a busy ramble

When you hear talk about someone's plate being full, too many tasks and responsibilities, too much stuff in their lives, it's easy to see. It's easy to recognize when they're taking on too much. We even feel inclined to give some friendly advice and suggest courses of action that could help them simplify their lives, and maybe help them gain some sanity that they once knew.

But I am one of them. And I've been fortunate enough to have those guiding friends, and advice.

But I also know enough about myself to know that it's not that simple.

Don't get me wrong, advice is great. Encouragement for me to live a better, healthier, simpler, and less stressful life is very encouraged and welcomed.

But it's not as easy as a one-time suggestion, or a loving slap in the back of the head to say "hey, knock it off."

I've found that the most beneficial guidance through this over-stressed and complicated life is just that, 'guidance'....

My plate was not full..... It was overflowing!!
So much so that things were getting messy. Life was busy. If I wasn't doing something, I was thinking of what needed to be done. I have even commented a few times that I forget what it's like to be bored... I haven't been bored since high-school (10 years ago)...

So why? What's wrong with me?

Well, quite simply, I was, and sometimes still am, a gluton for busyness. But it's one of those self-realizations that I'm working to apply to my life.

I was raised and grew up with the understanding that if I'm not 'doing' something than I'm a failure. Whether it was intended to be that way or not is irrelevant, that's how I saw it. And it took a long time, a near nervous breakdown, and many instances of near burnout induced stress for me to finally start pushing stuff off of my plate.

And for someone like me who is defined by and prideful of works, that's extremely difficult to do.

But something had to be done. Change was imminent, like it or not, for better or worse.... Things had to change...

So it began.

From the wise words of Sally Holubec, "boundries Bobby, boundries!"

To the everlasting wisdom of God, emphasizing the value of 'rest'.

To the new introspective views of myself borne from my desire to know people, know God, and know myself.

To ever-growing passion to be out, among people, helping people.

To the continued spiritual influences and growth in my life.

...

Time for Change!

So now I sit here in the Lehigh Valley International Airport... Three and a half hours early for my flight, which will take me to Texas to a job interview.. And as I sit here, I'm prompted to write all of this for two reasons.

One: I needed something to do.... Ironic right?

And Two: In the hopes that just one person out there could benifit and learn from my experience, this is for you....

Consider it.

a causal thought

The 1989 motion picture Field of Dreams made famous a phrase that has, does, and will forever shape our way of thinking about this world, our lives, and about everything we do in our lives.

“If you build it, they will come.”

Family, business, church, entertainment, and marketing, to name a few, have been both beneficiaries and victims to this way of thinking. Though in several areas of life this may work effectively, the fact still remains that there are many more factors involved in a person’s decision making process that would cause them to grasp or accept anything, or to go anywhere. Furthermore, we tend to narrow our parameters and begin to lose result as we lose purpose.

The fallacy and misconception of this ever-popular philosophy is not just in underestimating the complexities of choice, but also in ignoring purpose and in turn believing that by simply “building” something people would just “come.”

The solution is not in building, but it’s in first finding a commonality, and then strengthening that link to a level of appeal that would result in the formation of an infrastructure or organization. The success in the formation and strength of any organization or infrastructure begins with the strength, might, will, and purpose of the intangible foundation.

In families, the commonalities are most likely a surname and genealogy. Some say that there’s no greater bond than that of family. Yearly reunions are formed and wars have been fought for family. Small towns have been split and treaties have been signed for the sake of the family name.

In business, there are local, regional, and national organizations formed over commonalities. Whether it’s philanthropy or community growth or profit margin, common bonds in business have a foundation that stands the test of pride, money, and time. It’s evident from the well known LIONS Club to the community business associations or from trade schools to unions.

But one area that lacks in solid foundational understanding of commonalities, and that continues to struggle to survive under the aforementioned philosophy of “if you build it, they will come”, is the church. And, more notably, the religion that usually forms or attempts to form churches.

Whether a church or not, no matter the deity of belief, there’s a basic cause and effect relationship between what we believe and what we do; between belief and religion. A revealing, sometimes disheartening, and often avoidable question is: Which is the cause and which is the effect?

Consider This: Religion should be the result of your relationship with God, not a vehicle to Him.