Do you ever wonder how many opportunities you are presented with throughout any given day? I suspect that there are many more than we tend to realize. I know that when I am going through my day on auto-pilot it takes something unusual, extraordinary, or annoying to catch my attention. Today it was something in the "Annoying" category that made me think twice and recalibrate.
It was just minutes before my lunch break, and I was getting really, really hungry. All I could picture was a fat, juicy, ridiculously oversized burger and a pint of cold beer (for medicinal purposes). I imagined spending an hour in a relaxed little sports bar, some funny old dudes talking crap with the bartender and a few guys in dress shirts wearing their ties over the shoulder. Maybe a couple of guys with tattoos having a smoke on the patio. You know, a little slice of heaven in the middle of a work day. That was what I pictured. My reality? A bit different...
After navigating my way through a construction zone to access the parking lot, I went to check out a little sports bar that I hadn't been to and anticipated my fat burger and cold beer. On my way in, saw a guy on the patio with tats and smoke. (Check) Inside, lots of funny old guys around the bar chatting it up. A couple of booths and tables with dress shirt guys, some ties over the shoulder, some braving the bbq sauce with wild abandon. (Check, check) I found a stool near the back and watched some hockey and waited for the server to come take my order. Mmm, burger. Mmm, beer. The waitress came to deliver a pitcher to the table of dress shirts next to me; didn't acknowledge me. OK, I thought, I'm sure she'll be right back. She came back to the shirts with a pizza, and promptly left again-- still not acknowledging my presence. The shirts, at least they noticed me. Finally little Miss Can't Be Bothered came over and said, "Did you want something?" Um, really? I would have probably opened with, "Hi, what can I get for you?" instead of assuming that my sole purpose for coming there at lunch hour was to NOT eat or drink anything. But hey, that's just me. I sucked up my growing irritation and said "Yes, I would love a burger and a beer." "Oh, we don't make burgers," she said before rattling off some lame sandwiches and closing with a vaguely insincere "Sorry." I politely excused myself and thanked her for her time (ok-- that may have been vaguely insincere) and went back on my quest, annoyed and hungry.
Battling back through safety cones and torn up streets, I headed back towards the office wondering what to eat. I obviously wasn't going to have time for a beer now, which was fine. Probably for the best. At last and after a mini-meltdown in the car prompted by hunger and raging PMS, I pulled into the In-n-Out and found a parking space (small miracle in itself). #2, no onions, Diet Coke w/lemon. A different slice of heaven, and it was just fine. As I was finishing off my burger, a very dirty, very weathered homeless man came and quietly sat at the table next to me. I watched people in the restaurant look at him with unbridled disgust, and it hurt my heart. "How're ya doin'?" I asked him. He looked at me and just shook his head. I didn't have a response for that. I nibbled some fries, two at a time (it's my thing) and sent up a silent little prayer. God, what do you want me to do? I gathered up my trash and my purse, asked the gentleman if he had ordered yet-- he just shook his head. "May I buy your lunch?" I offered, and he quietly said "Thank you, Miss." I went and placed his order, returned and gave him the receipt and a cup. "Here you go- you're order #4, so when they call your number go ahead and pick it up. I'll let you get your own drink, okay? Take care, brother." He whispered another thank you, and I went back to the office.
Seems to me the opportunity to feed a hungry old man and show a bit of kindness trumps a cold beer in the middle of my work day. I wonder how many other opportunities I have missed each day by not stopping to just look around and see? At least this one didn't slip by unnoticed.
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Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
There's No Crying in Hockey
The omens were bad before the puck ever dropped last night in Anaheim.
