There is a quiet truth we often overlook in our pursuit of becoming better leaders, better neighbors, and better Rotarians: growth does not come from adding more to our plates. It comes from choosing wisely what we place on them. In Los Angeles in the 1950s and early 1960s, there was a shoe salesman whose small shop became famous for an unusual practice. When a customer walked in, he would listen carefully, then return with only two pairs of shoes. If the customer asked to see a third, he would smile and say, “Of course. But before I do, which of these two would you like me to take away?” What he discovered was simple but powerful. When people were faced with too many options, they often walked away without choosing. When they were faced with two, they almost always committed to one. Fewer choices created clarity. Clarity created action.

The lesson reaches far beyond retail. As Rotarians, we live in a world of endless opportunities to serve—projects to lead, causes to support, meetings to attend, and needs to meet across our community and beyond. Every one of them matters. But when everything feels equally urgent, it becomes harder to move anything forward with excellence. Our motto, Service Above Self, is not a call to do everything. It is a call to do the right things—deeply, intentionally, and with our full hearts.

Sometimes the most meaningful step toward becoming a better person is not asking, “What else can I take on?” but rather, “What will I set aside so I can give my very best here? When we choose a cause to support, a family to support, a project to champion, we are making more than a decision about our time. We are making a statement about who we want to become.

Bruce Lee once said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” At first glance, it sounds like a line about martial arts. In truth, it is a philosophy of service. Lee reminds us that impact does not come from scattering our energy across a hundred good intentions, but from committing ourselves—day after day—to one mission and doing it with excellence.

As Rotarians, our “one kick” is not a single project, meeting, or fundraiser. It is our unwavering commitment to Service Above Self. It is showing up when no one is watching, thanking one first responder, feeding one family, and then doing it again tomorrow, and the day after that. Over time, those small, focused acts compound into a legacy that truly changes a community. Mastery in Rotary, like mastery in life, is not about how many things we touch—but how deeply and faithfully we serve the ones placed in our hands.

In that sense, service itself becomes a form of personal transformation. Focus sharpens our purpose. Commitment strengthens our character. And clarity turns good intentions into real impact.

The small Los Angeles shoe shop reminds us of something timeless: when the noise of too many choices fades, the call to act becomes unmistakable. And when we answer that call—one project, one person, one act of service at a time—we live out the very best of what Rotary stands for.

Sic Vos Non Vobis

Trummie Lee Patrick III
President 2025-26

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