A song from my past
was “Accentuate the Positive; Eliminate the Negative”. One of the lines said, “Don’t mess with Mister In-Between”. We have had many years of remediation of weaknesses, attempting to eliminate the negative. We look at the negative and follow a disease model where we catch people when they are wrong. If pointing out mistakes was effective, how many parents would never repeat themselves when they say, “Stop doing that!” The unfortunate truth is that whatever that parent wanted the child to stop is probably now going to be done again. If nothing else, the child now knows how to get the parents’ attention.
Mentors
Our long-awaited appointment with Joe Vitale
One of the best gifts ever came to us on March 4, 2008, when we had an audience with Dr. Joe Vitale. The gift was from a friend of the long road. We knew it was an very expensive gift because Dr. Vitale does not take private appointments any more. We arrived at his country home near Wimberley, TX at our appointed time to be met at the front porch by both Joe and his love, Nerissa. Joe was barefoot which set the tone for a lovely, informal, friendly visit around their kitchen table. If you read his blog post, you will notice that his version of the visit placed emphasis on our gratitude, which was very real and very sincere. The effect on Paul and me was pure magic in a different direction. They gave far more than we did. Both Nerissa and Joe are 5-star listeners, which is the top ranking I can give when someone really does connect with what I say and what I mean.