Your Golden Nugget

"Make Your Life Harvest - A Harvest of Joy"
- An interview with Robert Mondavi

Some time ago I had the ‘joy' of interviewing Robert Mondavi, the pioneer wine maker who has earned world respect for believing in his dream and putting Napa Valley on the map. He tells of founding Robert Mondavi Winery in his autobiography Harvests of Joy: My Passion For Excellence.

What a gentleman he is. As a result of our conversation I want to savor every life experience and approach each day with curiosity, grace and inner passion. I want to learn about state government, music, flowers, people, science, intuition, economics, and Greek classics. I want to give and receive more joy, laugh more freely and enjoy all the "wines" of life. I want to have enough courage to live a passionate combination of strength and determination coupled with grounded freedom to be uniquely me.

As you can tell Robert Mondavi is inspirational. Of course I asked him how we can be and achieve in the moment. He replied: "I think you are tackling a very basic, simple and yet very difficult subject that many people do not understand." We discussed simplicity and difficult as:

• being true to yourself
• examining your humanness
• sharing your feelings and
• living your reality

By not being honest with ourselves he said: "..we get into a mess…The Greeks, The Romans, all of them taught us what to do and yet we don’t do it."

Mr. Mondavi had so much to say which I will summarize by sharing his fifteen qualities for success. (These qualities are highlighted in Chapter 18 or Mr. Mondavi’s book.)

1. Foremost have confidence in yourself.
2. Make a commitment to excel and then pour yourself into it with complete dedication.
3. Interest is not enough – have passion. Find a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.
4. Establish a goal just beyond what you think you can do – this will teach you to embrace risk.
5. Be completely honest and open.
6. Generosity pays – initiate giving.
7. Only make promises and commitments you know you can keep.
8. You must understand that you can not change people – you might be able to influence them a little. You can only change yourself. So accept people as they are.
9. Cultivate empathy and compassion to live and work in harmony with others. Never berate anyone. If you want to teach someone to fly, you don’t start by clipping his or her wings.
10. Communicate. Human beings experience the same thing in very different ways. So there is always a large space for misunderstanding. Be alert for misunderstandings.
11. It is very important that we understand one another. Learn how to bridge those spaces of misunderstanding by listening carefully and than restating.
12. Rarely will you find complete harmony between two human beings. To maintain harmony: make time to be alone to share experiences and the precious moments of life. Open yourself to the whole person – emotionally, physically, spiritually and intellectually. There is no better tonic for keeping love alive and vibrant than laughter and good cheer.
13. Both in life and work, stay flexible.
14. Always stay positive. Use common sense. America was built on the can-do spirit.
15. The greatest leaders don’t rule. They inspire.

Mr. Mondavi did not found the Robert Mondavi Winery until he was fifty-two! Now at eighty-eight years of age he arises at 6:30a.m., engages in 30 minutes of aerobics, swims 30 minutes and then arrives at the office around 8:30 a.m. Five times a week he gets a massage.

Mr. Mondavi throughout the interview did something very unique. After he responded to my questions, he asked for my thoughts on each topic. Wow! He made me feel of value, he made me feel he could learn from me, he made me want to learn more about him, and as he does with all of his experiences – he provided an experiential feast, which I enjoyed immensely.

A bottle of wine is made from grapes. One grape, two grapes, three…..grapes, small single grapes. What are you sowing this week? What "harvest" will it yield? Be intentional with your sowing so that you reap joy.

Tonight indulge your sensual self…..flowers, good fruit, mature cheeses, proud wine, rich music - married with a fine entrée.

A toast to our current and future harvests!