Paradoxical Commandment #8

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build Anyway.

I find this commandment difficult to take in because it is so harsh. Nothing lasts forever. However, I believe that this commandment speaks to the act of building for that is what brings joy and satisfaction. Consider the sand castle. What is more temporary than that? In one day your castle complete with moat and tower is melted away with a miniature tidal wave. You knew this would happen but you built it anyway. Why?

Perhaps you were building for the joy of creating something with your family or friends. Perhaps you were building memories.

Are you building your business to last forever? Have you thought about that? What kind of legacy are you building or will your business die when you do?

When you develop something of substance or value, whether it be an organization of people or a building made of stone and glass, it is the intangible things that will be remembered long after.

I think Kent Keith explains this commandment perfectly when he says:

“Of course, it is gratifying when what you have built last far into the future. But don’t forgo building just because it may not last. The joy and meaning that come with building will last. They will be yours forever.”

Write it down,

Carma

Paradoxical Commandment #7

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

Do you enjoy cheering and helping the underdog?

Why?

If the underdog wins then YOU win, right? How many of us perceive ourselves as underdogs? You know who you are.

I realize that all underdog issues may not be right or important. There are risks for supporting underdogs. Also, the odds are always against the underdog and he/she is likely to lose whether they are right or not. Underdogs are Expected to lose. However, we love the underdog, but sadly, we don't jump on their bandwagon. We’ll go with the status quo, vote for the most popular, cheer for the winning team, we comply.

Remember the movie Rudy? Now that was an underdog movie. What about Invincible? Each of these movies gave me the warm fuzzies all over. However, there is one thing that comes to mind. I already knew the end. The underdog wins even though the expectations for losing are enormous. Realistically, it is hard to follow and help the underdog and more often than not, we don’t.

I like the way Kent Keith ends Commandment #7. “When you look back at the end of your life, you may conclude that fighting for a few underdogs was one of the most meaningful things you ever did.”

It takes courage to stand up for the underdog and it takes courage to believe in yourself when no one else will.

Write it down,
Carma

Are you Up for the Challenge?

SIXTH ANNUAL FUNDSFORWRITERS ESSAY CONTEST - SPONSORED BY NABBW.COM

FundsforWriters and the National Association of Baby Boomer Women announce the Annual FFW Essay Contest with the theme: Make Us Want to Be You! In 750 words or less, either send us a remarkable promotional plan for your writing project or tell us what you'd do with your writing career if you had a year to devote to your passion. As always with a FFW contest, you choose whether to pay a $5 entry fee or not. The first prize for the entry fee division is $200. The first prize for the non-entry fee division is $50. Deadline October 31, 2007. Winners announced December 1, 2007. Visit our sponsor at http://www.nabbw.com/. www.fundsforwriters.com/annualcontest.htm

Take a few minutes to look around Hope Clark's FundsforWriters. You will find a lot of good things going on.

Write it down,

Carma

Chicka Boomer, Chicka Boomer

According to many sources, Baby Boomers are a group of people who were born after WWII in countries having large spikes of births between the years 1946 to 1964. What about people like me...or you, who don't fit within that 18 year range? For goodness sakes, two of my children are Baby Boomers!!! (However, comparison between the two groups is another story for another time.)

Be truthful now, when you hear the word Baby Boomers, don't you think of people who were born in the 1940's, grew up in the 1950's early 1960's and were weaned on Rock 'N' Roll in its infancy? I do too.

Last year my local newspaper put out requests for Baby Boomer articles. I jumped at the opportunity to be able to share my experiences of growing up in a small Texas town during the age of innocence, when businesses where formed with a hand shake; kids addressed their parents Yes sir, and Yes Mam; when teachers spoke, kids listened; when putting peanuts in your Coke was daring and Coke was a soft drink.

Oh, so many other wonderful icons, like hula hoops, poodle skirts, James Dean, and of course Elvis and "I Like Ike" campaign slogans. I'm an expert. I was mesmerized each week watching The Dorsey Brothers Show and Hit Parade. That was our MTV, only it was live and performers wore clothes.

Imagine my dismay when I was rejected because I was too old!!! Doesn't experience count for anything anymore? Interestingly I found out that several companies and organizations are willing to proclaim me as a Baby Boomer, as long as I can afford the entry fee.

Write it down,

Carma

Paradoxical Commandment #6

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.

Our history books are full of men and women like Socrates... Columbus..., Lincoln..., Gandhi..., Susan B. Anthony..., Martin Luther King, Jr... who have had big ideas and were shot down literally or figuratively by smaller people. People who laughed at them, locked them up or killed them.

A “small person” is one who sees life in small terms and usually a good friend and hard worker. Also, a small person clings to the way things have always been without asking Why? A small person has usually mastered his own routine and doesn’t want it to change? Do you recognize this trait in anyone you know?

Not all big ideas are successes but we don’t know what will work until we give it an honest try. People and organizations need dreams. What do you think mission and vision statements are? They are big ideas and dreams about what could or should be. Do you have a vision or mission statement? Vision statements give you a reason to learn and grow.

Kent Keith writes in Anyway “Big ideas have established freedom, saved lives, protected the natural environment, provided new services, created jobs….enhanced the quality of life for millions of people”

We have big problems and we need big solutions. We need people who can look beyond the status quo. Are you one of those people? If you are reading this, I believe you are. If you are a self-publisher (blogger) I believe you are.

Write it down,

Carma

Paradoxical Commandment #5

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.

We live in a world of conflict and we learn to protect ourselves by putting up a wall of “polite pretending” to keep people out when we have been injured.

Tact is important. I wouldn’t recommend telling some one off, just because it was an honest emotion. Some words should never be said. Also, being able to keep confidences are an important part of a persons character.

When Kent Keith talks about being vulnerable, he is talking about using common sense and tact as you build strong relationships in your organizational life and your family. Keith says, "Vulnerability can be a door to new relationships, new opportunities, new ways to grow, and new ways to live and work together. "

Write it down,
Carma

Paradoxical Commandment #4

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Much of the good work you do will be remembered for a short time. The most important thing to remember is who you are and how you live.

Take the time to smile at the lady in the check stand, open the door for the person behind you at the bank, be the first person to start cleaning up after a meeting. More than likely no one will notice but you will be making some ones life happier in small ways.

I think CanadianChristine’s post God and the Chocolate ice cream is a good supplement to the Paradoxical Commandment #4. So many of us are looking for meaning and one way to obtain personal meaning is to do good anyway. Therefore this little video is quite inspiring. We all need to pay attention to our spiritual well being.

Write it down,
Carma