Day after day we find ourselves feeling beaten down, feeling less than we should...all because if someone else. You could've tried harder on that assignment, you could be quieter, you could be less gay or even less black.
Let that sink in.
Today's realization is a good one.
Why is it that we find ourselves being knocked down and having to somehow climb back up by telling ourselves words of encouragement to counter what someone has said? The interesting part about that climb is that we sometimes knock down someone else in the process. It may not always be a direct blow to them. It could be that you laughed while someone made a "joke." Maybe you stood in silence while someone was being ridiculed. Maybe one time you simple has a preconceived thought based on appearances... So my question is why? Why do we allow ourselves to put someone in the exact same dark place we've been before?
Rather than knocking someone down, we should be the ones that attempt (what seems to be) impossible; try to ensure no one ever feels the way someone once made you feel. It's all so silly when you really think about it.
I've previously mentioned a few times that calling someone gay doesn't make you any more straight. Calling someone black doesn't make you any whiter. Telling someone they will go to hell doesn't make it any easier for you to get into heaven.
So why do we do it?
I'm here to say that you are perfect JUST the way you are. Those "imperfections" and "negative qualities" aren't that at all. In fact, they are the one thing that will allow you and I to rise up and fight for what is right. Thank you for being so imperfect.
As long as we are all standing there with our hearts and arms open wide for any and every person, nobody should ever feel less than or alone because we are all here for one common thing: to love.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Leadershape Day One
Have you ever just taken a chance on something while being so completely in the dark you're not sure why you've done it? Have you ever just known deep down inside that the rewards would surely outweigh the risk? I am currently experiencing both of those tonight. I signed up last year for this leadership camp called Leadershape. In a nutshell, Leadershape is a 6 day leadership camp. The thing about Leadershape is that you know absolutely nothing about it, except that it's a truly transformational opportunity. This unknown factor is known as leadershape magic.
As I lay here on my (what should be) bunk bed, I find myself thinking a few things.
1. I hope breakfast is good. Dinner was nothing exceptional, but it definitely wasn't prison food. I just like to eat, so that's why this takes the first spot.
2. While I look back at the day, I can't help but remember some of the faces and some of the stories I've come across. I lay here in a state of mind that I can't quite explain. It's always so shocking to me that out of fifty something people, each person has a story. Each person has that grandma that died or that heart attack or even that injury that prevented them from following their dream or changed the course of their life entirely. While I am not silly enough to have thought I'm the only one, I am silly enough to forget that everyone has been through shit that has shaped them into who they are. The most compelling thing about this is the attitudes that follow the stories. We all live in a world where nothing is perfect, but we all have such different takes on life. We can choose to roll with the punches, play the victim, or sink into a state of content with the events that play out. We can't control the situation, but we can control how we react.
3. I keep telling myself that I'd much rather be somewhere else doing something else and wish that I wouldn't have committed to this. But when I sit here and think of the good that's already come from me being here, would I really want to be somewhere else? Take advantage of the daily connections we make with people. Allow your heart and soul to be happy because you know that you've connected with someone. All throughout life we feel alone, but just through daily connections we can feel like never before.
I leave you with one of my favorite discussions I've had today; the perspective shift. Whenever you wake up, you have a choice. You can choose to believe today will be excellent, or you can choose to believe today will suck. Whatever you choose, it's entirely your decision. No one else's. If at some point you feel like your day has gotten worse or it is couldn't get any lower, just remember that you got to that point by having a shift in perspective. If all it took was a shift in perspective to get there, then why should it take something more than that to change it again? You have the power to control how you view things.
So whether you're at a leadership camp at which you're taking a risk on, or just having a bad day, know that you can change it. Today you are loved and you can do anything you set your mind to, even if it's just a shift in perspective.
As I lay here on my (what should be) bunk bed, I find myself thinking a few things.
1. I hope breakfast is good. Dinner was nothing exceptional, but it definitely wasn't prison food. I just like to eat, so that's why this takes the first spot.
2. While I look back at the day, I can't help but remember some of the faces and some of the stories I've come across. I lay here in a state of mind that I can't quite explain. It's always so shocking to me that out of fifty something people, each person has a story. Each person has that grandma that died or that heart attack or even that injury that prevented them from following their dream or changed the course of their life entirely. While I am not silly enough to have thought I'm the only one, I am silly enough to forget that everyone has been through shit that has shaped them into who they are. The most compelling thing about this is the attitudes that follow the stories. We all live in a world where nothing is perfect, but we all have such different takes on life. We can choose to roll with the punches, play the victim, or sink into a state of content with the events that play out. We can't control the situation, but we can control how we react.
3. I keep telling myself that I'd much rather be somewhere else doing something else and wish that I wouldn't have committed to this. But when I sit here and think of the good that's already come from me being here, would I really want to be somewhere else? Take advantage of the daily connections we make with people. Allow your heart and soul to be happy because you know that you've connected with someone. All throughout life we feel alone, but just through daily connections we can feel like never before.
I leave you with one of my favorite discussions I've had today; the perspective shift. Whenever you wake up, you have a choice. You can choose to believe today will be excellent, or you can choose to believe today will suck. Whatever you choose, it's entirely your decision. No one else's. If at some point you feel like your day has gotten worse or it is couldn't get any lower, just remember that you got to that point by having a shift in perspective. If all it took was a shift in perspective to get there, then why should it take something more than that to change it again? You have the power to control how you view things.
So whether you're at a leadership camp at which you're taking a risk on, or just having a bad day, know that you can change it. Today you are loved and you can do anything you set your mind to, even if it's just a shift in perspective.
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