the phoenix by david buracchio
I am sitting here at my desk on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. As a fresh graduate of Rapport Leadership Breakthrough One, I cannot help but to think how things will be different from now on, and how much I may have missed in the past. For the last two weeks since returning from Alamo, Nevada, I have “experienced” life, not just living it as it came along and watching which way it would take me next. From now on, the hugs, the conversations, the hand shakes, the smiles, the laughter, they will all be different from before.
Maybe I should explain a little before people think I was a drone or zombie before Leadership Breakthrough One. I enjoyed these things before Rapport, but not to the fullest of my ability. I meant the things I said when I told my wife and kids that I love them and playing with my grandkids was great. The big difference now is that I will experience, express, observe, feel, hear and share all these things to the fullest extent of the gifts that they are. Now when I hug my wife, I “feel” the love we share together, as I wrap my arms around her; I draw her close to me, taking in the aroma of her beautiful perfume, my face touching hers, hearing her breath by my ear. I tell her that I love her, and what she means to me; I bring her face close to mine and observe the beauty in her eyes. Bringing her closer, I kiss her lips, pausing for a moment to make it last, rejuvenating myself, to survive the journey between now and the next kiss - who knows - it could be hours.
The relationships with my children and grandchildren have been good and very special all along. I will now enjoy them at a higher level. One of the promises I made to myself at the class is that I will not “ASSUME” that the people closest to me know how I feel about them and what they mean to me. I will - as often as I can - take the opportunity and tell them, to let them hear it from me, how much I love and care about them and to show this in my actions.
In the mornings since returning from the Nevada desert, I see and greet my team members at work from a new perspective. These are the people I rely on, and they rely on me, to accomplish the mission at General Air Conditioning and Heating. We - as a team - will bring together the combined skills and knowledge of our past, to benefit the clients, our families and our own futures. Alone, we are nothing but a lot of hot air (no pun intended). Together we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. My favorite picture that hangs on the wall at the office is one that reads T E A M; this is an acronym for “Together Everyone Achieves More.”
The reason all these things are different now after returning from the Rapport Leadership Breakthrough One class is because I will no longer hold back. This class did not physically give or implant something in me that I was not already armed with when I showed up at the retreat. Between Friday, Saturday, and oh yes that “Sunday Morning,” as a team, we unleashed what we are capable of as individuals, and discovered what is possible as a team, not a group of people, I said a TEAM. I was shocked at what potential laid within me and I witnessed the same in my team members. When I thought I had given my best, I had seen that this was not the case at all. I was not let off the hook until I had produced and given everything I had to give. I trusted my team members at work that had been to the class before me; they said “keep an open mind and trust the process.” Well I did just that and it paid off BIG TIME.
As the process moved along, I became more and more excited. Things started happening; I witnessed the rapid growth in myself and my team members. I started seeing, hearing, experiencing and responding to life differently.
At one point, the instructors asked the class what we thought were the things people feared the most in life. The number two fear turned out to be speaking in public and burning alive was reserved for the top spot. It turns out I have experienced both. On October 20, 1989, I was burned over 60% of my body with 2nd and 3rd degree burns, fifteen minutes later I went into full cardiac and pulmonary arrest. Thirty one days later, I came out of a coma, and spent the next seven years recovering from these injuries. Needless to say that as a non-drinker and someone that never did drugs, I was given massive amounts of morphine. This was quite an experience. I have never been that intoxicated in my life.
Then came Sunday morning at Leadership Breakthrough One, as the last two days opened my mind to what was available to me. I unleashed my potential, added enthusiasm, passion, courage, conviction, perseverance and armored this with acceptance of myself. All of this came to a head on that Sunday morning. As I got up and let loose the newly discovered David, the endorphins must have been running wild, and there was no stopping them. I started feeling a little funny and then it started feeling pretty good. As the time went on that morning, it only got better and better. I was so high on life, I almost passed out. I was looking forward to what lay in store for me and my loved ones. I cheered for my team members as it was their turn to express what they had learned over the last few days. Cheering for so long, with such passion and enthusiasm, I got higher than I have ever been on any medications given to me at any time.
Now that I have recovered from Leadership Breakthrough One, the hugs have a deeper meaning; I enjoy conversations more; the hand shakes are more firm and genuine; my smiles are bigger and I laugh longer, louder and more often. Sitting here at my desk, thinking about that weekend… I lost my voice for a few days, but gained a new perspective about myself for life.
~David Buracchio
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