Being In The Moment & The Power of Love

A Look at the World Series,  Being in the Moment, Slowing Down to the Speed of Life & the Power of Love.

By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd.

The importance of being in the moment arose during one of the interviews Friday night on Fox-TV following the St. Louis Cardinals victory in the seventh game of the 2011 World Series.

Allen Craig, who was playing left field for St. Louis, was asked about what was going through his mind when Texas Ranger David Murphy hit a fly ball in his direction with two out in the top of ninth inning. All Craig had to do was make a fairly routine catch and the St. Louis Cardinals would cap an incredible run. The team was 10½ games out of the wild card spot near the end of August and three games out with just five games left to play. They had beaten the division-winning Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers in the playoffs to reach the World Series. After committing three errors early in the game the night before, they had rallied to overcome deficits in the late innings to tie the game and then win on a dramatic home run in the bottom of the 11th.

Craig noted that he focused his thinking on one thing, catching the ball. He didn’t let his mind race ahead to the Cardinals winning their 11th World Series title and the ensuing Cardinal Nation celebration.

Craig’s comments especially caught my attention since earlier in the day the importance of “being in the moment” and “slowing down to the speed of life” were emphasized in a BMA “Leading the Way” leadership workshop.

The workshop was conducted by guest speaker Mark Sasscer, who is the Founder and CEO of LeadQuest Consulting, Inc., an international leadership, consulting and training firm that specializes in leadership and team development and organizational culture change.

Sasscer’s second book, “Accountability NOW! Living the Ten Principles of Personal Leadership,” (Link) was just published. Click here for more information on Mark and LeadQuest.

As an aside, Sasscer lives on property on Maryland’s eastern shore where the thoroughbred race horses “Man O’ War” and “War Admiral” grew up.

In the workshop he conducted for folks from BMA and the senior living communities that we manage, Sasscer talked about the relationship between BMA’s Values of love, compassion and dignity and our patterns of behavior. He especially focused on our decision to boldly proclaim love as a value.

The commitment to love residents is so much more powerful than providing them with the basics of care and safety.

To love residents as well as those you with work, it is important for you to “be in the moment,” Sasscer said. You have to be there for them fully, not only physically, but also mentally. You have to slow down to the “speed of life.”

Sasscer also stressed the importance of curiosity and developing an understanding of other people’s values, beliefs and traditions. As noted in “You Can Be Happy No Matter What” by Richard Carlson, Ph.D., “because every human being lives in a separate reality, it’s impossible for two human beings, from the same culture or not, to see things precisely alike.”

Great leaders create an environment where people want to be here and do their best. They create an environment where people willingly volunteer discretionary efforts over and above what is minimally required to do their jobs.


All affordable assisted living communities managed by BMA Management, Ltd. are certified and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All assisted living communities are licensed and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”

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Gardant Management Solutions has 20+ years of industry-acclaimed operational history in developing, managing and consulting for senior living, assisted living and memory care communities.