Lifesaver

In my line of work, it is not uncommon to receive phone calls at odd hours that relate to something happening at the Y. Most often, it is a broken pipe, an angry member, or an absent staff person. A couple of weeks ago, I received a call that was very different.

I actually missed the call, but picked up my mobile just moments later and checked the voicemail. The message said" Derek- a member has collapsed on a treadmill, one of our staff is administering CPR, and 911 has been called."

So, here is the story: One of our long-time members had just completed his workout on a treadmill and was headed to get some gym-wipes to wipe down the machine. He collapsed in front of the treadmill. One of our key-staff heard the noise, and quickly went to investigate. He found the member conscious, but unresponsive. The member seized up and then became completely unresponsive.

Our staff person opened the member's airway, checked for breathing and pulse, and began CPR. Another staff member brought our AED to the scene of the incident. After the AED pads were applied to the member's chest, the AED attempted to find a pulse, and, when none was found, advised our staff member to administer a shock.

After the shock was administered, the AED assessed the patient again, and determined that a pulse was again present. paramedics arrived, stabilized the member, and took him to the hospital.

The member had surgery on Saturday, and a stent was inserted into the main artery leading to his heart. The doctor's described the artery as being 90% blocked, and said that they commonly refer to said artery as "the widow-maker", as heart attacks that result from blockage in that artery are most often fatal.

The member was released from the hospital on Monday, and on Tuesday, just 5 short days after the incident, he stood in my office, thanking the YMCA for saving his life...

I am very proud of my staff member and team members that make our YMCA a great place to be. In this instance, not only was the Y able to improve a life, but actually save one...

offense vs. defense

I am attending a YMCA USA Program Development Session this week. So, while thinking in terms of sports, I made a loose connection between sports and life strategy. It seems like we spend most of our lives playing defense. We defend our families, our values, our jobs, our friends, and our belief systems. Can we ever really achieve our goals if we do not play offense? Offense allows for strategy, goal setting and achievement, and ultimately victory. However, offense also involves risk. One must challenge the defense, enter the opponent's territory, and attempt to "score". It requires energy, skill, strategy, and purpose.

Society encourages us to continue to play defense. Defense is safe. We must protect our thinking, our kids (who, by the way, have never been safer than now), our property etc.

Offense allows us to get to the "good stuff". New opportunities (personal and professional), growth, and achievement of goals.

Making the change from defense to offense requires a major shift in thinking. We have to quit being so safe, and take some risks.

So, how do we make the change?

half way over?

As a general rule, I am not a birthday broadcaster. I know plenty of folk that announce their birthdays months in advance, celebrate birthday months etc. Nothing wrong with that, but it is simply not me. I am usually happy letting my birthday come and go without much hoopla. Ideal birthday for me: some quality time with my wife and son. Leave the cake, parties, etc for someone else.

So, I am way out of my comfort zone as I write this blog, but wanted to comment on something that happened on my birthday this year.

Maybe you are like me in that a birthday represents an open season for you friends to rib you about your age etc. (maybe I need new friends...) This year, I received an email on the blackberry at 7:15 a.m. on the birthday. My "friend" wrote: "Happy Birthday. Almost 40 - your life is half way over - enjoy your day." Hmmm. Half way over?

Well, If life is halfway over, then what had I accomplished in the first half? Is it truly even worth pondering, or is my time better used thinking about what I can accomplish in the second half? (there is a Tim McGraw song in here somewhere...)

So, the next half to do list:

• Raise my son (soon to be sons) to be the best men that they can be.
• Work hard to make sure that my marriage is solid and not boring. Make sure that my wife and I continue to grow as a couple.
• Pursue professional growth opportunities to not only spur my own growth, but, more importantly, allow for my family to be well provided for.
• Get active again. While I still can.
• Reconnect with friends that I have become too distant from.

I'm sure that this list will grow and evolve (after all, it is 4 a.m. - how clear can my thinking be?)

Half way over? Maybe. Disappointed to be on the back-9? Nope.

Spirit of Service

This Saturday, the Lakewood Service League will host their Annual Walk, Wag and Run Event ( http://www.lakewoodserviceleague.org/walkwagrun/) at Winfrey Point at White Rock Lake. The YMCA at White Rock is one of two beneficiaries of the event.

The Y is quite thankful to be a part of such a great event. There is lots of synergy between the event and the Y, as the event promotes wellness, family time, and community support.

The Lakewood Service League is a Women's League in East Dallas that has been supporting local charities since 1982. The leagues tremendous work over the past quarter-century has greatly benefited many organizations in East Dallas, including the Y.

So, I ask the question: "What is one's motivation to serve?" When I think about personal motivation, I tend to think in terms of personal benefit. I think that all of us tend to think about the personal recognition that we might receive, the financial benefit of a behavior, etc. But what motivates one to work hard to create an event (such as walk, wag and run) that is selfless?

More importantly, how can we create an environment where a spirit of service becomes a social norm?

I had an interesting discussion with a colleague lately about family philanthropy. The premise was that adults find motivations to give. It could be that they want / need to give back, or it could be a simple as the desire to get a tax deduction, but, nonetheless, they give. Kids, on the other hand, may not understand the value in giving. So, the question was, how do we create a family philanthropic model that teaches kids the importance of giving back?

What language do we use to illustrate the importance of community support through charitable giving and service to others. How do we motivate others (kids and adults) to provide service to to others when there may be little personal gain from such an act?

