On Monday, October 19, 2021, at the age of 84, former Secretary of State, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell, died from Covid complications.
Secretary Powell suffered from Parkinson’s disease and had undergone treatment for multiple myeloma, which compromised his immune system. Like myself, the former Secretary of State and chairman of the Joint Chiefs share ancestry in the island of Jamaica. Both his parents immigrated to the United States of America from Jamaica in the 1930s.
He was the first Black General to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first Black man to serve as Secretary of State. A trailblazer who was capable of admitting when he was wrong because he knew integrity and truth are prerequisites to trust
General Colin Powell posted this a few years back joking he’d been taking selfies 60 years longer than the rest of us. He often spoke of 13 Rules:
1/ It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
2/ Get mad, then get over it.
3/ Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
4/ It can be done.
5/ Be careful what you choose.
6/ Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
7/ You can’t make someone else’s choices.
8/ Check small things.
9/ Share credit.
10/ Remain calm. Be kind.
11/ Have a vision.
12/ Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
13/ Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
These are words to live by… He truly was a visionary