Lucy's Wellies

I am worn out from the constant "drumbeat" of political and economic gloom and doom.  I can't write about anything political right now.  I feel like it has consumed me the past few weeks.

So I want to write about something more positive, more effective, something that we will all need in the days ahead in our personal lives, politically, and in the workplace.  The thing that we need is FAITH.  Faith requires action and preparation.  And long-term success requires faith - faith that your efforts to plan and execute that plan will lead to the desired results.

I love movies.  Sometimes a visual image can convey so much more than written word.  Such is the case in the movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  One scene in particular demonstrates what faith in action is all about.  If you saw the movie, you will recall that Lucy, the youngest of the four children, discovers a winter wonderland when she ventures to the back of the old, magical wardrobe.  When she returns, she tells her siblings and they think that she has lost her mind, especially after she leads them to the back of the wardrobe and no winter wonderland appears.  But, the next night, Lucy decides to head back to the wardrobe by herself.  As she gets out of bed, she passes her slippers and instead puts on her "wellies"-her rubber boots-as a beautiful smile spreads across her face.  You see, that says it all.  She is not going to check things out again, she is going back into the winter wonderland and into the snow where she will need her boots.  She has faith.  She is optimistic.  And she is taking action.

As Tony Gungy says in his book The Mentor Leader, "As leaders, we must lead with confidence in our shared vision and in the future.  If we're not optimistic about what awaits us in the future, no one else will be either."

Keep the faith.