For starters, I mistakenly gave away my only pair of seats for the Ducks v Canucks game (I usually have 2 pairs-- I will blame this on a Blonde Moment). In an effort to save face, I purchased another pair before my buddy arrived but could not get seats in my normal section. Instead, we were about the only two Ducks fans in our new section, which wasn't hard to do in a stadium boasting a good 60-75% Vancouver fans... actual Vancouver fans, from Canada, as opposed to the typical bandwagon fans that come to town to watch a hot team. Gratefully, the majority of 'nucks around us were good natured and just being (loudly) supportive of their team. Only a few were complete tools- you could easily slip a Kings, Sharks, or Red Wings jersey on these particular ass clowns- but they were the minority, at least where I was sitting.
The next bad omen came when the starting lineup was being announced, and instead of acknowledging Dan Ellis in goal, we heard in disbelief the name of "Dan Sexton" ...Dan SEXTON... our speedy little forward, the one who gets shipped back and forth to Syracuse what seems like every other week. And there was no recovery from the announcer. No, "Haha, Just kidding! Of course Dan Sexton isn't in goal. It's DANNNNNN ELLLLLLLLIS!!!" THAT would have been a good do-over, but that didn't happen. And believe me when I tell you Dan Ellis would love to have a do-over last night, after letting in the first goal less than 20 seconds into the game. Of course, all the 'nuck-le heads in the building went nuts and began chanting, taunting our goalie and it really never let up.
Ducks could not catch a break, and even with a few insane Power Plays could not get a puck past Schneider (Vancouver backup goalie). So many close calls, so many times when it should have gone in. And though some will disagree with me, I don't think we played a bad game. Vancouver just did a better job overall of controlling the puck, lifting our sticks and protecting their goal. Still, I can only take small consolation in the fact that we ended our 3-game streak by being shut out 3-0 in our own home by the top team in the amazing Western Conference.
This was the first time I've ever left a game early. After the end of the second period, after we were now down 2 goals (the second one an eerie repeat of the first one, scored seconds after the start of the period) I found myself so mad that I was actually starting to cry. I am ashamed to admit that I had to hide out in the women's restroom to try and regain my composure. I couldn't. Every time I would try to step back out with my head up, the tears would start to flow again. It was awful! And in my humiliation, I texted my buddy that I was not going to pull it together. I was going home to sulk.
Oh, my Ducks, it's come to this. Clearly, I love you with the passion that I would put into any relationship. And girlie-girl that I am, yes, sometimes I am just a little too emotional to handle disappointment gracefully. Not to worry, I won't ever give up on you. I am loyal. But if it comes down to me losing it like that, I will quietly excuse myself rather than embarass you with my girlie tears. GO DUCKS!!!
For starters, I mistakenly gave away my only pair of seats for the Ducks v Canucks game (I usually have 2 pairs-- I will blame this on a Blonde Moment). In an effort to save face, I purchased another pair before my buddy arrived but could not get seats in my normal section. Instead, we were about the only two Ducks fans in our new section, which wasn't hard to do in a stadium boasting a good 60-75% Vancouver fans... actual Vancouver fans, from Canada, as opposed to the typical bandwagon fans that come to town to watch a hot team. Gratefully, the majority of 'nucks around us were good natured and just being (loudly) supportive of their team. Only a few were complete tools- you could easily slip a Kings, Sharks, or Red Wings jersey on these particular ass clowns- but they were the minority, at least where I was sitting.
The next bad omen came when the starting lineup was being announced, and instead of acknowledging Dan Ellis in goal, we heard in disbelief the name of "Dan Sexton" ...Dan SEXTON... our speedy little forward, the one who gets shipped back and forth to Syracuse what seems like every other week. And there was no recovery from the announcer. No, "Haha, Just kidding! Of course Dan Sexton isn't in goal. It's DANNNNNN ELLLLLLLLIS!!!" THAT would have been a good do-over, but that didn't happen. And believe me when I tell you Dan Ellis would love to have a do-over last night, after letting in the first goal less than 20 seconds into the game. Of course, all the 'nuck-le heads in the building went nuts and began chanting, taunting our goalie and it really never let up.
