MUSINGS 2019 The 4th of July Week #3 William Dawes

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July 3, 2019

Our unsung Patriot hero today is William Dawes who, like Paul Revere, rode through villages and towns from Boston to Lexington and Concord during the same evening of April 18, 1775 (known as the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere). These men rode to alert many communities that, “The British enemy are Coming.” A map of the routes taken by each man is shown below. What is unknown is why 41-year old Paul Revere became famous and 30-year old William Dawes did not. Revere was arrested shortly after his ride ended. Dawes escaped to Lexington and a third rider, Dr. Samuel Prescott escaped to Concord. (Dr. Prescott met Revere and Dawes at Lexington.) The National Park Service map is shown here:

Perhaps the answer is found in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride” when he, in the first stanza, wrote, “Hardly a man is now alive who remembers that famous day or year.” https://poets.org/poem/paul-reveres-ride

It’s been reported that Paul Revere was a father of 16 children and William Dawes was a father to seven children. Perhaps this information was important to Poet Longfellow. Eighty-five years after the Midnight Ride, Longfellow used his imagination and literary flair as he wrote his poem in 1860. It was published in the January 1861 edition of The Atlantic Monthly.

Trying to locate more information about Paul Revere last evening, I located a timeline of his noteworthy military accomplishments. https://historyofmassachusetts.org/paul-revere-timeline/ One year after his Midnight Ride he was commissioned a Major of Infantry in the Massachusetts militia. It’s no wonder a Sons of Liberty patriot, Paul Revere, was revered by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Enjoy your Holiday tomorrow as you Choose Who You Want to be Know As.

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive Coach
http://www.wordpress.com/disclosures
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa This is a paid-for Business Account, hosted by WordPress. It is for informational purposes only and NO cookies of a viewer’s personal data are kept by the owner of the account.

Notes:
https://mentalfloss.com/article/60919/11-ordinary-people-who-did-extraordinary-things-aid-american-revolutions
https://www.history.com/news/the-midnight-ride-of-william-dawes

https://poets.org/poem/paul-reveres-ride

Paul Revere Timeline

MUSINGS During 2019 4th of July Week #1 Crispus Attucks

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Although in other things there are great distinctions of rank and birth, virtue is available to everyone. She thinks no man unworthy if only he thinks himself worthy of her. Seneca

July 1, 2019
It’s July 4th week and the colors of red, white and blue are in the neighborhoods of Chicago. There are many facts about the American Revolutionary War that we may not know and I wish to share a few of them with you over the next four days.

Many colonists became Patriots because they wanted to get out from the tyranny of British Rule. The Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770 is an example of protesting that ended in a deadly riot. It took place on Kings Street in front of the British Customs House in Boston, MA. Among the many men who died that day on the street, there were six men who were shot at close range. The first to die is believed to be Crispus Attucks, an escaped slave of African and Native American descent. At the time of his death he was known to be both a tanner and a sailor. The historical legends of this Massacre were remembered some 100 years later by the poet John Kyle O’Reilly (1844 – 1890). O’Reilly’s poem became known by his words about Crispus Attucks, “The first to defy and the first to die.” Many of the poets in the 18th Century wrote long poems, as did John Kyle O’Reilly. Here is a link to the entire poem about Crispus Attucks

https://allpoetry.com/Crispus-Attucks The last few words of the poem are:

For this, shall his vengeance change to love, and his retribution burn,
Defending the right, the weak and the poor, when each shall have his turn;
For this, shall he set his woeful past afloat on the stream of night;
For this, he forgets as we all forget when darkness turns to light;
For this, he forgives as we all forgive when wrong has changed to right.

And so, must we come to the learning of Boston’s lesson to-day;
The moral that Crispus Attucks taught in the old heroic way;
God made mankind to be one in blood, as one in spirit and thought;
And so great a boon, by a brave man’s death, is never dearly bought!
© by owner. provided at no charge for educational purposes

Choose Who You Want to be Known As this week! Enjoy.

