Geoff Steck’s

THANK GOODNESS IT’S MONDAY

TGIM #237

WE ARE BOUND

AND WE ARE BOUND

Not so long ago I had the honor of delivering the first toast at the wedding of two good friends – Julie and Jerry.

And since each was (and is) fond of both playing games and using words effectively, that gave me the opportunity to stand up at the microphone with the wedding band behind me and recall a bit of verbal sparring that would occasionally take place when friends and family gathered. For example –

The challenge: Think of a word that can mean the opposite of itself; a word with two generally accepted meanings that contradict each other.

One easy-to-think-of one comes from slang usage.

Cool – definition: Frosty. “She was cool to the idea.”

Cool – definition: Hot! “Wow! She was a really, really cool chick.”

Or how about:

Fast – Moving rapidly. “Fast track.” “You got here fast.”

Or the opposite “fast” that is, fixed in position: “Hold fast, help is on the way.”

And one more:

Original – something creative or new. “That’s an original idea.”

Vs. Original in the sense of plain or unchanged, as in “the original flavor.”

Got it? Good. So did the wedding guests although, by this time they were wondering where this all was heading.

You too? To find out – and how it relates to today’s Martin Luther King observance and gives us a TGIM Takeaway

Contronyms. That’s what these self-contradicting words are called.

And, as I got around to making the toast, there’s one, I said, that was particularly appropriate for the couple and their wedding day:

BOUND

Bound together. Two people who have found each other, and know each other and love each other and choose to be interlocked, secure, united. Two families, joined. Bound.

And the opposite meaning: Be in motion. Move toward something. Bound away for new, shared experiences. Bound off for a new life, together.

The Toast: “To Julie and Jerry – today bound and bound – and bounded, as in surrounded, with all the love and support of your family and friends.”

Awwww. OK. So as I stepped away from the mike the lead singer in the band said, “You know that James Taylor song?”

I do. And in retrospect it’s obvious that it influenced my thinking and toast. And it’s the glue that connects us to this Monday as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and a TGIM Takeway.

Do you? The singer/songwriter James Taylor (no relation to Eric, sorry to say) was obviously inspired by MLK Jr. and, in 1991, on the album New Moon Shine, recorded this original song that both honors and pays forward the principles that guided the hero we celebrate today.

Shed A Little Light

Let us turn our thoughts today

To Martin Luther King

And recognize that there are ties between us

All men and women

Living on the earth

Ties of hope and love

Of sister and brotherhood

That we are bound together

In our desire to see the world become

A place in which our children

Can grow free and strong

We are bound together

By the task that stands before us

And the road that lies ahead

We are bound

And we are bound …

Listen up: That’s just part of it. You can hear James Taylor sing his lyrics here.

TGIM Challenge: What do you think about its message?

TGIM Takeaway: On the national holiday in the United States that commemorates the birthday of the late Martin Luther King, it’s tempting to let his eloquence speak for itself. There’s a world of wisdom in his writings and speeches that we all can apply in the pursuit of self improvement and a Best Year Ever and a Best Life Ever for ourselves and others.

But it’s also useful to realize how he inspired others and continues to, far beyond the limited frame of the Civil Rights Movement. I was pleasantly surprised to realize how, at some level, the spirit of what we as a people now honor with a national holiday moved into popular song and worked its way into a wedding toast.

And, in the light of the recent devastating tragedy in Haiti, it also speaks to our individual obligation to all in the the human family.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: We’re strong advocates of modeling the behavior of all-time greats. We talk often about carefully selecting your heroes and mentors. Who’s your Guru?

Choose wisely. Once again, in 2010, we are bound and we are bound.

Sisters and brothers, I hope you are as well.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction…. The chain reaction of evil – hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars – must be broken, or we will be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation. MLK Jr. said that in his book Strength To Love.

P.P.S. Who’s your Guru? Want to know more about proven-in- action ways to Model Your Mentors to Accelerate Your Success? It’s part of the Best Year Ever program.  Click HERE.

GEOFF STECK leads Alexander Publishing & Marketing, a company he formed in 1986. The core AP&M mission: To create and publish leadership, sales mastery, self-improvement and workplace skill-building resources and tools. The focus: Areas such as business communication, staff support, customer care and frontline management. Geoff also puts his corporate and entrepreneurial experience, independent perspective, and skills as a catalyst to work for other firms (ranging from multinational corporations to more modest operations), not-for-profits, and individuals who have conceived or developed programs or initiatives but are frustrated in getting them implemented.

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