Ducks could not catch a break, and even with a few insane Power Plays could not get a puck past Schneider (Vancouver backup goalie). So many close calls, so many times when it should have gone in. And though some will disagree with me, I don't think we played a bad game. Vancouver just did a better job overall of controlling the puck, lifting our sticks and protecting their goal. Still, I can only take small consolation in the fact that we ended our 3-game streak by being shut out 3-0 in our own home by the top team in the amazing Western Conference.
This was the first time I've ever left a game early. After the end of the second period, after we were now down 2 goals (the second one an eerie repeat of the first one, scored seconds after the start of the period) I found myself so mad that I was actually starting to cry. I am ashamed to admit that I had to hide out in the women's restroom to try and regain my composure. I couldn't. Every time I would try to step back out with my head up, the tears would start to flow again. It was awful! And in my humiliation, I texted my buddy that I was not going to pull it together. I was going home to sulk.
Oh, my Ducks, it's come to this. Clearly, I love you with the passion that I would put into any relationship. And girlie-girl that I am, yes, sometimes I am just a little too emotional to handle disappointment gracefully. Not to worry, I won't ever give up on you. I am loyal. But if it comes down to me losing it like that, I will quietly excuse myself rather than embarass you with my girlie tears. GO DUCKS!!!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Exhausted!
Ever notice how physically and emotionally draining it is to avoid someone whom you just don't want to deal with? Of course I will always stand up to a bully and I have no fear of getting ugly with anyone who pushes the wrong buttons, but when it's just some nice guy who is trying to push the friend envelope into dating territory, it messes me up. I'm just too nice. I am afraid to speak up and say simply, "Thanks, but no thanks." It feels so cold, so harsh, to have to redirect advances and weird-out what was a perfectly comfortable friendship. It actually makes me a little bit angry (ok a lot) because it puts me in the role of being The Bitch, and I am not a bitch. Like, at all.
What's perhaps worse is that I am seeing a bit of a trend, a strange parallel universe of avoidance that has suddenly sprung up over the last month like so many spring flowers. Here are the current contenders for Most Angst Inducing People: Mr. Wants-to-Date-Me Guy; Miss On-Again/Off-Again Trainwreck Friend; and finally, Mr. You're Not My Boss, Man.
Aside from the fact that I have no exploitable talent, protecting my personal space from unwanted attention is probably the real reason why I could never handle being a celebrity of any kind. I always wanted to be famous, but the truth of the matter is that world of stalkers and creepy crushes would eat me alive!
So here I am, avoiding phone calls and not returning voicemail. Shooting out a text to stall for time. Seriously considering skipping church just so I don't have to run into "him" and have that super-awkward conversation. Good job. Ugh! I know that the right thing to do is just suck it up and deal with each of these people one on one, try to be as gracious and honest as possible with each situation, and move on. I know it won't be easy, and just thinking about it wrecks me... so wish me luck. Prayers gratefully accepted.
What's perhaps worse is that I am seeing a bit of a trend, a strange parallel universe of avoidance that has suddenly sprung up over the last month like so many spring flowers. Here are the current contenders for Most Angst Inducing People: Mr. Wants-to-Date-Me Guy; Miss On-Again/Off-Again Trainwreck Friend; and finally, Mr. You're Not My Boss, Man.
Aside from the fact that I have no exploitable talent, protecting my personal space from unwanted attention is probably the real reason why I could never handle being a celebrity of any kind. I always wanted to be famous, but the truth of the matter is that world of stalkers and creepy crushes would eat me alive!
