Cross the Line (personal notes)
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These are some personal notes of mine as I was bringing Cross The Line together. You can read the introduction of the actual booklet here or watch the video here. To buy a copy, click here.
Crossing the Line is a choice to commit… to care. It’s a vow to minimize going through the motions with your time (No D-grunts, No Gomos)… to expect and enjoy more from yourself.
To start, we need to ask ourselves why we’re doing what it is we’re doing in each role of our lives. From that, we can create our personal constitutions or ‘reason for being’ in each role (the French call it “raison d’être”). Then we choose to commit to our reasons for being by working hard, focusing, and bouncing back from the inevitable short-falls and misses.
Crossing the Line…
At work is a choice to commit to serving, encouraging, and supporting other people (comfortably and uncomfortably*) – customers and colleagues.
As a leader is a choice to commit to serving, developing, and inspiring other people (comfortably and uncomfortably*).
As a teammate (colleague) is a choice to commit to contributing your talents and strengths to a team and its objectives above anything else.
As a parent is a choice to commit to developing a child into a contributing and caring adult (one that can also Cross the Line).
As a spouse is a choice to commit to caring deeply for your partner – encouraging them, supporting them (comfortably and uncomfortably*), to give and to accept love (care).
As a friend is a choice to commit to another person in the give and take of enjoyment and care.
As a student is a choice to commit to learning in order to contribute more to the world and enjoy more from the world (and Cross the Line yourself).
As an athlete is a choice to commit to giving your best possible effort to the sport you play – to continual development, intensity, and perseverance.
On the field is a choice to commit to giving your best possible effort to the game at hand.
In the gym is a choice to commit to giving your best possible effort to each exercise you engage in (no going through the motions and never seeing a result).
With your faith is a choice to commit to living it completely (not selectively).
In truth is a choice to commit to complete honesty without omission, regardless of consequences (comfortably and uncomfortably*).
You Cross The Line to Be 212.
You Cross The Line to Be a Smover.
You Cross The Line to Be SalesTough.
You Cross The Line to Love Your People.
You Cross The Line to Lead Simply.
What does it mean to Cross the Line in your world? To what are you choosing to commit?
* Comfortably and uncomfortably: Comfortable is the easy and more enjoyable in the short run. Uncomfortable is the challenging and sometimes better approach in the long run (not necessarily always, though). Uncomfortable is illustrated in the video clip below.
Get “Cross The Line” in a cool little booklet here.
To learn more about how to use the Cross The Line message to support your company projects, goals, or upcoming meeting, visit this page.
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“The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day. That is real freedom. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default-setting, the “rat race” — the constant gnawing sense of having had and lost some infinite thing.”
David Foster Wallace
American writer
from his commencement speech in 2005
“All right, let’s bring it home. If you was hit by a truck and you were lying out in that gutter dying… and you had time to sing one song, huh? One song people would remember before you’re dirt. One song that would let God know what you felt about your time here on earth. One song that would sum you up… you telling me that’s the song you’d sing?
Or would you sing something different? Something real, something you felt?”
Sam Phillips talking to Johnny Cash from the film Walk the Line (2005)
The clip…
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Lou says:
Sam, you ain’t wrong, you hit the nail on the head everytime.
November 5, 2012
Joseph says:
This post reflects good old fashioned “values”. Values and the integrity to stand by them even in tough situations. My father instilled these core values in each and everyone of his children. He did not preach. He taught by example. By the grace of God, I have been awakened and my mind has been cleared of the clutter this world seems to be obsessed with. I have been allowed to see what is important in this life. Integrity, courage, and personal responsibility. Just a small smidgen of the values that this country was built on. They are all to rare in this world. Here’s to the come back of integrity, courage, and personal responsibility. There are consequences for your actions. Good and bad. CHOOSE wisely and feed your soul. Live above the fray.
September 30, 2010
Marcy says:
I think this is a great site, that keeps me on purpose!
I work in hotel sales and even if you have been doing this a very long time, EVERYONE needs to be inspired, to regroup, recoup and stay on track !! Thanks for these golden insights!
July 30, 2010
Shannon says:
Sam, thank you so much for believing in the importance of your Give More quotes each day. I’ve wanted to comment on this subject since last week but have been “towing the line” and haven’t had an opportunity until now. And you’ve made me think, am I not committing myself completely with what I’m facing at work at this time? I was teetering on that line of indecision, with the little voice telling me I’m never going to be successful in my endeavor. Had I just taken the time to read your post, I could have saved myself a lot of grief!! You always seem to send out words of encouragement at the right time. For any new comers who might be reading this, stay tuned!! It gets better! Thanks again, Sam.
July 6, 2010
Linda Young says:
wow. this really hit home with me.
my boyfriend, a Navy Seal Special Ops for 18 years and my dad, a WWII vet never seem to question their values. They seem to have been in enough situations where they were tested to know without question.
To me, this crossing the line means always following your personal values and in fact, making an effort to follow them.
I know lots of people of my generation (boomers) that get confused and can’t decide, choose things that dont match their values and then deal with stress, etc. For me, this is really a call to follow your values and make every day one where you are on the “right” side of that line.
June 10, 2010