Friday, December 16, 2011

Man in the Mirror – Can One Person Really Make a Difference?


By: Lori McMullin, APR, Director of Business Operations & Communications

Center for Business Excellence

-Originally posted September 13, 2010

Hi there. My name is Lori Stone and I am the CBE’s director of business operations and communications. We have a blog team and my assigned day is, of course, the ever-hectic Monday!

However, this Monday marks a milestone for my family. You see, 11 years ago today on a Monday morning, my father left this world.

Ron Stone was a strong man who helped lift up family, friends, employees and strangers alike. His work ethic and sense of duty and responsibility were incredible characteristics. In fact, this U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War truly personified character – another topic I recently blogged about. No pun intended, he was our rock.

As the winds of Hurricane Floyd approached, our Lion King went out like a lamb. He fought a strong battle with cancer until the very end. In that instant, I, somehow, became the new family rock. I didn’t ask for this responsibility – it just happened. In the years that followed Dad’s passing, I became extremely involved in the community and gained more and more responsibility in the workplace.

Lately, I have to admit I wonder if my efforts to try to make the community a better place are in vain. Do I plug away only to have people think, “What a sucker?” Can anything I do really make a difference? What if my energy “well” begins to run dry?

Then, I remember my father and keep going. If I don’t try, how can I expect anyone else to do it? So, I ask you on this day to join me and take a good look in the mirror.

Let’s either renew or embark on a commitment to make the community and the world a better place! Enjoy this link and turn the volume up on your computer or phone for some appropriate, musical inspiration. Semper Fi!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxVoo0iUVDA

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