Even the laws of nature teach us the power of teamwork and relationships! Over the years, I’ve noticed a pattern in the lives of many successful people. They didn’t do it alone. They sharpened their skills and kept motivated by having regular meetings with those who had similar interests. They were part of a TEAM. Here are some examples Twenty-two year old Albert Einstein and like-minded friends met frequently in each other’s homes or took long hikes, and sometimes they talked all the way through the night. These conversations had an enormous impact on his future work. They called themselves ”The Olympia Academy.” Fifteen year old Bill Gates met regularly with other computer geeks who called themselves ”The Lakeside Programmers Group.” NULL
Benjamin Franklin met every Friday for decades with a diverse group of civic-minded thinkers called ”Junto.” Many of his great accomplishments were a result of cross-pollination from this group.
Ideas beget ideas.
C.S. Lewis met with a group called ”The Inklings,” twice a week. They often spent their evenings reading their manuscripts aloud to get input from each other.
These successful people found that the collaboration of several minds produces more wisdom than the sum of these same minds working separately.
Are you letting synergy work for you… or do you go it alone? We all need the synergy and creativity that comes with relationships! The “whole” really is much more than the sum of all the parts! A three-fold cord is not easily broken! Unity builds confidence and durability! Even the laws of nature teach us the power of teamwork and relationships! Here are some examples. A few winters ago, heavy snows hit North Carolina. Following a wet, six-inch snowfall, it was interesting to see the effect along Interstate 40. Next to the highway stood several large groves of tall, young, pine trees. The branches were bowed down with the heavy snow… so low that branches from one tree were often leaning against the trunk or branches of another. Where the trees stood alone, however, the effect of the heavy snow was different. The branches had become heavier and heavier, and since there were no other trees to lean against, the branches snapped. They lay on the ground, dark and alone in the cold snow. They… like people… needed support I read a story once about a certain kind of mushroom that grows in the barren deserts of Arizona. Little “pods” of them seem to grow up out of nowhere. But what is strange is that they are all far apart. There is no reason for them to survive because of the continual drought. And when it does rain… it’s in little isolated pockets where all of these mushrooms cannot benefit. But underground, something beautiful is going on. These mushrooms send out their root systems in all directions for amazing lengths. In fact, they do this until they encounter another of their species. They then wrap their root systems together. This is happening for miles and miles. They all “hook up” and link together to survive. So, when some of them get rain… they all get rain! Their “relationships” are paramount to their survival.
And “relationships” are paramount to your survival. You absolutely need other people!
Here’s one more example! I used to be confused when I would hear reports on the news about earthquakes. They would say… this quake measured 6.6 on the Richter Scale. They would show tremendous damage. I’d seen reports before on a 5.6 earthquake that caused minimal damage. I wondered why a 6.6 was so much more destructive than a 5.6! A little research opened the door to my understanding. A Richter Scale number is exponential in relationship to the number before it. Each number goes up ten fold. Here’s what I mean. A 4 is ten times as strong as a 3. So a 6.6 is 10 times as strong as a 5.6. Or 10 times as powerful… to the tenth power, if that makes sense. I remember an ancient text that said… one would put 1000 to flight but two could put 10,000 to flight. That sounded just like the Richter Scale. So, I don’t believe I’m stretching it when I say that 2 people working in unity are not twice as strong… they are 10 times as strong. Again… it is an accepted maxim that the whole is much stronger than the sum of the parts. Relationships are vital not only to our success… but to our very lives as well. We should all build strong alliances… both personal and professional. In times of war we depend on our allies to watch our back. We need to have people in our lives that will “get in the foxhole” with us. When the bombs of life are dropping… when the sun isn’t shining… when the fair weather friends are heading for the hills… we really find out who we have a strong relationship with.
When they rise to the surface, we need to celebrate them. We need to cultivate that relationship because when it is forged in the pit of adversity it will stand the test of time.
Work on your relationships! They are worth it!
Downloads
- Learning to Live a Leveraged Life by Gary Eby - February 1, 2010
- “Life is a Garden… Can You Dig It?” by Gary Eby - November 1, 2009
- Quit is a “Four Letter Word!” by Gary Eby - September 1, 2009