| A Spanish Gentleman’s Secret to Powerful Living a booklet By Michael S. Gisondi Copyright 2004 |
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Do you have a favorite movie that really fires you up? Perhaps an old classic that motivates you to action? just taken a job at Kennedy Space Center. Fighting bureaucracy and needlessly complex tasks seemed easier after watching Harry, the man of action, deal head on with those “pencil pushing @!#$%” or challenge the bad guys to “make my day”. With our nation’s next step into space - the Space Station - came another level of drudgery and challenge. With a more spiritual frame of reference, I turned to a galaxy far, far, away and Obi-Wan Kenobi for re-charging. The Star Wars movies connected to a passion inside as Obi wisely instructed to let “the force be with you”. But my favorite movie of all time, one that I have watched countless times, one that inspires me in so many ways … is the 1972 movie classic, “The Man of LaMancha”. This entertaining and motivational adventure is based on the novel written by Miguel Cervantes … a Spanish gentleman … who connected with one of the most powerful forces of human nature and provided us with a literary masterpiece for the ages. This is a story of Cervantes’ alter ego and fictional knight errant – Don Quixote – and the power of idealism in conquering the world … even our modern and complex world. The story of Don Quixote is about a man who, after reading books of chivalry, sets off with his partner, Sancho, on a quest. Amid battles with dragons that are really windmills, entrances to castles that are really inns, and duels for golden helmets that are wash basins, is a story of virtue in the face of daily trials that leave many of us beaten. The appeal of the tale of our knight Don Quixote goes much further than the obvious qualities of Sophia Loren as our Lady Dolcinea or the memorable proverbs of Quixote’s sidekick Sancho played by James Coco, or the heroic performance of the star Peter O’Toole. Since Cervantes death in 1616, the Spanish classic “Don Quixote de La Mancha”, has had over 200 stage adaptations to become a timeless and universal testament to people’s want and need for idealism in our ever-changing world. In 1960, Dale Wasserman’s TV version found instant appeal, winning an Emmy and Writer’s Guild Award, and again attesting to the allure of idealism. The story of doing good in a world that mocks also found immediate success in a Broadway show that added the commanding music of Joe Darion, the inspirational lyrics of Mitch Leigh, and 5 Tony Awards … hitting the stages of over 24 countries and in 28 languages. Yes, noble intentions are very much a part of the human experience. With every “favorite movie” comes a “favorite scene”. After my initial viewings of this timeless classic, my wife would kid me that my favorite scene was seeing Sophia Loren leaning over the bar tables and showing her obvious qualities. But no, my favorite scene took place in a prison. Our beloved hero finds himself in a dark dungeon of the Inquisition with an assortment of worldly characters – liars, cheaters, thieves, murderers, and prostitutes. After a physical and verbal beating, one can easily relate as Cervantes pauses and the symbolism of the scene hits a peak. No doubt, each of have had times when we feel imprisoned by the hassles of work or the frustrations of our personal lives. Life can at times seem meaningless, weighted down by a sense of hopelessness. It is not unusual to feel unjustly attacked by others … feeling convicted when innocent … and in need of inspiration. At this point, when Cervantes and his idealism is mocked, he responds with a great passage in which he assures his prison mates … “I’ve been a soldier and a slave …” With a reflective review of his life, Cervantes dramatically espouses the importance of living an idealistic life. He convinces the others that he knows all too well failure as well as success. He has seen glorious victories in battle and held others in defeat and death. But more than just an entertaining and romantic story, “The Man of La Mancha” provides practical steps to a more powerful life. Here are three specific points regarding idealism, with real life examples of people benefiting from incorporating these ideas into their lives. Also, we will uncover the real secret of our Spanish gentleman … Cervantes. 