“Why Me?” by Dr. Steinberg

Dr. Steven Steinberg gave an informative and inspiring presentation entitled, “Why Me?” As he described himself, he’s a dentist with Parkinson’s disease who shares a unique set of problem-solving tools which can transform our work and life from ordinary to extraordinary.

A professional speaker and dedicated teacher, he said that when many of us face significant problems in our lives, we ask, “Why me?”. Instead, he advised, don’t give that blameful answer, “because” of this or “because” of that. Instead, make the statement, “So that I can _______”, filling in the blanks with some “powerful purpose or timeless value.”

Telling of his personal disability, Dr. Steinberg tried to show us how to find a path to a better future, while also seeing the world realistically. He cited three lessons for learning to do this. First is to accept that though absolute truth exists, we as humans will never know it.

Second is to realize that life is imperfect. Third is to know we have free choice as to how and whether we participate. He drew a parallel between this pursuit of truth and meaning with Rotary’s emphasis on success in business through service to others.

Using a story about renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman, he emphasized the point by telling of a remarkable performance. One of Perlman’s violin strings had broken. Rather than stop the performance to put on a new string, Perlman played artfully on the remaining strings to make up for the missing tones. The standing audience acclaimed his skill. Said Perlman, “You play your music with whatever remains!”

As Steinberg put it, you can live in pain and problems, or you can find a purpose that will override the pain of problems. He feels this works in business as well as in our personal lives. He can be reached at doc@valuesdoctor.com and www.valuesdoctor.com.