Stephen H Baum Leadership

In my earlier note — Facing Your Fears (commenting on the eulogy of Dr. Albert Ellis who founded a field of action-driving psychology) — I urged you to create your own shaping experiences if serendipity did not present them to you. 

Today’s NYTimes carries a wonderful article by Tyler Kepner about the father of New York Yankees pitcher, Joba Chamberlin. It attributes Joba’s success to a life philosophy learned by observing his most influential role model: Harlan Chamberlin. 

Harlan’s left side was devastated by polio two years before the famous vaccine became available. Did it confine him to a passive life? By no means. Says Joba about his father: “He’s never questioned or asked ‘why me?’ He’s been given what he’s been given and just takes it and runs.”

You are in charge of your own personal growth as a leader and as a person. So, just take what you’ve been given and run. Do as Albert Ellis did to overcome his fear of speaking with strangers: create the experiment and face your fears. For more detail, see my blog about this of August 5, 2007.