Having resolve means you can inspire others

Resolve can mean different things to each of us and impact us in different but equally powerful ways. The decisions we make can range from an immediate “Yes, how quickly can we get started?” to “No, I don’t think you’re the right client for us.”

Whether it is yes or no, our decisions are impacted by our resolve to make them, and our resolve to stick with them.

Consider the following questions.

The last time you were faced with a dilemma, did you explore every option to solve it? Do you communicate clearly and often with your colleagues, friends and family that good enough is not enough? Do you ever settle for less than your best or are you committed to start being straightforward, thoughtful, accountable, and having resolve?

Your answers can also help you recognize how someone else’s resolve helped you.

My first job after graduate school was an industrial engineer.

I had a passion for all things automotive and a goal of improving the quality of American automobiles. Even though I was young and relatively unknown in the industry, I coauthored a book about the industry.

As a result, I was selected to receive the Automotive Hall of Fame’s Young Leadership and Excellence Award. Long story short, I invited my parents who lived at that time in India to attend the ceremony. They were repeatedly denied visas.

After multiple attempts and resilience on the part of my congressman at the time, Jim Barcia, my parents finally obtained visas.

It meant the world to me to have them at the ceremony.

Congressman Barcia’s unrelenting resolve to help me—even though I was not even a US citizen at that time—inspired my resolve to help the automotive industry and to become a US citizen.

In 2004 when I received the US Department of Homeland Security’s Outstanding American by Choice Award for my contribution to the United States, my thoughts went back to Jim Barcia and his resolve to help me.

Remember: Having resolve means inspiring others and being inspired to make a difference.