So here I am, avoiding phone calls and not returning voicemail. Shooting out a text to stall for time. Seriously considering skipping church just so I don't have to run into "him" and have that super-awkward conversation. Good job. Ugh! I know that the right thing to do is just suck it up and deal with each of these people one on one, try to be as gracious and honest as possible with each situation, and move on. I know it won't be easy, and just thinking about it wrecks me... so wish me luck. Prayers gratefully accepted.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
How Far Would You Go? Pt. 2: Update on Antoinette
Last week, I met a sweet woman by the name of Antoinette whose circumstances just punched me in the gut. Why did her story affect me? It hit me so hard because I know she is not alone in her plight. I know that all around us are far too many people facing similarly frightening, overwhelming circumstances as Antoinette; some are trying to cope with even greater difficulties.
Antoinette is elderly, in poor health, confined to a wheelchair, sharing an apartment with her 44-year-old, unemployed, hearing-impaired son, and unable to cover rent, pay bills, and buy food on a very small fixed income.
I had a fairly one-sided conversation with God. OK, to be honest, it was more like me ranting and complaining, wondering aloud how I could possibly help Antoinette. I had no other connection to her other than I had learned of her situation through a dear friend, and he only heard of her through her nurse who had somehow heard of my friend's work among homeless people. We just knew that coincidence had nothing to do with it; God had given us an opportunity to help another human, for no other reason than it is the right thing to do. We decided to start by collecting some food from our own pantries and stopping by Trader Joe's for some groceries to deliver to Antoinette for our first meeting and assess her situation. It was in meeting her where she was at that we were able to see firsthand her immediate needs and begin to formulate a plan to address them.
Need #1: Food
The fact that there was no food in their home except for two cans of corn, half a jar of Skippy and some instant coffee was astonishing to me. The few bags of groceries we brought on our first meeting helped to provide fresh produce, meats, dairy, frozen meals and canned goods to last a couple of weeks. A good start, but we knew that would be used up quickly. We put the word out to our friends and received donations right away (THANK YOU!). This was enough to help restock her pantry and give them some breathing room for a few more weeks. We are also in process of setting her up with an organization called The Treasure Box that provides amazing food boxes, enough to feed a family of four, for just $30. Something she can actually afford! Awesome!
Need #2: Electicity
Antoinette and her son have been living hand-to-mouth on a small, fixed income. They used up all of her cash for the month to move into their apartment, and with no savings left to tap into, she was unable to cover the cost of her electic bill. Because they had fallen behind in payments, the electricity was scheduled to be shut off on Monday. While on the phone with the electric company, we learned that she is pretty far behind-- nearly $400. Thanks to the generosity of many friends, we were able to gather enough to pay this month's bill (about $130) and get her an extension to the end of the month.
Need #3: Furnishings
The apartment is clean and in a safe-enough neighborhood. When I tell you that the apartment was sparse, I realize that even what she does have is a luxury for millions of people around the world. Still, we felt broken for her. It contains some very basic amenities such as an oven and a fridge, a few very modest pieces of furniture (i.e., dining room table with a couple of broken chairs, two of which are used to support the small TV) a mattress on the floor of her bedroom and not much else. She sleeps on the mattress, her son sleeps on the floor. She was embarassed and apologized over and over that she had no furniture for us to sit on. No big deal, we just sat on the floor with her in her wheelchair while we visited and prayed. Within a week, our friends at Kingdom Causes were able to donate a couch for the living room, Cris and Tom with the Pepper Project donated several bags of home goods, and several other friends donated paper products, clothing, towels, etc. We are still working on 2 beds/bedding and safety rails for the bathroom.
Need #4: Community
It has been incredible to see people step up, pull together and reach out to help someone in need, someone they may never know face to face. Just knowing that there are good people who care is such a comfort, not only to Antoinette-- but also to me. It restores my hope in the goodness of humankind. It reminds me that God created people to love and care for each other, and no matter how broken and ugly our world seems to be there is still a great deal of goodness in it. Antoinette is a woman with great faith, and deeply blessed us with her sweetness. The only thing she asked of us was to tell everyone who has helped her "thank you". She really wants to be connected to a church, so Geoffrey made contact with the pastor of a local church on her behalf.
