Have you ever seen old boxing footage where the one boxer shakes a fist up in the air to get his opponent to look up and at that moment he swings with his other hand and pops him in the face? If not you're missing out on some classic stuff. It seems so ridiculous that someone would fall for that. How does a professional in the heat of the battle take his eye off the prize? I guess the easy answer is that we all lose concentration sometimes, we all look away from the goal for a moment or two. We tell ourselves it was only one time, I wont let that happen again. And then POW! we are out for the count.
Sounds pretty dramatic I know. I wish it were just theatrics to get your attention. The reality is that it doesn't do real life justice. In my life I have seen people that I have loved and respected, people that I put on a pedastal of greatness, people that impacted my life and influenced me to do good when I didn't think I could, people that if you asked me at the time if they would ever fall away, the answer would be an emphatic no, these people have fallen away on forbidden paths. Seeing this has shaken me to my very foundation. I thought to myself, if this could happen to them I don't stand a chance. I have questioned my own faith in seeing these loved ones walk away. The only thing more sobering than witnessing these great ones fall has been seeing the collateral damage they have left in their wake as families are destroyed and children are heart broken.
There are no guarantees in life. After seeing these things and taking them in I finally began to see the great happiness, peace, and blessings that come from living the gospel, and the great tragedy, sadness, and destruction that comes from turning from the Lord. We know what we are supposed to do. We know how to get where we need to go. We have to keep our eye on the prize, ignore the background noise, push forward because our very lives depend on it. In the Book of Mormon there is a reference to the Iron Rod and it talks about how those that made it down the path were "clinging" to the rod. They weren't walking next to it. They didn't just have it in sight. They were clinging to it because their lives depended on it.
I think about the examples in my life often. I think about those great leaders and friends that have influenced me for good and I do my best to follow their examples. I also think about those that I love and cry for that have made choices to that put them in situations where they have not recovered and I remind myself how easy it is to lose site of the goal. Remember, when those distractions come and they will come, cling to that rod, put your head down and push through. That's my strategy, what keeps me going is I know you all will be there waiting for me.
G-Money
Richest Man In Town
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
So...You Want to be Great
I have an honest and sincere confession to make...I want to be great. I really do not wake up in the morning at ridiculously early times and say to myself, "Let's go do something mediocre today." Or, even better, "Hey, let's go be completely forgettable to everyone that we come in contact with today." Whether it is as a husband, father, principal, son, friend, or mormon I want to be great at it.
Now the reasons for this push (sometimes it is more like a subtle nudge) to be great are various and sundry and they are probably not what you are expecting. You see, I do not want to be great for my sake. I want to be great for three reasons:
1. The people in my life deserve greatness from me. When I give less than I can (intentionally or unintentionally) I cheat them.
2. Wanting to do great things and be great pushes me to live life, not survive life. It forces me to be proactive and "blow up the box". It drives me to leave comfort zones and constantly reflect on who I am vs. who I want to be.
3. It is ridiculous to build a mediocre life on the foundational belief that we are children of God. Those two notions are mutually exclusive. They cannot exist in the same being. Where one is, the other cannot be. If we are content with a mediocre life, then we have lost our testimonies of our divine heritage. On the contrary, if we consistently remember who we are, then we will never be found settling for anything less than the path that leads to great things.
Point #3 reminds me of one of my favorite quotes. It is written by Mary Ann Williamson, and was used by Nelson Mandela in his Inaugural Address in 1994 (also in a cool scene in Coach Carter):
At this point in the program, let me clearly state the obvious and say that I am not great. Granted, all things are relative and I am so much farther on the road than when I started, but the fact is that there is still a long way to go. There are times that the disconnect between who and what I want to be and who and what I actually am is frustrating and discouraging. The reasons for the gap are many and perhaps that is a topic (or several topics) for another day and another post (Resource: "Your Potential, Your Privilege"), but there are two certainties: Everyday, I am either getting closer or moving farther away and my progress (or lack thereof) will be directly proportional to the degree that I apply the atonement of Jesus Christ in my life.
I found the following words in studying the life of a truly great modern day prophet of God, Howard W. Hunter and they speak comfort and patience to me as I strive to live great:
“There is no such thing as instant greatness. This is because the achievement of true greatness is a long-term process. It may involve occasional setbacks. The end result may not always be clearly visible, but it seems that it always requires regular, consistent, small, and sometimes ordinary and mundane steps over a long period of time. . . .
“True greatness is never a result of a chance occurrence or a one-time effort or achievement. It requires the development of character. It requires a multitude of correct decisions for the everyday choices between good and evil. . . .
“As we evaluate our lives, it is important that we look, not only at our accomplishments, but also at the conditions under which we have labored. We are all different and unique individuals. We have each had different starting points in the race of life. We each have a unique mixture of talents and skills. We each have our own set of challenges and constraints to contend with".
These words give me hope and help me to know that there is no shortcut to being great and doing great things. In fact, the irony of greatness is that it is formed by the "ordinary and mundane steps over a long period of time". Hopefully life will be long enough for me to get in enough "baby steps" to get there.
Now the reasons for this push (sometimes it is more like a subtle nudge) to be great are various and sundry and they are probably not what you are expecting. You see, I do not want to be great for my sake. I want to be great for three reasons:
1. The people in my life deserve greatness from me. When I give less than I can (intentionally or unintentionally) I cheat them.
2. Wanting to do great things and be great pushes me to live life, not survive life. It forces me to be proactive and "blow up the box". It drives me to leave comfort zones and constantly reflect on who I am vs. who I want to be.
