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All I can say is, "Wow!"
Thank you Sussex Roads Partnership for sharing this message of seat belt use safety. This adds a whole new meaning to buckle up, family love, and the guardian angel nature of seat belts.
The Professor of On-Purpose
By kwmccarthy
Image via Wikipedia
All I can say is, "Wow!"
Thank you Sussex Roads Partnership for sharing this message of seat belt use safety. This adds a whole new meaning to buckle up, family love, and the guardian angel nature of seat belts.
By kwmccarthy
What's your greatest advice for keeping your marriage together? Let me hear from you on this one! With Valentines Day fast approaching, it would be great to gather some insights – serious and humorous alike.
The "best advice" I ever got was from a man married for 39 years. I was in college at the time and his daughter was a dear friend of mine. As he drank his morning coffee, I asked, "Mr. Collier, to what do you attribute the longevity of your marriage to Mrs. Collier?"
Immediately he answered, "Early in our marriage we came to an agreement that I would make all the big decisions in our marriage and my bride would handle all the small decisions. Amazingly, in 39 years of marriage there has been nothing but small decisions."
I can remember laughing as he shared that advice. After over 25 years of marriage to my bride, I fully appreciate his humorous wisdom even more. If only I had listened better…
Be On-Purpose!
Kevin
PS: Photo is the McCarthy Family: Charles, Judith, Anne, and Kevin
By kwmccarthy
Jeevan Sivasubramaniam of Berrett-Koehler Publishers produces the weekly BK Communique. An occasional feature is a puzzler. His final contest of 2009 caught my eye. Here it is:
Drum roll please, I won the contest. Here is Jeevan's most recent posting:
"I issued this challenge. Some people came close, but no one answered correctly. The answer? You should definitely not take my bet — here's why.
"Kevin McCarthy submitted a response that was just so, um, creative that I had to give him a free book. (And he kindly sent me a copy of his book.) You can read Kevin's response to the challenge here.
Dear Jeevan,
No, I will not accept your bet in A Game of Cards. Here's why:
After reading the challenge, I easily recognized it as a probability and statistics question. Upon the thought of engaging in the calculation of the odds of winning versus the payoff, I felt this knot in my stomach – the same one I used to feel in undergraduate and graduate school when I had to take probability and statistics classes. My mind swirled with permutations, methods, and calculations as to how to attack and solve your challenge. My competitive juices began to kick in because I had to be the first to solve it in order to win a book and have a shrine in the lobby. Fortunately, I'm on the East Coast so I have an advantage over those later risers in the Central and Western time zones.
Recognizing this strange mix of competitiveness and cards, I immediately converted from worshiping in an Episcopal church to an ultra conservative Baptist church with Pentecostal and Charismatic leanings. This means I can neither play card games nor gamble. Because I don't smoke, drink, or dance (lack of any sense of rhythm per my wife) anyway, my transition ten minutes ago to my new Thursday morning church is going along fundamentally well. Never doubt the power and practicality of my conversion and the values of my new denomination. The knot in my stomach is gone – healed in an instant! Here is proof of the peace that passes all understanding as it washed through me. PTL!
Sure, you were likely expecting some brainiac to give an answer to the challenge using math. I, however, have claimed the high moral ground in a triumph of faith over math to come to the answer. Finally, should this be the winning and timely response, then I will accept a book but must decline the shrine in the lobby. I can have no part in false idols.
Be On-Purpose!
Kevin
Kevin W. McCarthy
CEO, On-Purpose Partners, LLC
Here was Jeevan's notice to me of being the book winner:
"Never has an answer been so blatantly wrong and yet seemed so right. So, what the hell, for sheer audacity and creativity, you win a book."
Jeevan was true to his word and sent me The New Organizational Wealth, the book of my choice. He was a good sport so I sent him The On-Purpose Person.
By kwmccarthy
My daughter, Anne, is a 16-year-old competitive soccer player. She serves as a junior captain of her Trinity Prep high school soccer team as well as a player on the Football Club of America (Kumba Soccer) located here in Orlando. Her Kumba team was having a car wash fund raiser in late September. An accident occurred where one teammate's foot slipped off the brakes and the car pinned another teammate against a wall. Bree McMahon's legs were crushed. Anne was one of many who sprang into action. She called 911 and provided a towel for Bree's head as she lay on the ground awaiting the arrival of paramedics.
Initially, we anticipated broken legs and damage to Bree's knees. The severity of the accident came to light a few hours later when Anne's text from the hospital said, "Bree's legs might have to be amputated because the blood vessels were crushed." Judith and I immediately headed to the hospital to be and pray with the girls.
