Waimea

When I worked in the US Senate from 1998-2000 as a staffer I ran into a lot of politicians at work.  It was routine to see Senator so and so from some state, many of whom you know well from their tenure’s in government.

I remember walking into the bathroom down the hall from my office and having to get out of the way of a very large and hulking figure also known as Senator Ted Kennedy.  I remember Senator Sam Brownback asking me which floor I was going to on the service elevator and getting the button for me.  I could go on and on about these stories but I want to get to my point.

Lately John McCain is the frontrunner in the race for the Republican parties nomination for President.  John likes to start speeches off by saying, “My Friends.”  He seems so friendly, or maybe he doesn’t but he is trying.  One day as a young senate staffer I happened to be standing next to John McCain waiting for the elevator.  I don’t know if John was having a bad day, but when I looked at him to say hello he glared at me with a look that said,  “Please don’t bother me.”  Around the Senate he was known as not the nicest guy in the world, and by some people as a bully.

I don’t actually mind John McCain that much, but I wanted to throw out my story of meeting him, and how they are now trying to spin John McCain.  JVD

I have a friend who likes to say, “It’s not about you.”  A lot of times I agree with this friend.  He is a brilliant guy.  Hard not to agree with someone who is brilliant.  But, while I agree that most of the time you need to be a servant leader and others-focused, there are times when it IS about you.

It is about you when you blame other people for your problems.  I have learned in life that you need to take care of your own junk before you start worrying about other people’s junk.  I know someone else who works for someone who they do not get along with.  They blame that person for why work is not going well.  While that could be part of the problem I also firmly believe it is about the person more than it is about their boss.  Take care of your own junk, it is about you.

JVD

Barack Obama, the most inspiring presidential candidate since JFK, recently has been getting hammered on by the Clinton machine.  The Clinton machine is trying to make him out as a lightweight and Hillary as the heavyweight.  Barack needed to respond to the challenge and in front of 15,000 people the other day in Hartford he responded this way during a speech,

“I try to explain to people, I may be skinny but I’m tough,” he told a crowd of more than 15,000 in Hartford the other night, with the Kennedys looking on. “I’m from Chicago.”

Being someone who is also “from Chicago” I just smiled as I read his response.  You see I live in Minnesota right now, and while I like Minnesota, I LOVE Chicago.  As I have posted before, I will always be “from Chicago.” The home of Al Capone, Mayor’s Daley, a green river, and the best pizza on the planet.  Barack, keep telling them how you are from Chicago.

JVD

Tonight was some of the best political theater I have seen in a long time.  As a ten year old I remember watching the election results come in as Ronald Reagan absolutely trounced Walter Mondale, only a few years ago watching late into the night as Norm Coleman beat Walter Mondale in a senate race here in Minnesota.

Tonight I heard two great victory speeches that were about change and transcending normal politics.  Barack Obama won a clear victory over Hilary Clinton and John Edwards on the democratic side, and Mike Huckabee did the same to Mitt Romney in the Iowa caucuses tonight.

Obama had echoes of Martin Luther King and I was emotionally moved by his speech, and his theme of talking about how we are not a country of red states and blue states, but rather the United States of America.  Moving, stirring, and all about change.  As much as Barack won, Hillary Clinton lost.  A devastated President Bill Clinton stood behind his wife as she gave her concession speech tonight -

Huckabee also had a fantastic speech about unity and America, and what is great about politics.  I really liked what Mike Huckabee had to say about why he should lead the country.  What a race this could shape up to be if these two candidates end up going for the Presidency later this year.  You gotta watch…

JVD

I usually do not make any New Year’s resolutions.  I do not know why, nor am I here to analyze that facet of my mind for you, but what I will do is give you some of my thinking on the subject of 2008.

2007 was a great year.  I received a new job at Bethel, continued to coach volleyball for the College of St. Catherine and Minnesota Select and did some consulting and speaking from time to time as well.  Danielle and I also purchased a condo in Bozeman, Montana which we dearly love to visit.  I really enjoyed 2007 and look forward to see what is in store for this year in my life.

Resolutions:

1)  I resolve to eat better this year.  As I am not 21 anymore, I cannot eat whatever I would like whenever I would like.  Healthier and smaller portions are what I am working towards this year.

2)  Continue to run regularly, but add some cross-training such as biking and weight lifting to not have my body get repetitive use injuries from just running.

3)  Continue to be strong, but be more gracious & patient with people leading towards giving them the benefit of the doubt.  This is something I have thought about and have seen help me during the past year.

Well that is it, short and simple let us see how I do over the next year 2008.  Happy New Year!  Joseph Valentine Dworak

Something is becoming crystal clear to me in the last few days - Leaders lead, find a way, do what it takes, get things done - lots of other people complain.  Do all of us sometimes complain?  Sure, but what I am trying to get better at all the time is to stop the complaining and start doing something about it.

I sit in a lot of meetings for my job and I always know whether a meeting will accomplish something quickly on how the meeting is led, and how the people attending the meeting view the situation.  People who sit around and complain typically do not accomplish a lot - this is a universal law I think.

Are you solving problems, part of the solution, or are you just complaining?  JVD

Question I have been asking myself lately.  What good am I doing in this world, if any?  This week I am in San Diego and have had the privilege to reconnect with some old friends and colleagues over meals.  Why do I say that to you?  Because - I hope I am making some mark in those friend’s lives - I hope I matter to those friends.

I think the answer is that I do - these are people that whatever help they asked for I would try and help them.  I have a lot of good friends, I am very blessed that way.  I try and maintain good relationships with these folks and sometimes do an ok job.

I think my life is worth something if I can see the impact I have had in someone else’s life.  Can you do that?  To me, how I serve other people and impact the world is what it is about.  How am I helping people become something they never dreamed they could do?  That is what I like doing.  I want people to be the best ______________  they can be.  I love doing that.  I want to do that for the rest of my life in whatever setting I end up in.

Life is good.

JVD

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
-Ferris Bueller

Hello! In the midst of the past three months there has not been much time for blogging and keeping up with some writing and reflecting. Lots has been going on, and I wanted to take some time to catch up. Volleyball season at St. Kate’s is done - an improvement on last season but with room for growth - fun season albeit challenging at times. I believe we are at a tipping point where we will either head towards a winning season or not. Next year will determine a lot. Club Volleyball starts tomorrow and I will coaching a 17’s team - that should be fun. Work at Bethel is going well as I learn a new job and figure out how to motivate and manage people who work in my office right next to me, and people who work 1,500 miles away. In the next few weeks I will head to San Diego, Washington, DC, Kauai, Bozeman, Montana, Indianapolis, and Chicago, IL. Looking forward to being ‘on the road.’

Life is good - never boring - but as one of my high school mentors, Ferris Bueller said, Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. JVD

Is down to 4!

If you haven’t heard, OJ Simpson is back in trouble again this time for possibly trying to steal some items from a sports memorabilia collector at a Las Vegas hotel.  OJ is now back in jail and awaiting whether or not he will make bail.

I ran across this quote from OJ today responding to a question about why he did not just call the police when he thought someone had stolen things from him, rather than trying to steal them back, possibly at gunpoint.

“The police, since my trouble, have not worked out for me,” he said, noting that whenever he has called the police “It just becomes a story about O.J.”  - OJ’s quote.

I will just end with that quote, what more can I say?  JVD