For the past nine months or so, I had been working at the Boys & Girls Club of Queen Creek as their Front Desk Manager. It was an awesome opportunity to serve a non-profit in a much different capacity than my previous experiences in churches.
I meet a lot of people (myself included at times) that waste too much time talking about doing something good, changing the status quo, or revolutionizing a previously revolutionary idea. These motivations or aspirations are all good and well, but are only worthwhile if there is an intent to act behind them. Big ideas often change the world, but small obstacles that we allow to dam up our rivers of inspiration and creativity often blockade big ideas from ever happening.
When I get up in the morning, I’m just like everyone else.. I put my pants on one leg at a time. The only difference is, once my pants are on I ________.
I’ve found that even over my short time, when you get away from what you do best, what you did best begins to get worse.
Before you say go, check your pre-launch list.
1. Do I really have something? (idea, product, service, etc…)
2. Do people really need it?
3. Do people really want it?
4. Is it accessible, easy (good U.I.), and understandable?
5. Can it truly make an impact?
6. Is it the best of everything you can offer?
Ford's new European Focus coming to U.S., in 2011
Is saying ‘no’ necessarily a bad thing?
If Ford had said ‘yes to recieving aid in bailout money, would they have recovered American loyalty so fast? Would they have been forced to make drastic changes at the CEO level and bring in an imaginitive leader like Alan Mulally? Would they have forced themselves to deviate from an established system of US focused production to a world focused production?
If Walt Disney had said ‘yes’ to his imagineers when they sought his approval over the completion of Disneyland, would he have ever challenged their dreams of what is possible by creating Disneyworld? Would he have been able to lead a global media empire to the top if he didn’t challenge the definition of success?
So again I ask, is saying ‘no’ necessarily always a bad thing? To that end, I say ‘no’.
Moving into the first week of another new year, I can say that this year I make no promises. Last year I went from being single to not, homeless to not, employed to unemployed and back to employed, 40 lb. lighter to 40 lb. heavier, under $10K of debt to over $150k (and this is only what I can think of). There’s more than anyone can ever foresee that changes with in a year, and despite time feeling shorter as I grow older, a year is still a year, and from what I know now, a year is still a long time ( 52 weeks or 365 days or 8,760 hrs or 525,600 minutes or 31,536,000 seconds) A lot can still happen in a year.
A promise is a promise and it’s not meant to be broken. But life itself is, and not to mention unpredictable, therefore making it an unsuitable place for promises to thrive. This doesn’t mean promises can’t be a good thing, but it doesn’t make them safe. And it doesn’t mean I intend to live without accountability, integrity, goals, or desires. But what it does mean is that I intend to live with no expectations of what God can and will do in my life or yours, this year I’m making room for the leading of the spirit. Which no doubt will lead to unpredictable circumstances yet again, but hopefully circumstances that God desires for me. And I can’t imagine a better place to be than that, at the start of a new year. Where will you start yours?
Well I’m officially about two weeks into being a home owner now, and I have to say, it’s a lot of stinking work! (someone out there is laughing devilishly, and shouting “I TOLD YOU SO!!” I’m sure) Despite the hard work though, I have always discovered how rewarding it is to know that it’s my home and I’m breaking my back to make it better!
Guest Bath Progress- Click the Image to see more
I also have to say that renovating a house is completely unrealistic for one person to do in three weeks, so it’s been a complete life saver to have my father in law Will, there to help! He’s the Japanese version of Handy Manny for me. Handy Honda? I don’t know any Japanese names that start with the letter “H”. My international politics rating seems to be sinking a lot lately.
If you really intend for things to be different or changed for good, then you’ll likely have to be willing to do the things none before you were willing enough to do. Disney is perhaps one of the most market/brand locked corporations in the world (and has been so for decades). With companies like Pixar, DreamWorks, and Nickelodeon paving new ground in childhood entertainment, a question has been formulating on the minds of Disney Exec’s now for the last ten years… “What will we do to stay relevant?”
Disney’s ability to stay connected to the beat of culture year after year has been nothing short of astounding. It’s a streak that is likely to go unmatched or challenged for some time in the business world. However despite their streak and status as top dog, they have still been losing ground. The game as it does, has changed, and hence Disney is ready to as well.
LOS ANGELES — For decades, the Walt Disney Company has largely kept Mickey Mouse frozen under glass, fearful that even the tiniest tinkering might tarnish the brand and upend his $5 billion or so in annual merchandise sales. One false move and Disney could have New Coke on its hands.
Now, however, concerned that Mickey has become more of a corporate symbol than a beloved character for recent generations of young people, Disney is taking the risky step of re-imagining him for the future.
So what should we be willing to risk it all for, in order to initiate a real change in? I for one just hope they don’t ditch that jolly high-pitched throaty chuckle of his. Well that and his ears! I love his ears!
So as my father-in-law and I have been renovating our new house and changing the face of everything inside, I have found myself thinking how cool it would have been to have a video time-lapse or stop motion reel of all the work being done and the changes taking place over the span of maybe 3-4 minutes. I don’t know why but I love stop motion video. I think maybe because its my favorite style of filming that I will never have the patience to actually do myself. I would love to, but probably won’t. Anyways, in an effort to satisfy my desires I watch a lot stop motion on YouTube. Here are 2 of the coolest examples I have seen in quite some time.
The first comes compliments of a random blog I found. It’s a stop motion compilation of a tattoo being done of a camera on someones arm. The music is awesome (Helen of Troy- telefon tel aviv … if you like it), and the art is incredible! I would love to have this artist do a free style project for me sometime.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9osD__YB8QE]
The Second comes from everyone’s favorite British pop band Coldplay. There new video for the single “Strawberry Swing” is an iconic example of what can be done with stop motion animation. The added features of perspective and visual deception makes it even more fantastic. And also lets not forget, the music is pretty decent too which helps any video project!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYtk1Z0UUuE&feature=fvst]
