Exceptional leadership and dreams go together. It is the exceptional leader who gives others their voice — encouragement and permission to express their dreams and all the thoughts and feelings that go along. You and I are so appreciative of having someone like that in our lives, it is important to our core of existence. I want to share with you a recent experience I had that touched my heart and soul and reminded me of the diamonds at our feet and the true joy to be had in life, the definition of true wealth.
I had written a column in this paper on dreams and the importance of never giving up. Many of you take the time to write or call about my columns, but I have never received a letter quite like the one from an 85-year-old widow in north Georgia. Her daughter was a struggling physician in a rural area and was attempting to establish a facility providing health care that was difficult to find in their remote community. Her daughter would frequently make trips to a makeshift facility and donate her time and services to care for the elderly, at her own expense.
Seeing this new facility built in the memory of her late husband was Mrs. X’s dream; it kept her going. Funding was not available, and it seemed as if her long-held dream had come to a standstill.
She was so touched and encouraged by my column, I could hear her voice shaking with emotion when she called me for my address. Twenty-four hours later, I received a beautiful, two-page, handwritten letter with her story.
Now, I don’t know what I can do to help this lady, but I am inspired to explore her story and what I can do that might make a difference. I do know that I am touched and that I wanted to share this with you. If enough of us get involved, maybe we can find a way to support this sweet lady in her efforts to pursue her dream, to encourage her passion.
I hope you will join me in applauding her efforts at asking for help, at sharing her dream. How many of us shy away from doing just that because we are afraid of embarrassing ourselves or what others will think? We don’t want to appear vulnerable or weak. But let me say here and now, this is an action born out of strength: strength of character and determination; strength of will and dedication; strength of love and devotion. What better legacy can this woman give her late husband than to support their daughter at building the clinic of their dreams?
My question to you as you read this story: Are you afraid of helping another, of being taken advantage of, of giving to a stranger? People are people, and they don’t have to remain strangers. We are rich only when we have the love and generosity in our hearts to give and share, to make the effort to contribute and make a difference in another’s life. The most important treasures many of us have are our dreams and the dreams of our children.
This is the true gift I think this 85-year-old is giving to her daughter: She won’t let her daughter give up on her dreams. At 85, she is willing to write a letter from her heart and ask for help, not for herself, but for her daughter and her husband’s memory.
Yes, this is exceptional leadership. It comes from the young and old, and it’s about giving others permission to never give up on their dreams, no matter the obstacles, no matter the size and scope of your dreams.
Our dreams are precious and should always be nurtured. I feel so privileged that this 85-year-old widow would share her story with me, and now I have shared it with you.
Jerry Stein, motivational speaker and executive coach, can be reached at
jerry@careercoach.com or (770)
988-0500. Go to careercoach.com for more
info and to sign up for his free newsletter.
