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“The only way to be happy, is to give happy.”

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  • Victim or Victor?

    IMG_8171  There is an occupation that is experiencing significant growth.  It has low entry requirements and can be had by literally anyone. Hordes are stampeding in that direction with noses acutely tuned to the smell of the gravy train. The position? That of a victim.

    Playing the part of the victim is becoming America's national sport. How could it be otherwise when it makes for such a perfect marriage between The State on one hand and Victims on the other? With a government fully vested in stoking the anger of its victim groups in order to secure more power for itself, institutionalization of victimhood is then well established. The proposition is equally attractive for individuals because once claiming the status of a victim one is relieved of any personal responsibility.  This is because victimhood bestows an entitlement to blame others, justify bad behavior, and escape the consequences of one's actions. 

    There is another occupation with many positions available immediately. There is very little competition to hold these posts and again, anyone can apply. The position? That of victor.

    Becoming victorious after a mighty struggle in pursuit of worthwhile purposes has a long and glorious history. Significance, contribution, service, love, and achievement are the rewards. Although many will give a silent head-nod in the direction of this occupation, few actually pursue it. With victimization so profitable, what's the point? Others languish in between, frozen between the two poles, wasting their time in complacent obscurity. But there are those wonderful victors who choose to take personal responsibility and maximize their gifts by leaving the herd to pursue excellence.  It is these who warm the rest of us to aspirations of our own.  May we ever be thankful for the victors and their example.

    We all get to make the choice daily. 

    May we choose wisely and become part of the solution group of victors instead of the problem group of victims. 

  • Multum, Non Multa

    IMG_0096  C. Plinius Caecilius Secundus  (61 – 114 A.D.), also known as Pliny the Younger, said "Multum, Non Multa."

    Translated, it says, "Much, not many."

    I am not sure what he meant by it or why he said it, after all, I'm no philologist. And, being as he's been dead a long time, I feel quite free in the following interpretation:

    Quality, not quantity.

    Think about how many applications this has to our modern, busy, frenzied, materialistic lives.

    As applied to friendships.

    As applied to possessions.

    As applied to accomplishments.

    We trade so much of ourselves for more, more, more, when instead we should likely be demanding better, better, better. 

    One of my favorite sayings comes from the movie Hitch: "Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it's the moments that take your breath away."  Those moments are available to us all.  They exist in the gaps between the things we have scheduled, planned, organized, and orchestrated.  They occur in and around all the other events we trick ourselves into thinking are important.  Suddenly one of those little moments will occur; a hug, a cute question from a child, a warm compliment from a friend, an act of kindness from a stranger, a look of  honesty from an acquaintance, and like hearing an old song, we remember.

    Let us not be so consumed with getting through that we let it all pass by.

    Let us not be in such a hurry to get there that we don't experience what's here.

    Let us not be so obsessed with making a living that we miss out on making a life.

    Much, not many.

       

  • Politics: A Bounce House

    KingCastleBounceHousePolitics are like a children's bounce house.

    Everyone inside appears to be having fun, but upon further inspection we realize that this is precisely because they are children.

    Pandemonium is somehow the source of the entertainment.  Without it, the inhabitants would lose interest and exit. 

    Anyone with any sense would not seek to enter it in order to improve it, but would instead busy himself with the finding of a sharp object. For only in its deflation can a bounce house be reduced to its core liners and exposed as the bag of hot air that it is.  Only by being deflated will the noise and fights emanating from within cease.

    Of course, this would be a cruel course of action to follow if the house were filled with happy children. Not so for blood-sucking politicians. In this latter case it would be downright merciful. I can almost imagine one of them looking out from its deflating crush to whisper, "finally."

  • All That We Need

    Brotherly_love You don't have to solve all the problems. You don't have to have all the answers. You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to be super-intelligent. You don't have to be somebody else. You don't have to "figure it all out."

    You just have to be loving.

    We hurry here and scramble there, striving and arranging, primping and pruning. We stress about this and fret about that. We grow frustrated and frazzled. We fail, we disappoint, we err. But we are missing it.

    We just need to be loving.

    They need us to be on time. They need us to be strong. They need us to be competent. They need us to be smart. They need us to be tough.

    Not really. What they really need is for us to be loving.

    Christ showed us this on the cross. He showed us this in his daily living. He showed us this by his walk. He even told us this directly.

    This weekend, I would urge us all to stop and consider Christ's example of infinite love; what He did for us on the cross and what he triumphed over in rising from the grave. 

    It is all that we need.

    It is all that the world needs.

