The Daily G.I.F.T. from The GratiDude

Show your Friends and Family what you have learned about gratitude over the last year. Light someone up with love and make a memory. Be a Principal.

www.grateful4.org

Gratitude

Intention

First

Things

The G.I.F.T. Today

Grateful: to know that all the answers I will ever need are in the sounds of the fountains in my lanai. Right in the center of that sound is the secret to my life and the Universe.

Intention-super duper awareness today for those in need emotionally, tough day for many.

First-check on Nikki who may be sicki

Things-arslan proof

Morning Meditation from The GratiDude

Here it is over 50 years later, and I can still remember the first time I saw my elementary school principal, Mr. Riggs at Eberwhite Elementary School.

Mr. Riggs was a big, tall, handsome man with a square jaw who had flown jets in the Air Force back in the 50s when he was a young lad full of piss and vinegar.

Milton Riggs, Principal, Eberwhite Elementary in the 1970s and 1980s. Above, circa 1985.

On more than one occasion, Mr. Riggs was forced to perform acts of strength such as ripping in half a telephone book with his bare hands, a trick he would perform for the mother’s gathered around at a school function.

And while his reputation for physical strength was known everywhere in Ann Arbor, it was his heart and his kindness and his gentle eyes that made him such an impactful and great leader from my childhood.

He would make the effort to learn kids names as the kindergartners would file in for their first year and most of the kids that came in would stay all the way through sixth grade, as that was just the nature of how things were in that neighborhood during that time. In Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Really the only kids that came and went were kids that were in town as children of nomadic migratory professors, which is a quite common occupation for many lifetime academics.

Professors often need to keep publishing and working the political system to get classes to teach or otherwise they are on the outs and without tenure as a professor, you have no job security and you may be forced to pick up stakes and move to a new college town for work.

As you know I am still friends with many kids from elementary school and I know that I am not alone and how I remember Mr. Riggs, our principal back at Eberwhite.

Maya Angelou wrote that people often forget what you say but “they will never forget how you made them feel”.

And when kids are cruel, and they tease other kids, as we all can attest to, it’s extremely hard to shake those memories of being teased and the pain in the lingering trauma that goes with it.

Part of that I know now is that when our brains are still growing and formulating, the memories and impacts are more long lasting because we are baking in the software that we’re going to keep and run on the “computer” of our minds and bodies for our adult life.

What I mean by the software is how we interpret all of the energetic and physical experiences that have happened in our lifetime, and more importantly as my mentor Doctor LJ Rose has taught me, how we interpret the stories that we tell ourselves.

Because it is the stories that create the narrative of who we are and what our life is all about.

This principal is a damn hero in my opinion, and the lesson that he is teaching all these kids is one that they will never ever forget.

It is one thing to talk to talk, to admonish or discipline children for poor behavior, it is another thing to stand in solidarity and to put yourself through something uncomfortable and to be vulnerable and to do something completely unexpected.

This is Leadership in its highest form: Solidarity.

If I am the head of the school district in this community where this took place, I’m asking this Principal out for lunch because both I want to learn from him and I want this person to be elevated in our education system and our community as an example of compassion, thoughtfulness, emotional intelligence, and leadership.

Yes, being vulnerable and empathetic can be considered a key aspect of modern leadership, as it allows leaders to build stronger connections with their team by showing authenticity, fostering trust, and creating a more open and supportive work environment where people feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns; essentially, demonstrating a more human side while still maintaining authority.

Key points about vulnerability and empathy in leadership:

Building trust:

When leaders are open about their own weaknesses and uncertainties, it encourages team members to do the same, creating a more trusting atmosphere.

Promoting open communication:

By actively listening and showing empathy, leaders create space for honest feedback and diverse perspectives.

Enhancing team morale:

Feeling understood and valued by a leader who is willing to be vulnerable can boost team morale and engagement.

Authenticity:

Showing vulnerability allows leaders to be seen as genuine and relatable, which can further strengthen relationships.

However, it’s important to note that:

Balance is key:

While vulnerability is valuable, it should not be confused with being overly self-disclosing or compromising professional boundaries.

Context matters:

The appropriate level of vulnerability will vary depending on the situation, team dynamics, and organizational culture

Aren’t we the Principles of our own families and Lives?

In other words, we don’t need to check with someone or an authority before we decide what we are doing in our lives one way or the other.

We are in charge.

I am The Principal of Kevin Carpenter Elementary.

With this perspective, I like to simultaneously feel like others are looking at me to provide an example of leadership specifically in the realm of kindness, compassion, and agape in the community, and at the same time, have no concerns about what they think as they watch me.

Kinda like: “Yes, People, please watch my acts of kindness, but if you don’t agree with what I’m doing, I don’t give a rat’s ass as I’m on direct orders from God”.

Like The Blues Brothers.

I promise you this Principal is going to have an exceptionally lengthy career in education or whatever else he decides to pursue as part of his getting after his own greatness.

However, none of the future awards are recognition will be as meaningful as the story that this little boy will be telling his grandkids 60 years from now about the Principal that his school let him, Grandpa, shave his head in solidarity with him in front of the WHOLE SCHOOL.

This is how legends are made, legends of kindness and not physical strength.

You don’t need to be able to rip a phone book in half to be the strongest person in the room because when you lead with love, you’re leading with the strongest energy known in this or any other universe that will ever exist.

THANKSGIVING PRO TIP!

And here’s a pro tip from the Gratitude for Thanksgiving dinner and for your meetings with family that you may not see very often.

Pick out at least one family member that you loved dearly and think about what it is that you love the most about them.

Pull them aside today and look them in the eye quietly and tell them exactly what it is that you loved the most about them, but do it this way and watch how their eyes locking on you before you tell them what it is that you love the most about:

“Hey Uncle Ted, I just wanted you to know what I love the MOST about you(Uncle Ted puts down his Natural Light and piggy-in-a-blanket, and locks eyes with you). What I love the MOST about you Uncle Ted is that every time one of us tells a joke or a story, you are the first to belly laugh! It makes me so happy to hear your laugh, thank you!”