Author: John W Lewis

Remarkable people: Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Sir Ranulph Fiennes, a British explorer.

How do we complete a journey? The easy answer is one step at a time; it turns out that that is also the hard answer!

The aspect of integrity that is related to “wholeness” is well illustrated by individuals who show a dedication to something over a long period. By continually taking small steps, the contributions of those steps accumulate to create substantial achievements.

Explorers seem to know a lot about this. They perform some extraordinary feats; and among explorers, one of thefiennes most outstanding is Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

When asked about his approach to climbing Everest at the third attempt in May 2009 and, at age 65, the oldest Briton to do so, he captured the full spirit of separating actions from goals when he said:

Plod forever! Don’t expect to get there. Don’t think there is going to be a top to this mountain. Just plod forever!

His record of exploration is quite staggering, and he also the man who ran seven marathons on seven continents in seven days, shortly after having a heart bypass operation!

Oh, and as there is a faint geographical thread on this blog, he lives in the south west of England. [not far from John, Ed]

More on remarkable people …

By John Lewis

Integrity: adding up to something

Integrity as an idea that can deliver more than the sum of the parts

People who add up to something are remarkable, while at the same time being more common than we might think.

As I’ve discussed elsewhere, integrity is also about “wholeness”. The “adding up” aspect is relevant, because it links the parts to the whole. Many people achieve extreme and, sometimes, amazing feats; these are typically formed from many steps. But then to do that repeatedly, and continually exceeding one’s earlier achievements, has the effect of generating an overall record of achievement which is much greater than the sum of its parts.

Read more about the wholeness of integrity

More on the meaning of integrity: wholeness

Integrity from the perspective of wholeness.

Having recently begun to contribute to this blog, I’d like to add my perspective on the meaning of “integrity”. In an earlier post, Paul referred to a meaning which relates to honesty and to adherence to a moral and ethical code or principles; this is generally accepted and commonly applied.

However the dictionary definitions also list additional meanings. The free dictionary definition, that Paul referred to, includes:

  • the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness

Another online definition, at dictionary.com, agrees and includes:

  • the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished

It seems to me that this is probably a deeper issue which underpins the more generally used meaning. Read more on these two meanings

Sunday smile … and passion in business

First impressions, reliable or not?

This joke that I received recently might amuse you:

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

That happens! In some cases, you might have preferred to retain the first impression and wish that they had never spoken!

But sometimes, this “don’t judge a book by its cover” effect can work in the opposite direction; as a result, I nearly missed out on enjoying a passionate presentation.
Read more about passion!

What not to say

John Lewis joins Learning from Dogs

On September 3rd, a Post was published about John.  Anyone who read that Post will understand the pleasure that both John and I got from being re-connected.  Subsequent chats since that Post have shown that there are many parallels in the way that we think, see the world, and speculate as to what, really, is going on!  It was inevitable that I would ask John to join Learning from Dogs and, when I did, John’s immediate ‘yes’ was proof indeed that this was the right thing for us.  A strong desire to do something is always important.

John’s first Post shows that he will be welcomed by all who read this Blog.

Paul

Read John’s first Post