The Real Con 087 - sacrifice and self-reliance

Soft skills to live in a hard world. Seeking wisdom, discipline and more to leave my world a little better than I found it…

Hey there,

This week is America’s celebration of Independence. Anyone that knows me well knows that I am a proud American. 

“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind.” - Thomas Paine, Common Sense

I think a lot about self-reliance. Too often we outsource everything. In our modern world, we have forgotten how to do things our ancestors were forced to know.

Here are 3 quotes, the most interesting thing I learned this week, 1 essay, and 1 question to reflect on.

3 Quotes

“How do you become an adult in a society that doesn’t ask for sacrifice? How do you become a man in a world that doesn’t require courage?” - Sebastian Junger, Author

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” - Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

“That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed” - Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

The Most Interesting Thing I Learned this Week

At the outbreak of the American Revolution around 1775, there were about 3 million people living in the thirteen colonies. The population of the colonies was more than one third of the total population of England at the time. Most of the settlers in the colonies lived within 50 to 60 miles of the Atlantic coast. Less than 250 years later, the US construction industry alone has double the amount of people. America’s population has grown to over 330 million people.

But for hundreds of years before 1775, Europeans sought out Newfoundland. Why? For freedom. For opportunity. For self determination. For independence. For self-reliance. Early settlers of all the thirteen colonies except New York and Delaware were from England. The next largest group of settlers were the Scotch Irish. The third largest were Germans. 

Sacrifice and Self-Reliance

“It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our great strength lies; yet our present numbers are sufficient to repel the force of all the world.” Thomas Paine, Common Sense

On July 4, 1776, in a small room in Philadelphia 56 men committed treason. They sacrificed their well-being, the safety of their families, and the promise of their future by declaring independence from what they believed was a tyrannical government. 

The idea that the government derived its power from the people was in itself revolutionary. 

“Free and independent states” were focused on one mission - creating a better life for themselves and their families. 

“And for the support of this Declaration, with firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” - Thomas Jefferson et al., The Declaration of Independence”

United we stand. Divided we fall. This idea works in all walks of life. 

Project teams are made up of companies. Companies are made up of individuals. Collectively these free and independent organizations every day have the opportunity to unite or divide. The architect that points fingers. The contractor that is never at fault. The owner who always thinks the project team is the problem. These are just a few ways to sew division among the ranks.

United-independent yet free- imagine how a project team functions if it is made up of people who “mutually pledge to each other” the Pursuit of Happiness, especially toward a common goal. Imagine a team whose honor mattered as much as seeing the team win, not the individual or any one company. 

Yet to put the team first, one must learn to sacrifice. One must learn to be self-reliant. One must find the courage to hold the line. Leadership is not a birthright, nor is it given by title or tenure. Leadership, the right to lead others, is earned. 

It could not have been easy to be alive in America or anywhere else back in 1776. We are all descendants of hard men and women who survived with unbelievable courage. 

Life. Liberty. Pursuit of Happiness. A simple formula for a great life.

1 Question to Reflect on

What have you sacrificed at work or at home in the name of honor and courage? 

In Closing...

Any feedback, suggestion, or critique is welcome: feel free to reply (if you got this in your inbox) or send an email to [email protected].

Stay sharp,

Michael

#087

The Real Con

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