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NEW YORK --- While I was doing my Spring-cleaning in the basement, I found a paper tucked in a page of an old Stephen Covey’s Planner. The planner was a gift from one of the state presidents that I visited while serving the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce, a leadership development organization.
The note contained two poems: “If” by Rudyard Kipling and “Desiderata” by Max Ehrmann. Surprisingly, the page where I found the note had Covey’s famous “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” printed on it.
Whether or not it was a coincidence that I found these three inspiring pieces in one place, I couldn’t tell. I worked almost all afternoon that day; all I felt was I needed to be re-charged and re-invigorated.
Not by the usual boost that makes a person light-headed but one that motivates and touches the heart and soul — one that lifts you up when you’re down and weary. One that re-directs your purpose in life and stay on course even what lies ahead is bumpy.
As I began to read the two poems, I recalled the circumstances why I had them in that planner. I used them during my visitations to several states and took passages from the poems in my speeches, usually during a banquet or executive committee meetings.
“If” contains mottos and maxims for life; it could also be considered a blueprint for personal integrity, behavior and self-development. And if one uses the poem as a personal philosophy, perhaps we all can avoid having negative feelings about life and understand life itself.
I particularly like the last stanza, which reads:
“If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,/
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch,/
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,/
If all men count with you, but none too much;/
If you can fill the unforgiving minute/
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,/
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it/
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!
Interpreting the lines is a not a difficult task; the more we relate it to our everyday living the more we understand.
Came next was “Desiderata.” When I was in college, I remember having a poster of this poem plastered in my bedroom. We were told to memorize this in our Philosophy class as a way of life. My mother had a smaller, note-card version which she had inserted in a pocket of her wallet.
“Desiderata” is Latin and means “things that are yearned for,” which in the context of the poem more closely means “essential things.” In the interest of space, I chose some excerpts, which I thought would make you feel the spirit of the words and understand what I mean.
“Speak your truth quietly and clearly;/ and listen to others,/ even the dull and the ignorant;/they too have their story.
“If you compare yourself with others,/ you may become vain and bitter;/ for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself./
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans./
“Many persons strive for high ideals;/ and everywhere life is full of heroism.
“Be yourself./
Especially, do not feign affection./
“Therefore be at peace with God,/ whatever you conceive Him to be,/ and whatever your labors and aspirations,/ in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
“With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,/ it is still a beautiful world./
Be cheerful./ Strive to be happy.”
“Desiderata” is really inspirational, a food for the soul and as I said, a way of life. I highly suggest that you get a complete version of it.
I didn’t have second thoughts remembering why I had these poems inside
Covey’s Seven Habits, which basically, are a simple set of rules for life which complements “If” and “Desiderata.”
To be effective, Covey identifies seven habits, which we must have: Be proactive; Begin with the end in mind; Put first things first; Think win-win; Seek first to understand and then to be understood; Synergize; and lastly, Sharpen the saw.
Whether you are a community leader or not, I suggest that you take hold of these three inspiring articles. The thoughts contained in these pieces offer a simple positive credo for life.
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