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Oct 6, 2006
"Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom." --Viktor Frankl
The Spiritual Power of a Mayor
It’s August 1999. Cory Booker is a fed-up, 30-year-old City of Newark (New Jersey, USA) Council member, thwarted at every attempt at much-needed reform. After a particularly violent crime at a particularly drug-ravaged high-rise apartment complex, Booker decides it is time for drastic measures. He buys a tent, pitches it next to the complex and goes on a hunger strike. For 10 days, he fasts and sleeps outdoors in one of the grimmest neighborhoods in one of the country's grimmest cities. "It transformed my life," Booker says. A Rhodes Scholar and a graduate of Yale Law school, he said, "It's not about the office that you hold or the money in your bank account. Real power never stems from agencies. It stems from spiritual power."
BE THE CHANGE
The next time you find yourself in a challenging interaction, try to identify 'the space' between the stimulus and the response to see if you can find your true freedom and power there.
