When I am open to good things appearing from any place or any person at any time, chances are much better that good things will appear.
Imagine that! An attitude of “ready for good from anywhere” maximizes chances that my group will make good decisions.
In this spontaneous video made with his cell phone camera Craig explains that lack of prejudice is not just a moral issue, it has practical benefits for your group, for the people you meet, and for you.
Be ready for good from anywhere and good things will happen.
Here’s what Craig says in the video
I’m here to tell you that no person — no race of people — is categorically good or categorically bad. Sometimes I’m good, sometimes I’m bad. I am a complex person. And so here’s the trick. Even when somebody has been mean to me, even when my first impression of somebody might be cautious, that they’re bad; even in those situations I want to be ready for good. I want to be open.
Although I had a bad experience with that person or with that race of people over there, doesn’t mean that I might not have good experiences here and now and in the future. I am always ready for good from anywhere.
It’s a posture of humility. It’s walking around knowing that I don’t know everything. I’m not sure I have the right answer. Of course I have some opinions, but I am always open to a better answer.
I want to remind us of the benefits of carrying this attitude of good from anywhere; being ready for good from anywhere.
One: is it maximizes the chance of my group making good decisions and excelling at whatever the group is doing, because it welcomes the good contributions that anybody from the group might contribute, no matter what they look like, or what they sound like or how old they are or what their preferences are. It opens the floodgates to all good contributions, maximizing the chances that the group as a whole will do good things. An attitude of ready for good from anywhere helps the group.
Second benefit: it helps other people. If I have an attitude of ready for good from anywhere, the people that I interact with everyday can feel that. And when I reinforce their good contributions rather than reprimand their bad contributions, they feel good about themselves. They are encouraged to do more good things. They are empowered to contribute rather than discouraged from contributing. For them to be better people, it helps other people by propping them up and reinforcing their good behavior.
Third benefit: it helps me. It’s a lot easier for me to walk around and be open to good things from anywhere rather than me walking around and being judgmental about this and having to judge this and that and the other thing; always testing myself and testing every event and every person that comes in my path.
I am much more peaceful and happy if I carry an attitude of ready for good from anywhere.
