A Lesson From Honest Abe

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." ~President Abraham Lincoln, 1863

Today is the 150th anniversary of the infamous Gettysburg Address, written and delivered by President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863.  Only about 270 words, this short speech has become a part of the fabric of our culture.  Originally, spectators at the new cemetery in Gettysburg thought that the speech was amateurish.  Its length paled in comparison to the speech delivered prior to it by Edward Everett which lasted over 2 hours.  But Lincoln’s speech is the one that has lasted throughout the ages.  Upon hearing Lincoln’s speech, Everett stated "I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes".  The Gettysburg Address shows us the power of words.  The reason that Lincoln’s speech could be so brief is because every word and every phrase was strategically chosen to reflect the thoughts of the speaker. 

When giving a speech, people often think that more is better.  But taking advice from Charmin, many times “less is more”.   Speeches are given for many different purposes.  When you really want to inspire your audience and ensure that they remember your points, shorter is often better.  The ability to clearly communicate is one of the most important skills of leadership.

There are several points we can garner from the Gettysburg Address:
1. Choose your words carefully to ensure that your thoughts are clearly stated and memorable.
2. Remove fluff from your speeches when your desire is to make a clear statement. Carefully choose your words the first time so that you can eliminate repetition without reducing the impact of your speech.
3. When you possess a clear set of principles and act on those principles, your words possess more meaning because even when you say less, people can look back at your record and the foundation you stand upon and know that what you say is what you believe.  When people don’t know you and trust you, you often have to include more supporting information in your speech in order to establish repport with your audience.  By 1863, citizens overall knew what to expect from “Honest Abe”.

Lincoln showcased these speech writing skills in other speeches as well. His second inaugural address was only 700 words and is one of the most referenced inaugural speeches.  For comparison, President Obama's second inaugural address was 2,114 words!  As we celebrate the Gettysburg Address, I encourage you to listen to a recitation of the speech. Read the words for yourself and observe how amazing this short speech really is.  Take some tips from President Abraham Lincoln and apply his speech writing tips to your next speech.  If you do, I know I will see you on the highway to success.

Where Are You Going?

"Lack of direction, not lack of time is the problem.  We all have twenty-four hour days." ~Zig Ziglar

I heard a great speech by Bishop T.D. Jakes on the radio this week that really made me stop and think about a few things.  Humans are notorious for constantly being on the move.  Most of us travel thousands of miles each year by train, automobile, plane, you name it.  Many of us are multi-taskers and we juggle many things at once just so that we can save time.  It seems that we are always building bigger and better mechanisms that help us to complete tasks faster and get to the next place quicker.  We are constantly moving in an effort to get somewhere.  I agree with Bishop Jakes in that while we are constantly on the move, we often lose sight of where we are trying to get to. 

 

Life is short and tomorrow isn’t promised.  We don’t have time to invest in things that hold us back and distract us from our life goals.  Now don’t get me wrong.  Taking time out to have fun and just enjoy life is great.  But we should make an effort to delete things from our lives that keep us from moving forward (you know what those things are for you personally).  I have come to realize that I waste too much time on petty things when I could be using that time to pursue my passions.  I know that I could be making a positive impact on more people with the time that I give to other things such as television, Facebook, and sleeping in.  H. Jackson Brown Jr., tells us not to “say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”  Zig Ziglar once said that “lack of direction, not lack of time is the problem.  We all have twenty-four hour days.” 

 

From time to time as you are moving from place to place, think about your direction in life and how each individual experience moves you toward fulfilling your goals in life.  If you truly want to make a positive impact on the world and fulfill your vision as the leaders above have, you must strive to manage your time in a way that supports your vision.  Sometimes while driving on the highway, we miss a road or get stuck in traffic.  Just as a GPS in your car recalibrates and makes adjustments, think of ways that you can adjust your time so that you can move forward in the direction of your goals.  If you do, I know I will see you on the highway to success!

 



What Are You Afraid Of? Be Courageous!

"The steeper the mountain, the harder the climb, the better the view from the finish line." ~Anonymous

 

Do you consider yourself to be a person of courage?  How do you define courage?  People often define courage as the absence of fear.  I define it differently.  Courage is not the absence of fear but the decision to overcome fear.  Fear has the ability to freeze you in your tracks.  Fear will keep you from following your passion and living your life’s dream.  President Franklin Roosevelt was correct when he declared “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  Courage challenges you to overcome the fear that stands in your way. 

 

We have all heard the famous Robert Frost poem “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled and that has made all the difference.”  Oftentimes, courage is trying something new or doing something that those around you have never done before.  The road less traveled may be challenging at times.  A quote by an anonymous person states, “The steeper the mountain, the harder the climb, the better the view from the finish line.”  If you have ever lived in the mountains like me, you will understand that statement very well. 

 



Leaders should take into consideration the impact their actions make on others.  When you are courageous, you set a new standard for others to follow.  For example, in my home community, few people have left to pursue degrees of higher education.  This summer, after I graduated with my undergraduate degree, a local man pulled me aside at a meeting and told me how proud he was of me for being different and being an example to the other youth in my home community by pursuing a degree in agriculture.  That was completely unexpected.  Oftentimes leaders influence others without even knowing it.  My mother was the first one in my family to achieve a bachelor’s degree.  All throughout my life, the expectation has been established that my sister and I both will achieve bachelor’s degrees or more.  As I pursue a master’s degree, I am setting a new standard for my future descendants. 

 

Some of the most courageous people on the planet are farmers.  Each year, they till the soil and plant their seeds.  They hope that in a few months, they will be able to harvest a crop and feed the world.  But we all know that the weather and other factors are often unpredictable.  Sometimes there is a season of flooding such as we have had here in North Carolina this year.  Sometimes there are eras when there is intense drought such as in the Midwest in 2012.  Farmers risk their livelihoods each year in order to feed the world three times a day every day.  Despite the fear of failure that may be instilled from a year of drought and flood, farmers courageously choose to plant their fields again because they know that the world depends on them for food.

 

Choose to take the road less traveled and overcome your fears with courage.  Don’t let fear hold you back from making your impact on the world.  Be courageous and I know I will see you on the highway to success!