Make a Dent where you are Sent

I really liked this statement I heard on the radio yesterday. “Make a dent where you are sent.” I can’t credit the comment since I don’t know who was talking and I lost the station before he finished making his point. But we can understand what he was getting at. Leave an impression. Let the world know you were here.

You probably know someone who never got to be what they wanted. Their dreams of a family or college degree or dream job never came to fruition. Maybe you’re that person. Maybe you feel like you’ve messed up royally and made mistakes that can’t be undone. You may ask; “How can God use me when I’m not where I was supposed to be at this point in my life?”

Isn’t technology amazing? Don’t you love those Google images where you can see the whole planet in real time? The images that zoom in on one continent, then a country, then a state or territory and finally your city, your neighborhood, your street, and all the way to your front door. Sitting on our own stoop it’s easy to forget the magnitude of those world images. We see our roof, our treetops, our sidewalk, our teeny, insignificant skyline, and they close us in. So do our problems.

Our eyes tend to see the worst in a situation. Our vision is very narrow. We can’t see down the road. We can’t imagine how our current rotten situation can ever be used for good.

We’ll never see our lives or our world the way God does. But it’s important to remember that he can. He is God. We are not. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Those mistakes we made, those cruel words we hurled at a loved one, the decisions we wish we could remake—God can use it all to impact our world. We can’t imagine how, but he can and he will once we get out of the way.

Make a dent where you’re sent today. Don’t think what you do it too small or too unimportant. You can impact someone today. Leave an imprint that you were here.

Anna's Army

I spent my holiday weekend selling books at the Festival of the Bells in Hillsboro, Ohio. Nice festival close to my house and church so I was able to catch up with a lot of people I know and a lot of longtime readers. Always a good way to spend a long weekend. I also got to know Justin Reno of Anna’s Army. If you’re not from the area you have probably never heard of Anna’s Army. I didn’t know much myself except everyone in the county has an Anna’s Army bumper sticker on their car or wear Anna’s Army shirts to Kroger’s.

Justin was the only guy in our booth so the rest of us vendors took advantage of him, ie: asking him to move heavy tables or reach high stuff. Over the course of the weekend, his story and the story of Anna’s Army came out, as it does everywhere he goes.

Justin and his wife Andi lost their daughter, Anna, 8 years ago to Cystic Fibrosis when she was 8. Anna was diagnosed with CF at age 3 months. I was practically in tears every time Justin told someone part of her story. During a slow time between customers, I told him as much. He smiled and said that wasn’t why he shared his story. Sharing for him was therapeutic. Justin isn’t a writer so he wears his story on his arms. He got his first tattoo as therapy on the first anniversary of Anna’s death. After that, on each anniversary of her death and on her birthday in June, he would add another chapter to Anna’s story with another tattoo. Now her story goes around and up both arms, with each addition telling another chapter of the amazing life this little girl led.

In the beginning, the tattoos were meant to help Justin deal with his grief. It didn’t take long, though, before he realized they were serving a purpose he hadn’t seen coming. Strangers would come up to him and comment on the tattoos, whether to tell him they hated tattoos or they loved the artwork. In either case, Justin was able to begin a dialog about Anna and Cystic Fibrosis and how the tattoos helped him through his grief. Talking with these strangers has been the greatest therapy he never saw coming.

Justin and Andi created a non-profit charitable organization 10 years ago to raise awareness of CF and other chronic conditions. Since then, the charity has donated over $100,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Eight years after Anna’s death, the charity continues to raise money for those in the community suffering from chronic—and usually fatal—conditions The community had been so helpful to Anna and the Reno family, they want to give something back. In 2009 the Highland County Commissioners declared the 3rd Friday in April to be Anna’s Army Day from now on. Like Andi Reno always says: Together anything is possible.

Live a life of passion

It’s been said if you want to be happy for a year, win the Lottery. If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, make a living doing something you love.

All this talk about living the dream and making a living doing what you love has made me think of my son’s story. I thought I would share it here and maybe encourage you to go after your dreams, no matter how far out of reach they may seem.

When my son was in preschool, he wanted to be a professional wrestler like nearly every other preschooler. As he got older his aspirations changed to professional ballplayer—either football or baseball, depending on which season we were in. Sadly, the poor thing took his athletic abilities after his mother and only made the team because our local school was so small, they didn’t cut anyone. If you showed up in cleats, you were on the team.

It wasn’t until high school when a friend of mine asked him to provide color commentary for broadcasts of our county schools' ballgames that he found his passion. For the first time, he was able to combine his brains with his love for sports. He thought, “I’ve got to figure out a way to do this for a living.”

Everyone knows it's highly unlikely to get a paying job doing something like that. ESPN wasn’t hiring precocious kids who loved ball.

