Free at Last!

"I wish there was someplace to get good news. All I see is bad news everywhere."

• Carol Butterfield
  

Free at Last!

I try to speak with my mother at least once each day. She's aged now and lives alone. I know how I'd feel if I spent my life caring for my children and then they all disappeared into their own worlds, leaving me feeling trapped in a world that looked the same but contained only memories. As a result, we've had some real good conversations. And, there was one this week that really had an impact on me.

We were talking along when she said, "I wish there was someplace to get good news. All I see is bad news everywhere." I can certainly see why she feels that way and it would have been easy to simply agree with her and let that part of our conversation end. But, another idea came rushing into my head and I wanted to explore it so I asked, "Where do you get your news?"

She replied, "I watch it every evening."

As she spoke another memory filled my mind. I remembered having a conversation with my friend Brad years ago when he told me of how the old telephone monopoly spent millions of dollars running ads so they could teach people to answer the telephone when it rang. Think about it! If you didn't know that a ringing telephone was a signal that someone was hoping to speak with you it would do nothing but annoy you every time it rang. Happily, times have changed. There is no telephone monopoly! And, a mono- ringing phone is a nostalgic memory for lots of older people. We now live in a time where each person can choose the sound notification on their phone.

The news monopoly is also dead! We can choose to get our news from thousands of other sources. I asked my mother why she watched the evening news when it only caused her pain. She replied, "I want to see the weather and know what's going on in the world."

I replied, "I can get the weather instantly on my phone whenever I want. You can too."

I could see now that she has spent years answering the "ring" of the evening news at six o'clock! She's answering the call of people making the decision of what "stories" she'll see and when, even though there are thousands of other options that will allow her to choose what news she sees and when she'll see it.

Think of all the options that are available to each one of us in today's world of information. Remember the old saying about computers? It goes, "Garbage in, garbage out." So, I'm exploring all the programming I've spent years running within my own head and I know it's the first step to freeing myself from all of it.

Join me in freeing yourself. It's as simple as changing the sound notification on your phone. Make the decision to create the world you live in. See the news you want to see. Surround yourself with people and things that will encourage and uplift you. Embrace your personal freedom and spread the word; we are individuals of choice! There is no monopoly over our minds anymore! We're free at last!

 

Listening to Learn

"People have an overwhelming desire to be connected to each other."

• Dave Oldham
  

Listening to Learn

We were all sitting around a table talking about how to improve Dave's presentation in an effort to help him to raise investment capital. There were five of us in all. We'd been through this process with him a couple of times before and we were making great progress. That's because Dave was a ready listener who took the time to carefully consider, think through and then make the new thoughts his own. I was enthralled by his ability to craft our suggestions into something well beyond mere words and into an amazing communication.

Dave owns a company called O-Codes and I'm pretty sure he and his team are on the verge of changing how all of us interact with magazines, catalogs and the Internet. The other four of us are part of his network of trusted advisors. We're all working together to combine our experience and expertise to create new jobs, opportunity and a better economy as volunteers through a process of give and take developed by Brad Bertoch, CEO of the Wayne Brown Institute.

As we sat around this table I watched and listened as each participant went through and applied this method of cooperative venturing. We all took turns to offer our reaction to what was said and shown. I watched carefully as every person thoughtfully offered his critique. It was a method that I'd seen and participated in for more than twenty-two years. But, there was something different about this particular meeting.

I think the difference was my desire to truly listen and learn myself as well. As I've grown older I've come to recognize that I've taken communication too much for granted. I've assumed too much as I've been pretending to listen. Now, sitting in this room I found myself listening for more than just the words. I found myself listening for the underlying reasoning behind and underneath the words being offered. I spent more time asking questions about the meaning of the words offered and as a result, I experienced my mind becoming excited about the discovery of new ideas that wouldn't have occurred to me had I not listened in this way.

It was so exhilarating to me that after the meeting ended I seized the opportunity to continue to sit with Dave and listen as he was kind enough to transfer his views of social networking into my mind. It was an amazing experience because he was able to give me insights I never would have obtained on my own. So, when he said, "People have an overwhelming desire to be connected to each other," I knew I was experiencing that very thing right then and I took a silent vow to make sure I connect with people in this way from now on.

Goodness Can Spring From Ashes

"What was once bad has now turned to good."

Goodness Can Spring From Ashes

A few years ago I made a mistake in my business that was extremely painful financially and I knew I'd be feeling the financial consequences for a long, long time. I thought at the time that it might even have devastating consequences. As usual when such things happen to me this one was not as bad as my mind created it to be.

I don't know if you're like me in that way or not, but I know the way my own mind works as it's always running out to create the absolute worst that can happen. Luckily I have enough experience with my own thoughts now that if I simply take a few moments to "talk myself off the ledge" I can regain my hope and faith in the future. What I have learned is that there's always a future and its brightness depends upon my ability to create it.

While I know this is true, I had an experience during the last week that brought a new dimension to this principle to me in an unforgettable way. The experience from a few years ago that I thought was a "bad" thing to have come into my life inexplicably revealed itself to be a good thing! I say inexplicably because I'd already cataloged it as having cemented its place in the past and had stopped worrying or wondering about it.

