Start a Movement; A LIFE Movement
Posted on March 11, 2013 by Cindy Kelly, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Inspired by my passion for personal growth and a blog by Seth Godin.
If you can read, you have doubtless learned of several movements in the world. Recently, we observed Martin Luther King, Jr Day. He is famous for leading the historical Civil Rights Movement. There are movements for innovation or conservation, to benefit groups or individuals, to promote peace or violence, social movements, global movements, local movements. Some examples of current movements are; Global Justice, Free Software, Gay Rights, and efforts to eliminate GMO Genetically Modified Organisms (as relates to our food chain).
A movement is a push for change. As a US citizen, I have, due to politics in the last few years, learned firsthand that “change” in and of itself is not an effective goal. I propose a new type of change; a new type of movement. A LIFE Movement.
On Jan 16, 2013, Seth Godin blogged, “When a conference works (and doesn’t)” . This is a great commentary on the value (or lack thereof) in the meetings, conferences, etc., we host or attend. If I understand correctly, his premise is this; when we are intentional about being with people, we must; create an atmosphere of growth, be vulnerable, real, ready for change, willing to support the change in others, and moving toward a goal.
Is it possible that we nullify any possible benefit available because we focus on protecting our persona or image? He says; “…there are so many heroes, all thinking they have too much to lose.” Assuming my understanding of Seth’s blog is correct, I applaud his willingness to take off his own hero’s uniform and admit that he hasn’t arrived, that he wants to be more tomorrow than he is today! He is quite accomplished, yet he still wants to live a LIFE Movement. Yeah Seth!!!
Is there value in wanting to understand more about things, people, and self? Should we be purposeful about crafting ourselves and our attitudes, cultivating our relationships and our finances (ouch!)? Since I earlier stated that I’m passionate about personal growth, these questions are almost rhetorical, coming from me. But what do you think?
On the flip side, what happens if some “living” thing is not growing? What can we say that it is? Dormant? Dying?
When I was around 30, my most inquisitive son Tyler very cheekily explained what he’d learned in school that day about the human body: “Mom, you’re brain cells are dying. They have been since you were 25. Pretty soon I’m going to be smarter than you!” Ugh! As much as it pains me to say it, lo these many years later, he was partly right! Today he thinks faster, learns faster, responds faster…. but guess what? He’s now, ummm, ya, 27. What does all this say for him?
I think I’ll resist the phone call.
Seriously though, does that mean that we lose the knowledge that we have or the ability to learn? No. Well, potentially, eventually. BUT!!! That does not let us off the hook!
No matter what age you are, when you go to the doctor for a checkup, what does he say? Exercise, drink water, eat your vegetables, and so forth. Right? What do we do? Say, “Okay Doc”, drive our car to the nearest Greasy Burger on the home, sit in front of the tube or the computer with our nightly bowl of ice cream and flop into bed. Okay, that is a bit melodramatic, but you get the point. And, yes, I can be guilty as the next person.
Later in Seth’s blog, he says these events, meetings, etc., are best if “…part of a movement. If every day is a building block on the way to something important, and…the attendees are part of a tribe that goes beyond demographics or professional affiliation. (At most events, it’s just the next event).” Does that sound a bit like our lives sometimes? Just show up here, go to this, sign up for that. Is there a purpose? A pattern? A plan?
Question:
Do you want to seem 50 at age 30? Or do you want to seem 30 at age 50?!
Question:
Do you want to be set in your ways, “That’s the way I grew up”, “Like it or lump it”, or, like Popeye the Sailor; “I yam what I yam, and dats all what I yam”?
Or do we want to be vibrant, healthy, and inquisitive, as much as possible, in mind, body, and spirit? If you are like most of us, it would be easy to say at this point, it’s just too much, too hard! I’ll never make it! Why bother?
The truth is, you will never make it! None of us will. We never will be perfect, never know it all, never be all that we want to be. Isn’t that great?!
It isn’t about being perfect. How boring would that be?. It’s about LIVING! GROWING! DREAMING!
It’s about a direction; forward or backward, up or down. There is really no such thing as status quo. Even dormant things can only be dormant so long. Sooner or later they either begin to decay, becoming fodder for the living things to come, or they burst forth in all their glory!
When I approached my front door last night, I was surprised to see, there in my flower bed, big, pink buds on the fuchsia. We are in the middle of a cold spell! The thermometer today reads 29’f. That may not be cold to some of you, but here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, it doesn’t often get much colder. I want to be like that fuchsia. I want to have such a thirst for life and growth that even the coldest, iciest days can’t hold me back.
I want my life to be vital, dynamic, meaningful. I want to leave a legacy. I want to live a new kind of change, a new kind of movement, a LIFE Movement!
Are you ready? Let’s Go!!!
Coach Cindy