  • Caption Contest 2010.3 WInner Announced

    After much deliberation, hair-pulling, name-calling, and the general good-natured slug-fest that is always required for such artistic pursuits, the exclusive selection committee has finally determined a winner for the latest Caption Contest, #2010.3. 

    Timber  

    And the winner is:

    does this tree trunk make my butt look big?

    Posted by: Rick Meyer | February 26, 2010 at 12:24 AM

    Congratulations to Rick Meyer!!

    Rick will receive a signed copy of Orrin Woodward and my NY Times best seller Launching a Leadership Revolution by simply commenting on this blog with his mailing address (to remain confidential).

  • Teach Me What to Think

    Teach me what to think,

    For I don’t even suspect that I have a mind.

    Fill me with information

    And call it education.

    Program me with your doctrines,

    And call it enlightenment.

    Show me whom to hate,

    For since I can’t think for myself,

    I will be as warm steel moldable and for good use.

    Take as I will the magnificence of others,

    Calling it my own and defacing it for bloated purposes.

    Consume as I wish propaganda ideally suited,

    To making me mimic thoughts spun by others.

    Beat my chest, I will, with zest and conviction,

    As though I thought of the revolution myself.

    It is us against them, who think they are beautiful.

    How dare they? Is our rally cry!

    How dare they place themselves above us, or any of our kind?

    How dare they think formative thought and maturity of mind

    Are substitutes for platitudes and posters.

    Names are what we will call them, should they be onto us,

    That’ll do it!

    For it is they who scare us the most:

    The ones who see right through us.

    It’s as if they have a faculty we’ve missed,

    Though we’d best rush to deny it to ourselves.

    How dare they not bow to our immediate wishes;

    How dare they not quickly cave to our frenzied demands,

    Why, it proves their insolence, the very fact,

    Their free thought, their singular stand, their resistance,

    It shows their elitism for what it is,

    So call them names, lest we stop,

    And hear the whispers our selves,

    That the masterpieces we today trample,

    Could never have been created by any but them.

    Off with their heads!

    Now what’s that you say?

    It’s broken and won’t run?

    The clocks don’t work, the planes won’t fly,

    The building fall down out of the sky?

    Find someone, find someone, find someone quick,

    Who knows, who has knowledge, who creates, who builds,

    Find someone to fix, to repair, and prop up,

    The hour is late, the crumbling severe,

    This isn’t much fun anymore, bring one of them here.

    How dare they, how dare they, leave us like this!

    Did they know this would happen?

    It’s their fault.

    It always was.

     

     @Copyright Chris Brady 2010

     

     

     

  • Brazil and the MORE Project

    IMG_0530  Just getting back from a whirl-wind tour of the MORE Project in Brazil. I have posted a new photo album in the margin for anyone interested. 

    From the Amazon River and Acai berry harvesting, to a processing facility, to a jungle island school, to the many different initiatives comprising the MORE Project, to the favellas of Niteroi, this was an exhilarating and emotional trip. What MonaVie, Sergio Ponce, and the MORE Project are doing in Brazil is incredible. May God continue to bless their efforts to His glory! 

    IMG_0439

    IMG_0200

      

  • Is There No One?

    Is there no one to read

    These words that I write

    Though I wrench each from thought, and

    Arrange with all my might?

    *

    Is there no one to hear

    This song that I sing

    Though I tug at each note, and

    Harmonize voice with string?

    *

    Is there no one to see

    This canvas I paint

    Though I mix the colors, and

    Compromise hue and taint?

    *

    Is there no one to watch

    This movie I make

    Though I direct each scene, tell

    The story take by take?

    *

    Is there no one to tour

    This building I raise

    Though I construct each space, and

    Blend height and light and praise?

    *

    It is ours to create

    From vapor to real

    The art that's within us, is

    Our gift from God revealed.

    *

    Nobody works in vain

    Who dares leave the horde

    There's always One who sees it

    When we work for the Lord.

    *

    Copyright 2010 Chris Brady

  • Hiding from Destiny

    Do you believe in destiny?

    I do.

    I believe that each one of us was given special talents and a calling all our own. 

    We all know it deep inside. It's there when we are quiet enough to listen, when we shut off the media, the noise, the busyness. Perhaps it scares us. Perhaps we don't think we're worthy. Maybe we don't want to be held responsible. But it's there. Trust me. 

    So why do so many run from it? Why are ears plugged and eyes tightly closed against any possibility of the greatness of our inner potential? Why do we suppress the divine spark with decadence and shallowness?

    I decided to tabulate a list of the things that people hide behind in order to avoid the doing of what theySistine-chapel-picture were put here to do. It's a farcical tale acted out by idiots, who are beautiful but flagellate themselves to keep anyone from discovering it. They fasten down tightly the bushel over their light. 

