What Box?^®

The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little past them into the impossible.

How much less would our experience of the world be if Thomas A. Edison had not worked day and night on over 10,000 inventions, believing in the impossible? If Michelangelo had not challenged his creative potential while painting the Sistine Chapel to make the invisible visible. What would our world look like if Abraham Lincoln had not given so much of himself to transform our way of thinking about this great country? How much different would our lives be if a group of visionaries had not stood for liberty and behind the ideals represented in the Constitution of the United States of America?

These powerful representations are only scratching the surface of those who have made a positive difference in our lives. By marching to their own beat and believing in the possibility of the impossible these people showcase for us the power of change we have hidden deep inside ourselves. They help to show us what is possible.

Anything is possible if we strive to be more than we are today, to be ourselves, and dedicate our energy to working hard enough to make it so.

Yet, why is it that society tries to suppress those who march to the beat of their own drummer and even work to have them conform to the norms of society? If it is those people who march to their own beat, that in many cases act as the catalyst for the positive change we desire, showing us what is possible, and inspiring us to think different, then why do we try to have these people become more like the majority of our society?

It is not just your God given right to march to the beat of your own drummer and become the best you can be. It is your responsibility. The world needs your unique talents and wisdom to show the rest of us what is possible. Only you can do it. Do it for yourself. Do it for the world.

In my life I have always marched to the beat of my own drummer, sometimes at great cost physically and emotionally. When someone does not easily fit into an identifiable societal box it is easy to discount or misunderstand them. Marching to your own beat is a lot of work and perhaps this is why most don’t do it. You discover yourself in situations that force you to stretch and grow constantly. Continual improvement is a must to meet the ever changing array of challenges and fears that are uncovered along the journey. Every slip and every fall is a lesson learned, an experience gained, from which golden grains of wisdom are the reward.

Let’s face it, you have to be pretty tough if you want to march to the beat of your own drummer. Most of the time it is just easier not to.

How many things that we think and believe to be impossible would be possible if we encouraged and supported everyone to march to the beat of their own drummer? Why do some of us want to be more like someone else other than ourselves?

Like Leonardo Da Vinci, we can all gain from believing in the power of marching to your own drum, in miracles, and that anything is possible.

Life is amazing. How are you marching to the beat of your drum?

Let me know what you think.

Dear Sean,
My seven year old wants a puppy. She says she’ll be responsible and feed it, bathe it and clean up after it. I know that these activities will end up on my list of responsibilities and I just can’t take on anything more right now. Any suggestions?
Overwhelmed

Dear Overwhelmed,
Having two dogs, you can be assured that puppy’s are a lot of responsibility that then grow up to be perpetual two year olds. I might recommend that you start with a pet that is a little smaller, perhaps a fish. If your seven year old is able to take on the responsibilities of caring for a fish then you can, with more confidence, look towards adopting a puppy.
Keep on keeping on,
Sean

Until next week, remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create yourself.

How often do you slow down long enough to celebrate the accomplishments of your life? Those moments when a dream comes true, a barrier has been broken through, a goal has been reached, or perhaps the day of your birth.

While thinking about what I would write for this week’s edition of What Box? I was very stumped. What would I write about this week? Then, while going through many of my sketch books looking for inspiration, I realized that this edition is the one-year anniversary of the first published What Box? article. In the blink of an eye another July 21st is here.

My life is moving along so fast that I almost let this important milestone pass me by without acknowledging the life-altering experience of writing a weekly column. My first thought was to get in the boat and head over to Mooney’s where I first celebrated when Rusty Fleming gave What Box? the green light and said he liked the idea of a creativity and self-fulfillment column. Drats, with the boat in the shop my celebration at Mooney’s was not to happen this week. On too plan B.

I like how the Aboriginal people of Australia celebrate the milestones of life. For their birthdays they don’t celebrate the day of their birthday, as many cultures do, instead they celebrate when they have achieved a major accomplishment in their lives. If this accomplishment happens six months after their birthday then that is when they celebrate. They do their celebrating by throwing a party and inviting family and friends from their community to appreciate the accomplishment. Friends and family share in the growth of the individual. Then the person who made the great accomplishment shares how he or she accomplished it for the whole community to learn from and grow as well.

How much more different would the world look if we were sharing the useful knowledge we have stored inside of each of us more freely?

I can still remember the first time I picked up a Chronicle of Grand Lake, five years ago. Both Kristen and I instantly fell in love with the positivity of the publication along with Rusty’s thoughts on the lake, the Bum’s thought on debauchery, and the Water Spout’s ideas on being a redneck in Zena. Back then I fantasized about writing a creativity column and what that would look like. Could I really do this? Of course I can. And you too can achieve anything you really want to do or create, when you set your mind to making it happen.

It is wild to think this column almost did not happen. It is much easier to let excuses get in the way of making things happen. I was scared to commit to submitting an article every week. No small task, just ask anyone on Team Chronicle. My only formal writing education was during my time in and out of schools up to a sophomore in high school, and a few hours of private training during my CEO days. This combined with my dyslexia and a strong tendency to write amazingly long and grammatically incorrect run-on sentences only added to my fears of writing. Yet, a strong yearning deep down inside kept me moving toward my goal of writing a book, something I have been working on for over 10 years now.

