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"It's
not whether you get knocked down,
it's whether you get up."
- Vince Lombardi -
 PR Blog
Topics
Recent entries posted on our blog, Public Relations Insights,
include:
An All-Too-Real Reminder on the Importance
of Maintaining Perspective
 by
Frank Williams, President
Nearly two months ago I wrote a blog entry
on the importance of maintaining perspective. In the opening
paragraph of that entry, I said "It is often all too easy to get so
caught up in business -- in the "rat race" -- that we forget what is
truly important. I just found out this morning that my family is facing
the kind of situation that puts it all back into perspective: a loved
one was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer."
In that May 16 post I did not identify the loved one who had been
diagnosed with cancer. She was my mother, and she passed from this life
into the next on Wednesday, July 4, 2007. We buried her this Saturday.
The experiences of the past two weeks have given me an all-too-real
reminder of what is and is not truly important in this world. It is
important to remember that our businesses and jobs should be tools to
help us live better lives -- they should not be ends unto themselves.
Over the past two weeks, my business has served as a tool to enable me
to be there for my family. Over the past two weeks, my family was what
mattered -- period. I consider it an honor to have been able to be there
for my family during this time, and I take comfort in the knowledge that
my mother is now in a better place as a result of her faith in Christ.
A REMINDER FROM THE MAY 16 ENTRY:
"I write this entry to encourage all of us to remember what is all too
real to me at this moment: we should never allow ourselves to become so
consumed with work that we neglect the things that truly matter -- our
families and loved ones.
"My challenge to you is this: if you find yourself totally consumed by
your work, take some time to step back and evaluate what really matters.
Be careful that your work does not become the core of your identity.
"In his book,
Ordering Your Private World,
Gordon MacDonald describes William Wilberforce's approach for
maintaining perspective. As you may know, Wilberforce was a committed
Christian and member of the English parliament in the early years of the
nineteenth century. Wilberforce spent the better part of his life
pushing for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. He
eventually succeeded.
"In Ordering Your Private World,
MacDonald states that a new prime minister had taken office and that
Wilberforce was rumored to be among the candidates for a cabinet
position. MacDonald quotes Garth Lean (a Wilberforce biographer) as
saying: "It did not take long for Wilberforce to become preoccupied with
the possibility of the appointment. For days it grabbed at his conscious
mind, forcing aside everything else. By his own admission he had
'risings of ambition,' and it was crippling his soul."
"MacDonald goes on to say that there was a disciplined check and balance
in Wilberforce's life that enabled him to maintain perspective. He
quotes the aforementioned biographer as saying, "Sunday brought the
cure." To further the point, MacDonald offers the following excerpt from
Wilberforce's journal: "Blessed be to God for the day of rest and
religious occupation wherein earthly
things assume their true size." (emphasis added)
"As we go about our business, let us all resolve to keep our work in
proper perspective."
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