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive Coach

Notes: (1) The above quotation is found on page 54 of, The Stoic Art of Living, Inner Resilience and Outer Results by Tom Morris (2014) Open Court Publishing Company a division of Carus Publishing Company.

2. http://www.crispusattucksmuseum.org/crispus-attucks
3, https://ramericanhistory.wordpress.com/2017/10/31/the-boston-massacre-and-crispus-attucks-the-first-to-defy-the-first-to-die/

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa This is a paid-for Business Account, hosted by WordPress. It is for informational purposes only and NO cookies of a viewer’s personal data are kept by the owner of the account.

April Reflections and PRESENCE

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This April during the last 16 days of the month, many people will be practicing their traditions of worship. It is a time of reflection of who they are, how they relate to people in their community and the world at large. Reflection takes place to recognize shortcomings and how to define a place in their life with humility and courage. The Poet John O’Donohue explains the beauty of self-transformation by describing how we change without knowing we have it within ourselves to do so:

FOR PRESENCE – Awaken to the mystery of being here and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.

Have joy and peace in the temple of your own senses.

Receive encouragement when new frontiers beckon.

Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to follow it’s path.

Let the flame of anger free you of all falsity.

May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame.

May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of soul.

Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention.

Be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul.

May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.

Enjoy yourself as your reflection of who You Choose to be Known As results in a positive experience for you in your business and personal life! Happy Holiday to those of you who are celebrating! Here follows an anagram to consider during this Holiday:

E asy to gaze out the window

T rying to forget incivility.

H ow we handle the self-managed situation

I s

C omforting to those involved.

S o why don’t we self-manage more often? ©Jo Ann M. Radja

The above Blog was originally published by LinkedIn on April 17, 2019 under the title, “Reflections. . . April, 2019.”

Two Perspectives on Thanksgiving 2018

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T ransparency
H elps
A ll of us to understand those in
N eed of random acts of
K indness. We
S eek friendship and care from the people in our lives as
G ratitude comes into play on this Holiday.
I t’s a process to learn how to become
V ulnerable as we let others
I nside of our thinking.
N ow is the day to
G ive back to those who need a helping hand.©Jo Ann M. Radja

T his USA holiday reminds us of
H ow the diversity of thought was present
A s the pilgrims immigrated to Colonial America.
N ow we remember why courage to survive and to
K now your neighbors, led to a celebration with food,
and why it is
S omething we still do today.
G iving thanks for what we survived from or
accomplished this year, we
I nstinctively raise our
V oices to push through the pain to allow joy in our lives again.
I t’s the American Way
N ever to forget how
G iving back to others is how we grow in
strength ourselves.©Jo Ann M. Radja

Thank you to all who found value in reading this Blog during the year. A Very Happy Thanksgiving to you from Chicago as you Choose Who You Want to be Known As.

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive Coach
http://www.wordpress.com/disclosures

What’s Your October Learning

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This month of October, on a National basis, is about Learning in business as well as remembering our heritage. Polish American, Italian American, Hispanic Heritage and German Heritage all celebrate their ancestry background this month.

It’s also National Cyber Security Awareness Month https://www.boozallen.com/c/insight/thought-leadership/booz-allen-kicks-off-national-cybersecurity-awareness-month-2017.html and National Women’s Small Business Month https://www.nwbc.gov/news/10-million-strong-october-council-celebrates-national-women%E2%80%99s-small-business-month. The Balance website hosts an extensive list for you to choose a favorite event: https://www.thebalance.com/october-is-national-month-calendar-3514993

Here in Chicago, events during the year have all led to the celebration of Chicago Ideas Week http://chicagoideas.com from October 16th through October 22. As an example, Professor Marcelo Gleiser, Director the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Engagement at Dartmouth College spoke at a Symposium on the Future of Intelligence: Human, Machine and Extraterrestrial, sponsored by Chicago Ideas. He asked the question, “Are we engineering our own destruction through technology when we speak about artificial intelligence?” It’s an ethical and scientific dilemma because our intelligence is really about how we move from our present world to the future, including all that’s dark and dangerous, to creating a future that is just and equitable for all society.

