Doing What I Want

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The other day, Alli Worthington posted this tweet:

 

It got me thinking. Why wouldn’t I try to be the person I want to be? How did we ever get to the point of trying to meet the expectations of others?

 

So often in our lives we try to conform to expectations others have for us. Parents, teachers, pastors, friends, spouses, etc. Even if the expectations aren’t verbalized, somehow our fallen minds end up internalizing expectations we believe others have of us.

As a parent of two teenagers, I have to ask myself if I’m telling them what they “should” be. My oldest son is a senior in high school. He’s looking at college next year and majoring in physics. Did I tell him he should be go into physics? I’m pretty the answer is “NO”.

But, have I encouraged him to investigate other interests?

When he was younger, he was a prolific artist. And, quite good. He doesn’t draw anymore. Why? I’m pretty sure his mom and I haven’t discouraged him from it. Did someone else? Did society tell him he shouldn’t look to art as a career?

Don’t get me wrong. I love that he has a passion for math and science. He’s excited about physics! This is good. What if he changes his mind after the first year? I’m sure the dollar signs in my head would tell me to be upset, but hopefully the loving parent in me would encourage him to pursue his passion, whatever it may turn to.

The world tells us we should be many things.

I’ve been a salesman for over 17 years. Am I stuck with this identity? I hope not.

As I attempt to change this identity, I do find at times I’m being told to stay where I am. Why change?

This past weekend I was away from home at a retreat. I was introduced to a few people. One person asked me what I do? Of course the obvious came out of my mouth, “I’m a car salesman.” But!!! I hesitated. I ALMOST said something else.

“I’m a writer.”

Those are the words I wish I had the courage to say. Those are the words I SHOULD say.

Society tells me I “should” be a salesman. I’m ready to change my identity. Are you?

What are you told you “should” be? 
I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

I’m A Failure

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I’m a failure.

Take a look at the picture below. What’s wrong? Weeds. Lots and lots of weeds. Ugly and unsightly weeds.

House Weeds 1

The weeds are taking over the flower bed. They are choking out the flowers.

I’ve failed to stay ahead of the weeds.

The same can be said for my writing.

You may have noticed my absence in publishing anything to the blog. In fact, it has been a month since I last posted something here. I can assure it wasn’t for lack of desire to interact with you, my readers. My desire to write over the last month has equaled my desire to take care of the weeds in the flower bed.

Every single day I’ve wanted to spend some time working on the writing.

Every single day I’ve wanted to pull a few weeds.

It hit me yesterday afternoon, as I was pouring with sweat pulling the weeds, that the weeds represented my writing. If I spend a few minutes every day on both, they will remain beautiful to look at and enjoy. Instead, I spent quite a few hours in the yard yesterday attempting to return it to something beautiful to look at.

It was great. It was fun. The weather was perfect for spending the day in the yard. But, it took the whole afternoon. I didn’t have time to do anything else, like writing, or reading, or relaxing in a chair enjoying the view.

Why do we do this to ourselves? We know better. We all know the benefits of spending a few minutes every day working on the yard, doing the laundry, washing the dishes, and multiple other tasks. Yet we let the dishes sit until the counter is no longer visible and we have to clean one bowl for our cereal in the morning.

So, I’m a failure.

But, I have time to change. I can become a success. My yard can look outstanding! I can write a few thousand words every week.

I don’t have to let my perfectionist tendencies keep me from starting. I believe the key for most of us is to work a little bit every single day.

House No Weeds 2 House No Weeds 1

Maybe next time I’ll tell you about the boulder you see sitting on the sidewalk. It needs to be moved. It’s heavy. It may or may not be a good representation of my book.

What do you need to weed?

 

 

Reading, Writing, Baseball, and Slavery

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I read quite a number of books every year. Usually the total ends up between 30 and 60.

A vast majority of the books I read fall in the non-fiction side of things, with a slant toward the self-help/business/inspiration categories. I love a good novel too, but only fall to the fiction side of things a couple of times a year.

One specific book I was waiting for with high anticipation hit most of my sweet spots in life. It teased me with pre-publishing hints about Baseball, Dreams, Passion, and Freedom for those shackled in modern-day slavery. It did not disappoint.

My friend Ethan Bryan is a master storyteller with a passion for baseball and a dream to rid the world of slavery. He’s also a great writer.

“Catch and Release: Faith, Freedom, and Knuckleballs” is Ethan’s most recent release.
Catch and Release Cover 1

In it he tracks through the 2013 Major League Baseball season of his beloved Kansas City Royals, how it coincides with his goal of becoming “The World’s Best Catch Player”, and his desire to raise funds to eliminate modern-day slavery in conjunction with the organization “Not For Sale.”

Why would Baseball and the fight against slavery be in the same book? Good question. This quote from Nelson Mandela, included at the beginning of the book, sums it up pretty well.

“Sport has the power to change the world…it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.” – Nelson Mandela

Ethan is using his skills as storyteller and writer to further breakdown the barriers to modern-day slavery.

Ethan is trying to engage leaders, organizations, regular people, and Major League Baseball players in a conversation we should all be involved in. Many people around the world, but specifically in typical Western Civilization, have no idea of the rampant disease that is modern-day slavery.

Some of us, me included, hear little blurbs about slavery in the news and at specific times of the year, like during the Super Bowl. But, it is not something forefront in our minds on a daily basis.

Ethan’s writing is part of his plan of action to change this for us. He is doing a stellar job.

For me, this quote from chapter 8 sums up what Ethan is trying to do:

“Changing the world happens as we live out the passions and dreams God has whispered into our hearts. When we have the courage and audacity to simply and unapologetically be the amazing people that God whispered into being, the world will change.” – Ethan Bryan

To learn more about the ongoing fight against modern-day slavery, check out
Not For Sale Campaign

To purchase Ethan’s book, go here:
Hearts and Minds Books – Catch and Release: Faith, Freedom, and Knuckleballs

Connect with Ethan.
Twitter: Ethan Bryan
Facebook: Ethan Bryan