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“. . . first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”  – Matthew 7:5 

Our house these past several weeks has been a beehive of spring clean-up fix-up activities; repainting the outside trim, re-staining the backyard fence, pruning the big beautiful oak trees in the yard, trimming shrubs, fertilizing the grass, planting flowers, and washing windows.  Amazing what a difference it has all made.

More amazing, though, is how many deeper issues have been brought to light in the undertaking of these projects.  There was rotted wood that needed to be replaced prior to being painted.  Same with the fence before being re-stained.  Dead limbs in the trees that we had no idea were there.  Weeds and undesirable vines growing in the flower beds and beneath the shrubbery that needed to be pulled before new plantings could occur.  And a cracked glass that would have gone unnoticed had we not washed the windows – just to name a few.  You might say we had to remove some planks from our house (literally in some cases) before we could see clearly to proceed with the more obvious cosmetic work.

It has been an expensive undertaking for sure, but not nearly as costly as it could have been later if left untended, not to mention the benefit of what great condition our house is now in.  The same rationale applies in having regular health checkups with a doctor, does it not?  And in my work with executives I have noticed similar results, that those who have the courage and humility to invest in periodic self-examination and clean-up fix-up activities tend to be the most effective leaders.  Though sometimes time consuming, painful and expensive, if left untended could be even more costly later on, not to mention the benefits of becoming a stronger leader, leading a healthier organization.

“. . . first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”  It’s a powerful leadership principle if there ever was one.  Amazing what a difference it can make.

“Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.”

–          Ecclesiastes 11:6 

Few, if any, of the farmers around the farming and ranching community where I grew up in northwest Texas depended on one single crop for their livelihood.  Most were engaged in at least three or more types of farming and livestock production, cotton, wheat, and cattle being the most prevalent.  Some did, however, venture into raising such crops as corn, maize, peanuts, and soy beans, and livestock such as poultry, hogs, sheep and goats.  The point was to diversify, as in any given year “you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether [all] will do equally well” – which rarely occurred.

The wisdom of our agrarian fore-fathers (few of us being engaged in agriculture today) continues to serve us well.  For instance, those of us who have the good fortune of owning investment portfolios and who follow the advice of prudent investment professionals, are likely to be diversified by having the stocks and bonds we own allocated across a wide spectrum of companies and industries.  And even at that, if your portfolio is like mine the returns we’ve experienced these past several months can only be described as lackluster.  Yet during that same time period the value of my home has escalated dramatically.  Again, “for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether [all] will do equally well” – which rarely occurs.

Farming and investing are but metaphors describing the broader scope of our lives, where except for the word diversification we tend to substitute the term “life balance”.  Our lives are inherently multifaceted; for who among us does not have to contend with such issues as family and other relationships, finances, health, food and shelter – at least at some level.  The challenge then becomes, how to balance it all – one of the most common concerns we executive coaches hear from our clients.  It requires, of course, giving attention to all facets of our lives; for which the wisdom of Solomon serves us well.  “Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.” 

“So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot.”

–  Ecclesiastes 3:22 

My apologies for retelling this story so frequently, except it is a message that carries in it such wisdom.  From Aesop’s Fables: “A farmer, being at death’s door, and desiring to impart to his sons a secret of such moment, called them round him and said, ‘My sons, I am shortly about to die.  I would have you know, therefore, that in my vineyard there lies a hidden treasure.  Dig, and you will find it.’  As soon as their father was dead, the sons took spade and fork and turned up the soil of the vineyard over and over again, in their search for the treasure which they supposed to lie buried there.  They found none, however:  but the vines, after so much digging, produced a crop such as had never before been seen.” 

For the past several years I’ve had the privilege of coaching a group of graduate students pursuing an MBA.  In particular, this is an executive program designed for professionals deeply engaged in full time careers, usually in either executive positions or rising stars in mid-level management.  Many, if not most, have families as well.  Set up as a cohort program, it is fast-paced as opposed to self-paced, and very demanding on their all-too-precious time – all in all a grueling twenty-one-month commitment.  Honestly, I don’t envy them – that is, until I witness the joy on their faces at graduation each year from their sense of accomplishment, as I did this past weekend.  It is then that I am reminded that nothing in this life is more fulfilling and rewarding than our work, because that is our lot.

