Mindfulness Mondays 27: Wszystko jest mozliwe
November 30, 2009 by dr. lam
In the same conference where I heard the incredible Navy Seal, Marcus Luttrell, recount his harrowing, death-defying expedition in Afghanistan, I also heard a lecture from a gentleman, Henry McGovern of AmRest, after Luttrell on how he expanded his restaurant empire in the former Eastern bloc nations. In fact, McGovern opened up his talk by saying, “I was in the bathroom a few minutes ago behind two guys at the urinal who said, ‘I feel sorry for the guy coming up who has to follow the Navy Seal.’ Well, I am that guy!” Everyone uproariously laughed. (I felt sorry for him too, as Luttrell simply killed, literally and figuratively.)
McGovern, an American, opened his headquarters in of all places Wroclaw, Poland, at a time when the grip of Communist thinking was slowly slipping away. He discussed how he first bought a building to house the humble beginnings of what would turn into a billion dollar a year business by enlisting the services of a University student who could serve as his Polish translator. In his first business meeting, he asked the telephone company if they could have something like 100 phone lines installed in his building so that he could run a proper business. After the meeting, the student said to McGovern, “My family has been waiting 15 years for a single phone line. I doubt you will get any phone lines any time soon.” Surprisingly, McGovern got one phone line per floor for a total of 7 or so in a relatively short timeframe and was able to sell the building at a very high premium to a bank because of the unbelievable number of phone lines that he had obtained.
From that moment, McGovern always used the expression “Wszystko jest mozliwe” (pronounced roughly Shisko yest mosh-leeveh) which means “everything is possible” whenever he encountered the apparatchik thinking of his business acquaintances. It opened many doors because it primed his targets to think much more broadly than they would have otherwise done so, given the cultural burden that was imposed by the Eastern European legacy.
When we think things are impossible, just remember “Wszystko jest mozliwe”, everything is possible. Set your intention this week and thereafter to remember the phrase “Wszystko jest mozliwe” that all things are possible. Nothing is impossible.
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3 Responses to “Mindfulness Mondays 27: Wszystko jest mozliwe”
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Funny, Dr. Lam…I think it will be easier for me to remember the concept than to remember phrase…lol Glad you pronounced that for us.
Great positive message!!
I think Ms McGovern Hery well control your resource, with your head in Poland w,z is principally made for KFC