After 9/11, Americans came together. Now we're fractured by media and partisan anger. The speaker argues that being your best self means being a good citizen: serving your community, modeling disagreement that doesn't destroy, and working toward the common good.
And today is a kind of a different show because it's a. An important day. So 19 years ago, as many of us here in the US remember, was the 911 attacks. And, you know, I just wanted to do a quick video, just kind of talking about, you know, when we remember today, because when we remember today, we should remember not just the tragedy, but how everyone came together, how everyone was really had this sense of we're in it together and, you know, how it changed a lot of things and how. I think in today's world, we've really forgotten a lot about who we are as a country. So that's why that's different. Not to get super political, but just to kind of honor, you know, all in the face of huge tragedy. The history of the United States is usually rallying, doing what needs to get done, to move forward, to take leadership in the world, to take leadership at home and get things done. And, you know, and most importantly, too, to protect our democracy. So if we're talking about in the context of high performance, you know, we constantly are saying, you need to be your best version of you. One big part of that for me is to be the best citizen you can. If you're here in the U.S. i think, you know, being the best citizen wherever you are is a good message too. So if you're out of the country, then fine. But here in the US to be a good citizen, to be a good steward of this thing that we all share in, that we all have together. So how do you do that? And that's a big question, but we've forgotten that. And, you know, instead we're, you know, you know, judging and virtually hating on each other in the same country, our fellow citizens, based on what they look like, where they live, what type of media bias they subscribe to, all these things that weaken us in a very dramatic way. And, you know, as soon as, if you're thinking, well, I know that's true, but it's because of. That's the behavior I'm talking about. It's not me, it's everyone else that's doing it, or it's other people, so we'll put blame so we don't have to do the work. You know, I've been guilty of this. I'm sure everyone here at some point has been guilty of thinking they have it right and trying to prove somebody else wrong. But this whole idea that there's different sides in this idea called America is ridiculous. It, you know, we all want to provide for our families. We all want the country to be prosperous. We all want people to be safe and fed and, you know, not drawn into the criminal element of, you know, human nature. You know, it aspires to us being our best selves and to lead by example. And that is what I think we've forgotten, is to lead through example on how we want the country to be, how we want to treat. Be treated by treating others in that same way. So. And ultimately, since this is a topic on high performance, one of the biggest motivators I've found in my coaching clients and the people that I interact with in this world of high performance is that service is the highest ideal for democracy. And that service, you know, to help people, when, you know, the planes had crashed in New York, to go out there and, you know, go through rubble, the first responders, that active service is the spirit of the US in my opinion. So how do. So the questions I have for you then are, you know, how have you been trying to get more perfect as an imperfect human? Because I think we all have flaws, we all have blind spots. We all are trying to puzzle this, and this is just rhetorical. I don't have any points on how to, like, figure this out, but it's the stuff that I think about. And then, you know, have you promoted the idea of being a good Stewart citizen of this democracy and acted in a way that you're proud when it comes to winning people over and disagreeing, disagreement is totally fine, but how you do it in a way that is not contributing to divisiveness towards hitting a group of people based on political party affiliation, which is probably one of the bigger ones nowadays, surprisingly. And have you modeled civic duty in your community? Well, and if I'm honest, I don't think I have in my life been super vocal about my beliefs or have dedicated enough time to causes that are near and dear to me. So I'm currently constantly having that conversation now as we find ourselves in a very contentious campaign season. So, yeah, those are the questions that I'm thinking about. I know that whatever the answer is for you, it will require you to be a better citizen, to be a better person. So I hope you think about that today as we go into the weekend, because we need to come together. We have a lot of really big things that we're facing as a country, whether we acknowledge it or not, whether we acknowledge that we're in it together or not. Because, you know, this is the second day in a row where it's extremely toxic to go outside here in California and If you've seen the news, it's not an exaggeration with how crazy, apocalyptic it looks. So we have some climate things that we're going to need to address. And you can see it, right? It's not people just talking about it. Like we can see this. And the idea of pulling together to help the people here in the west coast deal with it. You know, the hurricanes in the southeast, all the other things like, and I'm sure that that's just a little bit. It's not all encompassing of all the different things that are going on right now, just in natural disaster land or so. Yeah. Come together, help each other out, you know, find that piece of service that's worth it, you know, not just to you, but for our, you know, defending our joint system of governance. Because I think we need more engagement in that. So that's my message today. Be a better person, be a good citizen, you know, go out there and help other people. That's the simple summary version of it. So I hope you're thinking about that. I hope you're able to go out and do that and I'll see you guys next week, hopefully when we can go outside or something. Any case, hope you're well and I'll talk to you guys next week. Take care.
