Dale Childress
It is so cool to look back over my blogging journey. I have seen so many positive transformations in my life simply through writing. I remember the days I wrote to be popular. Nothing was wrong with that but I found myself not being true to my core feelings and belief. I allowed cultural influence as well as society conformity to guide my thinking which in turn spilled out on to my writing. I remember the defining point in my life as if it were yesterday. I recall the liberation of breaking free from the chains of bondage and allowing myself to fully become exactly who I am. My life opened up in ways that I struggle to explain. I understood that going forward I could not and would not depend on the opinions of others to guide me down the same old worn out trodden trails. I knew that the time was now to blaze a new trail.
Many of you reading this probably consider yourselves to be "what you see is what you get" type of people. Or you speak with your mind regardless of the feelings of others. I will be the first to admit that the more I got in tune with the real me the more I cared about the feelings of others. I never want to intentionally harm anyone. More so now than ever I go with the principle of "if you can't improve the silence be quiet". I learned that when we speak our minds we fail to adhere to the basic element of human caring which is: "speak in such a way that others love to listen to you and listen in such a way that others love to speak to you". In the NEW AGE of social media when you do not have to be face to face with people the human element is lost and the unfiltered non caring verbalization of feelings creep into the pages and find their way into the lives and feelings of others. We harm people with our words and become so desensitized to it that we do not even care. Matter of fact it becomes something that many people thrive on. You have all seen the viscous post that end with something to the effect of "you know who you". When I set myself free I found that caring became a top priority. I decided to search back over my social media accounts for the last several years just to see if I had said anything that could have harmed others. I feel confident that I have not. I hope you can say the same.
My freedom did however come with a price. When you step outside of what others think you should be you open your life up to scrutiny in ways you could not imagine. No longer are you the darling of society, you are now that subject of gossip and ridicule. Don't worry Jesus faced the exact same thing when he decided to go against the grain. Life really does begin at the end of your comfort zone yet few are willing to make the one crucial step. They are more than willing to offer opinions and advice but to actually take the leap of faith NO WAY.
Recently I had the privilege of speaking to a gentleman that had his legs amputated. We traveled down memory lane to what life was like when he had his full faculties about him. I certainly enjoyed his reminiscing, however the real wisdom came when he started telling me about his poor circulation in his legs and the ultimate decision that he had to make. He literally had to choose a life without limbs or no life at all. To some that may sound simple but we can't imagine until we are face to face with that decision. With his advancing years he made the decision to have his legs amputated above the knee and placed himself in convalescent care. His new norm was so far from my wildest imagination that I could not even come close to feeling what he felt. Granted he never complained but he did give me some words to live by. He said if he had life to do over again he would live it on his terms and not the wishes of others. He reminded me of the quote I use often, "do you remember who you were before the world convinced you who you should be".
Take a look at your life just as I have. I walked out of all the things that held me back and walked into the land of the unknown. Can you even imagine what the early Christians faced? They placed themselves in the worst spot possible, they went against the expectations of society and traversed the road less traveled. Many died for their new found beliefs but they felt that it was worth the risk to be true to what their heart and soul was telling them. I am not here today to promote Christianity, I am simply using that as an analogy we are all familiar with. Jesus knew his role and even in his humanity he stepped outside the norms of society to fully become who God intended him to be.
What about you? Do you feel bound by family, friends, health, finances, etc? Do you feel as though there is little to no hope to make a difference in your life? I am here to tell you this, do not buy that bill of goods. As long as there is a breath in your body you still have hope and opportunity to accomplish things beyond your wildest dreams. Many of you that know me know that I love to read life changing stories about people that have overcome the greatest odds. I absolutely love to allow my mind to realize that even though there are exceptional people that have done incredible things they still pale in comparison to what you and I can do. The only limits we have are the limits we place on ourselves. We are confined only by the walls that we build. I hope as you go about your day and week you will look deep into your heart, mind, and soul and find you a starting point to your dreams. Remember this quote, "you do not have to be great to finish but you do have to start to be great". Stop waiting for the cows to come home, the next administration to come in, the economy to get better, or Aunt Susie to pass. The time is now to become the greatest version of yourself possible. God gave us the greatest gift of all which is life, the least we can give back to God is the knowing that we gave the best we could with the life given to us. You have no idea the positive impact you can make, not just on your life but the lives of others. The sad thing is that you will never know it as long as you life in the shadows of the past never realizing the greatness that dwells in you.