3. It is ridiculous to build a mediocre life on the foundational belief that we are children of God. Those two notions are mutually exclusive. They cannot exist in the same being. Where one is, the other cannot be. If we are content with a mediocre life, then we have lost our testimonies of our divine heritage. On the contrary, if we consistently remember who we are, then we will never be found settling for anything less than the path that leads to great things.
Point #3 reminds me of one of my favorite quotes. It is written by Mary Ann Williamson, and was used by Nelson Mandela in his Inaugural Address in 1994 (also in a cool scene in Coach Carter):
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
At this point in the program, let me clearly state the obvious and say that I am not great. Granted, all things are relative and I am so much farther on the road than when I started, but the fact is that there is still a long way to go. There are times that the disconnect between who and what I want to be and who and what I actually am is frustrating and discouraging. The reasons for the gap are many and perhaps that is a topic (or several topics) for another day and another post (Resource: "Your Potential, Your Privilege"), but there are two certainties: Everyday, I am either getting closer or moving farther away and my progress (or lack thereof) will be directly proportional to the degree that I apply the atonement of Jesus Christ in my life.
I found the following words in studying the life of a truly great modern day prophet of God, Howard W. Hunter and they speak comfort and patience to me as I strive to live great:
“There is no such thing as instant greatness. This is because the achievement of true greatness is a long-term process. It may involve occasional setbacks. The end result may not always be clearly visible, but it seems that it always requires regular, consistent, small, and sometimes ordinary and mundane steps over a long period of time. . . .
“True greatness is never a result of a chance occurrence or a one-time effort or achievement. It requires the development of character. It requires a multitude of correct decisions for the everyday choices between good and evil. . . .
“As we evaluate our lives, it is important that we look, not only at our accomplishments, but also at the conditions under which we have labored. We are all different and unique individuals. We have each had different starting points in the race of life. We each have a unique mixture of talents and skills. We each have our own set of challenges and constraints to contend with".
These words give me hope and help me to know that there is no shortcut to being great and doing great things. In fact, the irony of greatness is that it is formed by the "ordinary and mundane steps over a long period of time". Hopefully life will be long enough for me to get in enough "baby steps" to get there.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Wise Words from Abraham Lincoln
Last week I was able to take my kids on a spontaneous day to the happiest place on earth...Disneyland. Now, that alone is a blog entry but I wanted to focus on one moment in the park. We went to the "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" show in the theater on Main Street. I am not sure if anyone out there has had the experience of seeing the show but it boils down to a life-like Abraham Lincoln standing and addressing the audience. Read very carefully what he says:
"The world has never had a good definition of the word "liberty". The American people, just now, are much in want of one. We all declare for liberty. But in using the same word, we do not all mean the same thing.
What constitutes the bulwark of our liberty and independence? It is not our frowning embattlements, our bristling sea coasts. These are not our reliance against tyranny. Our reliance is in the love of liberty, which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands everywhere. Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors.
"At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some trans-Atlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us in a blow? Never. All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined could not, by force, take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected?
"I answer that if it ever reach us, it must spring from amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be the authors and finishers. As a nation of free men, we must live through all times, or die by suicide.
"Let reverence for the law be breathed by every American mother to the listing babe that prattles on her lap. Let it be taught in the schools, in the seminaries, and in the colleges. Let it be written in primers, in spelling books and almanacs. Let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And in short, let it become the political religion of the nation. And let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes, and tongues, and colors, and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly at its altar.
"And let us strive to deserve, as far as mortals may, the continued care of Divine Providence, trusting that, in future national emergencies, He will not fail to provide us the instruments of safety and security.
Neither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, or frightened from it by menaces of the destruction to the government, nor of dungeons to ourselves. Let us have faith that right makes might. And in that faith, let us to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."
The speech is actually a compilation of speeches from President Lincoln but I find the accuracy and the timeliness of his words to be chilling. It is a great reminder from a great man that as a nation we are in constant need of divine providence and that our love of freedom is our saving grace. We should not be surprised, but we should be gravely concerned whenever and where ever we see these values and principles under attack, especially when we see it from within. Something to think about...
"The world has never had a good definition of the word "liberty". The American people, just now, are much in want of one. We all declare for liberty. But in using the same word, we do not all mean the same thing.
What constitutes the bulwark of our liberty and independence? It is not our frowning embattlements, our bristling sea coasts. These are not our reliance against tyranny. Our reliance is in the love of liberty, which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands everywhere. Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors.
"At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some trans-Atlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us in a blow? Never. All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined could not, by force, take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected?
"I answer that if it ever reach us, it must spring from amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be the authors and finishers. As a nation of free men, we must live through all times, or die by suicide.
"Let reverence for the law be breathed by every American mother to the listing babe that prattles on her lap. Let it be taught in the schools, in the seminaries, and in the colleges. Let it be written in primers, in spelling books and almanacs. Let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And in short, let it become the political religion of the nation. And let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes, and tongues, and colors, and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly at its altar.
"And let us strive to deserve, as far as mortals may, the continued care of Divine Providence, trusting that, in future national emergencies, He will not fail to provide us the instruments of safety and security.
Neither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, or frightened from it by menaces of the destruction to the government, nor of dungeons to ourselves. Let us have faith that right makes might. And in that faith, let us to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."
The speech is actually a compilation of speeches from President Lincoln but I find the accuracy and the timeliness of his words to be chilling. It is a great reminder from a great man that as a nation we are in constant need of divine providence and that our love of freedom is our saving grace. We should not be surprised, but we should be gravely concerned whenever and where ever we see these values and principles under attack, especially when we see it from within. Something to think about...
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