Kevin W. McCarthy

There You Go Again, Congress!

My prediction is that the Health Care Reform Bill about to negotiated between the US House and Senate to put before President Obama will be to health care what the Community Reinvestment Act was to the housing and financial markets - a disaster filled with unintended consequences.  Rather than people losing their homes and facing financial ruin, this time it will be people's lives and health at stake.  The sub-prime crisis will pale in comparison.

The very engines of wealth creation and free enterprise are being eroded by these proposed policies.  The Community Reinvestment Act fiddled with market economics to qualify previously unqualified borrowers by providing a government backing.  The Health Care Reform Bill is yet another round of government policy rigging the health care system, playing politics and power rather than reforming.  Look no further than the massive fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid systems to see what we have coming our way.  Now multiply this by tens of millions of new people who think insurance is a blank check entitlement to cover their poor choices and unhealthy lifestyle.  

Insurance is a business concept based on actuarial science of share risks. Insurance is not health care.  The very concept of risk-reward and personal responsibility has been lost in the health care reform debate.  We've also lost sight of the important role of community hospitals for indigent care.  The Hippocratic Oath remains a prevailing approach to caring for our fellow humans.   Government mandates to universal coverage are yet another falling domino in the Great Society that would undermine greatness and society.  When government steps in as a "brother's keeper," then society steps back from helping. 

Please review the track record of greater government direct involvement in non-defense services.  The Declaration and US Constitution speak to the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness, not as the reason for government to be the public option.  Government is to regulate, not run industry.  The current trend is alarmingly off-purpose.

I welcome your opinions.

PS - I found this clip on YouTube about Health Care in the 1980 Presidential Debates with Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.  Reagan's comeback to Carter inspired the title of this posting.  Enjoy!

New Year's Resolution Weight Loss Solution

As the New Year / Decade approaches, like many you're probably pondering this fresh start with an eye toward the bathroom scale and losing those accumulated excess pounds.  I called this condition "my fat suit" - an extra layer of Kevin over the top of my inner athlete.  

Weight loss for many of us is a place in our lives where we're out of control by some fraction or even into integers of complexity.  Refusing to be resigned to the extra pounds is one thing; raising the bar on what it is costing you is another.  Awareness and goal setting are important, but a system makes all the difference for success.

A Weighty Conversation is a short presentation I put together for my wife's health coaching practice.  Please invest the 3 minutes to watch and consider all you have to gain by losing weight.

Judith offers an affordable solution to help you keep your New Year's Resolution to lose that 10, 20, 30 pounds or more... and keep off the weight.  She heads a small and dedicated team of health coaches, who come alongside of you, so you can experience weight loss success using the Take Shape For Life system.  For most people, this approach is cost neutral relative to your current food intake and the coaching is free.

Judith is offering free 25 minute consultations.  Call her at 407.927.1642 or drop me an email via this blog and I'll forward it to her.  I lost 50 pounds on this program so I endorse it fully.

So as the Waterford Crystal Ball in Times Square begins to fall, be sure to have your plans in place for a truly healthy New Year in 2010.

Be On-Purpose!

Kevin

PS: The music is from Dan Lewis, a musician friend in the Hendersonville, NC area.

The Benefits of Having My Birthday on Christmas

Most people think having a birthday on Christmas is really awful.  Here are some of the benefits of having my birthday on Christmas:

1. Fewer presents means fewer thank you notes to write.

2. I don't have to work on my birthday. Instead, I get to prepare for days in advance, cook, clean, wash, put away, do it all over and over. Whew! I get to go back to work Monday.

3. God cared enough about me to give me an annual reminder that no matter how important or impressive I think I am - Im not. Then, God allowed me to be married - another reminder where I stand. Then God allowed me to have children - two more reminders. Finally, God allow me to have a dog so at least someone would love, admire, and respect me provided I clean up after he poops.

4. Most people forget it is your birthday which they would probably do anyway so I at least you can blame Christmas on being forgotten.

5. I get to go to parties where everyone is festive and joyful on my birthday and they're not faking it for my birthday. For those of us who tend toward introversion, it gives us relief from having to be the uncomfortable center of attention.

6. My family is always around for my birthday. That's a good thing, right?

7. I get to buy and give presents for other people on my birthday.

8. There is something really special about sharing this special day with Jesus. Hard to describe, but it is humbling.

Be On-Purpose!

Kevin

How Would You React?

My daughter, Anne, is a 16-year-old competitive soccer player.  She serves as a junior captain of her Trinity Prep high school soccer team as well as a player on the Football Club of America (Kumba Soccer) located here in Orlando.  Her Kumba team was having a car wash fund raiser in late September.  An accident occurred where one teammate's foot slipped off the brakes and the car pinned another teammate against a wall.  Bree McMahon's legs were crushed.  Anne was one of many who sprang into action.  She called 911 and provided a towel for Bree's head as she lay on the ground awaiting the arrival of paramedics. 

Initially, we anticipated broken legs and damage to Bree's knees.  The severity of the accident came to light a few hours later when Anne's text from the hospital said, "Bree's legs might have to be amputated because the blood vessels were crushed."  Judith and I immediately headed to the hospital to be and pray with the girls. 

Jenna Bush Hager (George and Laura Bush's daughter) of The Today Show did a feature on Bree.  The clip below tells the story.  You'll also get to see and hear a brief comment from Anne from behind Bree's hospital bed. 

Bree and Chelsea (the driver involved in the freak accident) are young Christian girls whose faith is serving them both well in terms of forgiveness given and received.  The character of both young ladies is remarkable.

If it were your legs crushed that day, how would you respond?  My hope would be that I would have grace and understanding like Bree.

