The Hey You Lady

A few days ago I was at my local McDonald's. While I was there I decided to do some people-watching. In my observations I honed in on how many decisions a typical customer makes just to satisfy a Mac-Attack. My conclusion? Ten. A man (or woman) makes on average ten decisions in the brief time it takes to purchase a run-of-the-mill fast-food lunch: Purchase inside, or drive through (Inside. I have a personal need to attend to.) How can I help you? (I'd like a Big Mac, please.) The meal, or just the sandwich ? (It's lunchtime. I'll take the meal, please.) Would you like your meal Super-Sized? (No thanks. I'm driving.) Would you like an Apple Pie with that? (Sure, why not. Doctor says I need to add some fruit to my diet.) Is this for here, or to go? (To go, please.) How would you like to pay for this? (Cash.) (Do I break a $20, or dig in my pocket for exact change?) (Break the $20. It's faster.) (Should I put the coins in the box for Ronald McDonald's Charitie...

I've had some recent circumstances in my life that have weighed heavily on my mind. I could talk about them here in this post, but that would mean exposing my emotions to the World Wide Web, all over the internet, for anyone to read. That's a pretty scary prospect, so I'll think twice before I share. Why? Why won't I talk about personal matters on the web? Well, for one thing - the main thing - I don't trust my secrets with just anyone. I have to trust you first. Now, I know that some of you reading this know me pretty well and have known me for many, many years. Some of you who follow my blog or are reading this Facebook may know me from over 20 years or so ago. Some of you hardly know me, if at all. To share with one of you in this format is to share with all of you. We're all adults. Can I rely on you to keep what's told to you in confidence, or will you go to a mutual friend that I haven't shared with because he violated my trust in the past? Do you ...

Many times when we think of the word "leadership" we think of the qualities of a leader: innovation, integrity, persistence, the way they relate to people, having earned respect of others, things like that. But what good is a leader if he don't have followers? And more importantly, what does it say about his leadership if none of the followers do what he is leading them to do, without his being around to lead them? While it is true that for a period of time a leader will need to provide training and mentoring for followers, there ought to come a day when the leader can leave for an extended period of time while "business as usual" not only continues, but flourishes in his absence. But he can't leave his life's passion in the hands of ordinary followers. This is because without a leader, ordinary followers don't have anyone to follow, or worse, will follow just about anyone. So, what's a leader to do? Chances are, if you are a leader you were onc...

Do you ever have days where you feel like you live your life just looking out the window, dreaming about what you think you might be missing? Are there times that you know that there is more to life than what you can see, but feel trapped because your life is lived according to what is within your view? Thinking of this makes me think of the Disney princess Jasmine, from the movie Aladdin. Here is a young woman, a princess, who has everything at her beck and call: wealth, servants, opulence, a full-grown tiger for a pet, princes from around the globe wanting to woo her and marry her. Who wouldn't want her life? Yet Princess Jasmine is miserable. Her experiences have been limited to life within the palace compound. She lived her life restricted to the confines of royal life, yet yearning for the freedom that she sees through the view of the palace window. Of course Jasmine's story doesn't end there. But for too many people, it does. Oh, they don't all live in an Arabian...