As mentioned earlier, this month of October celebrates who we are as a society because all that we have around us places us in a state of constant Learning from the daily occurrences in our lives, both personally and in business. Within the past 30 days of our lives we have experienced or witnessed more tragedy in the USA, than was ever presented before, in non-war time. We mourn all those who left this earth and keep the survivors in our good thoughts for recovery.

Earlier this week, I attended an online Webinar where like-minded people shared their views about our profession and how we can Learn from one another’s experiences. It is because of that discussion that I would like to share with you some ideas for change management in your career. I prepared the format this week and it is based on a business presentation, hosted by the University of Chicago back in 2001. It’s pretty straight forward and timely in today’s environment. Here it is:

As you Choose Who You Want to be Known As during this Learning month, consider how the survivors demonstrated their strength of character and became the best examples of USA humanity for us all.

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive and Career Management Coach
http://www.wordpress.com/disclosures
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What’s Your BEST Daily Change?

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It was cold and dreary this morning and yet, a few hours later, it is brisk outside and full of sunshine. Was this a change in opposites or just a 180 degree change of outlook – (from which we had no input)?

Change is in the air this Friday in October. The Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in a Pennant race. Halloween is around the corner. Night football is played on television, and many businesses are gearing up for the last quarter of the year and we find ourselves “right in the middle of it all.”

If we want to focus on one item in our career development before our life becomes more hectic than it already is – what would that be? In other words, What’s your Best daily change? Here are some thoughts on this subject:

Choose a path to stretch yourself, or:

However you define your Best daily change, I hope it becomes intertwined with how You Choose how you want to be Known As. Have a great Day and Weekend!

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive and Career Management Coach

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http://creativecommons.org/by-nc-sa

A Common Place Term: Bystander

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It’s in the news recently, the term Bystander Effect or Bystander Action. It’s the principle – when in a group of people, personal responsibility to assist/help someone is mostly not recognized. Last week on March 30th, the following post was published on Linkedin.com/Pulse on this subject: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/its-catching-now-understanding-jo-ann-m-radja

The issues of Bystander Actions are present in our society at all levels. Vice President Joe Biden has been involved in a Bystander action prevention program to discourage violence on college campuses and is planning to visit Pittsburg, PA today: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2016/04/05/Vice-President-Joe-Biden-in-Pittsburgh-today-for-It-s-On-Us-campaign/stories/201604050156 and the photo, to the left, is from the website: www.lookfordiagnosis.com/mesh_info.php?term=Bystander+Effect&lang=1

Since WordPress.com represents the spirit of collegiality, I would like to share with you my September, 2015 presentation notes on Bystander Actors in the workplace. It was prepared for a specific industry and is easily updated to fit any industry. Included within the presentation are insights of Professor Mary Rowe from MIT, Senior Advisor – Compliance Strategist and Attorney, Joe Murphy, and Margaret Heffernan, Author of: Why We Ignore the Obvious to Our Peril, Willful Blindness.

As you Choose Who You Want to be Known As, have a great work week!

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive and Career Management Coach

Notes: Understanding Bystander Actions by Jo Ann M. Radja with Insights from Dr. Mary Rowe Ph.D September, 2015

Scenarios attachment and Bibliography and Resources

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“Taming the Judgment”

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Jo Ann M. Radja

This post was originally published on October 24, 2014 by the social media platform LinkedIn at: http://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141024202444-32215190-weekend-thoughts-taming-the-judgment?trk=mp-edit-rr-posts

“Weekend Thoughts — Taming the Judgment

A few months ago, I finished reading a book by Margaret J. Wheatley: Turning to one another. Simple Conversations to restore hope in the future (2009). Ms. Wheatley follows the principle of Occam’s Razor – the simplest answer appears to be the right answer. What’s the simplest task we all share – communicating. “It’s not the differences that divide us. It’s our judgments about each other that do.” If we think about the last time we may have rolled our eyes or became quiet while listening to someone, what judgment did we have that caused the rolling of the eyes or the quietness. How did that emotion (underlying judgment) stop a positive conversation from beginning or continuing?

