ARTICLE
I’m a lover of humans. I know people say they’re people-lovers until they get more than enough of them. I just never seem to tire of them. I’ve met so many interesting people in my lifetime, especially during my 20-plus years at the Chamber. I’ve met former secretaries of state, governors, civil rights leaders, successful business types and just plain good people trying to build a better life and make the world a better place. It often makes me wonder, what is happiness? I’ve met wealthy people who seem miserable, financially challenged folk who seem quite happy, free spirit types who seem so at peace and successful corporate leaders who are anything but free spirits yet very content in the secure world they’ve built. I’ve met people who seem to fly under the radar and carry themselves inconspicuously, even though they’re worth millions. And I’ve met people worth far less who act, dress and seem to feel like a million bucks. There are people who love helping others and look outside themselves, and also people who are totally self-absorbed and can’t get enough of themselves or their passions. So, what have I learned about happiness? I believe most people find it to varying degrees and that it’s mostly about how we feel inside, how we view ourselves. Some are happy with what others would feel is too little. And some are discontent with what others feel is abundant. Somehow, someway, you have to find your lane, relentlessly work it and be appreciative and thankful for what you have. Having access to so many interesting and brilliant people made me really want to share some of their insight with you. I recently wrote a column with some of my favorite quotes that I picked from a few of these great leaders. So, here goes a different, perhaps comedic twist: Here are a few of my least favorite quotes; quotes that make me squirm; often recited quotes that in my mind are just plain bad advice. Because I don’t care for them and I challenge their premise, I’ll leave out the names from whom I’ve heard them in order to protect the innocent. “The devil is in the details.” What!?! The greatness is in the details. The future of a great partnership and successful venture is in the details. And frankly, in my opinion, with the exclusion of very large and/or technical deals, we worry way too much about the details. I’ve found that if you deal with successful types, people of good and caring character, you don’t need to worry about the details. Most often I find their need to achieve mutual happiness as well as success will ensure a win for both of you. “If not for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.” Did you ever notice that people who say this actually end up with bad luck? If you’re sure you have bad luck, you will. Think positive and know that “luck” will come your way. Maybe not the very next time, but if you’re patient and optimistic, good luck will not only come but more importantly, you’ll be ready to accept it. “Work hard and keep your head down.” Great advice in the 20th century. Not so much in the 21st. Things move so fast that you need to work hard and keep your head up. Take notice of who you need to impress and who will decide your future. Who is willing to support you and help you in your path to success? You’d be surprised how many really successful types will see themselves in you and be happy to mentor you. Take their advice, develop a brand of your own and work it. “Nice guys finish last.” This might be my least favorite. I know an awful lot of nice people who have finished first. In fact, I’m willing to bet most people who do well (and are happy in the process) are nice people. Not-so-nice people may achieve financial success, but they don’t seem very happy to me. Nor do they affect as many lives in a positive way as good people do. I try to pass on these tidbits to our millennials. I worry about the legacy we’ll leave them. I think every baby boomer and pre-baby boomers should make it a point to find a young person and lift them up. Understand that most young people have far more debt than we did at their age, right out of college. Newly married millennials between the ages of 25-34 have an average of $42,000 in debt, thanks to the cost of college and soaring home prices (the cost of that very first starter home is 10 times more than ours was), along with many more financial burdens. That is why many millennials choose to rent and why nearly 14 percent still live at home. That slice of the American dream that we got was far more simplistic. Most of us had nowhere to go but up and while that was challenging, it was risk free. My message to millennials is to seek out those who stand ready to help you achieve your dreams. Soak up every bit of their seasoned advice and pursue your dreams with relentless energy. You have so much ahead of you. And though now most baby boomers find themselves at the pinnacle of their American dream, they’ll tell you it was the pursuit that made life worth living. It is the setbacks they survived that made them most proud and the difficult lessons they learned that gave them wisdom. Every generation in this country had challenges yet somehow, someway comes out on top. This next generation deserves the wonderfully challenging life its predecessors lived. As each generation passes, staying on top gets harder. Let’s all work together to ensure that this next generation has a legacy as great as that of its ancestors. Tony Iannelli is president and CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at tonyi@lehighvalleychamber.org. What's being done about the doctor shortage in Pennsylvania Coal Country? Read the original article here.
