Leaving a Legacy

"Because the people who are crazy enough

 to think they can change the world,

 are the ones who do."

 Steve Jobs

Tonight we learned that Steve Jobs passed away. I'll admit it. I'm not an Apple freak. I have many friends who are. I do have multiple Apple products and I really like them, but I am not one who has to have the newest Apple product the minute it comes out.  However, you can't deny the amazing impact that Steve had on technology and how we have access to things we never knew we needed. He was truly a visionary and an amazing creator. His ideas and innovations changed our world.

Reflecting on all of the news coverage, and stopping to realize how he has truly impacted all of us, even if we have competitors' products, is pretty amazing.

He was a dreamer.

He was a leader.

He created things that there was no immediate need for, and somehow created a need for them.

He was able to push forward when people told him his ideas would never work.

He wanted to change the world. And he did.

I can't help but wonder how many people told him he would never invent the things he dreamed about. That he would never be able to make things better. That it just couldn't be done. I'm sure there were many. But he didn't listen. He believed in his dreams. He knew that they were wrong.

How many of us have dreams of making the world a better place?

How many of us want to make a difference?

How many of us are actually taking steps to make it happen?

Or are we letting the craziness of life get in our way?

Are we listening to the many critics who say our dreams can never happen because they are too afraid to believe in their own dream?

Are we listening to the own voices in our head that tell us we can't?

The truth is that we can always take one step forward. We CAN make an impact. We can start in our family. Then our neighborhood, and our workplace, and our community. And on and on and on.

Don't stop pressing toward your dream. Take that next step. Don't let life pass you by. Do it today. Because none of us know if we will see tomorrow. And if we're crazy enough to believe it, we can change the world.

I am not.....

I am not creative.

I am not an artist.

I am not an idea person.

I am not a dreamer.

These are all things I have said in the past. Many, many times. And I am now starting to wonder when that crucial time was when I decided I WASN'T these things, instead of trying to explore and develop them.

The last few years have been so interesting for me, because I have developed this community around me who no longer allows me to say those things. They no longer allow me to say that I am fine exactly where I am. They continually push me to stretch myself, and to not be satisfied with just existing. And I am so thankful for it.

A big part of this definitely has to do with the changes in my faith, and how I am now viewing myself as God sees me, rather than how I see myself, or how the world sees me. And I am searching for ways to make an impact. That makes an incredible difference in my attitude, overall outlook, and decisions. But, I have also really been thinking and praying and trying to figure out what some of my lost passions are. It has been an eye opening, yet extremely frustrating experience.

How could I say I'm not creative? I played the piano (and flute and tenor sax), sang, and created beautiful music, even if it was not my own. I brought the notes on the page to life. I wrote poems, and short stories. I loved to write letters and notes. I loved to scrapbook, and take photos and capture unique images.

While I am not someone who continually thinks up the most unique ideas, I do have opinions and good ideas to bring to individuals, and teams and organizations. I have experience in many different unique roles and circumstances, and I have my own ideas that work pretty well. How could I continually deny that and say I'm not an idea person?

Why did I stop dreaming? Where are those hidden dreams that I must have had when I was younger? What happened to them? I know they were there once. Why did I push them so far deep inside? Will they ever see the light of day again? Are there new ones to explore?

I had one childhood dream that I do remember vividly. I wanted to be a funeral director. I know. Crazy, right? I think the interest started with my Grandfather's funeral in the late '70s. I had never seen someone in a casket before. I was young, and curious. I specifically remember reaching up for his hand, and wanting to touch him and give him a kiss one last time. I wasn't afraid. I knew where he was. He was with Jesus, and I was happy for him. But, my Aunt slapped my hand away, as I was reaching up for him. "We don't do that!! It's not proper."  I was crushed. I just wanted one more moment with him, and I wanted to know if his hand felt the same.

I also think that I instinctively knew from an early age that I can often be a source of comort to people. What an amazing experience it would be to be a source of calm and comfort to families facing difficult times with death. Of course, I didn't fully comprehend all of this then, but I do think that I thought I could be helpful to people in very sad times. Unfortunately, experiencing death firsthand when my father passed away, completely scratched this dream. I was fourteen years old, and the thought of having to be around families who were hurting in a way that I now understood, was something I didn't think I could bear.

I look back on that now and wonder, "Did I really want to be a funeral director?", "Is that a dream I should pursue?" I can honestly say that it isn't. But what is interesting is the perspective I've realized around it. The part about being comforting to others. And helping others. And making a difference. That is what I'd dreamed of for a very long time.

At some time, however, the dream got pushed to the bottom. And reality and responsibility and expectations for who I should become piled on top of it. And I started to believe the lie that says you can't follow your dream. You have to be responsible, and take care of yourself and your family. Nobody is always going to be there for you, except for you. And dreams don't come true, so why waste time chasing them? Why did I not realize there were other things I could do to evoke the same feelings?


