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1960s and Love, executive coaching, forgiveness, having to say I'm sorry, how to apologize, humililty, Love is, Love is cartoons, Mary Lee Gannon, Pittsburgh, self awareness, starting over now
365 Ways to Start Over: Day #15 – Having to say, “I’m sorry.”
When I was a little girl in the late 1960s “Love is…” cartoons were prevalent. Who am I kidding, in the 1960s “Love” EVERYTHING was prevalent. Those sweet little plump faced naked characters with doe eyes defined the very existence of love in the minds of us inexperienced pre-pre-adolescents – today called tweens. “Love is that first meeting by the water cooler.” “Love is turning his head.” And the one I remember most was, “Love is never having to say you’re sorry.” Ouch! It is no wonder that this concept was born out of the same era that heralded LSD. As I lie in my room back then listening to the Beach Boys and Mama Cass staring at my peace sign poster I dreamed of a love so vast and so pure that my mate would know my every thought and anticipate my every desire. It is no surprise that the birth of talk shows began in the 60s to pick up the fallout from concepts such as never having to say you’re sorry.
Fast forward forty years to a high divorce rate, skyrocketing statistics on depression, and a society over indulged on the Kool-aid of “Everything all the time” and you will find a culture that is slowly replacing self absorption with self awareness.
Self help books and other non-fiction readings are the new coming of age material. People are including “quiet spaces” in their homes. Meditation, prayer, Yoga and the like are scheduled into our days. Life plans and work/life balance issues are key priorities.
If the “Love is…” cartoon characters were re-morphed today they’d most likely be wearing Yoga pants, hanging out in a coffee bar, and texting each other. Maybe one of the messages on their smart phone would be from the words of Mother Teresa, “We need lots of love to forgive. And we need lots of humility to forget.”
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Mary Lee Gannon is the president of Gannon Group – a full service executive coaching, training and consulting firm that provides productivity strategies for people and organizations by improving team performance, executive leadership skills, board performance, planning and project execution. Mary Lee’s personal turnaround came as a stay-at-home mother, with four children under seven-years-old, who endured a divorce that took she and the children from the country club life to public assistance from where within a short time she worked up to the level of CEO. Her book “Starting Over – 25 Rules for When You’ve Bottomed Out” is available in bookstores or at Amazon. Get her FREE ebook – “Grow Productivity – A Leader’s Toolbox” on her web site at www.StartingOverNow.com.