Visit us at WWW.FFCA.ORG 5 Facing the Future, Fully Involved A s chief executives, we often face attacks, accusations, and turmoil in our personal and public lives. Too often our personal and public lives intersect, blurring the lines and creating a “good” story for the media. Even as you read this I’m sure that one of your peers comes to mind or you have had a personal experience that “cost” you in one way or another. So, what do we do? Do we run away from it, or do we run toward the challenge? Do we shift the blame, or do we take responsibility? At the end of the day, do you want to do the right thing, or do we just want to survive another day? To quote Haruki Murakami, “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” As an Association, and as colleagues, I believe it’s our responsibility to become educated and equipped to support one another. Unfortunately, the best way to accomplish this is through life experiences, whether yours or someone else’s. It’s like the saying, “been there, done that, got the tee shirt.” I know that in past columns I have expressed my desire for us as an Association to educate, equip, and engage. The theme of this year’s Executive Development Conference is “Facing the Future, Fully Involved.” It is our desire to bring you quality educational opportunities, equipping you with timely information and resources in hopes that you will become engaged. In closing, I would like to leave you with the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”