Life isn't fair...GOOD!

I grew up the youngest of four in a traditional Mexican-American family in Southern California. That means there was a lot of "you have it easier than we did" and "you are spoiled compared to how I grew up." My grandparents on both sides immigrated to the US and had families while working in the strawberry fields in California's Imperial Valley. My father (number eight out of ten children) used to wake up at 3:00 AM to work the fields and then do his best to stay awake during school. There is plenty more but I'm sure you get the point. My parents had a childhood to which I truly cannot relate. Thanks to their hard work and focus on improvement, I grew up middle class and, at least economically speaking, never felt as though I went without. This dichotomy in our childhood experiences created ample opportunity for my parents and grandparents to share how good my siblings and I had it better than they. (Pic of my mom with Cesar Chavez at my grandma's house in 1970)

The one phrase I hated the most, however, was "life isn't fair." To which I would retort, "I understand that LIFE isn't fair, but I'm not asking LIFE for this, I'm asking you, Mom!" Which later developed into "life may be unfair, but when you have the power to do so, be fair!"

It has been reported that recreational reading for American adults has gone down 30% since 2004! Leadership skills combined with high emotional intelligence is the recipe for continued growth and success in both our careers and our lives. There is nothing more important than being a learning based human! There is no better way to learn than a solid balance between reading and application of the knowledge gained through said reading. There are many forms of "reading" and what I am really referring to is tapping into the concept of a "book." Check out this article in The Atlantic which talks about what a book is and I agree that "A book is a unique string of words, as good as its bits...printed books are also objects, manufactured objects, owned objects, objects that have been marked by pencils and time and coffee cups and the oils from our skin. 'A book is more than a bag of words,' the project's founder, University of Virginia's Andrew Stauffer, told [The Atlantic]. 'These books as objects have a lot to tell us.'" Books are the best way to package and convey ideas, knowledge and information.

I've made my case for the age old phrase "readers are leaders" and see it proven time and time again. So, how does this all tie into fairness? When we see things like reading has dropped 30% in the last 15 years, and we understand that reading helps us become leaders, we can be depressed about that or we can choose to think about it differently. (Pic of my two year old who loves to read. He will be a leader in this world!)

LIFE ISN'T FAIR! Like it or not, it's true. That also means there are winners and there will be losers. Someone will always get treated unfairly. Unfair doesn't necessarily mean getting less. If one person gets their unfair share (less), that implies another gets more, which is technically an unfair share as well. So if people aren't reading, you should read more! Get your unfair share of the knowledge and insight! Get your unfair share of leadership lessons! Get your unfair share of deep truths! Get your unfair share of opportunity! GET YOUR UNFAIR SHARE OF LIFE! Or, you know, just sit around and complain and make excuses ... that just leaves more for me!