So often we go through our days and never give another thought to what kind of power we have within us. It's not until something shakes us up that we are reminded of our intimate connection to people all around the world, regardless of language, skin color, gender or ideology... and it's in those tender moments that the true beauty of community shines brightest.
If you would like to check out some of the organizations mentioned here, please take a look at their websites:
Treasure Box
Kingdom Causes
Pepper Project
Antoinette is elderly, in poor health, confined to a wheelchair, sharing an apartment with her 44-year-old, unemployed, hearing-impaired son, and unable to cover rent, pay bills, and buy food on a very small fixed income.
I had a fairly one-sided conversation with God. OK, to be honest, it was more like me ranting and complaining, wondering aloud how I could possibly help Antoinette. I had no other connection to her other than I had learned of her situation through a dear friend, and he only heard of her through her nurse who had somehow heard of my friend's work among homeless people. We just knew that coincidence had nothing to do with it; God had given us an opportunity to help another human, for no other reason than it is the right thing to do. We decided to start by collecting some food from our own pantries and stopping by Trader Joe's for some groceries to deliver to Antoinette for our first meeting and assess her situation. It was in meeting her where she was at that we were able to see firsthand her immediate needs and begin to formulate a plan to address them.
Need #1: Food
The fact that there was no food in their home except for two cans of corn, half a jar of Skippy and some instant coffee was astonishing to me. The few bags of groceries we brought on our first meeting helped to provide fresh produce, meats, dairy, frozen meals and canned goods to last a couple of weeks. A good start, but we knew that would be used up quickly. We put the word out to our friends and received donations right away (THANK YOU!). This was enough to help restock her pantry and give them some breathing room for a few more weeks. We are also in process of setting her up with an organization called The Treasure Box that provides amazing food boxes, enough to feed a family of four, for just $30. Something she can actually afford! Awesome!
Need #2: Electicity
Antoinette and her son have been living hand-to-mouth on a small, fixed income. They used up all of her cash for the month to move into their apartment, and with no savings left to tap into, she was unable to cover the cost of her electic bill. Because they had fallen behind in payments, the electricity was scheduled to be shut off on Monday. While on the phone with the electric company, we learned that she is pretty far behind-- nearly $400. Thanks to the generosity of many friends, we were able to gather enough to pay this month's bill (about $130) and get her an extension to the end of the month.
Need #3: Furnishings
The apartment is clean and in a safe-enough neighborhood. When I tell you that the apartment was sparse, I realize that even what she does have is a luxury for millions of people around the world. Still, we felt broken for her. It contains some very basic amenities such as an oven and a fridge, a few very modest pieces of furniture (i.e., dining room table with a couple of broken chairs, two of which are used to support the small TV) a mattress on the floor of her bedroom and not much else. She sleeps on the mattress, her son sleeps on the floor. She was embarassed and apologized over and over that she had no furniture for us to sit on. No big deal, we just sat on the floor with her in her wheelchair while we visited and prayed. Within a week, our friends at Kingdom Causes were able to donate a couch for the living room, Cris and Tom with the Pepper Project donated several bags of home goods, and several other friends donated paper products, clothing, towels, etc. We are still working on 2 beds/bedding and safety rails for the bathroom.
Need #4: Community
It has been incredible to see people step up, pull together and reach out to help someone in need, someone they may never know face to face. Just knowing that there are good people who care is such a comfort, not only to Antoinette-- but also to me. It restores my hope in the goodness of humankind. It reminds me that God created people to love and care for each other, and no matter how broken and ugly our world seems to be there is still a great deal of goodness in it. Antoinette is a woman with great faith, and deeply blessed us with her sweetness. The only thing she asked of us was to tell everyone who has helped her "thank you". She really wants to be connected to a church, so Geoffrey made contact with the pastor of a local church on her behalf.
So often we go through our days and never give another thought to what kind of power we have within us. It's not until something shakes us up that we are reminded of our intimate connection to people all around the world, regardless of language, skin color, gender or ideology... and it's in those tender moments that the true beauty of community shines brightest.