1. THIS IS MY QUEST! Most of us have heard the title song, “The Impossible Dream”. Amid verses of dreams, following stars, and fighting for right, is Don Quixote’s constant reference to his quest. Having read books of chivalry, our knight errant approaches each day and each task as a glorious quest. A parent of a newborn is a great example of someone on a glorious quest. It’s far into the night and you have done everything you can think of for your sick child … medicine, rocking, hugs … the coughs of your toddler seem only to subside due to his sleepiness. You look at the clock, seeing that a new day is not too far off. It will soon be time for siblings’ lunches and getting ready for school. All the books you’ve read and the talks of parental chivalry have prepared you for this moment. Just as the author Cervantes was victorious in the Battle of Lepanto, endured slavery in Africa, and escaped the judgment of the Inquisition, we too can be victorious in the daily trials of parenthood if we see it as a quest. It is likely the biggest undertaking of our lives and not one to be taken lightly. It is one that requires us to be an idealist! We must never lose sight of this, even when getting the kids to school seems like an Impossible Dream! Back in the late 70s, an automobile executive was mocked for what many said was an Impossible Dream. Lee Iacocca’s quest was his belief that he could transform Chrysler into a profitable and leading automaker. This was a time of nay-sayers that predicted the end of the U.S. auto industry due to foreign competition and the inferior quality of our products. People eventually stopped laughing at the idealist as he took Chrysler from bankruptcy to a government bailout, through union concessions and quality improvements, to sell a whole bunch of Caravans and make Chrysler a money-making world class automaker. For Mr. Iacocca, each day and each activity was indeed a quest. Back in my small hometown in upstate New York, a young man with a quest moved in and created quite a stir. A Chinese-American opened a Chinese restaurant in our little one stop light town. During a visit, my parents kept telling me … you must try this place … you have to check out this restaurant! Well, they were right, the food was fantastic! But more impressive was the man’s approach to his customers. After serving our dishes, he came out from the kitchen with the fiery eyes of an idealist … warmly asking us if all was well with our delicious and generous portions. We couldn’ t help but return the enthusiasm of his contagious and glorious quest. 2. SELECT FROM LIFE! In the poignant prison scene, Cervantes lays high claim to the fact that idealists don’t merely accept the day to day occurrences of life, but rather select from life. One inspirational example of this is the former head football coach of Notre Dame - Lou Holtz. Besides motivating his players to national championship caliber football, the coach knew quite a bit about selecting from life. He would keep a written list of life goals in his wallet. On this list would be things from the career milestones he sought to the vacations he planned to take. As he accomplished these goals, he would cross them off … and then add more to his selections of life. A friend of mine knows a lot about lists and selecting from life. He is a very successful financial planner. He has lists for everything … long term goals, weekly goals, daily to do lists … business plans, customer lists. His success is not surprising. But most impressive about his lists is the completeness. A big part of his lists are that he selects his family time, his personal relationships, and his spiritual and physical condition as priorities. Another friend provided another lesson in selecting from life. We were watching our daughters on the first night of a basketball league. Despite the noble efforts of the two coaches with the fifty kids, the monsters were winning. The kids were in chaos and wrestling instead of dribbling. As my friend decided to take action, I felt quite the sidekick … are you sure about this?! Don Quixote was only too eager to slay the dragon, even as his sidekick pleaded … its only a windmill! Baseball leagues and community projects are filled with stories of mis-guided efforts that as windmills leave us like Don Quixote … upside down, injured, and fallen on a bent sword. Well, my fellow knight was right. As he organized the kids into lay-ups and dribbling drills, the little monsters were slowly being conquered. Despite some jabs of too much male vocal guidance, our little loved ones actually started passing the ball and making more shots. Some of the kids and parents even said thank-you afterwards. My friend had not just accepted a situation, but rather made an exemplary selection of what he wanted for our daughters. Eventually this message took hold with me. One night after watching this movie, and literally getting up off the couch, I asked my daughters if they wanted to go out to breakfast in the morning. Since I liked breakfast so much, I “selected” a good way to give my wife a break and spend time with my daughters. Well, it has become a regular hit with the kids. Eventually this also led to getting up to watch the sunrise with a bag of donuts. Seeing an awesome sun burst out from the clouds, with two little girls snuggling for warmth, feeling the gusting winds of fortune, one understands Cervantes’ advice to breath life. Something