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“U.S stocks surged on the last session of a holiday-shortened week, and the major indexes completed their first five-week winning streak since October 2007 . . .”

–  Wall Street Journal, Friday, April 10, 2009 

Does this mean we’re off the bottom, that our crippled economy is starting to show some signs of recovery?  Are we beginning to see a glimmer of hope, some signs of optimism in the business environment?  At this point we don’t know for sure, but at least these five consecutive weeks of a rising stock market provide some welcome relief from the months of decline we’ve experienced.  It is good news for a change, giving us hope that there might be a resurrection in our economy in the not-so-distant future. 

Interestingly, during this same period of time that the stock market has been on the rise Christians from around the world have been observing the forty day season known as Lent, a time of fasting and penitence intended to remind us of Christ’s suffering which ultimately led to his trial and crucifixion on the cross.  The reason Christians observe this season is in preparation for its conclusion which is celebrated on Easter Sunday, the commemoration of Christ’s resurrection and the gift of hope that event offers to a lost and suffering world. 

The celebration of Easter and a rising stock market seem like strange bedfellows to mention in the same breath, don’t they?  Yet both, at least in this present moment, bring us hope, but in very different ways.  Easter celebrates a resurrection that gives us hope, while the rising stock market only offers hope that there might be a resurrection.  Easter is rooted in two thousand years of history and tradition founded on a resurrection that is for eternity, while the rising stock market is only a current event that even if it is sustainable will at best be a temporary condition in the scheme of things.  No doubt the message from the Wall Street Journal about the state of the stock market is good news for us all, giving us hope that there might be a resurrection.  But the message of Easter is Good News about a resurrection that has already occurred, one that gives us all hope.  

So here’s a question for you.  In which resurrection do you place your hope, in one that might be – or one that’s already occurred?

Put first things first.  That’s how Stephen Covey describes Habit number 3 in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  In other words, highly effective people are those who identify what is most important in their lives and make it top priority, above everything else.  They focus on opportunities rather than problems, centered on their mission rather than being seduced by outside forces.  “The key,” as Covey puts it, “is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” 

In my former career I was responsible for a bond trading operation for a major Wall Street investment firm.  On any given day it was a beehive of activity, phones ringing constantly, squawk boxes blaring, people shouting across the room, a chaotic atmosphere, a perpetual fire drill.  There was an urgency about everything we did; the ringing phones demanded our immediate attention, impatient investors who needed someone to help them “right now!” Yet in the heat of battle decisions had to be made, often times big decisions involving substantial sums of money.  It was those big decisions that were of utmost importance; for from them our profitability was derived, our life blood, our reason for being, the purpose of our existence, our mission.  If we were not careful, though, the urgency of the ringing phones and blaring squawk boxes could become seductive, distracting us from the importance of the big decisions that had to be made.  In other words, we had to manage in the midst of that perpetual fire drill to put first things first.

In a sense, the experience of working on a bond trading desk was an imitation of real life, for in real life we constantly encounter urgent demands on our time and energy, problems to be solved, projects to complete, impatient people who need us to help them “right now!”  And it is not as if we can or should ignore those urgent demands, for indeed they must be responded to.  Rather it is a matter of prioritizing because if we are not careful the demands of life’s urgent matters can become seductive, distracting us from what is most important, our reason for being, the purpose of our existence, our life mission.  But as Covey reminds us so well in his Habit number 3, in order to be most effective we must put first things first.

The following parable may be one you’ve heard before but it bears repeating.  It goes like this:  One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.  He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.  One is Evil.  It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.  The other is Good.  It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”  The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”  The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Barbara Fredrickson, PhD and Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a leading scholar in the field of positive psychology.  In her book, Positivity, she describes how there are two basic human responses to hardship, something we all experience from time to time.  One is despair, the other is hope.  “In despair,” she explains, “you multiply your negativity.  Your fear and uncertainty can turn into stress.  Your stress can morph into hopeless sadness, which in turn can breed shame. . . Despair opens the gate to a downward spiral that may well lead you to rock bottom.  Hope is different,” as she says contrasting the two.  “It’s not the mirror reflection of despair.  Your hope, in fact, acknowledges negativity with clear eyes.  More importantly, though, your hope kindles further positivity within you.  Even the most subtle shades of hope can be a springboard for you to feel love, gratitude, inspiration, and more.  And these warm and tender feelings open your mind and your heart and allow you to connect with others.” 

