This Week's Word & Thought: Focus

I watched a very interesting and thought provoking documentary last night on HBO.  It was “Becoming Warren Buffett” and was nothing like I assumed it would be.  It takes you through how Mr. Buffett became one of the wealthiest people on earth and in history.  One of the surprises is that he is at the top of the list of those most generous with his fortune.  His intent is to give it away in accordance with his wife’s wishes before she died of a stroke in 2004.

The film also gives you some insight to the man and what drove him.  It is obvious that he is a mathematical genius and has an incredible ability to retain information.  However, the other aspects that are not obvious is his humility, self-deprecating attitude, his absolute belief in integrity, and the one word that both he and Bill Gates used to describe themselves, “Focus!”

Did you know that his wife, Susie, was a very active participant in the Civil Rights Movement and that she eventually made her home in San Francisco where she continued to be very active in equal rights for all.  That her influence was so great on him and his children that all three children head charitable institutions funded largely by Warren Buffett.  That because of Susie’s influence, he developed a much more broad and liberal view of humanity and has setup his fortune to predominantly go towards service to human kind.

Here is a link with some info on the documentary.  I encourage you to watch, learn and enjoy.  http://bit.ly/BuffettDocumentary

It is remarkable what you can accomplish when you have FOCUS.

“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffett

And my favorite quote of his regarding business is…

“Rule No.1: Never lose money. Rule No.2: Never forget rule No.1.” – Warren Buffett

One last thought about Mr. Buffett I wanted to share.  He is one of those super successful business people that lets me know it is not evil to be successful in business.  It is only evil to be greedy for power or wealth.  Using your success to help others is pretty remarkable.

I wish you great success and the love to use it to better the world.

Namaste,

Tom

This Week's Word & Thought: Imagine

Imagine, to me anyway, is one of the most powerful active words in the English language.  It has brought to us the adventures of Harry Potter and the saga of Luke Skywalker.  Imagining the impossible has led to the mapping of the human genome and now cures for certain cancers and crazy unlimited ways to improve human health.  It has also led to the splitting of atoms, the potential in the future for unlimited fusion energy and it has even led to scientific theories on the folding of time and space.  Yes, “Maximum warp Mr. Sulu!”

And what about all that is the beginning of AI?  Think of the potential and think of all the sci-fi movies we have watched about AI.  It is both awe inspiring and perhaps a bit scary.

Now, just imagine what we could do or give back to humanity if we put the power of IMAGINE to work on solving the human condition for those less fortunate.   One of the most emotional and poetically beautiful words ever spoken, or in this case sung, were John Lennon’s Imagine.  Here are the words.  If you get a chance this week, find the song.  Listen to it.  Then commit to never losing your imagination on how to improve life for those less fortunate or those who live in fear and with hatred surrounding them simply because they are somehow different.

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace, you

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world, you

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Now imagine I just gave you a big hug!

Namaste,

Tom

This Week's Word & Thought: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Since yesterday was a national holiday with an emphasis on Dr. King’s accomplishments and that he is also in my top five most respected individuals, I just had to say something.  Probably two of my biggest reasons for my admiration are that he fought for equal rights in general and that he always did so in a peaceful way.  

Was he perfect? No.  Are any of us?  No.  

I have selected some of my favorite sayings from Dr. King that point to his belief in inclusion and the manner in which to succeed is without violence.  I hope you enjoy and they provide you something to ponder.

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

Here is to you and making a difference.

Namaste,

Tom

This Week's Word & Thought: Power

“Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.”  - Mahatma Gandhi

His Legacy

Mahatma Gandhi is known as the Father of India. His birth date is celebrated as a national holiday in India - Gandhi Jayanti. He devoted his life to the cause of Indian independence from the British Empire. He said, "Just as a man would not cherish living in a body other than his own, so do nations not like to live under other nations, however noble and great the latter may be."  Gandhi once said, "Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man." Throughout the world, the date of his birth is celebrated as the International Day of Nonviolence.

To Gandhi, power was non-violence and love.  I believe it is very fitting for the current times that surround us and realizing many feel anger and fear.  Stay the course and do not lose hope in the progress we have made as a country.  After all, love does trump hate.

Namaste

Thought & Word for the Week: Freedom

I asked one of my work team members to give me  a word that inspires them.  I was given a quote that I had not heard before and after reading decided “freedom” was the word.  Here is the quote:

“My freedom will be so much the greater and more meaningful the more narrowly I limit my field of action and the more I surround myself with obstacles. Whatever diminishes constraint diminishes strength. The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one's self of the chains that shackle the spirit." – Igor Stravinsky

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian-French-American composer, pianist and conductor.  He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20^th century.  Born June 17, 1882 in Lomonosov, Russia and Died April 6, 1971 in New York City, NY.

Here is a quote on freedom from one of my most admired:

“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything - anger, anxiety, or possessions - we cannot be free.”  ― Thich Nhat Hanh

Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who now lives in southwest France where he was in exile for many years. Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Thích Nhất Hạnh joined a Zen (Vietnamese: Thiền) monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name Thích Nhất Hạnh. Thích is an honorary family name used by all Vietnamese monks and nuns, meaning that they are part of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan. He is often considered the most influential living figure in the lineage of Lâm Tế (Vietnamese Rinzai) Thiền, and perhaps also in Zen Buddhism as a whole.

Namaste,

This Week's Word & Thought: Heroes

Recent events in our nation and in the world demonstrate even more the need to reach out and actively voice love and acceptance.  We start with our families and friends as well as each other and those we interact with on a daily basis. 

Here are four of my top heroes in life and a quote from each on this topic. 

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.  People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.  – Nelson Mandela

You must not lose faith in humanity.  Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. – Mahatma Gandhi

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.  – Maya Angelou

If we are to have peace on earth…our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.  – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here is wishing each of you peace in a time of turmoil.

Namaste,

PS:  true translation of Namaste is “I bow to you.”

This Week's Word and Thought: Kindness

As my initial audience knows, I stopped writing my blog regularly over a year ago.  There were many reasons for this, but primarily I had concerns over what right do I have to express my opinion on many world events and human behavior.  I have decided that as a member of humanity, I do have a right to speak my mind, but have also decided for it to be on a smaller weekly scale.

At work I do a weekly email titled "This Week's Word and Thought" and I want to share those thoughts with a broader audience.  I hope you enjoy!  Namaste, Tom

"Kindness in words creates confidence.

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.

Kindness in giving creates love."  - Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu, or "Old Master," is an honorary title for the ancient Chinese man whose original name was Li Er. As a saint or deity, he is known by many names, including Lao Jun and Lao Dan. He is credited with founding philosophical and religious Daoism.

Little is truly known about the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu (sometimes also known as Laozi or Lao Tze), who is a guiding figure in Daoism (also translated as Taoism), a still popular spiritual practice. He is said to have been a record keeper in the court of the central Chinese Zhou Dynasty in the 6th century B.C., and an older contemporary of Confucius. This could be true, but he may also have been entirely mythical—much like Homer in Western culture. It is certainly very unlikely that (as some legends say) he was conceived when his mother saw a falling star, or born an old man with very long earlobes – or lived 990 years.

You can read more about him, whether real or mythical, at 

http://bit.ly/thephilosphersmail_LaoTzu