoke so eloquently of.

Not because it is easy—but because it is hard.

So…what will you choose?

 

About the Author:

John Serpa is a public speaker and author. His first book, LiNK: The Fascinating Ways Our Minds Connect, will be released in late January. www.johnserpa.com.

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  • http://www.brucesallan.com Bruce Sallan

    You know the irony John…can you imagine a Democrat giving the inaugural speech that JFK gave when he asked the question, “Ask NOT what your country can do for you, but what YOU can do for your country!” 

    Think about it.

    Our country is full of people wanting hand-outs. It never used to be this way. THAT is the change I’d like to see take place. Us teaching people to fish rather than giving them a fish.

    Unity is a fine word, but hard work and helping people ONE PERSON AT A TIME will repair the world and fulfill the soul.

  • Anonymous

    John, there’s a bit of a manifesto in this post. Great to have a message of optimism in these transitionary times.

  • http://www.blogforcommissions.com/ vincent

    Great post John. I was only 6 months old when this took place. As I listen it’s amazing to me how how JFK said scientific  man power doubles every 12 years. Now it’s every 12 seconds. WOW where we have come. Thanks

  • http://twitter.com/johnserpa John Serpa

    Thank you Vincent, Shawmu and Bruce Sallan for your kind remarks. When I watched Kennedy’s speech before writing the blog it left me in tears. Why? Because it touched on how far we have come from being united toward a common purpose. I’m appalled at the rhetoric and finger pointing I see play out day after day on the major networks. We seem to have lost our footing and we need to reclaim it!