“A three-ply cord cannot be easily broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12 He was in his twenties. His job was frightening. Death was possible. On his 37th mission flying out of a base in Italy, his plane was hit – multiple times. Only he and two other crew members parachuted out of the plane. On the ground, he was confronted by a farmer wielding a pitchfork before a German officer stepped in and stopped the killing. World War II. On that day, Alfred John Hackbarth, my dad, almost lost his life … [Read more...]
Crisis Communication
"I'm a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis." President Abraham Lincoln My wife Carol and I are owners of Hackbarth Delivery Service, Inc., a 44-year old transportation company. Our team members are designated by the department of Homeland Security as ‘Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers.’ This designation importantly allows us to be partners on the frontline in delivering medical products. What we do is not just … [Read more...]
Coronavirus Strategy
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Shocking! Unbelievable! Hard to comprehend what has happened in the last few weeks. Everyone reading this message today is being impacted in multiple ways by the coronavirus crisis. In the midst of this enormous challenge, fear and uncertainty is common. Not surprisingly, some panic exists. Rumors circulate. … [Read more...]
Daily Practice Your Way to Success
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks, but I do fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” Bruce lee After over a year of practice, the progress is obvious. Apparent also is the gap between my current ability and where I would like to be. Playing the piano is the target of my effort, now in my second year of lessons. Here is what I know: The needed skills to play a fairly simple piece of music requires hours of practice---experienced musicians will state that playing … [Read more...]
Find the Joy in your Life
“Find the joy in your life . . .” Carter Chambers in his letter to Edward Cole in the movie, The Bucket List So much to do. So little time. These statements are a contradiction in terms. How do we handle the conflict of accomplishing unlimited tasks in limited time? The question is clearly relevant in this era of constant motion and rapidly advancing technology. We only need to pay attention to all the productivity pros out there who are cajoling us with books, seminars and video tapes on … [Read more...]
Counter Negativity with Positivity
“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” Ralph Waldo Emerson We often underestimate the possible impact we have on others. Our potential influence is enormous. Gigantic. And yet, it is underestimated. At the deepest core of our being, all of us want to make a difference. We want to have impact. We want to leave a legacy. We want to be of service to others. But how? That is the question that gnaws at our core. In the moments of silence, we think about … [Read more...]
15 Seconds
“Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.” Les Brown Are you helping others? It takes time, right? And, that is the problem in our very busy world. We want to help others, but we do not always have the time. There are two solutions that I have found to be easy and require little time. The first solution provides an easy way to send an inspirational message to a friend, family member or co-worker. First, pick a topic from the list below and select the link. Look at … [Read more...]
Effort or Talent—What’s More Important?
“I was blessed to have talent, but I worked as if I had none.” Kobe Bryant In a past interview, many years before his untimely passing, Kobe Bryant mentioned that since he was 15 years old, he had wanted to be remembered as a talented overachiever. There is no question about his talent on the basketball court. He goes down as one of the best in his sport. He is in the category of the best of the best. When we look at professional sports figures like Kobe, we may wish that we had been born … [Read more...]
Build A Bright Future One Thought at a Time
“Change your thoughts and you can change the world.” Dr. Norman Vincent Peale After noteworthy praise and introduction from a guest school official, our Downtown Rotary Club high school honoree gives a short inspiring presentation to our luncheon gathering at the Battle House in Mobile, Alabama. She wisely incorporates our club motto of ‘Service above Self’ in her speech. Her comments about the butterfly effect get my immediate attention. Have you heard of this concept? The idea is that a … [Read more...]
Productivity is Correlated with Making Your Bed Each Morning
“All of our life is but a mass of small habits – practical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual – that bear us irresistibly towards our destiny.” William James, M.D. Some goals I have set out to reach have not been achieved. Have you had a similar experience? What gets in the way? Bad habits are sometimes the root cause. Some activities which can become bad habits: Overeating, which can lead to being overweight; Drinking too much, which can interfere with every area of life; … [Read more...]
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