C.A.R.E. to be an Ally

For Hanumas (i.e., Hanukah + Christmas) last year, my wife gave me a 1st edition copy of The Princess Bride. If we’ve been riding together for a bit, you know that it was an awesome-sauce gift, and you’ve probably caught on that my favorite line from the movie is, “Have fun storming the castle.”

The two-minute scene that leads to Miracle Max’s words of encouragement is an alchemy of self-doubt, togetherness, resilience, and true love, which is the one thing you can’t deny.

Another one of my favorite lines comes from Inigo Montoya, and if you are familiar with the movie, it’s not the one that just popped into your head. It comes at the very end of the movie when he says, “I’ve been in the revenge business so long, now that it is over, I don’t know what to do with the rest of my life.”

It happens to be Mandy Patinkin’s, the actor who plays Inigo, favorite line because he feels, as do I, that revenge is “completely worthless and pointless…the purpose of existence is to embrace our fellow human being.”

But I also love it because it speaks to how we can change when our aperture widens even after doing it one way, as Inigo puts it, for “so long.”

This week’s video is about what we need to change today. It’s a fundamental shift to help us embrace each other and create a better tomorrow for all.

I hope you will hit the save button for yourself and the share button so others can benefit from this week’s Shift Tip.

Until next week, remember to pause, breathe and reflect to help you become a better ally, and, of course, have fun storming the castle!

Michael

p.s., Through today, with every Pause, Breathe, and Reflect purchase, we are donating $10 to The American Red Cross to help those impacted by the winter storms. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. It will make for a beautiful donation tomorrow.

p.s.s., For those on Clubhouse, I will be hosting three conversations this week. 1) March 1st DE&I: Is it a core value or a bolt-on? 2) March 2nd Kintsugi: Stories of Resilience and 3) March 5th, Pause Breathe Reflect to end the week.