peace be with you
Dale
Many of you reading this probably consider yourselves to be "what you see is what you get" type of people. Or you speak with your mind regardless of the feelings of others. I will be the first to admit that the more I got in tune with the real me the more I cared about the feelings of others. I never want to intentionally harm anyone. More so now than ever I go with the principle of "if you can't improve the silence be quiet". I learned that when we speak our minds we fail to adhere to the basic element of human caring which is: "speak in such a way that others love to listen to you and listen in such a way that others love to speak to you". In the NEW AGE of social media when you do not have to be face to face with people the human element is lost and the unfiltered non caring verbalization of feelings creep into the pages and find their way into the lives and feelings of others. We harm people with our words and become so desensitized to it that we do not even care. Matter of fact it becomes something that many people thrive on. You have all seen the viscous post that end with something to the effect of "you know who you". When I set myself free I found that caring became a top priority. I decided to search back over my social media accounts for the last several years just to see if I had said anything that could have harmed others. I feel confident that I have not. I hope you can say the same.
My freedom did however come with a price. When you step outside of what others think you should be you open your life up to scrutiny in ways you could not imagine. No longer are you the darling of society, you are now that subject of gossip and ridicule. Don't worry Jesus faced the exact same thing when he decided to go against the grain. Life really does begin at the end of your comfort zone yet few are willing to make the one crucial step. They are more than willing to offer opinions and advice but to actually take the leap of faith NO WAY.
Recently I had the privilege of speaking to a gentleman that had his legs amputated. We traveled down memory lane to what life was like when he had his full faculties about him. I certainly enjoyed his reminiscing, however the real wisdom came when he started telling me about his poor circulation in his legs and the ultimate decision that he had to make. He literally had to choose a life without limbs or no life at all. To some that may sound simple but we can't imagine until we are face to face with that decision. With his advancing years he made the decision to have his legs amputated above the knee and placed himself in convalescent care. His new norm was so far from my wildest imagination that I could not even come close to feeling what he felt. Granted he never complained but he did give me some words to live by. He said if he had life to do over again he would live it on his terms and not the wishes of others. He reminded me of the quote I use often, "do you remember who you were before the world convinced you who you should be".
Take a look at your life just as I have. I walked out of all the things that held me back and walked into the land of the unknown. Can you even imagine what the early Christians faced? They placed themselves in the worst spot possible, they went against the expectations of society and traversed the road less traveled. Many died for their new found beliefs but they felt that it was worth the risk to be true to what their heart and soul was telling them. I am not here today to promote Christianity, I am simply using that as an analogy we are all familiar with. Jesus knew his role and even in his humanity he stepped outside the norms of society to fully become who God intended him to be.
What about you? Do you feel bound by family, friends, health, finances, etc? Do you feel as though there is little to no hope to make a difference in your life? I am here to tell you this, do not buy that bill of goods. As long as there is a breath in your body you still have hope and opportunity to accomplish things beyond your wildest dreams. Many of you that know me know that I love to read life changing stories about people that have overcome the greatest odds. I absolutely love to allow my mind to realize that even though there are exceptional people that have done incredible things they still pale in comparison to what you and I can do. The only limits we have are the limits we place on ourselves. We are confined only by the walls that we build. I hope as you go about your day and week you will look deep into your heart, mind, and soul and find you a starting point to your dreams. Remember this quote, "you do not have to be great to finish but you do have to start to be great". Stop waiting for the cows to come home, the next administration to come in, the economy to get better, or Aunt Susie to pass. The time is now to become the greatest version of yourself possible. God gave us the greatest gift of all which is life, the least we can give back to God is the knowing that we gave the best we could with the life given to us. You have no idea the positive impact you can make, not just on your life but the lives of others. The sad thing is that you will never know it as long as you life in the shadows of the past never realizing the greatness that dwells in you.
peace be with you
Dale
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