Today's Reading
FOREWORD
Mitzi Perdue, widow of the poultry magnate Frank Perdue, is a war correspondent who writes about Ukraine. After her most recent stint there, she founded a crowdfunding effort, DonorSee.com/Ukraine, to help clear land mines from the region. When asked why she's doing this at an age when many have chosen to retire, she answers, "I'm influenced by Mother Teresa's words: The good that we can do, we must do."
If you and I were to meet in person, and it was evening, and maybe there was an adult beverage or two involved, I might work the conversation around to a discussion of what each of our visions of an ideal world would be. I've asked this question to enough people to know that there's tremendous variety in the possible answers that may occur to you.
Some people have said that their ideal world would be one in which there was no more war. For others, it might be education for everyone. For others, it would be the flourishing of the arts or, maybe better, health care for everyone, or maybe their ideal world would include having the underserved better supported, or better stewardship of the environment.
For some, it was more personal. Some people have told me their ideal world is one in which they get to be the best parent they can be, or perhaps one in which they serve their community or a cause they care about.
What would your answer be?
It matters, because your answer will reveal a lot about what you value, and in the process, your answer will also reveal information about who you really are. What you care about is a window into your character.
My own answer is "An ideal world would be one in which everyone gets to be all they can be."
Since, by nature, I have at least a somewhat practical bent, my follow-up question to myself and to you is, "Given your vision for an ideal world, how would you get there?"
A big part of my answer to that question is "Inspiration!"
It's inspiration that helps us to think bigger than we've ever thought before, and it's inspiration that can give us the energy and the road map for getting where we want to be.
And now we come to what this foreword is really about!
The thirty-one profiles you are about to read are about people who are exceptional exemplars of character. They're inspirational because they used their abilities at their highest levels to work for causes they believed in. Because of character, they influenced the world for good.
When you read this book, you're almost bound to be influenced by one or more of the profiles. Reading about admirable people is like creating little computer programs in your head that guide you to stretch further and to do more to live up to what you're capable of. By raising your sights higher, you have a golden chance to express your character at its best, and in so doing, lead a fuller, more satisfying life. (Not a bad outcome, in my opinion!)
Reading about inspirational people enables you to do what Charlie "Tremendous" Jones, the great advocate for reading, used to say: "In five years, you'll be the same person you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read." The book provides the vision to transcend day-to-day living and embrace the chance to use your talents and abilities at their highest level to make the world a better place. It's a chance to encourage the highest and best aspects of your character.
What exactly are we aiming at, as we learn from these inspirational examples?
In the course of examining character, Robert Dilenschneider invites us to look at some of the components of character. His list includes:
* Leadership
* Innovation
* Resilience
* Breaking barriers
* Courage
* Loyalty
* Integrity
* Openness and transparency
None of us is going to excel in all these characteristics. But as you read this book, allow inspirational ideas to seep into your consciousness and, for that matter, your unconscious as well. When you do this, you'll have a better chance at what we all want, which is at the end of our days to feel that we've led a good and fulfilling life.
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