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Me We Do Be: The Four Cornerstones of Success
Me We Do Be The Four Cornerstones of Success Author:Randall Bell PhD What is a winning strategy? Why do some people, families, and — organizations take a dive, some merely survive, while others — thrive? What leads up to a disaster or collapse? Why do some — squander success, while others continue to elevate? How do we build a — solid foundation that assures solid, authentic growth? — Me We Do Be is the result of rese... more »arch that has spanned twenty-five
years at the intersection of sociology and economics. Specifically, I have
explored what behaviors lead to disaster, recovery, or prosperity.
As an economist, I measure the financial effects caused by disasters
and other detrimental conditions. In other words, when disaster strikes,
I am often called in to compute the business and real estate damages.
Appraisers measure value, but I measure the loss of value. Moreover,
also being a sociologist, I keep my eye on the people behind the statistics
as I develop the strategies to move forward. It is a narrow consulting
niche involving research, valuation, negotiation, and strategy, and it
has provided unique access to interesting people and places around the
globe.
The journey began in the 1980s when I was a graduate student at UCLA
studying leadership and business models. In the 1990s, I directed a national
practice at the world?s largest consulting firm. My research expanded as I
walked the reactors at Chernobyl and cut through the jungles around the
Bikini Atoll radioactive nuclear test sites. I have worked on cases ranging
from the O. J. Simpson and JonBenét Ramsey crime scenes to the bizarre
Heaven?s Gate Cult mass-suicide mansion.
In the 2000s, there was more. I was stunned as I stood on a curb in
New York and watched smoke billowing from the World Trade Center
and picked up debris on a rural field in Pennsylvania where Flight 93
had crashed on 9-11. I walked the beaches stained by the BP Oil Spill and
inspected thousands of homes torn apart by Hurricane Katrina.
As a socio-economist I have worked on these and hundreds of other
cases around the world. More importantly, I have studied their ultimate
resolution. While some reporters drop in and rush off to the next story,
I have stayed to talk to the people long after the news vans drive away.
Furthermore, I have been an adviser in countless boardrooms where we
discussed cases involving billions of dollars.
A crisis exposes a person?s or organization?s true character, and this
yields some invaluable insights. In all, I had accumulated a mountain of
information and I wanted to organize it within a practical framework. My
objective was to find a model that children could understand and that a
CEO would take seriously. I considered using the ancient Greek paradigm
of ?ethos, pathos, and logos? and a more modern framework of ?mental,
social, spiritual, and physical.? Of course, there was the standard, ?mind,
body, and soul,? as well as many other models.
All of these struck me as good, but none of them struck me as
complete. It was as if they were playing some of the keys of the piano, but
not the whole keyboard. I simply wanted a clear, complete framework.
My quest for the ideal model ultimately came to me on the Marianas
Islands as I sat in deep thought for three consecutive days. The answer
was simple: Just as all great structures have four cornerstones, there
are four cornerstones of all great pursuits. These can be summed up as
Me We Do Be.
Me refers to habits that build quality thinking and wisdom, We habits
build relationships, Do habits build productivity, and Be habits build the
future.
In the pages that follow, I will use this Me We Do Be framework as
we explore some of the most fascinating places on Earth, learn from the
experiences of some extraordinary people, and look at classic behavioral
research. This is all set out within the four Me We Do Be sections, twenty-one
short chapters, and about one hundred individual lessons. The objective
of each lesson is to encourage discussion on essential life skills.
On top of that, more than five thousand people from all fifty states,
Australia, and the United Kingdom participated in our Rich Habits Survey.1
Here, my research staff and I surveyed professionals, students, stay-at-home
moms, retirees, the unemployed, and multi-millionaires. We studied
dozens of rituals ranging from writing thank-you notes to eating together
as a family. We then statistically correlated various habits with different
measures of success such as education, wealth, quality relationships,
and an overall sense of happiness.
Obviously, some people define success as making money. I joke that
money doesn?t make anyone happy, but it?s a great way to be miserable!
However, some might define success as a happy family life, finding true
love, or winning a competition. Some see success as contributing to a
worthy cause, completing a degree, or mastering a musical instrument.
Others view success as healing from an emotional wound, beating
cancer, or connecting with the divine. Some see success as being a
leader or building a huge name for themselves, while others just want
the satisfaction of quietly doing great work. Many define success as a
combination of things.
I respect the perception that there is no one-size-fits-all for success.
Here, we define what success means to us individually, but in so doing,
we will look at the foundational elements that apply to us all.
The research and science is clear: however you define ?success,? daily
habits, rituals, and routines are the key to either tragedy or triumph. Just
as one bad habit ripples out until a life is destroyed, it is also true that
one new good habit can ripple out and create something magnificent.
Today?s habits, rituals, and routines are tomorrow?s destiny, and minor
adjustments bring major rewards. Indeed, the four cornerstones of Me We
Do Be lay the foundation of every great pursuit. They bring results that are
positive, profound, and permanent.
We have absolutely no control over most things, like the weather or the
global economy. The only thing we really control is ourselves and the habits
we choose. We dictate when we get up, what we eat, what we say and how
we think. Focusing on a proven set of rich habits is simply the most direct