Tag Archives: courageous
Two Tools to Help You Survive Unpopularity
The right thing is often unpopular since its harder to do. – Rick Warren In the movie Bridge of Spies, James Donovan, an American lawyer is recruited to defend a Soviet spy who has been arrested and incarcerated. At the height of the race to be the first country to develop deliverable atomic weapons, only…
A Sure Fire Way To Stop Feeling Stupid
It always seems impossible until it is done. -Nelson Mandela Imagine that you just survived a massive earthquake that left everything around you, even your home, in rubble. What would you search for and rescue? Someone that you care about? Your children?1 A 7.0-magnitude earthquake left Port Au Prince in rubble killing as many as…
Are You Unpopular Enough?
A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular. -Adlai Stevenson Starting in the mid-1940s the world was divided into Eastern powers led by the U.S.S.R. and Western powers led by the United States. Following the conclusion of the second World War, former national borders were unsettled, regional power was unbalanced and…
Leaving Everything on the Field
What’s worth doing even if you fail? -Brené Brown As a friend, Lecretia Anne Seales was just the sort of friend you want to have.1 As a lawyer, Lecretia was known for her “accuracy, her judgment, and her discretion.”2 Her resume is impressive. She worked for Kensington Swan, Chen Palmer & Partners, the Department of Prime…
Courage to Stand Alone
Courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway. -Dr. Robert Anthony Immediately after the civil war, the United States was divided. Reconciliation – stitching the country back together – was necessary. Before wartime president Abraham Lincoln could start this healing process, he was assassinated. The duty to re-unite the country fell to…
Tired of Being Alone?
To be “a companion with others along the way, to carry the message that ‘you are not alone.’ and to give them courage to live humanly….” -William Stringfellow Sick and tired of being alone? Build a community. That is what Andrew W. McThenia, Jr. did. He built a community – that was worth building.1 First year…
When You Get Stepped On – What Does It Smell Like?
When you step on a rose it smells like a rose. When you get stepped on what does it smell like? -Jeanne Marie Leslie Deng Thiak Adut was no older than six when he was separated from his mother. And forced to walk 33 days to an army training camp. He drank water squeezed from grass in…
From Prison Cell To Congress (How to Step Higher)
“My philosophy is that children should be ahead of their parents, should climb a step higher and make a contribution to the family and to society.” -Minnie Crockett (George’s mother)1 During America’s “Cold War” past there was no open war underway. The era was defined by threats, propaganda and fear. America’s enemy was not a…
When the Whole Crowd Is Against You
Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.1 Several years ago, I went to see a law partner’s son play college baseball. Of course, most people brag on their children, but this young man really was talented. He was one of those players that made the game…
Living a Latin Phrase
Fiat justitia ruat caelum (Let justice be done though it tear down heaven) -Judge James Edwin Horton In 1931 Alabama, African Americans were, at best, referred to as blacks. Outside of a working relationship, blacks and whites didn’t mingle. Blacks went to black churches and whites to white churches. Blacks and whites were prohibited to…