Riding Out Life's Tsunamis

by Rubel Shelly


It has been over a month now since a powerful magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan. The confirmed death toll is over 13,000 and continues to rise. In the midst of all the horror stories are occasional heroic tales of survival and rescue. One of the most fascinating is that of Susumu Sugawara.

The 64-year-old Sugawara is the owner-operator of a small boat named "Sunflower." After the massive earthquake and in view of the tsunami warnings being broadcast, he had to make a quick decision. Should he head for high ground on his island of Oshima? Should he put his boat to sea and try to ride out the fury? His chose to launch his boat and head for deep water offshore.

"I knew if I didn't save my boat," he told a CNN reporter, "my island would be isolated and in trouble." So he ran to his 42-year-old craft that can hold about 20 people at a time and went full-throttle toward the deadly waves that would kill people whose names and faces he knew. Then he saw the wall of water.

Accustomed to waves ten to twelve feet high, this one was fully 50 to 60 feet high. Sugawara knew that he and his boat could easily wind up at the bottom of the sea. He drove straight for it - "climbing the wave like a mountain," as he put it. And the mountain seemed only to grow bigger and bigger. There was a huge crash of water over him. Only then could he see the horizon. He had survived!

Sugawara made his way back to his now-devastated Oshima. For the month since, he has been a lifeline by making hourly trips to the mainland to ferry people and supplies. If people can help pay for gasoline, he accepts money. If they have lost everything and can pay nothing, he still welcomes them aboard.

I'm no sailor or boat captain. I don't know if the Japanese captain made the reasonable and right decision on that fateful day. I can only report and rejoice at the outcome. He lived through the ordeal and is helping others with a sense of sensitivity to their suffering the rest of us can only admire from a distance.

Here is the lesson from this story for me: Against my hesitation and fear, it makes more sense to ride into the teeth of life's challenges than to run away.

There is a cash-flow crisis. There is an unexpected problem with a product. A major supplier has failed, or a major customer has bailed. Some executives kick into denial mode or ball up in a fetal position. Their companies fail. Leaders steer right into the problem and act with integrity to name and face the problem.

Or maybe the problem is far more serious. A spouse says the marriage is over. The police or hospital calls with a parent's worst nightmare about an arrest or accident. Maybe you get a diagnosis that sounds like a death sentence. Do you run and hide? Self-medicate with drugs or alcohol? Or do you steer into the teeth of the storm and pray for courage you have never had to display before?

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face," said Eleanor Roosevelt. "You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next one that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

About Rubel Shelly:

Rubel Shelly is a Preacher and Professor of Religion and Philosophy located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. In addition to church and academic responsibilities, he has worked actively with such community projects as Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, From Nashville With Love, Metro (Nashville) Public Schools, Faith Family Medical Clinic, and Operation Andrew Ministries. To learn more about Rubel please go to: www.RubelShelly.com

Books

Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box
 
Strengths-Based Leadership

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You

The World Is Mine

Forgive Me When I Whine

Today, upon a bus,
I saw a girl with golden hair.
And wished I was as fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave,
I saw her hobble down the aisle.
She had one leg and wore a crutch.
But as she passed, she gave a smile.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 legs, the world is mine.

I stopped to buy some candy.
The lad who sold it had such charm.
I talked with him, he seemed so glad.
If I were late, it'd do no harm.
And as I left, he said to me,
"I thank you, you've been so kind.
It's nice to talk with folks like you.
You see," he said, "I'm blind."

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 eyes, the world is mine.

Later while walking down the street,
I saw a child with eyes of blue.
He stood and watched the others play.
He did not know what to do.
I stopped a moment and then I said,
"Why don't you join the others, dear?"

He looked ahead without a word.
And then I knew, he couldn't hear.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 ears, the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I'd go.
With eyes to see the sunset's glow.
With ears to hear what I'd know.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

                                I've been blessed indeed, the world is mine.

What Have You Accomplished?

"One of the marks of excellent people is that they never compare themselves with others. They only compare themselves with themselves and with their past accomplishments and future potential." - Brian Tracy 

 We all have accomplished certain things in our lives. Yet sometimes we do not interpret these accomplishments as positive, or we forget them and consider them unimportant.

Your past accomplishments are proof of your identity as Achiever.

Consider what you have accomplished in the different areas of your life: Academic, Career, Social, Relational, Sport, etc.

Be proud of yourself. There are many people who would look at this list and be impressed. Even if they are not impressed, they certainly would not say that you have accomplished nothing. These are the things that you have achieved, and they indicate that you will still be able to do more in your life. You are older smarter and wiser. You have the potential and you have a purpose for your life.

Expect that your future holds many more achievements.

Be all you can be!

Are You a Good Friend?

By Dr Robert Anthony


"She became for me an island of light, fun, wisdom where I could run with my discoveries and torments and hopes at any time of day and find welcome." - May Sarton

Friendship is a balm during difficult times and an added joy in times of celebration. If you are lucky enough to have people in your life who have known you for many years, then you realize that there is a special kind of kinship in being known throughout your life. If your friends know you well, they can validate how you have changed and how, after all these years, you haven't. If you have
permission in your friendships, they can remind you of your hidden talents and encourage you to take the chances you shy away from.

Having a good friend is also about being one. A balanced friendship is seldom 50/50 all the time. Sometimes one person needs more than another for a while and then it switches around.  However, a healthy friendship is not about one person continually being dependent on another.  As you find yourself higher on the Levels of Awareness you may find that your friendships change. The people you were close to in the Victim/Struggle Level are seldom the same
people you want to hang out with when you are in Deliberate Creation.

Notice today how you are a good friend. Are there ways that you could be an even better friend? That might be an interesting conversation to share with a friend you care about.

"There's a special kind of freedom friends enjoy. Freedom to share innermost thoughts, to ask a favor, to show their true feelings. The freedom to simply be themselves." - Unknown

Books:

The Secret of Frienship (The Wizard of the Magic Road)

How to Be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving

Why Can't You Read My Mind? Overcoming the 9 Toxic Thought Patterns that Get in the Way of a Loving Relationship

Who Decides Your Limits?

'All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.'  - John F. Kennedy

We all have talents. Some people are more talented than others, but each of us have talents unique to us. 

Yet many of us don’t even know what talents we have. Bullies or jealous peers may have made comments putting us down. Well meaning (or not so well meaning) adults may have told us to “be realistic” and that what you’re dreaming is “impossible.” 

Who decides what you can or cannot do? Who decides your abilities, your limits?
Who is right? Who is wrong? Can anyone see all of your potential?

Discard the beliefs that others have convinced you of. They do not know what you can and cannot do.

If you can dream it, you can do it. You won’t have a strong desire to do anything that you are not able to do. Everything you need to succeed is already within you.

Reach out and take old of your dream today. Decide to go for it. Go ahead, be all you can be.

Books:

Achieve Your Unlimited Potential And Create Boundless Possibilities