You IS.

We watched the movie The Help last night.

It was painful, sad, and inspiring.  I know these people. Not literally those people but the characters.  I grew up in a small town in Alabama and I know these people; the good and the bad.

I was very fortunate to grow up in a home where my parents did not see color, they saw people and they made sure I saw the same.  People who were made by the same Creator. period.  I am grateful for them and their conviction of truth and not conforming to culture.

I know there have been some negative reviews of The Help because of the stereotypes in the book/movie but I have to say whether you lived it or know someone who lived it, the pain and the inspiration are real and not just stereotypes.

There were many great moments in the movie but the bottom line for me was this great reminder; each of us has value and it is important to remind ourselves and each other every day of our value.  Words matter and can put us in bondage or empower us to do great things.

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

-Mark Twain

 

Any of us from childhood can be so conditioned to the importance of appearance, performance, and status that we remain bound to these false notions even though God does not see us in these confining chains we and others put on us.  

It reminds me of how the circus trains elephants.  Have you seen those chains around an elephant's foot with a stake in ground. How can such a small chain restrict such a powerful animal? The elephant remains chained because of a memory. When the animal was very young, he tried to pull free of the chain but was not strong enough to do so. The elephant learned that the chain was stronger than he was, and he has not forgotten the lesson. Even though he is now strong enough to escape, he rarely tries because he is conditioned to captivity.

So many times we are like the elephant.  Held by the chains of other peoples opinions, stereotypes, and words but the truth about who you are is stronger than the small chains that have kept you from realizing your full potential as God"s unique and valued creation.

Remind yourself and remind others:

You are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. 1 Peter 2:9

Put simply:

You is kind.

You is smart.

You is important.

Pass it on!

If you like the quote art "You is" above I found it was created by Alana Winder and you can find out more about her and her art @ www.mrs-alanas-miscellany.com

On the line....

We all know the success stories; Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Walt Disney, Steve Jobs..etc... Those and many more have risked failure by putting it all on the line for their art and profession and have succeeded.

We also know there are many people not succeeding everyday because of fear, lack of encouragement, or unwillingness to get out of their comfort zone.

So consider this, if you put everything on the line it might not work out.

But the problem with not putting it all on the line is that it will never (ever) change things for the better.

Not much of a choice, I think. 

"No risk, no art. No art, no reward." -Godin

Today is life.....

Eleanor Barry, a 70-year-old ex-actress, was passionate about books. She loved to read and she loved books so much she acquired as many as she could and kept them all! She made large stacks because she did not have enough walls and book shelves to hold them. In December of 1986 A giant pile of books collapsed on Miss Barry while she lay in bed. Police had to use an axe to smash the door of her bedroom because the collapsed pile blocked their entry. They stated the weight of the papers muffled her cries for help.

A great argument for iPads and ereaders....huh? I don't know of anyone killed yet by an iPad falling on them!

Here is the lesson for me from Miss Barry's story....it is a good thing to be passionate about what we love...the danger is obsession, isolation, and loss of perspective if we are not careful.

I have many things screaming for my attention today before the week starts but I think instead I will not let them fall on me and kill my day.

Today is life - the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. -Dale Carnegie

2012....WHY NOT?

I took a little time off from the "blogosphere" during December.  Mainly, to rest, rebound, reevaluate, and remember all the things God has done for us this past year. 

Launching into 2012 is interesting.  I know we are in still in the midst of less than ideal times but I still find myself having more reasons than ever to be grateful and hopeful.  YES it is still a challenging time but it is also the best possible time for us to be alive and pursuing what God has called us to do.

As I said, I did a lot of reading and "re-reading" in December and ran across an article I had bookmarked by Seth Godin from 9 years ago that truly impacted me but is more relevant than ever in my life and I want to share some of it with you....because I think it is very relevant for you and our journey into 2012.

Hindsight is 20/20.

Here's a question that you should clip out and tape to your bathroom mirror. It might save you some angst 15 years from now. The question is, What did you do back when interest rates were at their lowest in 50 years, crime was close to zero, great employees were looking for good jobs, computers made product development and marketing easier than ever,  and there was almost no competition for good news about great ideas?

The thing is, we still live in a world that's filled with opportunity. In fact, we have more than an opportunity -- we have an obligation. An obligation to spend our time doing great things. To find ideas that matter and to share them. To push ourselves and the people around us to demonstrate gratitude, insight, and inspiration. To take risks and to make the world better by being amazing.

Are these crazy times? You bet they are. But so were the days when we were doing duck-and-cover air-raid drills in school, or going through the scares of Three Mile Island and Love Canal. There will always be crazy times.

So stop thinking about how crazy the times are, and start thinking about what the crazy times demand. There has never been a worse time for business as usual. Business as usual is sure to fail, sure to disappoint, sure to numb our dreams. That's why there has never been a better time for the new. Your competitors are too afraid to spend money on new productivity tools. Your bankers have no idea where they can safely invest. Your potential employees are desperately looking for something exciting, something they feel passionate about, something they can genuinely engage in and engage with.

You get to make a choice. You can remake that choice every day, in fact. It's never too late to choose optimism, to choose action, to choose excellence. The best thing is that it only takes a moment -- just one second -- to decide.

Before you finish this paragraph, you have the power to change everything that's to come. And you can do that by asking yourself (and your colleagues) the one question that every organization and every individual needs to ask today:

Why not be great?