Trying to run the PARADE!

The "unknowns" of life can be disturbing and can lead to a lot of anxiety.  At least for me.  Dealing with the "what ifs" on the negative side can lead to more than just being anxious....it can lead to fear.  If you are like me you know it is not somewhere you want to or should live but it is really easy to go there if you let yourself.  

 

Romans 3:28 also reminds us we can try but this life is really not our parade to run:

 

Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting Him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade. (The Message)

Seth Godin wrote a great post this week on anxiety that has helped me and I hope it will help you too. (Thanks Seth) 

 

"Perhaps your anxiety is specific to magicians"

I found that quote in a strangely-translated instruction manual for an obscure but beautiful magic trick.

But it has wide applicability.

Perhaps your anxiety is specific to artists or musicians or to anyone who has to stand up and stand out and stand for something.

It turns out that your anxiety isn't specific at all. Perhaps it is due to the fact that you're trying to control things that you can't possibly control.
Your anxiety might merely be a sign that you care deeply about your work.

Anxiety is almost never a useful emotion to carry around. Even for magicians.

Now that you've been reminded that you care, it pays to let the anxiety go. Good riddance.

You can read more of Seth's posts here: Seth's blog

THE NOT YET SEEN

I have a great appreciation for building things.

In seeing the genuine possibilities not just in the finished product, but the creation.

The challenge of "building" is seeing the value of the journey, the importance of the process of becoming and that it holds the possibility of the perfection of the not yet seen.

And whether we realize it you and I are building the not yet seen. 

A legacy, a purpose, a calling......

Time to stop the MONKEY business

Monkey-hunters in India use a box with an opening at the top, big enough for the monkey to slide its hand in. Inside the box are nuts to eat. The monkey grabs the nuts and now its hand becomes a fist. The monkey tries to get its hand out but the opening is big enough for the hand to slide in, but too small for the fist to come out.

Now the monkey has a choice, either to let go of the nuts and be free or hang on to the nuts and get caught.

Guess what it picks every time?  He hangs on and gets caught. 

We are not monkeys but we have a similar flaw in our character.  We hang on to things that keep us from going forward in life and being free to pursue our dreams.

We keep rationalizing by saying, "I cannot do this because . . ."
whatever comes after the word "because" are the things we are hanging on to which are holding us back.

We hold on to habits, people, memories, and things which are holding us hostage.

A quote:

“Renew, release, let go. Yesterday’s gone. There’s nothing you can do to bring it back. You can’t “should’ve” done something. You can only DO something. Renew yourself. Release that attachment. Today is a new day!” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

One last thought on how to move forward; keep your eye on the goal:

I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.  Phillipians 3:14 (The Message) 

It's still people.

It is easy to get lost in technology these days.  There are so many options, it is easy to get distracted by the "next shiny" app or solution or social network or you fill in the blank.

Seth Godin posted a blog moment this past week that was profound and something I believe should be at the center of how we use technology....no, let me rephrase, it should be at the center of how we live our lives and then how we use technology on a day to day basis. 

Here is what he wrote:

The internet comes along and it's mysterious and suddenly we need an email strategy and a social media strategy and a web strategy and a mobile strategy.

No, we don't.

It's still people. We still have one and only one thing that matters, and it's people.

All of these media are conduits, they are tools that human beings use to waste time or communicate or calculate or engage or learn. Behind each of the tools is a person. Do you have a story to tell that person? An engagement or a benefit to offer them?

Figure out the people part and the technology gets a whole lot simpler.

This actually could not be a more important and needed message on what technology is and how we use it. 

Philippians 2:4 (The Message) says this:
Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Simple truth:  People are valuable. Technology is a valuable tool.