I had the pleasure recently to sit down with Dr. Kent Keith, CEO of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. As a 19 year old at Harvard University, Kent wrote the well-known “Paradoxical Commandments”. I’ve known his words for sometime, but it was nice to sit with him and see the heart behind those words. I’ve found that the Paradoxical Commandments are words that we need to revisit from time to time. Lately they have spoken even more poignantly to me.

The Paradoxical Commandments

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.

Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.

Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.

Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you have anyway.

Part of Stepping Back from the Baggage Claim is about moving outside of our comfort zone, not being sucked into the madness of the crowd, and doing good anyway. In the midst of the busyness of today, I hope to give the world the best I have anyway.

“Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you’ve got, be resolute, and love without stopping.” – 1 Corinthians 16: 13-14, (The Message translation)

Jason Barger, 11-time Amor leader and author of the book, Step Back from the Baggage Claim:  Change the World, Start at the Airport