I was out of town last week so I missed the many tributes to Muhammad Ali in the media.

Here’s one of his quotes that was mentioned:

” is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they have been given than to explore the power they have to change it.” Muhammad Ali

“Impossible”, a big word that immobilizes people. I’ve lived a long time and have developed a “healthy disregard for the impossible” (a phrase that is coined by a college leadership program called LeaderShape). I’ve learned that situations that I’ve encountered which seemed hopeless frequently had hope right around the corner.

The key is not quitting too early. The key is trusting the inventive genius that’s available from teammates.

If you reflect upon it, there are so many things that seemed impossible years ago that we regard as routine today. For instance, I’m typing this on a computer/phone. When I’m done, I’ll push a couple of buttons and send it. In seconds, it will be on your phone.

My dad died in 1984. If I told him that was possible today, he would question my sanity.

Ali’s quote reminds us that it is “small” to be complacent. It is “small” to shelve our imagination.

PalletOne leaders “happen to the world.” One of the ways we do that is too keep striving for better results and better outcomes in the world we live in.