In other words there is another battle between two wolves inside us all.  One is Despair and the other is Hope.  And which wolf wins?  It is the one we feed.

Last week was a really busy time for me.  When I was not meeting with clients or attending other appointments I had several time consuming projects I was working on.  All of it was productive, worthy and noble causes, things that made me feel good about myself at the end of the day – the kind of good feeling we might experience after a workout at the gym or digging in the garden.  Yes, I am proud to say I put in an honest week’s work last week. 

Hold on a minute, though.  Before I break my arm patting myself on the back I need to ask this question.  How much of that time and energy was spent on things that were simply expected of me instead of those things only I can do, specific to my own unique gifts and talents?  Consider this for example, what if Mozart or Rembrandt had only done those things that others expected of them?  What if Mozart had become an accountant or Rembrandt a bricklayer – both worthy and noble professions all right?  But then the world would have been deprived of the musical compositions and beautiful paintings they created.  You and I, though, were not given such special talents we might argue.  Or were we?  According to co-authors Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton in their popular book Now Discover Your Strengths we all have unique gifts and talents, and if you buy the book there is a psychological assessment included that is designed to identify your own top five natural strengths.  Not only that, their research also shows that your specific combination of top five strengths is unique to one in thirty-three million people.  In other words the chances of ever finding a perfect match of someone like you who has your exact gifts and talents are almost infinitesimal. 

In a Gallup survey of over two million global workers it was revealed that only 20 percent of employees working in large organizations feel that their strengths are in play every day.  If that’s so does it mean those organizations are operating at only a 20 percent capacity?  Does it also mean that you and I by spending the preponderance of our time and energy simply doing things that are expected of us – regardless how worthy and noble those deeds may be – are in fact utilizing only about 20 percent of our God-given gifts and talents? 

Yeah, I may have put in an honest week’s work last week, but here’s the challenge – for you and for me:  How can we increase our capacity from 20 percent to, say, 30 percent?  And why is that so important if we are doing good works in the first place?  Because if we don’t we may be depriving the world of what we were uniquely made to do.

I thought I had really “arrived” on the social networking scene not long ago when I became part of the Facebook crowd – that is, until my grown children and hip friends began making fun of me for being overdressed for the party.  I made the social blunder, you see, of pasting in a business portrait of myself wearing – God forbid! – a coat and tie.  No, no, no, they all chided, that’s not how people dress on Facebook, like you’re selling insurance or something.  I informed them, though, that I’m sticking with the coat and tie because that’s me, that’s the way I dress.  Although, I did soften my Facebook page a bit by adding some family photos, grandchildren and so forth. 

When I left my corporate job a few years ago I thought I had enough of pin stripe suits, silk ties and French cuffs, so I spent most of the next year knocking around in blue jeans and cowboy boots.  It felt good for a while, sort of freeing.  Then one day I got all dressed up once again in a coat and tie and headed out the door, not sure where I was going or what I was going to do.  I simply knew it was time to go back to work, and for me the first step in doing so was to look like it.

Appearances do matter, but not in the sense of making a fashion statement.  Rather, appearances are a form of hospitality, a way of inviting people to be part of our lives just as we would by asking them into our homes for a cup of coffee or a meal.  That was the point about my being accused of overdressing on Facebook, which is a place intended for people to appear relaxed so others can see them within the context of their ordinary lives, a place of hospitality where friends invite each other into their virtual homes.  So admittedly my coat and tie attire probably does come across a bit stiff within that environment. 

On the other hand most days I do wear a coat and tie.  It’s the way I dress.  For me it is a form of hospitality, a way of letting people know I am open for business and they are invited to come inside.  Appearances do matter, whether in business, social networking, or simply being out in public.  It is the first impression we give to others about who we are.