...such an inspiring story Chris...and the metaphor is rich...to find the gold in ourselves and others we have to change/grow/transform...accepting the challenge and never giving up...how rad you got to know and work with this dude...
Thanks for sharing this, Chris. I needed the inspiration as someone who can feel a bit lost at times. Sometimes I feel like my weaknesses are hampering me. But this gives me hope that there's a way up.
Hi Alvin, thank you for your comment, I like your writing and drawings in "Below the Surface." Richard provides an example of how overcoming a deficit can generate unexpected high performance in the effort just to be ordinary. Those skills and capabilities set him above most others.
Applying the lessons of Richard's career isn't straightforward because it's not easy to know what's simply our lack of ability or, like Richard, an obstacle that can be overcome. If Richard had an IQ of 100 he couldn't have been a high performing financier. He's very intelligent, but early in life he was hampered by the fact his brain has a visual signal processing issue.
Let's say you're 5'5". You'll never be an NBA star, but you could improve your vertical jump, and if you developed a vertical jump of 30" you'd be able to do very impressive feats. The point is, is the ability to jump high really a core capability for you? Maybe, maybe not.
The key for all of us, I think, is identifying a weakness in ourselves that is truly fundamental but not something we have no hope of overcoming. For Richard, his weakness was not being able to read. That's pretty fundamental. By overcoming it, he developed habits and skills and virtues, and his brain experienced hypertrophy in other areas that made him extraordinary.
As each of us look at ourselves, are we being held back from our destiny by some weakness that prevents us from performing a very basic and essential skill well enough to thrive in life? If so, then it makes sense to invest in the tedious, perhaps painful, and long term protocols that will mobilize brain plasticity and take us to a new and higher level of performance.
It's hard to know--but one thing I do know, there's always hope. If we have faith, hope and love--in other words, are goals are grounded in a desire to serve other people and make the world a better place--than we have no way of knowing what our true limits might be and should go for it, undaunted by the apparent size of the challenge.
This profile is deeply inspiring and instructive Chris. It provides insight into how conscious suffering builds character, but also the immeasurable support that a unconditionally loving parent provides for a child to triumph over life trials and obstacles.
Thank you Rick, it's so tough being a parent, at times, isn't it? We start something, and we're responsible for doing our best throughout our lifelong role as parent, but it's out of our hands at a certain point. The love and faith of Richard's parents was extraordinary, and Richard made the most with what they made possible.
“ I have three adult children, and when your children have problems it can be demoralizing. You feel like a failure as a parent, and your childrens’ problems feel like a reflection on you and your spouse, either genetically or because of the upbringing you’ve provided.”
Chris, thank you for saying this, and for writing this incredible piece. I feel like I have so much I can learn from your experiences and insight.
...such an inspiring story Chris...and the metaphor is rich...to find the gold in ourselves and others we have to change/grow/transform...accepting the challenge and never giving up...how rad you got to know and work with this dude...
Thank you Brother! You're a rich seam of gold in Oakland . . .
Thanks for sharing this, Chris. I needed the inspiration as someone who can feel a bit lost at times. Sometimes I feel like my weaknesses are hampering me. But this gives me hope that there's a way up.
Hi Alvin, thank you for your comment, I like your writing and drawings in "Below the Surface." Richard provides an example of how overcoming a deficit can generate unexpected high performance in the effort just to be ordinary. Those skills and capabilities set him above most others.
Applying the lessons of Richard's career isn't straightforward because it's not easy to know what's simply our lack of ability or, like Richard, an obstacle that can be overcome. If Richard had an IQ of 100 he couldn't have been a high performing financier. He's very intelligent, but early in life he was hampered by the fact his brain has a visual signal processing issue.
Let's say you're 5'5". You'll never be an NBA star, but you could improve your vertical jump, and if you developed a vertical jump of 30" you'd be able to do very impressive feats. The point is, is the ability to jump high really a core capability for you? Maybe, maybe not.
The key for all of us, I think, is identifying a weakness in ourselves that is truly fundamental but not something we have no hope of overcoming. For Richard, his weakness was not being able to read. That's pretty fundamental. By overcoming it, he developed habits and skills and virtues, and his brain experienced hypertrophy in other areas that made him extraordinary.
As each of us look at ourselves, are we being held back from our destiny by some weakness that prevents us from performing a very basic and essential skill well enough to thrive in life? If so, then it makes sense to invest in the tedious, perhaps painful, and long term protocols that will mobilize brain plasticity and take us to a new and higher level of performance.
It's hard to know--but one thing I do know, there's always hope. If we have faith, hope and love--in other words, are goals are grounded in a desire to serve other people and make the world a better place--than we have no way of knowing what our true limits might be and should go for it, undaunted by the apparent size of the challenge.
This profile is deeply inspiring and instructive Chris. It provides insight into how conscious suffering builds character, but also the immeasurable support that a unconditionally loving parent provides for a child to triumph over life trials and obstacles.
Thank you Rick, it's so tough being a parent, at times, isn't it? We start something, and we're responsible for doing our best throughout our lifelong role as parent, but it's out of our hands at a certain point. The love and faith of Richard's parents was extraordinary, and Richard made the most with what they made possible.
“ I have three adult children, and when your children have problems it can be demoralizing. You feel like a failure as a parent, and your childrens’ problems feel like a reflection on you and your spouse, either genetically or because of the upbringing you’ve provided.”
Chris, thank you for saying this, and for writing this incredible piece. I feel like I have so much I can learn from your experiences and insight.
Thank you Matt--it's always best when we're learning from each other, as I've done with Richard and I do with you!