Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Dan Asleson, President & CEO of the YMCA of Michiana. We hope you enjoy Dan’s wisdom and perspective.
Isn't it strange, that princes and kings,
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
And common-folk like you and me,
Are builders for eternity?
Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass, a Book of Rules;
And each must make 'ere life has flown,
A stumbling block or a stepping stone.
R.L. Sharpe
I was young (17 years old) when I first heard this poem and decided I would commit it to memory. I fell in love with the simplicity and beauty of the first stanza. We are all builders, regardless of one’s roots.
And I figured at that young age whatever tools I had in my bag would be enough to build whatever I set out to build. And they were. Those tools did me well over the next two decades. I was definitely making stepping stones, moving up in my career, and taking increasingly greater positions of leadership at work and in the community.