This year, as we celebrate the 239th anniversary of our nation’s birth, I ask you to take a moment to reflect on the significance of this day. The day when our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence granting all Americans the “unalienable Rights of…Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Single-handedly the coolest mission statement ever!
And with that America was open for business… leave everything you have behind they said… your family… your home… your country… for just a chance at the “American Dream”. No promises were made, just a chance. Hell, we had just come out of a war with the baddest nation on the planet, so no one knew what to expect next. But they came, and they came from everywhere.
And now 322,583,006 people and close to 100,000,000 LinkedIn users later, we’re still in business.
Sure times haven’t always been easy… there have been battles and wars fought internally and externally, there have been changes to the rules and regulations many times over, there have been depressions and recessions, and our leaders from ever side of the political spectrum have come and gone.
But what has stayed consistent over the years is our belief in the company (America) and the belief that we all really do have a shot to “make it”, whatever “it” is.
Lou Gehrig knew it… July 4th will mark the 75th anniversary of one of the most famous Yankee moments ever. As he stood before a packed house at Yankee Stadium, suffering from a disease (ALS) that took his baseball career, and ultimately his life, Lou Gehrig declared himself “The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth”. On what was a very sad day for any Yankee or baseball fan in general, he was telling people, ‘look, don’t feel bad for me, I have already lived Life & Liberty and have experienced a lot of Happiness’ (as any 6-time World Series Champion would). He closed by saying “that I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for. Thank you.”
So you see, we have all been through a lot, as a country, as families, as individuals, and with the economic downturn a few years back, but the United States of America Company is open for business, and we have a lot to be thankful for! Simply have a look at all of the large cranes and towers coming out of the ground in New York and New Jersey.
Happy Birthday & God Bless America!!
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