When I got an email from a friend telling me that the situation had turned itself from being a burden, to more people than just me, into an opportunity for everyone I was stunned; so much so that I've been spending the past few days admiring the wonder of it all. As a result, I've discovered a few things.

First, when something happens in my life, perceived to be good or bad, it most likely isn't what I think it is at all. Second, things never turn out the way I expect them to so I shouldn't jump to any conclusions as to their meaning during the immediate time. Third, there are so many things "hidden" from my view that I don't always know how events will unfold in the future. Fourth, events that I perceived as negative will often provide peace, comfort and opportunity in the future.

Finally, if you've had an experience in the past and it has been haunting you, stop and take a second look. Examine all of the growth and goodness that may have come from it rather than simply labeling it as a "bad" thing. It may be the very thing that will bring you great joy and happiness in the future. If you'll simply give it a try, the view outside your windows will certainly change to one of hope and confidence. You deserve a great view of life so give it a try!

Standing Together

"We wanted to come together, to stand together."

• Rev. Gregory Johnson
  

Standing Together

I surely did not know what to expect as I drove early in the morning to participate in a "Community Leadership Breakfast" last week. It was the first time I had ever heard of such a gathering, much less participate in one. I didn't even know who would be coming to the meeting with the exception of the people from my own company. So, when I arrived and walked into the building I began to search for seven or eight familiar faces in the crowd.

As I scanned the faces I could tell that these were people from all walks of life. This group was alive with people from different backgrounds and it really made me wonder what was going to take place. I don't know if you're like me, but I seem to spend a lot of time with people that are sort of from my "Tribe."

My Tribe, meaning they all seem to kind of look and act like me. They all have their "uniform" in that they dress in a similar fashion. They also tend to look at the world in the same way and do lots of the same things. I was in unfamiliar territory now.

Still, it wasn't long before I saw my group and joined them at our designated table. It felt like an island. We were surrounded by unfamiliar people in an unfamiliar place. It was our own little refuge in the midst of the unknown. Here we were, sitting in a community meeting encircled by people that didn't feel life our community.

When the meeting started, the Reverend Gregory Johnson, brightened the room with his beaming smile and warmth. He talked about the purpose for which we were there and I listened with welcoming ears. I also began to look at the faces throughout the room and began to notice a change. Heads were bobbing up and down as they agreed with the words coming from the podium.

Suddenly the room transformed before my very eyes. Now, I was sitting in a community meeting and seeing people who were seeking the same things and standing together in a great cause. These were strangers no more because we had made the determination to make our community, our state, and our nation a better place simply by coming together. Now I can see that we have everything in common and there is nothing we can't accomplish unless we choose not to.

We live in a time where there are many voices that keep telling us we're so different from each other. "We don't want the same things." I know now that these voices haven't been telling us the truth. I hope you'll join me in uniting with other people of faith, participate in our unity and involve yourself in creating a bright future for freedom, goodness and family.

It’s Hard to Believe There was a Night

"In the morning when the sun rises, sometimes it's hard to believe there was a night."

• Brian Cameron
  

It's Hard to Believe There was a Night

At some point in everyone's life there will be challenges. In fact, I don't know anyone who has ever lived a life free of challenges. And, while it may appear to the observer that a particular person's life is challenge free, it is impossible to tell.

It's impossible to tell because everyone faces their own unique set of challenges. Every person has distinctive lessons to learn based upon their particular educational plan. So, while I may look at another's lessons as "easy," it's only because they weren't designed to be learned by me. You can't judge a person's lessons. You can only judge every person's ability to master their own individualized curriculum.

One thing I have observed in people who live successful lives is that they've mastered an ability to discover and live by principle. And, the only way to be truly successful in passing life's tests is to discover the principles of a good life and then adhere to them completely.

It's taken me a long time to see, feel and understand this concept and I don't think I would have been able to learn it well, even now, had I not been able to watch a good friend go through a life wrenching experience that has challenged him in virtually every aspect of life; financial, spiritual, physical and emotional.

I'll never forget standing outside a bank with him talking about a meeting we had just completed when I asked, "Are you able to sleep at night?"

As he answered, he seemed to stand a little taller and steel his eyes as he replied, "I'm way past that. I've done everything I can possibly do and I know that. Now I can sleep soundly at night. I've lost everything I own, but not my integrity!"

As his trusted advisor, I know he's telling the truth and I've watched him begin to rebuild his life. It hasn't been easy for him and I feel honored to stand at his side as he moves forward. I know he'll succeed because he knows what he believes and doesn't waiver in the slightest. I've seen it happen before.

One evening I was with my friend Brian Cameron. We were with another friend who had lost her loved ones and had been brutally betrayed. As we stood on the top level balcony of her townhouse in the city, the sun was just breaking dawn, and I watched as he wrapped his arms around her and said, "In the morning when the sun rises, sometimes it hard to believe there was a night."

I know this was true for her and has been for countless others. So, I invite you to place Brian's words into your heart and memory so that when it feels as if your night of despair is never ending you'll have faith that your dawn will break if you'll just resolutely hold on to your principles and live by them.