    Here's my list. Feel free to get offended, or add to it (or both). Your choice. Look closely, though, and you'll see thousands of people hiding behind each of these, maybe even someone you know.

    1. victimhood

    2. sickness

    3. the burning need for money to satiate pathetic spending habits (materialism addiction)

    4. self-dramatization and the over-amplification of problems

    5. relational combat

    6. media fixation/entertainment binging

    7. addictions

    8. behavior designed to gain attention

    9. failure and the need for pity

    10. self-deception 

    11. self-sabatoge

    12. laziness

    13. debauchery

    14. psychological escapisms

    15. sports fanaticism

    16. career

    17. status

    18. the pleasing of others/approval fixation

    19. fear/timidity/doubt

    20. procrastination

    21. distractions of all stripes

    22. poor focus

    23. lack of introspection or thought of any meaningful kind

    Make the decision to wake up now. Hide behind nothing. Face your destiny and charge after it with all you've got. You'll never feel better, have more fun, or make more of a difference any other way. After all, you're supposed to be all you can be! Nothing less will do.

  • It’s About Customer Amazement

    Question: What do a 1984 Kawasaki KX125, a 1996 Mercedes Benz C 220, MonaVie fruit blends, and Apple iPhones all have in common?

    Answer: They are the four best products I have ever purchased in my life.

    KX 125  First the Kawasaki. I had been racing motocross for two seasons and had become fed up with the ability of my bikes to withstand the constant pounding that week-in and week-out racing produced. In particular, I had clutch problems and frame breakage issues. Then I switched brands and bought the new Kawasaki KX 125 that everyone was raving about. The hype was not hype at all; switching brands proved to be the single best racing decision I ever made and immediately I was competitive at the state level with a durable, high-performing bike. 

    Second the Mercedes: I had owned a Cadillac STS that had given me nothing but problems. It burned oil like an old farm tractor.  Over the course of three years of ownership it cost me an average of $322 per month in repairs! One day in total frustration and spontaneity I drove to the Mercedes car lot and traded it for the cheapest used Mercedes they had. It was a 1996 C 220 and was the best automotive purchase I have ever made. I drove the wheels off that thing and had to make only one repair (costing $135) in hundreds of thousands of miles. I couldn't shut my mouth about how great a car Mercedes had built. I have owned a Mercedes Benz ever since.Mercedes C 220  

    Third MonaVie: Skeptical at first, I quickly became a believer as I noticed significant changes in how I felt when drinking this product. As I traveled the country and talked to others who were having similar experiences, I understood the reason MonaVie sold more than $1 Billion of the stuff in just over three years. There are many, many reasons we need to be more concerned about our nutrition and search out products like MonaVie that actually work. 

    Monavie-active-juice-large  Fourth the iPhone: Actually, not only the iPhone, but Mac products in general. Way back in grad school at Carnegie Mellon Macs were all I used. At that time I thought computers were cool and actually surveyed a computer architecture course just for fun (I'm not kidding). Then I got back to the corporate world and they forced me to use Microsoft products on PCs. Looking back now I realize my hate-affair with computers began right then and there. Only recently did I finally awake to my stupidity and switch back to Apple products. To compare the iPhone to any other phone is like comparing an airliner to a tricycle. Ask any of my friends: I can't shut up about how great the iPhone (and all the other Apple products) perform. If you hate computers, it's likely that you only hate the PC world. Try Apple. You won't be disappointed.Apple-iphone-3gs 

    Why am I telling you all this? 

    Because it is important to understand the power of a single consumer once you and/or your product have "thrilled" him. The goal is not to provide customer satisfaction, but rather customer amazement. Word of mouth advertising is still the best. Regarding those four products I just mentioned, there is no one who could convince me to switch to any other brand. These products not only delivered as promised, but exceeded my expectations so much that I am still talking about them (in some cases, years later).

    Every now and then a product or service comes along that thrills customers and captivates the market. Great enthusiasm follows as word of mouth spreads. A fanatically loyal customer base develops. This is the perfect embodiment of what Michael Dell called the "importance of a community" in a speech he delivered at the Detroit Economic Club Luncheon almost eleven years ago. It should be the goal of every enterprise worth its salt.

    Remember: your customers actually want to be amazed. They stand at the ready to brag about your product, even sometimes to the annoyance of their friends! So figure out how to deliver amazement. Your competitors will be left to launch smear campaigns, copy-cat products, and monopolistic strategies in a feeble attempt to keep up. You will have nothing to fear, however, because a thrilled customer base will be there to defend you!