Can A Leader Afford To Be Real?

This On-Purpose^® Business Minute invites you to explore the style and substance of your leadership. Please be sure to watch the video, read the blog, and comment. 

Leaders tend to have catch phrases that guide them. What if these are more style than substance when it comes to truly leading?

"Never let them see you sweat!"  That's the advice given to many a rising leader.  But is it valid or is this just the mythology of being a "strong" leader?  Then again, does a truly strong leader have anything to hide?  Jack Nicholson starred in the movie A Few Good Men as Col. Nathan R. Jessep.  In the movie he utters the famous line, "You can't handle the truth!" in a display of arrogance stemming from a fear of exposure.

"Be an open book," is the advice many would instill in others.  Is there such a thing as too much information?  Do we expect our leaders to exhibit a measure of prudent transparency? Where is the line of privacy?

Hopefully, this On-Purpose^® Business Minute did inspire you to scratch below the surface of your style to discover the bedrock of your guiding principles.

The Christmas Gift of Being On-Purpose!

Are you looking for the ideal Christmas present - a gift of a life time?  Give The On-Purpose Person to those who need the gift of knowing their life can make a difference and matters profoundly even if their present circumstances may indicate otherwise.  

When you order the book online with us, be sure to use the comment section if you would like to have the book personalized and autographed.   This offer expires on Monday, Dec. 21 at noon. 

What Anchors Your Health?

If you don't know your purpose for being then you are missing out on life... literally.  As you ponder your New Year's Resolutions consider not just what, but why for each of them.

In November, Florida Hospital launched a campaign called Healthy 100.  Their web site headline says,"Have you ever thought that you could live to be 100 years old? How about being 100 years old and still doing the things you love? It may sound unbelievable, but at Florida Hospital, we are on a mission to help you do just that. Through support and education, we want to help you kick-start your journey to living a healthier, happier life."

Imagine living to be a healthy 100 year old!

Cover via Amazon

At the launch event (I attended), Dan Buettner, the author of The Blue Zones, engaged us with his case studies and keys to vitality and longevity which are: Right Outlook, Move Naturally, Eat Wisely, Right Tribe.  Afterward, I spoke with Dan about my work with purpose which falls into the Right Outlook category.  He said to me, "Purpose is the anchor to health, yet it remains the most under celebrated aspect.  Research shows that having a purpose in life adds six to seven years of longevity."

In an article Dan wrote in 2008 for AARP, Dan provides this source, “People who feel their life is part of a larger plan and are guided by their spiritual values have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, a lower risk of heart attack and cancer, and heal faster and live longer,” says Harold G. Koenig, M.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center, who has studied the phenomenon broadly.

EXTRA: Watch Dan Buettner's interview with Martha Stewart in the first link.

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Book Me To Speak At Your Event

Kevin W. McCarthy is the author of The On-Purpose Person and The On-Purpose Business.  He is one of the world’s leading authorities on the meaningful integration of life and work.  More than just an author, Kevin is a natural leader in business and civic endeavors.  Kevin’s goal with audiences is to stir their hearts, advance their thinking, and inspire them to action.

He is a professional member of the National Speakers Association, the CEO of On-Purpose Partners, and a highly respected business advisor for middle market organizations and a personal coach to CEOs, Executive Directors, and Company Presidents.  Authentic, original, good humored, and engaging are the qualities most often attributed to this thought leader by his peers, clients, and audiences.  He has traveled from Hungary to Hawaii since 1992 inspiring audiences as he carries the message of being on-purpose into the hearts, minds, and lives of people. 

Kevin’s intelligent and easy speaking style mixes light and spontaneous humor with a life-changing message and stories.  His uplifting keynote addresses and programs appeal to those with true aspirations and more responsibilities than time.  These people long to make a difference through ethically building a business, career, and life of significance.  There’s an authentic spirit to his words and way that captivates audiences.

Kevin shows up at the event to work.  He invests himself in your event and people.  Every engagement is tailored to the audience, company, and industry at hand.  Not one to “show and go,” Kevin considers it a privilege to reasonably meet and greet your participants, to sign books, and to answer questions.  He wants to bring value to your event.

To learn more, please call our office at 407.657.6000.

How Authentic Is Your Personal Brand?

The integration of your personal brand and personal identity will both improve your life and your work life.  Learn how to anchor your personal brand in the bedrock of your being.

In light of the sad revelations about Tiger Woods, perhaps this video was prophetic in terms of the dangers and costs involved in not having this full integration. 

This video is a contribution I make to a monthly leadership journal called The New Face of Leadership Magazine that is published by my colleague and friend Dr. Stephanie Parson.

Is It Fair To Profit Off Of A Sick Person?

My jaw dropped in stunned amazement as I heard Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz make the following statement on the November 22, ABC News broadcast of This Week With George Stephanopoulos. The following quotation from Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz's comments can be found in context at this link in the show transcript.

"I hope we can all agree that we have to get rid of the profit-driven, insurance company-driven health insurance system that we have, where it's insurance company bureaucrats, Senator Coburn, that are getting in between patients and their doctors.

"To suggest that this (health care reform) bill will put government in between patients and their doctors is really disingenuous..."

The reason her comments are important is that they reflect what I consider to be the crux of so much of the debate in the US over health care reform, different points of view, and the failure to address core strategies in policy.  This is a classic case of arguing sentiment over underlying values and structure.  Read between the lines of what she is saying here about free enterprise, economics, and so forth.  Ask yourself if this represents health care reform or a reflection of an underlying philosophy.  

Please offer your comments.

Be On-Purpose!

Kevin