If you would like to check out some of the organizations mentioned here, please take a look at their websites:
Treasure Box
Kingdom Causes
Pepper Project
Saturday, February 12, 2011
How Far Would You Go?
"You really don't have to go very far to find people in need." What do you do when you encounter someone who is truly in need? Do you try and help? Do you try to get others involved? Do you look the other way? I suspect all of the above, at one time or another.
I met someone today who needs lots of help. It was overwhelming, actually, and I left her home feeling pretty jacked up over it. Her name is Antoinette, and I'll share about her story in a minute. The thing is, right now... right here... I am gobsmacked by the encounter and want some answers.
Me: God, what do you want me to do? How can I possibly help?
God: ---
Me: Um, sorry, I didn't quite catch that... what should I do?
God: ---
Me: Okay, I trust you. And I get that you are sovereign, etc. Still, could I maybe get a little bit of help here on what to do? Antoinette is sick, her diabetes has taken half of her foot and now wants more, she is in pain, she is confined to a wheelchair, her 44 year old disabled son lives with her, neither one works, both barely make enough to survive, they have NO furniture, NO food, NO family to speak of, and the electricity is being shut off on Monday. Happy Valentine's Day! AAAHHHH!!!!
God: ---
Me: OK, I'm ranting, I just DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO. (tears)
God: ---
Me: I expected when Geoffrey and I brought over the groceries today we would not literally see such empty cupboards. There was, what- 2 cans of corn? A half jar of Skippy and some instant coffee?
God: ---
Me: You can't meet someone in that deep of a hole and just walk away, right?
God: ---
Me: I have to help. I know that much, I just don't know how.
God: ---
Me: ---
God: ---
Me: ---
I know that this is an opportunity God has given me, or rather, has given us to ease the immediate suffering of a fellow human. And yes, I am excited to see how people will step up and do something, anything, to help. I am looking forward to watching how God moves in her life through the lives of me and you and others in the community, and I am especially looking forward to seeing hope restored in her. And also in me.
I met someone today who needs lots of help. It was overwhelming, actually, and I left her home feeling pretty jacked up over it. Her name is Antoinette, and I'll share about her story in a minute. The thing is, right now... right here... I am gobsmacked by the encounter and want some answers.
Me: God, what do you want me to do? How can I possibly help?
God: ---
Me: Um, sorry, I didn't quite catch that... what should I do?
God: ---
Me: Okay, I trust you. And I get that you are sovereign, etc. Still, could I maybe get a little bit of help here on what to do? Antoinette is sick, her diabetes has taken half of her foot and now wants more, she is in pain, she is confined to a wheelchair, her 44 year old disabled son lives with her, neither one works, both barely make enough to survive, they have NO furniture, NO food, NO family to speak of, and the electricity is being shut off on Monday. Happy Valentine's Day! AAAHHHH!!!!
God: ---
Me: OK, I'm ranting, I just DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO. (tears)
God: ---
Me: I expected when Geoffrey and I brought over the groceries today we would not literally see such empty cupboards. There was, what- 2 cans of corn? A half jar of Skippy and some instant coffee?
God: ---
Me: You can't meet someone in that deep of a hole and just walk away, right?
God: ---
Me: I have to help. I know that much, I just don't know how.
God: ---
Me: ---
God: ---
Me: ---
I know that this is an opportunity God has given me, or rather, has given us to ease the immediate suffering of a fellow human. And yes, I am excited to see how people will step up and do something, anything, to help. I am looking forward to watching how God moves in her life through the lives of me and you and others in the community, and I am especially looking forward to seeing hope restored in her. And also in me.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Launching a Vision, Pt. 1- Momentum
"The momentum has shifted! The momentum has shifted!" My friend Ryan may have adopted this as his favorite phrase during the little football game broadcast this past weekend (a.k.a. Superbowl 45. No, I refuse to use the Roman numerals. Deal with it.) Mostly he was doing this to taunt me and goad me, Honorary Cheesehead, into a state of panic-- especially the third period. Ultimately, the Pack did in fact Go and now the fabled Lombardi Trophy is back in Green Bay.
