www.spiritsavvy.net
4spirit@gmail.com
Raised on a dairy farm in the hill country of central Pennsylvania, I stuttered and was introverted. Going to school was a traumatizing, fearful experience. In first grade I was in the slow group. All through school I slowly moved up the pack. Getting into college by the skin of my teeth, having to take the remedial English program, I started at the back of the pack and again slowly moved up the ranks. Then I talked my way into graduate school, again at the back of the pack. Ironically, I completed my graduate program as the top student and was nominated to receive a national merit scholarship in my field.
This pattern seems to have followed me throughout my life. Wherever I was deficient I eventually turned it around to be advanced in that area. If you keep playing hard even when all seems bleak, things eventually turn and go your way. I believe in people, because I know anything is possible for those who keep fighting on in spite of adverse circumstances.
This has shaped my attitude in life in a significant way. Although sure of my abilities, I prefer to present myself in a humble way. As a stutterer, I understand embarrassment in groups. I never put someone in a bad light in front of others. With a degree in speech and theater, I have learned how to face fear and press through it.
My educational background includes psychology, broadcast communications, educational communication and educational administration. Several times I had to fight just to be accepted in a program… start dead last then end up at the front of the pack.
Coming into a company as a person of little notoriety, in five years I was voted by a group of 700 employees to represent them to the company leadership in employee wishes and desires. I believe in each individual’s right for pursuit of happiness. Whether in a corporate setting or the free market sector, each person should be availed their right to pursue life wishes as they desire. Consequently, I avoid judging and seek to understand and accept differences in people. I try to adjust to them as compared to having them adjust to me.
Over the decade of the 90's I’ve studied business development and personal dynamics in life. I was fortunate to have one of the leading practitioners in Spiritual living as a personal mentor—the late Dr. J. Robert Ashcroft. I enjoy entrepreneurism, pioneering new ideas, and bringing new ideas into being. I understand the real struggles of business and those involved in them. Within struggles we learn the secrets that propel us to greatness…the skills we need to lead and charge forth leading the pack.
In 2005 I launched the Spirit Savvy Business. Reading bestselling business books, creating summaries, adding Spiritual Principles, has created a distinctively dynamic system to build entrepreneur enterprise with a strong Spiritual punch. It's my belief this will completely revolutionize a society when given a chance to be integrated in the marketplace. A business with Bible studies, prayer meetings will become common. Many will use a business as a vehicle to build the Kingdom of God in the marketplace which will transform our society. It's a potent Spiritual force that will bring us to a time when the Kingdom of Heaven will be brought to earth, and function on earth the way it is in Heaven.
This vision was birthed decades ago and it was initiated after I went through a severe business failure in mid 2000's. My resources to start it included a library card and a Barnes and Noble coffee shop. The Spirit Savvy Biz blog began publishing biz book summaries each month; the Spirit-based Entrepreneur program was constructed to fire up the marketplace... Spiritual excellence with business excellence. Another in-the-making remarkable move coming from way back. This time bringing renewal to America. And again is happening... wider and deeper than before. Forming as the most remarkable move from the back of the pack in my life.
More on this thrust happening in my contribution years at:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/
Life for me has been a repeating scenario of coming from the back of the pack, so I have an unwavering faith in people and their ability to handle what they face regardless of how challenging it may be. It is within all of us to exceed our past accomplishments and keep improving no matter how well we may be doing. We should always focus on getting better and beating our own best record… and view set backs as unique opportunities in disguise.
My value system upholds personal excellence, but not with arrogance;
being persistent but not overbearing;
striving to be the best but not by putting others down;
when successful give the credit to all involved;
be quick to forgive and overlook others faults
and focus more on what I need to be doing to fix a problem.
Criticizing accomplishes very little,
but encouraging, praising and complimenting people on their gifts get greater results.
"Be bold, be strong for the Lord your God is with you." (Joshua 1)
2 comments:
I like it, Dale. There is more than a little something to the idea that we should opt not for the best seat at the table, but for the least, thereby opening the possibility of others seeing not our positional authority but the intrinsic goodness in us. Jesus encouraged us in that direction, to be sure.
The other point (that I think underlies your train of thought here) is that it is not our dominance that will guarantee our success, but our weakness, as it's not our success at all, but the success of the Spirit that is in us, from whatever source that spirit derives.
Ever notice that God used the miserable failures in the old days to demonstrate His greatness? Who would have noticed that greatness had Abraham, Moses, and the gang been irresistible in their own rite? Assuming a posture of Intellectual and Spiritual Humility even relieves us of having to be perfect in ourselves, although we may strive toward that end.
Nice Bio. And it was nice to finally break the ice and speak with you this morning at Panera. I look forward to digging into the insights hidden in this Blog.
My Blog, by the way, is basiclawprof.com. But I certainly not be offended if you with to delete this sentence from my post--I have no desire to advertise, merely to visit with a new friend.
I am intrigued with your bio and the first comment left for you. You and the person that left the comment are inspiring and I want to be a part of this move you are making. Thank you for allowing me to take part as a client of Spirit Savvy. I enjoy your blog very much.
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