State of the Union

I am sitting here listening to the "State of the Union" from President Obama.  I love this time of year.  Between December and January, I always find it is a good time for reflection and a good time to think forward about the year ahead.  In theory the "State of the Union" address from our president is that moment for the country as well.

What listening to this really makes me think is about the line between reality/actions and words.  I feel like every politician straddles this line so frequently that they don't actually know where the reality lies.  Republican, democrat, independent...it all feels the same.   So what is strength in this and what is the risk?  Both parts exist.  Just as much as this is true in politics, I see this in my work life every day.  The strength:  Humans are emotional being...we want to be motivated by words, we want to believe, we want to feel connected to some greater good.  The words become such a critical part of making those emotional strings get tugged.  The weakness:  Humans are emotional beings...we believe what we hear, we often believe what we want to hear, sometimes facts get lost, sometimes logic and skepticism don't get applied, words make us believe things are easier than is true. 

The perpetual optimist in me comes down on the positive side of this.  That no matter what strengths or weaknesses come out of the oratory within a "State of the Union" or in a CEOs quarterly speech to his employees or in a team leaders motivational call to action to their team....good things happen to those who work to do the right thing; who keep people and their hopes, desires and feelings at the center of what they do; who are honest with themselves and others; and who strive to work to make things better in the way they feel best. 

So, the "spark" for me tonight....not that the "State of the Union" is strong, but that when you do the right thing, use your brain and your heart, anyone can influence change in a positive way.