I could go on, but that pretty much taps my depth of football knowledge and interest. (Deal with it.)
It did get me thinking, though. Momentum is a significant factor when it comes to launching a vision, especially in the initial stages when there seem to be more hurdles in front of you than behind you or worse, you find yourself stalled and all you want to do is get the vision out of your head, off the paper and into glorious existence.
What do professional sports teams do when the momentum has shifted and they've hit a losing skid? They don't dwell on the loss. They don't rehash every move that went wrong. Instead, they look forward to the next match up. They size up their opponent. They strengthen what is already working for them and make adjustments to what isn't, and before too long guess what? The momentum shifts, and they are back in the winning column.
In my journey to launching my vision, I get pretty frustrated when my own forward progress slows and stalls out. I will be cruising along, fired up and excited about letting this passion take hold of me, totally giddy about what is taking shape, when out of nowhere things just start to sputter... then cough... then choke... and finally completely stall in the middle of the road. Kinda like the first time I tried to drive a stick shift, minus the super colorful language and angry tears. How that old VW didn't just blow up and eject me, I will never know. Eventually and with some great coaching, I did finally figure out how to master a 5-speed and a whole new world opened up for me. No more rolling backwards on a hill or freaking out every stop light. Same is true for moving my passion forward despite whatever external forces come into play; momentum, baby, momentum!
I could go on, but that pretty much taps my depth of football knowledge and interest. (Deal with it.)
It did get me thinking, though. Momentum is a significant factor when it comes to launching a vision, especially in the initial stages when there seem to be more hurdles in front of you than behind you or worse, you find yourself stalled and all you want to do is get the vision out of your head, off the paper and into glorious existence.
What do professional sports teams do when the momentum has shifted and they've hit a losing skid? They don't dwell on the loss. They don't rehash every move that went wrong. Instead, they look forward to the next match up. They size up their opponent. They strengthen what is already working for them and make adjustments to what isn't, and before too long guess what? The momentum shifts, and they are back in the winning column.
In my journey to launching my vision, I get pretty frustrated when my own forward progress slows and stalls out. I will be cruising along, fired up and excited about letting this passion take hold of me, totally giddy about what is taking shape, when out of nowhere things just start to sputter... then cough... then choke... and finally completely stall in the middle of the road. Kinda like the first time I tried to drive a stick shift, minus the super colorful language and angry tears. How that old VW didn't just blow up and eject me, I will never know. Eventually and with some great coaching, I did finally figure out how to master a 5-speed and a whole new world opened up for me. No more rolling backwards on a hill or freaking out every stop light. Same is true for moving my passion forward despite whatever external forces come into play; momentum, baby, momentum!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Launching a Vision, Pt. 1- Vision Busters
When it comes to launching a vision, what exactly prevents a person from taking their next steps? Is it tangible, imagined, or some potentially lethal combination of Vision Busters?
Fear of failure, insecurity/self-doubt, or a general sense of being totally clueless about how to bring something to life outside of your own head can be paralyzing and can quench the fire to do something visionary. I know that in my own little head-space, there is always a dialogue between my Creative Confident Self and my Are-You-Nuts-This-Will-Never-Work Self. For the record, that second version of self pretty much sucks and is absolutely no fun to be around. I try to send her on extended vacations as often as possible just so I can have some peace. Thinking of sending her to space with that crazy guy that started Virgin.
OK, so how to combat these vision-busters and keep moving forward in faith that the thing God has placed in my heart is something worth exploring?