When I retired at an early age from my previous career it was not, as some may have mistakenly thought, to embark on a life of leisure – not at all.  My goal instead was to prepare myself for work I can do the rest of my life.  I love work, even work for which I do not receive pay – and sometimes I don’t.  “So I saw there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot.”  King Solomon observed.  Thus, the wise old man in Aesop’s Fable could not have left his sons a more valuable treasure buried in his vineyard than a life lesson about the joy, fulfillment and rewards of hard work.

“Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.”  – Psalm 112:5 

(The following is an excerpt from a eulogy I gave in 2006 for Millie Hamrick, a dear family friend, who passed away that year at the age of 96.)

Santa Claus had come early that year, I thought, for just inside the door of their home beneath the Christmas tree were two bushel baskets brim full and overflowing with every sort of toy you could imagine.  The toy isle at the local five and dime must have been completely cleaned out.  Just about the time I was about to dive head first into one of those incredible baskets of treasures I heard that sweet, loving voice.  “No darling, those toys are for . . . [a certain needy family in our community.] 

I was maybe four or five years old, I don’t remember exactly.  But even at that young age I somehow understood exactly what she meant, who the family was she referred to, and that they were indeed needy – and I was not.  Then and there I observed first hand from Millie Hamrick, and her husband Jack, one of life’s greatest virtues – a generous heart. 

Millie and Jack [Hamrick] were hard-working people – Millie as a nurse for the local physician in our community, and Jack as a prominent grocer – both dedicated to their professions and the people they served.  Millie lent a hand in saving many lives and in the delivery of three generations of new lives into our small community.  Jack extended credit to many a struggling family in his day so they would have food on the table.  More than a few were never able to pay back the debt.  They were quite a pair.  They bore no children, yet they claimed every child in our community as their own, and for years every high school graduating class was treated to an elaborate party in their backyard. 

 “Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice,” the Psalmist declares.  And for Millie and Jack Hamrick, who though their possessions were modest, their cups always overflowed – good that came to them as a result of their generosity, now being carried on by the many whose lives they touched.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.”  – Psalm 106:1

(also Psalms 107:1, 118:1, 118:29, 136:1) 

A woman once asked her physician, “Doctor, why am I seized with these restless longings for the glamorous and faraway?”  “My dear lady,” the doctor replied, “those are the usual symptoms of abundant comfort in the home and ingratitude in the heart.”

When I first read that story I thought it was nonsense.  Why would anyone ask a physician such a question – a therapist, pastor, or close friend perhaps, but not a medical doctor?   Then I began to read some of the research being done in the field of neuroscience from which there is strong evidence that gratitude actually makes us happier and healthier, while ingratitude has the opposite effect, and can in fact be quite unhealthy.

In one study, randomly assigned participants were given one of three tasks.  Each week, participants kept a short journal.  One group briefly described five things they were grateful for that had occurred in the past week; another group recorded daily hassles from the previous week that displeased them; and a third neutral group was asked to list five events or circumstances that affected them, but they were not told whether to focus on the positive or the negative.  Ten weeks later, participants in the gratitude group felt better about their lives as a whole and were a full twenty-five percent happier than the hassled group.  They reported fewer health complaints, and exercised an average 1.5 hours more.

As long as I can remember our family has said a simple prayer before meals that was taught by my grandmother.  “Father we thank thee for this food.  Help us to be loving, kind and good.”  We still say it every day, as do our children and grandchildren, a tradition that can be traced back at least five generations.  The point is that something as simple as saying grace before a meal can help put us on a path of daily gratitude.

One of my favorite lessons from the late Zig Ziglar was to develop an “attitude of gratitude.”  The Psalms teach that over and over, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.”  And as the wise doctor understood so well, it’s also good for our health.