The Core of the "AND THEN SOME" Philosophy Part 2

Part 2 of 2 in our series: The Core of the "And Then Some" philosophy

Richard L. Weaver II

“Do as I say, not as I do,” is an old-fashioned expression, and the “And Then Some” philosophy would be an easy one to preach and not follow. That has not been the case in my life, and that was not the case when I first wrote about And Then Some more than twenty years ago. And Then Some probably represents, better than anything else I can think of, the very epitome of what it means to be a human being, and it comes close to having faith in something greater than or beyond ourselves—faith based upon the interpretation of the intangible instead of the physically tangible.

The faith associated with And Then Some is that associated with trust—believing that the results of a choice you have made will act in specific ways despite the potential influence of known or unknown change. It is to have faith that the results of your current decisions will in some way intensify, heighten, magnify, strengthen, augment, and enrich you in the future. And Then Some is a belief that your choices will result in a future that will be improved over the present with which you are familiar now—belief in and trust of your abilities, based on everything you know right now, to make decisions that will raise, lift, and elevate your life.

Although And Then Some can and does work in small ways everyday of our lives—especially as we interact with friends and family members—the big ways you see And Then Some work can be crucial, weighty, and extraordinary for the way it sculptures lives. I have eight of those “big ways” that have so altered the pathways of my life, they have molded me into what I am (have become) today.

The first way in which And Then Some dramatically altered my life was my decision to take college seriously, stop rebelling against my parents, apply myself, study hard, and do well. Had I not adjusted my attitude, dug in my heels, and added And Then Some, I would have been without a University of Michigan education and without direction and purpose—adrift.

The second And Then Some application, closely related to the first, was my change in major from pre-medicine to speech. I have written about it often only because of the effect it had on my life. This belief in And Then Some underscores the importance of pursuing what feels right for you, what fulfills you, and what is your passion. There are no precise, explicit, or clear-cut directions or guidelines to help you make these life-altering decisions. You must trust your abilities and instincts, and reach out in faith.

The And Then Some application that occurred third, in chronological order, is my marriage. This application was made more dramatic by a newspaper headline that read, “Marking 25 years of marriage proving more elusive” (The Toledo Blade, September 21, 2007, p. 8A). The story, attributed to the New York Times, begins, “More than half the Americans who might have celebrated their 25th wedding anniversaries since 2000 were divorced, separated, or widowed before reaching that milestone....” My wife and I have been happily married more than 40 years, and I consider her my friend, supporter, encourager, and number-one fan.

My choice to go to Indiana University and study with Dr. Robert Gunderson was my fourth And Then Some application. It changed my life by forcing me to become a better writer, adding greater discipline and control to my behavior, and, in the end, granting me the Ph.D. I needed to credential me for a future as professor and disciplinary writer. For a secure future in higher education, a Ph.D. is not a choice; it is essential.

A fifth And Then Some application was my agreement to write the textbook Communicating Effectively with Saundra Hybels who asked me to be her co-author just four years out of graduate school. That textbook had its first two editions (under another title) with Van Nostrand publishers, the next two with Random House, and the remaining seven with McGraw-Hill—for a total of eleven editions. It not only launched a career of writing textbooks and scholarly articles, but it yielded the credibility, self-confidence, and authority needed to do a wide variety of other writing as well—for example, speeches and essays.

The decision to go to Bowling Green State University to teach was a sixth And Then Some application. Because of the size of the change from teaching small classes at the University of Massachusetts and the move to directing a large, basic, required course utilizing graduate teaching assistants who had to be trained, as well as weekly lecturing to 1500 undergraduate students, this And Then Some decision presented a momentous opportunity and yet, for me, an earth-shaking challenge. This pivotal decision in my life had the And Then Some benefit or propelling me through the remaining 22 years of my teaching career, but facing it required a critical evaluation of my experience, skills, and abilities: was I even capable of raising my performance to this new level?

My seventh And Then Some application was the choice to write Saturday essays for The (Toledo) Blade. Why was this an And Then Some moment? First, it is risky for a writer to surrender to the decision of a gatekeeper, newspaper editor for possible publication of his work. Second, it is risky for a writer to compete with other local authorities (educators, lawyers, doctors, deans, pastors, and civil authorities) for publication. Third, it is risky for a writer to put aspects of his personal life out into the public for examination, review, and comment. That decision has had the And Then Some benefit of writing well over 200 essays and providing a stimulating, challenging, enjoyable life.

The eighth And Then Some application occurred with the decision to leave teaching to depend entirely on writing for the remaining portion of my professional career. After teaching in a secure situation and environment for 31 years, taking early retirement to depend for income on the fickle profession of writing—even with the possibility that my textbook will be discontinued—was an And Then Some application that has resulted in close to a dozen years of delightful, challenging, self-sufficient entrepreneurship.

Daily And Then Some moments have never ceased, and will never cease, but with respect to influential, life-altering, high density, transforming events, nothing compares with the colossal And Then Some phenomena that become the benchmarks for reshaping a life and establishing a new pattern and approach. These eight And Then Some events offer the exemplar—textbook examples—for what And Then Some is all about and the faith you must have in your skills and abilities.

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© Copyright 2007. All rights reserved worldwide by Richard L. Weaver II and And Then Some Publishing, L.L.C.

No part of this essay, except in brief quotations embodied in reviews, may be used or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, photocopying, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Richard L. Weaver II or the publisher, And Then Some Publishing, L.L.C.---or, in the case of photocopying, electronic duplication, or other reproductive copying, a license from the United States Copyright Licensing Agency---is an infringement on the copyright law. The best way to obtain copies of the essays is to purchase the book And Then Some - Book I: Essays to Entertain, Motivate, and Inspire (And Then Some Publishing, 2007).