Be the Best You

by

Dr. Wilson Triviño

            “Simply be the best person you can be,” declared Dr. Marjorie Barlow at the Possible Woman break out session on leadership power on May 1.

            Dr. Barlow, an over thirty year counselor, teacher, and organizational expert shared the story of the rabbit and duck.  The duck was a very good swimmer but not a good runner. So the duck was sent to remedial running and got an afternoon tutor on running.  His web feet were filled with blisters, scrapes, and his feathers were ruffled by the constant falling and rolling over on his own web feet.   Then there was the case of the rabbit, he ran well, but could not swim.  The rabbit was placed in remedial swimming, sent to an intense after school program, given drugs to deal with the anxiety of having to get into the water.   Both the duck and rabbit had low self-esteem and labeled as a troubled pair and were placed in detention.   This simple story illustrates what the main stream system preaches.  The so called experts are going to fix, change, and transform each of us into the perfect being.  Unfortunately, it does not work that way.  The duck should be allowed to swim and the rabbit allowed to run.

            Every person is unique.  We are a walking miracle considering that we are the result of one magical egg and sperm that came together in a moment of passion. 

            Our spirit is the voice inside each of us. This inner dialogue is well defined by age 14.  The awareness of this consciousness is what carries us throughout our life’s journey. 

   The paradigm shift in our thinking is that all of us have special qualities.  We need to identify them and focus on the good, not the bad.  Only by self reflection and searching can we identify our strengths.

 Dr. Barlow weaved humor and personal reflections in finding this path by sharing in her inner struggles.  “We need to remember the old Johnny Mercer song, accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative” exclaimed Dr. Barlow. 

  This feel good theology is more than simply positive thinking; it works and is good business.  In her consultant role with Interface Flooring, she has created an organizational transformation of the culture by shifting the focus on to the contributions of people.  Interface’s founder, Ray Anderson is committed to shift from the era of the industrial revolution into the green revolution.  Whereas Interface Flooring objective is not to pillage natural resources but to recycle what has been used and give back to Mother Earth.

   How do we take steps to become the best person you can be?  The answer is to learn and apply Dr. Barlow’s rules.  First, shine a light on what is right. Concentrate on your individual strong qualities instead of the weak ones.  Second, give unexpectedly.  Add drops to someone’s bucket and make them feel special.  Third, make best friends.  Create relationships and nurture the ones you have in your life.  Fourth, reverse the golden rule: I will find out how you want to be treated and then treat you that way.

 Your challenge today, is instead of rolling out of bed and complaining all the way to the office. Focus on what makes you special and make that light shine from within.  

“I love you, do good in the world”, were the parting sage words of wisdom from Dr. Barlow.  For more information, visit http://www.marjbarlow.com/.

Political Scientist Dr. Wilson Triviño resides in Marietta, Georgia and is a speaker and writer for ABC Vision.  A consulting firm that focuses on leadership, change, and innovation. He may be reached at abcvision@gmail.com