Let’s face it. We sometimes are not at our best in handling a situation. I may be biased because I like Chicago Pizza more than New York or California Pizza. Yet, I can appreciate and learn the uniqueness of each presentation of Pizza and the different ingredients. Once we recognize the bias for what it is, it helps to tame the judgment directing our actions, to allow anopen conversation to understand another’s perspective. Mr. Wheatley’s Turning to One Another is an enlightening process of understanding ourselves more than we might initially realize.

As you Choose Who You Want to be Known As, when a recent conversation didn’t go as well as you may have wanted, consider what you wanted to have happen. Was there an underlying judgment you may have had about the subject matter, or how the other person spoke or presented his viewpoint? An unconscious judgment can be tamed, once we identify it. The issue becomes, do you want to? How will it help you as you manage your career? ”

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive and Career Management Coach

https://creativecommons/licenses/by-nc-sa

http://www.wordpress.com/disclosures

What’s rolling into your Year of 2016?

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The following anagram was published today via LinkedIn Pulse at http://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-rolling-from-2015-your-year-2016-jo-ann-m-radja:

H opes we had occasionally came true.

A nd we still pursued and pressed forward.

P erseverance may pay off as

P erhaps 2016 may be the

Y ear we vision it will be.

Y et, it still remains our choice to

E mbrace the negative

A nd

As you Choose Who You Want to be Known As have the best year ever in 2016!

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive and Career Management Coach

https://www.wordpress.com/disclosures

http://creativecommons.org/by-nc-sa

Vulnerability

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It’s not often that we speak about vulnerability in our private lives. We tend to look to the experts around us to assess and manage the risks we may be exposed to in our neighborhoods, our communities and the world at large. Our governments strive to keep order for the common good and our well being. Yet, Vulnerability is an attribute we may not apply to ourselves. Speaking positively, we are, have been and will continue to be vulnerable. It’s how we learn about ourselves.

Staff within the Federal Government (at fs.fed.us) describe Vulnerability this way:

What’s the exposure if we pursue this strategy? How are we ready because we’ve taken into account our sensitivities? Will our contemplated action(s) be in keeping with our value system?

Adjustment goes hand in hand with being vulnerable as demonstrated by the following graph from a Peace Corps worker named Bailey:

Choosing to become vulnerable allows you to work though and learn about yourself in ways you had not considered before. If you drew your last few months of activities, what would your graph look like? How often did you consider yourself to be Vulnerable? What sensitivities did you realize you had by letting go of a habit, or by learning something new?

A well-known International Coaching Expert, Brené Brown describes Vulnerability as follows:

Very recently, I attended a two-day Coaching Seminar on cultural competency. I participated in a brief exercise to understand and recognize Vulnerability. It was an enlightening experience. So please enjoy your activities during this first full week of November as You Choose Who You Want to be Known As.

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coach and Change Agent

Career Management Coaching

Who Do You Want To Be Known As

Category Archives: Vulnerability

MUSINGS 2019 The 4th of July Week #3 William Dawes

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MUSINGS During 2019 4th of July Week #1 Crispus Attucks

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April Reflections and PRESENCE

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Two Perspectives on Thanksgiving 2018

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What’s Your October Learning

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What’s Your BEST Daily Change?

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A Common Place Term: Bystander

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“Taming the Judgment”

“Weekend Thoughts — Taming the Judgment

What’s rolling into your Year of 2016?

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Vulnerability

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“Weekend Thoughts — Taming the Judgment

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