He took his scholarships and enrolled in a traditional college. It didn’t take long, though, for him to realize this was not the path he wanted to take. Against everyone’s advice, he quit school and entered the Ohio School of Broadcasting, a non-accredited school that meant he lost all his scholarship money.

As his mother, I worried and listened to all my friends tell me he was making a huge mistake and I needed to step in and make him see the light, and did I want him living in my basement the rest of his life. I held my breath and prayed he was doing the right thing.

He soon got an internship for a local talk radio station. That eventually led to hosting a show on a local country music station where I only heard his voice during 10-second promo spots between programming. The job paid minimum wage so he cleaned floors at Kroger’s, worked the front desk at a discount motel chain, and worked a short time at an Amazon distribution center just to pay the rent while pursuing his dream.

Fast forward five years. Those little spots on the radio, working for peanuts and experience, led to a producer’s job in a major market. Now he interviews celebrities, athletes, and politicians for a living. He’s paid to attend sporting events and concerts. Last month his station even gave away tickets to attend a major sporting event with him as a prize to a lucky caller.

Whatever your dreams, there are ways to make them come true. Spoiler: It will take a ton of hard work and personal sacrifice. You will endure abuse and ridicule from friends and family who think you are wasting your time or making a huge mistake. The only question to ask yourself is: How bad do you want it?

Only you know the answer.

Livin' the Dream

Did you know more people suffer heart attacks on Monday mornings than at any other time? I can’t say I was surprised the first time I read that statistic. My father-in-law used to say he dreaded Sunday nights because he knew the next morning he had to get up and go to a place he hated. He did this for nearly forty years. A sad way to spend the biggest part of your life if you ask me. So what can a person do in this situation? Regardless of what Washington wants us to believe, the economy is still wretched. Millions out of work. Millions more giving up on looking for work. People with Master’s Degrees serving up iced coffees at Starbucks. Finding any job is tough. Finding one you love can be nearly impossible. You can’t just walk away from a job because you don’t like it or it doesn’t fulfill your calling, and you’re destined for greater things.

Recently I heard a man say he didn’t dislike his job, but he loved doing something else. He wanted more out of life than to spend it doing a job he didn’t hate. Maybe you don’t dread Monday mornings either. You don’t hate your job, and you’ve never really thought about leaving it. But is it what you imagined doing when you were a kid? Does that job give you an opportunity to impact your world the way you want?
I’m a true believer in doing what you were designed to do, not what pays the most and has the best benefits. We’re on this earth for such a short time. God has created each of us with specific talents and gifts for a reason. I believe it’s our responsibility to use those talents and strengths to impact our world.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to look back on a life of regrets. The if only I had… Or I wish I did…when I had the chance. What is your dream? What would you rather be doing today to impact your world than what you’re doing right now? It isn’t too late you know. If you’re still breathing—and you must be if you’re reading this—you can make a difference and begin to make each day count.

You probably can’t walk away from your job today. You probably won’t move to a different part of the world by the end of the week to pursue a dream you’ve always had. You might not even be interested in a big change, but something small that could alter the legacy you wish to leave. Whatever your dreams or ambitions, there is probably a step you can take today to get closer to them. Closer to making your life better. What will you do today to make this day count?

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ---Mark Twain

Take it Like a Man

Summer break is only two weeks old and everyone is already posting pics all over social media of the amazing things they’re doing. Everybody but me. So far my summer is going like every other season of the year. Work. Writing. Dinner. Dishes. Laundry. Repeat. I can’t help but wonder if summer is any different for those posting all the pics. Or are they faking it to convince themselves as much as to convince me?

Do you ever compare yourself to someone else? I think we all do. The other day my friend posted this pic on FaceBook.

She is a wonderful person—funny, loving, generous, beautiful inside and out—the best kind of friend. Even with all those things going for her, she sees herself in a negative light because of how she thinks she looks. Isn’t that sad? We are all created in God’s image and have something to offer the world. But it’s easy to forget when it seems everyone else is the perfect size, looks great in a swimsuit, has raised beautiful, successful children, and has never put her foot in her mouth.

I recently read a study that showed men spend three times as much time looking in the mirror as women. While women focus on what they believe are their negative qualities, men only see what they consider strengths.

How can men overlook their faults while women are unable to look past a simple flaw?
I have never heard my husband fret with his buddies over putting on a few pounds over the holidays. If one of them brings it up, it’s to brag about it. I heard one say as long as stores keep stocking bigger shirts he’ll eat whatever he wants.

Not women. If a friend loses weight, we belittle ourselves for not sticking to our diets. We might even secretly hope she’s been sick or depressed, and we aren’t complete failures that we couldn’t lose while she made it look so effortless.

