Measuring Up: Taking Stock of Yourself

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
-Winston Churchill

     What do you do when you get those occasional feelings that your life hasn't amounted to much? Maybe you're the exception and none of this applies to you. But most of us go through it sometime. You think about the car you drive or the home you live in and wonder what it would be like if you'd studied a little harder in high school and gone on to Vanderbilt or Georgetown with a scholarship. Perhaps you think you haven't been a good provider for your family, thanks to your choice of careers, and your "retirement" is a topic you stopped pondering years ago. You're a leader, but how many people actually follow you? (How many people in EMS have even heard of you?)

     Answer: It's actually okay for you not to know how much of a difference your life makes. I think it keeps you humble. Maybe it's better to keep on trying to make the world a better place, day after day, and never give up.

     There was a great feature story recently in the sports section of a metropolitan newspaper about an old man named John Wooden. At age 96, he lives alone with his mementos in a tiny beige apartment in California's San Fernando Valley. If you know sports, you probably know that John Wooden was the coach who guided UCLA to 10 NCAA basketball championships, and who mentored the likes of Bill Walton, Marques Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. (In case you're not a roundball fan, they were really special.)

     You may not recall Wooden marching with his students against a war in Vietnam, but he did that, too. (Lots of people considered him "un-American" for that.) In fact, it's Wooden the leader, not the teacher, whom many people recall in these leaderless times. He seems quite content with his modest means and at peace with himself and the gifts he still shares with others.

     Chances are, you've had wealthy people in that ambulance of yours, and maybe a few powerful people. Did they seem happy or at peace? My experience has been anything but that. There's a lot more to life than making a ton of money and a big name for yourself. For a leader, I think it's helping others become who they were born to be (even if no one ever attributes their growth to you).

     I learned that from Mr. Wooden years ago, although I've never actually met the man. In fact, I'm still learning from him. You can, too. It turns out he maintains a website at www.coachwooden.com. I think it's worthy of your attention.

Thom Dick is currently the quality care coordinator for Platte Valley Ambulance Service, a community-owned, hospital-based 9-1-1 provider in Brighton, CO. Contact him at boxcar_414@yahoo.com.