Inspiration Tuesday: What a Dying Man Teaches Us About Living a Life Filled with Character and Connection

Are you a fan of the Minions? (Maybe you’ve seen them in their current movie or the Despicable Me movies?)

I didn’t use to be, but I am now.

Really, any time I see them, whether it’s in movie promos or somewhere else, they bring an instant smile to my face.

Because they remind me of this month’s Inspiration Tuesday, George Hillegass, who loved the minions.

I didn’t know this about Mr. Hillegass until I attended his funeral recently – sadly, he lost his battle, at 71, with pancreatic cancer.

His death, for me, calls to mind the title of Harold Kushner’s book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People.

Because Mr. Hillegass was as good as they come.

No, better.

And he’s got a lot to teach us about living…and about how to be our best selves.

Just Who Was George Hillegass? 

Capturing the magnificence of this one-of-a-kind man, Mr. Hillegass, is a bit challenging, if I can admit. But here’s my best attempt…

Mr. Hillegass lost his father at around age 12 and went to work at that young age to help support his mother and siblings.

But he was so much more than that.

Mr. Hillegass co-founded and helped build an incredibly successful accounting firm.

But he was so much more than that.

Mr. Hillegass was a faithful and loving husband as well as a member of the Best Dads in the World Club (as is mine!).

But he was so much more than that.

Mr. Hillegass was a man of great faith and let the principles of his faith guide every aspect of his life.

But he was so much more than that.

Mr. Hillegass spent his life giving to and helping others (often quietly) – helping them be all they could be.

But he was so much more than even that.

He was, to me, all of that plus the father of a childhood friend of mine who always welcomed me into his family’s home growing up.

Who made me laugh, smile…and, now, love the minions.

What George Hillegass Teaches Us About Living a Life Filled with Character and Connection…

You know, every once in a while, I come upon a person – Mr. Hillegass – who epitomizes the type of person I’m trying to inspire everyone to be like through my blog.

I hope Mr. Hillegass inspires you as he continues to inspire me.

In ways like this…

: | Make sure you’re climbing the right ladder to success.

I’m currently reading (and highly recommend) David Brook’s new book, The Road to Character.

In it, Brooks talks about how so many of us focus on the résumé virtues (i.e., achieving wealth, fame and status) and not enough on the eulogy virtues (i.e., kindness, character, honesty, the kind of relationships we’ve formed, etc.). 

Mr. Hillegass is one of the few people I know who mastered both the résumé and the eulogy sides of the equation.

Yes, he enjoyed great career success. But he also cultivated, just as fervently, his character, his relationships, his faith and so much more on the eulogy side.

On the road to success, he didn’t just climb one ladder (career) or the other (life).

He climbed both.

And that’s true success.

Tweet this 〉〉 Climbing the ladder to success is about more than building a successful career – it’s about building a successful life.

: | Building relationships often requires more than convenience.

At Mr. Hillegass’ funeral, his son, Tim, spoke eloquently about how his dad kept a running list of birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions for those he knew.

And how, each day, Mr. Hillegass would review the list and call people and wish them a happy birthday, happy anniversary, etc. – not email, but call.

To paraphrase Tim, Mr. Hillegass said that technology was great, but nothing could replace the good old fashioned telephone or face-to-face conversation in growing relationships.

Follow Mr. Hillegass’ lead. Want stronger relationships? Ditch the technology every once in a while and pick up the phone. Or grab lunch, dinner or a quick coffee with someone.

Forsake what’s convenient and fast (i.e., email) and go for what’s effective and creates connections that can last a lifetime.

: | Always bring out the best in others by being your best self.

Kid President, who I’ve written about before, has a great expression – “Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody.”

That’s who Mr. Hillegass was.

He made everybody feel like a somebody.

While I hadn’t seen Mr. Hillegass in a number of years, I always remembered his positive, can-do spirit – to put it simply, you just felt good being around him.

He was a natural born coach who made a difference in so many people’s lives. 

And each of us can be this for others as well.

Tweet this 〉〉 We are our best selves when we help others be their best selves.

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What a remarkable man Mr. Hillegass was. To me and others, he operated in rarefied air.

As my mom said when leaving the funeral, “Mr. Hillegass was one of a kind. They broke the pattern when they made him.”

Mr. Hillegass has indeed left us all big shoes to fill.

I hope we all continue to try, however…because even if we come up short, we can’t help but become better people with him as our inspiration.

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To living life like Mr. Hillegass did,

 

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