And, for me, how do I raise my kids in such a way that they value service to others?

I think that there are some simple answers to these questions, including: leading by example and reinforcement of moral codes found in religion, but I believe that there has to be more.

This weekend, several dozen women will give their time to create an event that will greatly benefit our community. They understand the power of selfless acts and community support. Somewhere along the line, a valuable lesson was learned by each of the members of the Lakewood Service League. How do we bottle those learnings and replicate for the next generation?

Lifestations...

I attended my 20 year HS reunion a couple of weeks ago...or should I say I attended part of it. Seeing everyone 20 years later led to some interesting thought about lifestations. I remember attending my 10 year reunion, and feeling a bit the way I did in high school. At that reunion, several of the guys get together beforehand, drank far too much, and spent most of the night in the corner critiquing old classmates. I suppose that a 10 year reunion may still be a bit too close to one's high school years. It may be too early to tell how someone is going to turn out. I think about what was going on in my life at the tender age of 28, and I was far from finished "cooking". But, alas, 38! At this point, (theoretically), one has been on a career path for a fair amount of time, most likely has started a family (or intentionally chosen not to), and hopefully has moved out of their parents' basement. It was really good to see how people had turned out. All of the high school (and post high school) bs seemed to be gone. Many people went down paths that were somewhat unexpected, but, all in all, people seemed happy. I recognize that I am biased, but I believe that our class had aged very well. People looked happy and healthy. People had very "settled" looks on their faces. It's was as if their messaging was "this is the path I've chosen, I put my past behind me, and the true me is now here to stay". Very different from the "who is hot, and who is not" mentality of the 10 year reunion.

So, the obvious question is: "how will people change over the next 10 years?" I look at my path, and things on the horizon, and try to forecast what 10 years from now might look like. Our son, Griffin, will be entering middle school. His younger brother (due in March), will be 9. From a career perspective, there is a good chance that we will be somewhere other than the Metroplex (nothing currently in the works, but a long-term possibility).

And the obvious: I will be a little fatter, a little balder, a little grayer etc. But, I would guess, a little happier too. Not that I am unhappy now. Actually, quite the contrary. But, it will be a true joy to watch my boys grow up.

Its interesting to see paradigms change as we mature. Here I am, at 4:18 in the morning, commenting on the evolution of my family over the next ten years. 10 years ago, I would have only commented on who was hot 10 years after high school...

Thermometer or Thermostat?

I recently finished the book "Tribes" by Seth Godin. If you are not familiar with Seth, he has great insight into marketing and customer relations. He also has a great blog that is worth subscribing to. One of the concepts that he shared in the book was insightful to me...so I will share it with you. As Seth explains, people have a tendency to fall into two categories, thermometers and thermostats. thermometers do little more than report on current conditions, oftentimes complaining that it is too hot or too cold. Thermostats, on the other hand, change the internal conditions, regardless of the external conditions. Insightful, I thought. So, how do we ensure that we are, in fact thermostats, and how do we coach others to be the same?

Define Vision, Plan, Execute, Reflect

I had the opportunity to catch up with an old friend over the weekend. Maybe you have a friend like this friend. A friend that inspires, energizes, and motivates. Not that anything "magical" is said, only that vision, passion and energy permeate the entire conversation. Ideas are shared freely, plans for future endeavors are discussed, and truly, no idea is a bad idea. This particular conversation was about the YMCA movement, including career pathing, the Y's relevance in today's society, the culture shift as the Y moves from an organization led by baby boomers to an organization led by Gen X'ers, and the opportunities for the Y to use new tools to engage those who may not have a relationship with the organization.

However, this conversation led to some interesting thought afterward. How do great people (leaders) define their vision? Once the vision is created, how does one plan, and, finally, execute?

I have two young guys that work at our Y. Last week, they were in our lobby, with their bicycles, preparing for what appeared to be a long ride. So, I asked the question...What are you guys doing? They explained that they were about to hit the road, on their bicycles, to ride to Galveston. WHAT????

The Vision: two brothers want to accomplish a great feat.

The Plan: Ride approximately 100 per day. Each night, they will stop and camp, or stay with a friend. Maps were created to keep them off of dangerous highways and to map out where they would stay the night.

The Execution: They hit the road, worked their plan, and updated their supporters via facebook and twitter along the way.

The Reflection: I am not sure if these guys have spent anytime reflecting yet (believe me - I will ask), but I have spent some time thinking about the process.

These guys created a lofty goal (their vision), and had the ability to make it a reality.

In life, we all have (or should have) a vision of where we want ot go. maybe it is Galveston on our bikes, or maybe it is a job that we would like to have. The issue is that we don't formulate good plans. We find lots of excuses. Comfort Zones, Finances, Kids, Family, Fear of Risk, etc.

So, how do we overcome? How do we simply hop on our bike?

Griffin is almost 1 year old. Time to get a job kid.

This blogging experiment is brought to you by the faulty plumbing at the Y. I received a call at 11:30 p.m. tonight from the cleaning crew alerting me to the fact that our building was flooded. Fortunately, the crew was kind enough to call the city, the plumber, and the restoration folk prior to my arrival. It is now 3 a.m., the plumbing is fixed, the water is back on, and the restoration guys are working on extracting all of the water from the building. So, as I said initially, this is only an experiment. If you keep your expectations very low, I promise to meet those expectations with my incoherent rambling from time to time...