Excerpts from
John Graham's Speeches
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Giving
you the tools to succeed
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Giraffes, onions, holy fools, and a meaningful life
"There's a direct connection between the degree of meaning a challenge has for anyone and her ability and willingness to take risks and face obstacles in tackling it."... full text |
The power of meaning
"You're living in a culture that would like you to believe that your true worth is in what you buy. But when's the last time something you bought made your life meaningful, or even made you feel good—for very long?"... full text |
Raising your kids to be heroes
Give your kids the stories of heroes. Give kids the opportunity to live heroic values through service. Give them more responsibility than you may be comfortable with and let them rock a few boats when necessary. Raise questions of meaning... Helping young people develop good character, and to live meaningful lives, is immensely satisfying. You see you're providing not just academic learning and job skills but a lifelong context for using both. You're preparing kids to take on the challenges of the 21st century as active citizens and, in doing that, you are helping ensure the welfare of your community, this nation and the world. What's more meaningful than helping shape young lives in this very powerful way?... full text
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Request a brochure, video, fee scale
and/or schedule
graham@giraffe.org |
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Putting
my ideals to the test: negotiating with the Khmer Rouge
"I
told him that I had been in Hué in the spring of 1972, helping
organize the defenses. 'So, Mr. Graham,' he said with the hint
of a smile 'you and I have met before—over gunsights.'"... full text
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The
Fear of Success and How to Overcome It
"When
I see people pulling back from taking risks, risks that perhaps
they know they should be taking—my experience is that it’s
rarely because they’re afraid of failing. Most of the time
it's because they’re afraid of succeeding."... full text |
Citizenship
is not a spectator sport
"Citizenship in this country is in danger of becoming a spectator sport. From the inner cities to the suburbs, too many people don't speak up at public meetings, join community associations, call their politicians to account, or set to work to solve public problems. The more numbingly commercial our culture becomes, the more people focus on stuff and pleasures they can buy rather than on contributions they can make." ...full text |
How
a brush with death in a lifeboat changed
my life
"Jammed back against the railings by the flames,
some people scream. Others moan quietly. A panic would have sent
people into the water, but to jump into the Gulf of Alaska, at
night, in October, meant certain death: even if you could swim,
you'd die from hypothermia very quickly."... full text |
War,
leadership and a moral life
"I took the .45 out of its holster and laid it on the desktop. The perimeter
lights glinted off the black steel. Outside, the artillery and bombs crashed
and boomed. I was thinking not about the government I'd helped create, but about
that firing squad I'd demanded." It was the worst night of my life.... full text |
It's all about leadership
You can't take leadership for granted. You can't assume that bad stuff will never happen so there is no need for leadership. You can't assume that God will solve your problem for you, or that the leaders you suddenly find you need will appear out of nowhere..You can't, for example, assume that you can appoint an unqualified campaign crony as FEMA director, give him a couple of PR hacks from the White House as deputies and expect the agency to function in a situation demanding experience and competence... Good leadership has good outcomes. Bad leadership has bad outcomes, and sometimes they are fatal. It's a simple lesson...full text |
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