1. Talk about it. I have a handful of actual, live friends who like me enough to listen to my ideas and give me honest feedback. I treasure their opinions and experience, so when this thing started to take shape and excite me I wanted to share it with them. It's been good to hear varying perspectives as well as encouragement from different sources. Also, in the process of trying to articulate a vision, I find that I am able to help the thing take a more recognizable shape. It's cool.
2. Write it out. Thank God for blogging. Much like being able to share face-to-face with a few people, being able to share with an extended circle through the semi-anonymity of an online forum is really helpful. Writing has always been a vehicle for me to refine and express thoughts and emotions (hello, bad poetry!) and to just try and make sense of and process the world around me and within me. Taking the critiques, questions and challenges of people I've shared this particular vision with has been tremendously helpful in putting thoughts to paper.
3. Research. Making the time to do some research just makes sense. For me, it is the first measurable step forward. It says, Yeah, I am serious about this. It also helps bring a vision up to real-world, practical status as opposed to glossy, etheral mind-fluff. A little research helps to steer the vision and put it on a trajectory for actualization.
4. Keep Moving Forward. I cannot overstate the importance of this. There are days when I feel so beat down and useless that trying to imagine bringing a vision to life is about as likely as pulling a monkey out of my ass. On those days, I just try to roll with it. I know that "this too shall pass" and I will be back on track in short order. Resting is fine, but quitting is just not an option. If it means that I need to find a way to dig deeper, to find out what is making me block my progress, then I go back to step 1 and talk to those people I trust the most and know that they will inevitably shed some light on the problem. And when they do, I pick up where I left off and start moving forward again.
So there you have it. I look forward to sharing the journey with you all. :)
Fear of failure, insecurity/self-doubt, or a general sense of being totally clueless about how to bring something to life outside of your own head can be paralyzing and can quench the fire to do something visionary. I know that in my own little head-space, there is always a dialogue between my Creative Confident Self and my Are-You-Nuts-This-Will-Never-Work Self. For the record, that second version of self pretty much sucks and is absolutely no fun to be around. I try to send her on extended vacations as often as possible just so I can have some peace. Thinking of sending her to space with that crazy guy that started Virgin.
OK, so how to combat these vision-busters and keep moving forward in faith that the thing God has placed in my heart is something worth exploring?
1. Talk about it. I have a handful of actual, live friends who like me enough to listen to my ideas and give me honest feedback. I treasure their opinions and experience, so when this thing started to take shape and excite me I wanted to share it with them. It's been good to hear varying perspectives as well as encouragement from different sources. Also, in the process of trying to articulate a vision, I find that I am able to help the thing take a more recognizable shape. It's cool.
2. Write it out. Thank God for blogging. Much like being able to share face-to-face with a few people, being able to share with an extended circle through the semi-anonymity of an online forum is really helpful. Writing has always been a vehicle for me to refine and express thoughts and emotions (hello, bad poetry!) and to just try and make sense of and process the world around me and within me. Taking the critiques, questions and challenges of people I've shared this particular vision with has been tremendously helpful in putting thoughts to paper.
3. Research. Making the time to do some research just makes sense. For me, it is the first measurable step forward. It says, Yeah, I am serious about this. It also helps bring a vision up to real-world, practical status as opposed to glossy, etheral mind-fluff. A little research helps to steer the vision and put it on a trajectory for actualization.
4. Keep Moving Forward. I cannot overstate the importance of this. There are days when I feel so beat down and useless that trying to imagine bringing a vision to life is about as likely as pulling a monkey out of my ass. On those days, I just try to roll with it. I know that "this too shall pass" and I will be back on track in short order. Resting is fine, but quitting is just not an option. If it means that I need to find a way to dig deeper, to find out what is making me block my progress, then I go back to step 1 and talk to those people I trust the most and know that they will inevitably shed some light on the problem. And when they do, I pick up where I left off and start moving forward again.
So there you have it. I look forward to sharing the journey with you all. :)
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