I no longer believe those lies. I am continually being challenged to take another step of faith in many areas of my life. One of the things that I am working hard on is discovering my true purpose, and how God wants to use me in a unique way. I feel that something is changing, but I don't quite know what it is yet. I am taking one step at a time, and enjoying this very interesting time in my life.

I am asking questions. Lots of questions. To people I know, and people I am just getting to know. I am reading many different books on leadership and dreams and amazing memoirs. I attended The Quitter Conference, and Story, both of which impacted me in very unique ways. Both Jon Acuff and Ben Arment spoke about your own unique story, and how nobody can tell it. This really hit me. Yes, they may have done something similar to what you are dreaming. But, they are not you. Your perspective is different. Your story matters! The world needs to hear it. 

So what else am I doing?

I am allowing people to speak truth into my life. Sometimes truth that I don't want to hear

I am allowing people to start demystifying the entire dreaming process for me

I am searching for the unique in the every day stories

I am taking the time to truly listen to people

I am enjoying the small moments in life

I am looking forward to where this journey is taking me.

What about you? What things are you working to change in your life? What is your dream?

Vision

"If the size of your vision for your life isn't intimidating to you, there's a good chance it's insulting to God." Steven Furtick

I read this quote in his book titled "Sun Stand Still." It was pretty mind blowing to me. When had I stopped having a vision for my life? When did just getting by in life and working towards what the world told me I needed take over? When did I settle for good enough?

I am really struggling with this question right now. I know that God has a vision for my life. I know he had one many years ago. However, I chose to continue to work towards what I thought was best for me. Sure, I believed in him. Sure, I was a Christian. But, I wasn't letting him guide my paths. I was choosing my own path and asking for him to help me with it when I felt like I needed help.

Now, as I am feeling led towards new directions, I am really wrestling with this. Nothing is clear to me at this point. The only thing I know for sure is that God has a plan. I just have to keep trusting him and obeying when he asks me to take small steps.

One of those small steps was attending the Quitter conference last weekend. I thought that maybe I would have some lightbulb moment while I was there. I didn't. However, what I did feel was hope and clarity that I am moving in the direction that he wants me to go. And to be honest, it's kind of exciting to watch this all progress on a daily and weekly basis.

What is your vision for your life? Has it always been clear to you? I'd love to hear from you!

My Top 10 list from the Quitter conference

This past weekend, I attended Jon Acuff's Quitter conference, in Nashville. It was based on his book, Quitter, but it took the concepts and actions to a deeper level. Here is my very own top 10 list.

1. Jon Acuff is even funner in person than he is in print. I didn't think that was possible. He is truly entertaining, yet provides great advice and challenges you to step out of your comfort zone.

2. Twitter is perfect for conferences. I think I tweeted more during the conference than I have in the last few months combined! There were so many tweet-worthy tidbits. It was fun to see people at the conference start following each other. I'm looking forward to keeping in contact with them to see how their dreams progress. 

3. Jon Acuff knows how hard it is to follow your dream. He's a living example of what can happen when you provide the passion and hard work required. And, he's willing to share his ideas in order to help you realize your own dream too.      

4. He has an amazing team supporting him. The flow of the conference was well thought out, and the presentations were really creative. Kudos to everyone involved! I loved hearing from his wife, Jenny, as well. That was a nice personal touch.

5. I am not alone in wanting to do something meaningful with my life. There were 180+ people there, who are all wanting to make an impact in the world. I am looking forward to connecting with more of them and learning their stories.

6. It can be done! You can make a difference. There were multiple stories of people who are living it and doing it. It's always great to hear practical examples, and to be reminded that every great idea started out with someone taking the time to cultivate it and take steps forward.

7. Freebies are always an added bonus! We got some really cool things that were unexpected. A Hello Somebody watch that I am loving (check out their website, as each item helps fund starving children overseas), a Dave Ramsey leather journal, and a Quitter t-shirt. It was a really nice touch.

8. Twitter people are real people. This is something that can easily be forgotten. You can get caught up in their number of followers or their success, and it's easy to forget that they are real people facing real issues, just like you.

9. Be realistic about your dreams and what it will take. Ben Arment also spoke and he is really great at giving you the hard facts about what you need before your dream can happen. He has an amazing way of inspiring you and challenging you to figure out how you will fund your dream.

10. Our dreams matter. The world desperately needs us to follow them. This really hit home with me. We can change the world. But it requires all of us doing the hard work to figure out our dream, and then make it happen.

I am still in the process of determining what my dream looks like. I have some recurring thoughts and am working on clarifying them more in the near future. The Quitter conference was a great way to help spur this conversation in my head!

What is your dream?

Do you have a dream?

Is it something you have had for a long time? Or is it a new dream?

What steps are you taking to help make your dream come true?

I am fascinated at hearing people's stories, and am working toward clarity around my own dream.

Would love to hear your thoughts.