I’m a lover of humans. I know people say they’re people-lovers until they get more than enough of them. I just never seem to tire of them.
I’ve met so many interesting people in my lifetime, especially during my 20-plus years at the Chamber. I’ve met former secretaries of state, governors, civil rights leaders, successful business types and just plain good people trying to build a better life and make the world a better place.
It often makes me wonder, what is happiness? I’ve met wealthy people who seem miserable, financially challenged folk who seem quite happy, free spirit types who seem so at peace and successful corporate leaders who are anything but free spirits yet very content in the secure world they’ve built.
I’ve met people who seem to fly under the radar and carry themselves inconspicuously, even though they’re worth millions. And I’ve met people worth far less who act, dress and seem to feel like a million bucks. There are people who love helping others and look outside themselves, and also people who are totally self-absorbed and can’t get enough of themselves or their passions.
So, what have I learned about happiness? I believe most people find it to varying degrees and that it’s mostly about how we feel inside, how we view ourselves. Some are happy with what others would feel is too little.
And some are discontent with what others feel is abundant. Somehow, someway, you have to find your lane, relentlessly work it and be appreciative and thankful for what you have.
Having access to so many interesting and brilliant people made me really want to share some of their insight with you. I recently wrote a column with some of my favorite quotes that I picked from a few of these great leaders.
So, here goes a different, perhaps comedic twist: Here are a few of my least favorite quotes; quotes that make me squirm; often recited quotes that in my mind are just plain bad advice. Because I don’t care for them and I challenge their premise, I’ll leave out the names from whom I’ve heard them in order to protect the innocent.
“The devil is in the details.”
What!?! The greatness is in the details. The future of a great partnership and successful venture is in the details. And frankly, in my opinion, with the exclusion of very large and/or technical deals, we worry way too much about the details. I’ve found that if you deal with successful types, people of good and caring character, you don’t need to worry about the details. Most often I find their need to achieve mutual happiness as well as success will ensure a win for both of you.
“If not for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.”
Did you ever notice that people who say this actually end up with bad luck? If you’re sure you have bad luck, you will. Think positive and know that “luck” will come your way. Maybe not the very next time, but if you’re patient and optimistic, good luck will not only come but more importantly, you’ll be ready to accept it.
“Work hard and keep your head down.”
Great advice in the 20th century. Not so much in the 21st. Things move so fast that you need to work hard and keep your head up. Take notice of who you need to impress and who will decide your future. Who is willing to support you and help you in your path to success? You’d be surprised how many really successful types will see themselves in you and be happy to mentor you. Take their advice, develop a brand of your own and work it.
“Nice guys finish last.”
This might be my least favorite. I know an awful lot of nice people who have finished first. In fact, I’m willing to bet most people who do well (and are happy in the process) are nice people. Not-so-nice people may achieve financial success, but they don’t seem very happy to me. Nor do they affect as many lives in a positive way as good people do.
I try to pass on these tidbits to our millennials. I worry about the legacy we’ll leave them.
I think every baby boomer and pre-baby boomers should make it a point to find a young person and lift them up. Understand that most young people have far more debt than we did at their age, right out of college. Newly married millennials between the ages of 25-34 have an average of $42,000 in debt, thanks to the cost of college and soaring home prices (the cost of that very first starter home is 10 times more than ours was), along with many more financial burdens.
That is why many millennials choose to rent and why nearly 14 percent still live at home. That slice of the American dream that we got was far more simplistic. Most of us had nowhere to go but up and while that was challenging, it was risk free.
My message to millennials is to seek out those who stand ready to help you achieve your dreams. Soak up every bit of their seasoned advice and pursue your dreams with relentless energy. You have so much ahead of you. And though now most baby boomers find themselves at the pinnacle of their American dream, they’ll tell you it was the pursuit that made life worth living. It is the setbacks they survived that made them most proud and the difficult lessons they learned that gave them wisdom.
Every generation in this country had challenges yet somehow, someway comes out on top. This next generation deserves the wonderfully challenging life its predecessors lived. As each generation passes, staying on top gets harder. Let’s all work together to ensure that this next generation has a legacy as great as that of its ancestors.
Tony Iannelli is president and CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at tonyi@lehighvalleychamber.org.
What's being done about the doctor shortage in Pennsylvania Coal Country? Read the original article here.