"The title of the award came fromt he notion that whne penguins are about to jump into water that might contain predators, well, somebody's got to be the first penguin."
"....Start-up companies often prefer to hire a chief executive witha failed start-up in his or her background. The person who failed often knows how to avoid future failures. The person who knows only success can be more oblivious to all the pitfalls."
Then he revisits the quote, "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted," adding, "And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer."
He writes, "'Lucky' is a strange word to use to describe my situation, but a part of me does feel fortunate..." I'll let you read the book to find out why. It may me think how, a few weeks ago, while driving on a weekend ski trip to Vermont, my old college buddy was driving close to the 65 MPH speed limit, hit some black ice, fishtailed, spun 360 degrees, rolled over the guard rail, rolled two more times down a 25 foot embankment, then hit a tree that brought us to an abrupt stop. I ended up with a very knuckle, and a small abrasion on the back of my hand. The car was VERY totaled, but we both walked away, relatively unharmed, so we were able to enjoy two days of double diamond expert skiing at Killington. I knew I was lucky. But as the experience has worked on me, I've come to realize I'm actually grateful for it. It's given me a fresh approach to life. I appreciate it more and push myself a bit harder to go deeper, in my work, play and relationships.
This book takes YOU to a multitude of ways of thinking about how to get more out of life. It's well worth the investment. Just throw a box of facial tissues to wipe away the tears from your eyes. I'm not kidding when I say I literally cried through over half the chapters.
Rob Kall is executive editor and publisher of OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, Impeachment, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates. He recently retired as organizer of several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology. See more of his articles here and, older ones, here.
The framed magazine cover, with the word "IDEAS" spelled out in lightbulbs, is based on an article Rob wrote for Writers Digest, telling the magazine's quarter million readers how to come up with and pitch article ideas.
To learn more about me and OpEdNews.com, check out this article.
and there are Rob's quotes, here.
To Watch me on youtube, having a lively conversation with John Conyers, Chair of the House Judiciary committee, click here Now, wouldn't you like to see me on the political news shows, representing progressives. If so, tell your favorite shows to bring me on and refer them to this youtube video
My radio show, The Rob Kall Show, runs 9-10 PM EST Wednesday evenings, on AM 1360, WNJC and is archived on www.whiterosesociety.org Or listen to it streaming, live at either www.wnjc1360.com or here.
Or check the archived interviews at:
whiterosesociety.org
A few declarations.
-While I'm registered as a Democrat, I consider myself to be a dynamic critic of the Democratic party, just as, well, not quite as much, but almost as much as I am a critic of republicans.
-My articles express my personal opinion, not the opinion of this website.
I remember reading about the professor here, and watching the YouTube video. Very inspiring. The popularity of the video suggests our nation is truly hungry for inspiration, truth, encouragement and unconditional love, too.
I'll read the book. Once I finish the eight I've started.
by
Kathlyn Stone (33 articles, 204 quicklinks, 19 diaries, 557 comments)
on Monday, April 21, 2008 at 8:13:28 PM
Thanks, Rob, for this review, I am looking forward to reading the book. I've been very touched by his journey, and just a few days ago, sent him and his wife the following letter:
Dear Jai and Randy,
I was one of the lucky ones to see Randy’s “Last Lecture” video just days after it was posted, and I have been following your remarkable journey since. I thank you for sharing so much of your adventure with the world.
My husband died in a plane crash when our daughter was five. We had no financial safety net. In fact, I lost the house and five businesses. Nevertheless, I discovered that the most important safety net is the human spirit, and my daughter and I danced through our rock-strewn path to find our way, turning stumbling blocks into stepping-stones. She is now 30, she put herself through med school, survived the trauma of last year at Virginia Tech, and will be a doctor in a year.
I woke up this morning with a pressing desire to share a couple of thoughts with you, learned from my own journey. I have read your website, I know from my personal experience that you have plenty on your plates besides reading this, and I don’t expect nor want you to spend precious time crafting a response. Still I felt compelled to share these thoughts.
I have heard Randy say on a couple of interviews that he believes that your daughter may be too young to remember much of her dad. Granted, my five-year old was much older when her dad died, but I want to share with you that not all the memories are the result of remembering actual events. Much more of the memories are from the re-telling of the stories, which become the family mythology. I made a little book of photos of my daughter and her dad, and often storytime was a rich recounting of fun times with her dad: the day they bundled up to play in the once-in-a-lifetime snowfall in Louisiana, the two of them on his motorbike, riding ponies or singing at the organ together. She even knows every detail about her amazing birth—when I went into labor, and the trip to the hospital, and the magic of her delivery—because of the photos and stories that I have told her through the years. She certainly wouldn’t have remembered that, otherwise!
And we celebrate her dad's birthday every year - with a cake and a party when she was younger, and a lunch date when she got older. But always with the stories.
So your daughter’s memories will not diminish, but grow, as time goes on, inspired by the photos and the stories of other family members. I believe that this is how the fabric of a rich family heritage is woven, whatever the length of the lifetimes of its members.
The one thing I would have liked to have, and which brings me to the reason I am writing, is a recording of my husband reading aloud one of my daughter’s favorite books. I would have liked to sit with her on my lap at story time, turning the pages, as we both listened to her father speak the words. Even for grandkids, it would be lovely to have the voice of the grandfather they never knew, as part of their experience. And for the choice of a book, I would have picked something like “The Velveteen Rabbit”. And if I could have chosen more, they would have included another favorite, “Goodnight, Moon,” and all seven of C.S. Lewis’ "Chronicles of Narnia," a timeless read for any age.
I wouldn’t have thought of this idea except that as my daughter got older, and I hired a babysitter when I had classes or meetings in the evenings, she wouldn’t go to sleep until I came home to read her a story. So, as a problem-solving measure, I recorded her favorite stories. Then the babysitter played the recording and turned the pages of the book, as my daughter drifted off to sleep, hearing my voice. (As a busy single mom, in order to save time, I made the recordings as I was actually reading the stories to her. The unexpected bonus was that her comments and our interactions are also on the tape.)
On a similar note, when her grandmother died, I made my daughter a simple quilt from mom’s clothing. It was healing for me to make it, and healing for my daughter to have it. (They don’t call quilts “comforters” for nothing!”)
You two are shining examples of how we are not our circumstances, and that we always have the choice of the attitude that we hold in any situation, perfectly illuminating my motto, which is a quote from Martha Washington:
“I've learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances.”
Thanks for the legacy that you have given to your children and to the world: the importance of focusing on the fun in every moment. I believe your remarkable examples of how you both choose to face the "hand you have been dealt," is serving to raise the consciousness of society, away from the perception of victimhood, and toward self-empowerment and joy. And the richness of that legacy cannot but have an extraordinary and beneficial effect on your children.
by
Meryl Ann Butler (32 articles, 17 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 165 comments)
on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 4:10:48 AM
