I find my best blog writing is done when I immediately reflect on an event in my life. I do this for two primary reasons:
- The first and most obvious is the freshness of the scenario, story, or thought in my mind. Plus, it’s more relevant.
- The second is because my mind goes 100 mph and I’ll likely forget it if I don’t. Truth be told.
So, what happened today that warranted this post?
I caught someone.
Actually it may have been the other way around, maybe they caught me…but I’ll say, “I caught someone in the act of being real.”
Today was my son’s first birthday. If a one year old could talk (mine can’t), he would say he loves splashing at the pool. So, off my wife and I went this afternoon to splash around on a perfectly sunny July day. As we were feeding him his customary four o’clock snack, someone walked by and said hello. She didn’t have to, but she did.
This is where it got real.
After exchanging pleasantries and chatting a bit, she said the following unprovoked, “I love your blog, I read almost every post. The last one…about “Giving a Shit” (she said somewhat out the side of her mouth because she’s a pastor’s daughter) was spot on. I shared it with my entire team.” I’m paraphrasing slightly, but I feel this is a decent representation.
I don’t know what I looked like when she was telling me this, but man would I love to have seen it. I hope my mouth was closed.
It feels so great when someone says this TO YOUR FACE!
If you think I’m gloating, I’m really not. I’m using this as a point I’m about to drive home and like it or not, I’m somewhat of an important character in this screenplay. What I want the readers to think about is the courage it took for her to do this.
Think about it, when’s the last time you read something, liked something, ate a terrific meal, LOVED something that impacted your life, but never said a word? Not one stinking word?!? Could you imagine how great you could’ve made someone feel? But you didn’t, because that takes extreme courage.
Life now exists in an incubator we call the new “digital world,” where any of us (myself included) can jump on Facebook or Twitter with “Internet muscles” and rip someone to shreds. It’s easier to play the hater behind the keyboard or the wizard behind the curtain. It’s 100x easier to type weakly thought out cynicism, than it is to spark up the gumption to tell someone how wonderful something is, or how it positively impacted their life, or their team’s perspective. Much less, to their face.
Thank you! You know who you are. You have a tremendous amount of courage.
I’m going to end with somewhat of a self-serving thought (reader beware I guess?). I watched a video today from an entrepreneur I really admire, Gary Vaynerchuk. His message is simple and it hit home with today’s happenings.
1>0
I have people all the time ask me, “Why do you do it? Why keep the blog going? What are you getting out of it?” This. This is 100% exactly the reason. I write for myself. I write to express my ideas and empty my mind. Moreover, I write in the hope that one person says, “Thank you. This changed my perspective.”
ACTION ITEM: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! <Insert punch in the face emoji>