tells me that years from now, breakfast will still be an anticipated event with dad. 3. SEEK TREASURE! Don Quixote could not have traveled so far and wide, stayed so faithful with so much passion to his quest, if he did not heed his own prison scene advice to seek treasure … to believe in the goodness of people. Our hopeless romantic endured ridicule as he demonstrated his sermon of virtue to the earthy patrons of an inn. Upon seeing his vision of perfection, his Lady Dolcinea, who in reality was but a common barmaid named Aldonza, he praised her beauty and pledged his obedience to such a fair and noble lady. Being imprisoned in a female household presents its own unique challenges! As a husband, father of two girls, and having a female cat … I often find myself muttering the words of Don Quixote … “she’s really a lady … she’s really a lady!” Respect and seeing the goodness in others was vividly pointed out to my wife and I when a new teacher took over a class mid-year at our children’s school. The new teacher laid down the law quite firmly - Respect. Respect each other. Respect the teachers. Respect the rules. Respect. Talk at our own dinner table soon began to center around each day’s class lessons of respect. The benefits “rubbed off” on us. Our demands to pass the ketchup turned to polite requests. Cutting others off mid-story began to subside as real interest in others became more obvious. My older daughter even “acknowledged” my younger daughter’s feelings! A transformation was taking place as we were reminded of the worth of others … even our own family members. Perhaps one reason the story of Don Quixote personally appeals so much is illustrated in one of my work experience a few years back. It was only after I rose up from the prison of what was going on in my life … and began to see life as a quest … and began to select from life … to see treasure and goodness in the day to day reality of life … that a powerful step forward took place in my life. Having lost one management position in a re-organization and passed over for another, I thought things couldn’t get much darker professionally. But after a poor choice and a project coming to an abrupt halt, I hit the career dungeon. A Spanish mystic… St. John of the Cross … … called this the “dark night of the soul”. And he was right. Before I could see the Light, there was a long period of Darkness. This needed lesson in humility began a road back. Being assigned as an engineer to the Space Station 7A mission began what I only now realize to be a series of fortunate steps of Quixotic dimensions. With newly ingrained humility, my work tasks became quest-like, with no desire to do anything but knightly service for the good of the team. As tasks came up, I constantly volunteered, selecting to do more than my fair share. But the most important aspect of this change was my attitude toward others. Where once I questioned my superiors and co-workers, I now ceased my criticism and obediently asked what needed to be done. A sense of respect and goodness grew in my view of those around me … at every level. My performance was eventually recognized. The goodness and respect that I now showed others was being returned to me. I was awarded a Manned Space Flight Launch Honoree Award – the highest award - for my contributions to that mission. When Don Quixote was on his death bed a striking scene took place. His family eagerly deals with his final will and testament, as his true legacy is thrust upon them. Sancho is joined by the newly dignified Lady Dolcinea, and they offer our hero the highest award … a powerful eulogy. Dolcinea’s words, “You spoke to me … and made everything different … you looked at me … as an angel seeming to whisper … about a quest … “ Sancho’s sad tearful eyes bellowed out non-verbally what was previously sung … “I liked him. I really liked him.” Dolcinea simply said, “He was a good man … “ Our Man of La Mancha certainly had powerful relationships. So what was the secret of the Spanish gentleman? If we want to add power to our personal and professional lives, we need to approach life with a sense of idealism. We must see life as a quest … we must select from life … and we must see the goodness in others and respect others in a powerful way. Why? Here is the secret of the Spanish gentleman … Miguel Cervantes … about powerful living. Because good relationships are the foundation of personal and professional success. Good relationships are key to personal happiness. Good and powerful relationships result from being an idealist. For those who are on a quest … who select from life … who see the goodness in others and treat others with respect … they will have powerful relationships … and because of these powerful relationships … they will succeed tremendously in their personal and professional lives! Return to Life Return to Main Page |
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