Pride and Prejudice! part 1

Today is November 21, 2014...22 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.    Happy Friday!    Ok, I will pick up my story from two days ago (remember, I am going deeper!).  Motivational guru and business leader John Kanary asked me the question,   "You have a pinned down excellence... what happened to you?"  As I raced back in my mind I had a series of recollections and the revelation that it happened in third grade.  It was multi-class Spelling Bee.  One by one, as words were missed, they eliminated kids and sent them down to their seats.  About 30 minutes or so into the contest, there were only 9 or 10 of us left standing...and the words got harder.    With each round 1 or 2 kids would slap their heads...and head to their seats.  At the end, there were three of us remaining.  I can't say I remember the word that won, but as the two other people missed it...I confidently spelled it and the teacher gave me a blue ribbon.  I remember the overwhelming feeling of pride and accomplishment. Later that day, my teacher told me that they wanted me to compete against the 6th graders who were having a real competition to send someone to the county to represent the school and that the words I spelled were on that level.  I was nervous, but also excited to get to show what I had learned playing dictionary word games with my father. As we got to the door where the contest was about to begin, all I remember is the organizer of the contest came out and closed the door behind him, blocking us from entering.  He and my teacher were talking in whispers.  After they finished, she took my hand and we headed back to class...I never got the chance to spell one word.   I went from the mountain top of pride to the valley of disappointment in less than an hour, and it was about to get worse... That night, my parents sat me down before dinner.  They were never the type to hide anything so they tried to explain it to me. "It was because of the color of your skin.  It makes you different. You are gifted but not everyone will appreciate that gift or allow you to show it.  Don't worry about that.  You can't control what people will think.  Just work hard, listen, be respectful and always be humble...even when you are better than others."  That's a lot for a kid, even a precocious one, to process. I remember we had spaghetti, my favorite, but I didn't eat that night.  Prejudice.   "Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts." E. B. White     Face it, we all have suffered at the hands of those who are prejudiced against us...and we all have prejudices (you knew that, right?).  Some are subtle and some are blatant.  That is why those that can "hide" the things that bring prejudice do so.  Others, such as the color of your skin, nationality and gender are impossible to escape.    (For 30 seconds, put partisan political prejudices aside...I know you can do it!), If I asked you to name a great president many of you would say John F. Kennedy.  Did you know he faced a major uphill climb because he was Catholic?  Some of you would say Ronald W. Reagan.  As a actor he was "prejudged" as not having the right stuff to be a leader of the free world.  Today actors cross over frequently...can you say (or spell) Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jessie Ventura (ok, that was a stretch!)? Those things seem strange and inconsequential now...we have gotten past that kind of stuff...right? I offer for your consideration that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has had laparoscopic surgery to help him loose weight.  Many say in preparation for running for president in 2016.  I read an article that said the country proved it was ready for a Black president, poised to elect a female president, but was not ready for a fat one. Ouch!  The truth stings. If I have opened wounds, don't worry...I will suture the wounds with the healing powers of optimism, idealism and the indomitable power of the human spirit...on Monday...promise... Pride and Prejudice.   Until then, I wish you Money, Power, Success!