As I called Rusty on the phone, I thought to myself, “If you don’t do this now, you will probably never will. Just do it!” I did, and boy was I nervous. What if he didn’t want to meet with me? What if he didn’t like the idea? What if? What if? My “what if’s” were getting me no where fast. In the end I had to take a leap of faith and believe that I could do this. Just maybe someone out there would find my stories of creativity and reaching for your full potential useful.

Now here we are, exactly one year since the first column appeared. What an ideal life milestone to celebrate. The challenge for me and for you is to slow down long enough to appreciate the sacred moments of our lives that have great meaning to us. It can be way too easy to get in the habit of thinking, “Yeah, that’s great, but there is still more to do.” Or, worse yet not even paying attention to the moments when our lives grow. Once the moment passes it is over and you will never get it back.

This evening to celebrate I am going to float in the waters of Grand Lake embracing the passing of an amazing milestone in my life with the one I love and the stars above.

How are you celebrating the milestones of your life?

Let me know what you think

Dear Sean,
I am just 18 and after reading your article last week “Is your time slipping away?” I’m feeling really depressed. I don’t know what I want to do now that I have graduated and I can feel time is passing me by. What can I do?
Frustrated

Dear Frustrated
Youth is on your side. You have the ability to do anything you want.

Think about this idea for a moment, “you can do anything you want.” This is the one of the great potentials and challenges all at the same time. What do you want to create for your life? Take the time to write down, in a journal if you like, all the areas of career and lifestyle you have tremendous passion for and then work towards fulfilling your passions. Start Small, intern with a company or organization that fits your passion. Experiment, some experiences will not work out, focus on the areas for growth and positive improvements, then apply these learnings to your life. Be Patient, change does not happen overnight; sometimes it can take a lifetime. Work Hard, you sow the seeds you plant.

The world is your oyster. Go for what moves you and keep on keeping on.
Sean

Remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create yourself.

Willie Nelson may sing it best, “Ain’t it funny how time slips away?”

While attending a Willie concert last Wednesday night I started wondering what he was thinking while on stage singing his classic hit from the early 60′s for the umpteenth million time. As a living legend his longevity and popularity is a testament to his powerful ability to sing songs of truth that touch the soul.

Seems like every time you turn around another year has passed. No wait, was that really ten years ago?

As a youth, whenever I was doing something that my grandparents thought was a waste of time, probably watching another episode of Leave it to Beaver on the boob tube, one of them would surely sit me on their lap and start explaining the following jewel of wisdom, “the older you become the faster time passes by. It serves you better that you work to make the most out of each and every moment, young man.” Then we usually would start gardening, work on one of their Model A’s or visit a museum. Words of wisdom and experiences that will live with me forever.

What words of wisdom and experiences of life do you hold on to and embrace?

As I have grown older and wiser, the barnacles on my back are starting to show, in more ways than one. I have begun to realize that the more I know the less I know and that each and every moment is a gift to be cherished. The challenge for me, the challenge for all of us, is to learn how to focus our limited time and energy on those things that positively empower us and those around us.

For a great majority of us it seems as though time is something that there is never enough of. Why do we seem to fill every minute of our waking time always doing? Driving, meeting, planning, selling, buying, creating, learning, working, flying, interacting, eating, drinking and cleaning is only scratching the surface of the examples that exist of us “doing.”

Just a few minutes of peace and quiet can help calm the soul and relax the mind, allowing us to open up to new and inspiring thoughts. These are the kinds of thought that Willie Nelson probably experienced and embraced while creating many of his timeless songs. Yet, why is it that we tend not to take the time to be still, quiet the mind, and consciously relax, thus allowing us to become more aware of the impact each moment of time that passes has on our lives?

“Nothing valuable can be lost by taking time.” Abraham Lincoln

Every time we take a moment to just be is an opportunity to open the doors of perception and gain a greater understanding and awareness of our life choices, responsibilities, decisions and actions. How can we create the space for some peace and quiet in our daily lives? It seems as though we are constantly bombarded with media messaging that tells us we are not good enough, that we aren’t doing enough, that we don’t have enough stuff and that our stuff is not big enough.

Just so you know, you are perfect the way you are right now. Perfectly imperfect.

Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees is one of those extraordinary places on earth that inspires us to slow down, enjoy the moment and cherish the time that we have in our lives. How many of us really take the time to slow it down? You know what I am talking about, watching the birds, reading a book, cooking with family, taking a walk in nature, boating around the lake with no particular place to go, or just sitting in one of your favorite spots consciously participating in the world that is unfolding around us?

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.” Benjamin Franklin

No matter what your age, don’t let time slip away from you. It was Col. Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken who started his now globally reaching company at the tender age of seventy two. This wonderful example of never ever giving up helps to highlight the universal truth of “anything is possible.”

Focus on the positive, focus on your passions, focus on making a difference, focus on being the best you can be, focus on living your dreams, and remember to patient with yourself. I slip up all the time. You’ll slip up too. It won’t be easy. Heck, if it were easy to live a life of purpose everyone would be doing it. You can do it! Go for it! There is no time like the present to start living your life to its fullest potential.

Let me know what you think.

Dear Sean,
I really liked your article Just for Today. My biggest challenge is being agreeable when I don’t agree. I can always find a better way to do things or have better ideas of things to do and places to go.
Perplexed

Dear Perplexed,
Compromise is a part of life. In many cases it is best to agree to disagree and move on. No one likes a know-it-all. Sometimes to win friends you have to cooperate, experiment, and let go. You can be right about everything and be a very lonely person.
Keep on keeping on,
Sean

Until next week, remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create yourself.