Jenna Bush Hager (George and Laura Bush's daughter) of The Today Show did a feature on Bree. The clip below tells the story. You'll also get to see and hear a brief comment from Anne from behind Bree's hospital bed.
Bree and Chelsea (the driver involved in the freak accident) are young Christian girls whose faith is serving them both well in terms of forgiveness given and received. The character of both young ladies is remarkable.
If it were your legs crushed that day, how would you respond? My hope would be that I would have grace and understanding like Bree.
By kwmccarthy
If you don't know your purpose for being then you are missing out on life… literally. As you ponder your New Year's Resolutions consider not just what, but why for each of them.
In November, Florida Hospital launched a campaign called Healthy 100. Their web site headline says,"Have
you ever thought that you could live to be 100 years old? How about
being 100 years old and still doing the things you love? It may sound
unbelievable, but at Florida Hospital, we are on a mission to help you
do just that. Through support and education, we want to help you
kick-start your journey to living a healthier, happier life."
Imagine living to be a healthy 100 year old!
At the launch event (I attended), Dan Buettner, the author of The Blue Zones, engaged us with his case studies and keys to vitality and longevity which are: Right Outlook, Move Naturally, Eat Wisely, Right Tribe. Afterward, I spoke with Dan about my work with purpose which falls into the Right Outlook category. He said to me, "Purpose is the anchor to health, yet it remains the most under celebrated aspect. Research shows that having a purpose in life adds six to seven years of longevity."
In an article Dan wrote in 2008 for AARP, Dan provides this source, “People who feel their life is part of a larger plan and are guided by
their spiritual values have stronger immune systems, lower blood
pressure, a lower risk of heart attack and cancer, and heal faster and
live longer,” says Harold G. Koenig, M.D., professor of psychiatry and
behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center, who has studied
the phenomenon broadly.
EXTRA: Watch Dan Buettner's interview with Martha Stewart in the first link.
By kwmccarthy
Thanksgiving in the United States is a time of reflection on our many blessings. Has 2009 been a challenging year thus far and are your prospects… well, let's not go there for now. So in these times, what can we be thankful for in the midst of the suffering?
In today's On-Purpose® Minute, let's explore a few reasons why trials are reason enough for being thankful.
PLEASE listen to this remarkable (link is here) message by my friend, Scott Alexander. Are you finding the gold nuggets in the mine of suffering? Scott's message was given at Willow Creek Church in Winter Springs, FL. Steve Brown of Key Life Ministries chimes in as well after Scott's message. If you've never heard Steve, then you are in for a double treat.
Be On-Purpose!
Kevin
By kwmccarthy
Casting Crowns is a contemporary Christian band that just had an article written about them entitled Casting Crowns On Purpose. In the article, the front man, Mark Hall, shares what it means to have a "life on purpose." He is really close to understanding the power and potential of being on-purpose.
Back in the late 1980s when I was teaching about on-purpose in the positive, it was very novel. Until that time, most people would use on purpose to negate a negative, such as, "I didn't mean to spill my milk on purpose." I knew then, as I still do today that I am pioneering a positive concept whose time has yet to come. Even today, most people are seeking their purpose, rather than the follow through of living or being on-purpose.
I envisioned the day when the words and concept of being on-purpose would be in the popular culture. Well, it continues to creep into everyday use more and more as the Casting Crowns article indicates. I must admit a certain measure of joy mixed with disappointment because
the general use of purpose is misunderstood and the concept / lifestyle
of being on-purpose is used far too cavalierly.
Pastor Rick Warren's work, The Purpose Driven Life popularized the use of purpose; unfortunately, it was a watered down version of the concept. Oh well, I persevere in this calling trusting the results to God.
Be On-Purpose!
Kevin
By kwmccarthy
Maria Carter and I met at an On-Purpose Person workshop I conducted in San Diego around 1995. She bubbled with enthusiasm for life and people. She has a voice and spirit that is positively uplifting.
At the time we met, Maria had a dream of helping people learn to love themselves more fully. I'm proud to recommend her book, Fall In Love With Your Life Forever. This work is an expression of her purpose and is true gift to women who struggle with their inner critic. Go to her website and order the book today.
Guys, it is a great gift to give to women in your life. Wives, daughters, and mothers alike will benefit from calming their self critical voice and allowing their true selves to emerge on-purpose. Not only will her life be better, but so will yours. If momma is happy, then everyone is happy. ; )