It isn’t only our weight that makes us compare ourselves unfavorably to others. Have you ever told a joke that fell flat? When men do it, they don’t seem to notice. If they do, they shrug it off and tell the same joke 100 more times, thinking for sure it’ll be a hit this time. Not women. We punish ourselves for months and dread the memory of the time we embarrassed ourselves at a party. Even though in truth most every witness to our social faux pas doesn’t even remember it.

Maybe we give ourselves more credit than we deserve. When we embarrass ourselves or gain too much weight or don’t have vacations as interesting as someone else, we imagine the whole world is judging us. In truth, the world is too busy examining their own embarrassing moments and has forgotten all about ours.

As men seemed to have figured out, we women need to learn not to take ourselves too seriously. It’s a given we’re going to say dumb things. We’re going to walk out of a restroom with our skirt caught in our pantyhose—figuratively speaking I hope. Life happens. When it does, man up. Laugh off those less than stellar moments and don’t forget no one’s summer vacation is nearly as fun or angst free as it appears on social media.

Write your Passion--Part 2

The other day I posted about a friend from church who asked me how to get started writing. Her mother has been posting mini-devotionals on FaceBook for over a year. She let me read the most recent, and it was quite good. It had all the necessary elements of a good story. An interesting anecdote with a touch of humor. What the writer learned from the experience. A takeaway application for the reader.

My friend wanted to know how her mother could put these together into a book. Her mother had already done the work. The writing part. A little more work and she could turn her writing into a passive income. I was quick to assure her it isn't easy. Too many people think it is. No successful writer becomes that way by sticking a few cute stories together and throwing them onto Amazon where they sell day and night for the rest of the writer's life...and beyond.

It is so much work. That said, there is money to be made writing. The simplest way to do that is to find your passion and to write it. What are you passionate about? Sports? A particular sport or all sports? Either way, you are not the only one. Cooking? Kids? (My bad. I didn't mean cooking kids. You saw the question mark, right?) Animal rescue? Craft beer? Knitting?

Whatever your interest, someone else is interested in it, too, and they are looking for more information. What have you learned while pursuing your passion? Suppose you make the most delicious Parker House rolls for every family dinner and church function. A friend called you today and asked you to teach her how to bake them. Could you? Providing you aren't planning to take your secret to the grave, could you teach her how to make your Parker House rolls?

If you can explain it to a friend, you can write it. If you can write it, you can turn your passion into an income stream. If you bake the best Parker House rolls, chances are you can bake something else. Do you know how many cooking shows are on TV right now? A lot. People love it. Even non-bakers are fascinated in the art of baking. Lucky for you it's your passion?

There hasn't been a better time in history to be a writer. Or to become one. All you need is something you're passionate about and the desire to share that passion with others. Give it a try. What do you have to lose? There is so much to gain.

Write your Passion

Someone asked me today about how to get started writing. Let me warn you, the moment you become a published author everyone you ever met will come to you with that question. Some are interested in writing books. Most, like the woman today, write smaller things, like inspirational or how-to articles and devotionals. Since this blog was created to inspire & encourage you to live life to the fullest, and there are probably others out there wondering the same thing as my friend, I thought I would answer her questions here.

Most of us, including ones who have no interest in writing, believe we have something to say. Something to share with the world. In today’s digital age, it is easier than ever for writers to share our message, and almost a shame if we don’t. Blog posts like this one, devotionals, sermonettes, or articles can be put together with a common theme and published as an ebook.

Suppose you are an expert on early childhood education and have written articles for magazines or your local newspaper. You could collect some of those articles on a common theme—let’s say potty training—and create a book.

Ebooks don’t have to be long. In fact, some of the most successful are less than fifty pages. It depends on your topic of course. But let’s stick with potty training. I would imagine you can say all you need to say about how to inspire a little one to use the big boy or girl potty in less than 50 pages. If we’re talking about childhood anxieties or something more complex, it would probably be a whole different matter. Not that potty training isn’t complex, especially for those in the throes of it.

If you’ve written articles on a particular subject, you’ve already done the work. The only things left to do are to find your common theme, put the articles together in a cohesive format, hopefully add a few things that haven’t been previously published, and format for publication. You’ll need a catchy cover & blurb that draws the reader in, of course.

Series is king. Since we started with early childhood education, we’ll stick with that example. You are an expert in more than just potty training. There are so many topics parents are interested in that you know all about. You know the arguments on both sides of the vaccination issue. What to look for in choosing a preschool. How to break a thumb sucking habit. How to overcome separation anxiety. The list goes on and on.

Start going through those old articles and blog posts. You probably have more than you realize. If not, write some. What topics interest you most? What do you know a lot about? How can you share your knowledge with others & become a published author at the same time?

Happy writing.