Go Throw That Glitter in the Air

I heard this great new song by Pink called Glitter in the Air.

Pink, Glitter in the Air

She sings, “Have you ever wanted to take a fistful of glitter and throw it in the air. Have you ever wanted to stare fear in the face like you just don’t care!”

It’s a beautiful song that I started to sing. We are human with feelings, frustrations and desires. We need to be open-minded to learn from our mistakes and encourage those to take risks and not be afraid of the unknown. For the most part people do care and wish to help others. Things will turn around one way or another and the struggles in life we will conquer.

Keep the faith. Embrace all the beauty in this world and its imperfections. You’ll start to appreciate the little things in life. Soon that argument you had the other day, the rejection in a relationship, or perhaps a business deal that went sour seem less important. You must get back up to tackle that next opportunity or challenge!

“Have you ever hated yourself for staring at the phone?
Your whole life waiting on the ring to prove you’re not alone.”

Feeling valuable, recognized for your talents, and able to contribute to help others is what most of us strive for success. It hurts to feel alone and not know if someone out there cares. This new digital age allows us to connect with people from around the world, but it also has a way to isolate us from those true interpersonal connections. Pick up the phone to say hello. Next time consider writing a personal letter rather than sending an email. Make sure to keep busy exploring your strengths and improving upon your weaknesses.

“Have you ever wished for an endless night?
Lassoed the moon and the stars and pulled that rope tight.
Have you ever held your breath and asked yourself.
Will it ever get better than tonight?”

The orange sunset painting a glorious picture in the sky, the first kiss with someone special, or that minute you make a new discovery. There are times that we want to capture a certain moment, but there are other moments we stand back and wonder why? Life is precious. Each day can bring a new miracle, or could frighten us the next testing our limits and abilities.

“Have you ever invited a stranger to come inside?”

This past year we’ve seen many examples of people offering a helping hand. As 8-year-old girl Abby creates a business for her brother’s illness to raise money states in her slogan, “If life gives you lemons, COLOR!” Whether, it’s people reaching out to help those from the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. It’s the devastation again in Louisiana with people across both coasts coming together to help stop the oil spill. Perhaps, the Touhy’s story inspired you in The Blind Side, as they opened their heart to share the love and support to a stranger that became their adopted son and later a successful football star.

“There you are, sitting in the garden.
Clutching my coffee, calling me sugar.
You called me sugar.”

God has a way to test us and surprise us. It’s those struggles along the way that make one appreciate how hard it was to get there. It’s those little moments on a Sunday morning sharing that first cup of coffee watching the world wake up. It’s those people coming together through adversity to hope for a better day.

It’s knowing that others care whether your family, friends and loved ones are there to call you sugar, babe, call me, come join us, and you’re so much fun! We’ve come to appreciate the hugs, smiles and other little gestures to know we can stare fear in the face together.

“Have you ever been touched so gently you had to cry?”

After hearing Pink’s song for the first time. It made me value the greatest gift of them all is ourselves to each other, the world and making it a better place.

Lyrics from Glitter in the Air. © EMI BLACKWOOD MUSIC INC.; PINK INSIDE PUBLISHING

The Nice Guy Gets Ahead

In the words of Seth Godin from his book, Small is the New Big, “What if, just maybe, we quit making stuff and started making a difference?” How many of us have had the opportunity to go out there and really think about making a difference.  Whether it’s starting your own business, reaching out to the community, assisting someone to get through a project, or just taking the extra time to listen to someone in need. That doesn’t seem like much, but during these tough economic times many are only focused on how can I get through the day to save my job, keep food on the table for my family and are worried about their financial future. Yet the world would be a better place if all of us took $1, or the extra ten minutes out of our day to do something to inspire someone, educate someone, shake up the status quo and seek to make a difference.

Obama recently passed legislation to help stimulate the economy after sitting in on a boardroom listening to Top CEO’s about their gripes, concerns and issues in today’s marketplace. Although we do need something to stop the bleeding in this country, I disagree that the big CEO’s need to continue to gain money to bail out their businesses. In fact, I think it’s more about bailing out their personal interests rather than the little guy like you and I.

Yes, we want to create new jobs. Yes, we want to encourage people there is hope for the future. Yes, we want to get this economy to work for us in our favor. However, it’s the smaller businesses that seek to change things from the norm and should be receiving subsidies and/or funding from new investments. For the most part, these are the people that worked for big businesses, may have seen the inefficiencies and don’t have ulterior motives. They have the desire and passion to revolutionize how we do business which could potentially save our economy. Seth Godin continues to state, “In a time of rapid change, the best organizations are small and fast, and the people who run them have a chance to make an impact that will last.”

This should not be a time of giving out handouts to others that aren’t willing to make drastic changes. Others think this is a time of doom and gloom when it’s really not for the professionals that are seek to make a difference. It’s a time for these new leaders to shine. It’s a time for every major organization to evaluate how one conducts business. How we can be more efficient, how can we rely on new technology for production, embrace change and seek out ways to collaborate with others through social networks, as well as build relationships with other experts face-to-face. “Big companies are big companies because they’re very good at yesterday’s business,” states Godin. The world is changing rapidly and it’s up to us, as Obama suggests to see how we can individually contribute to the growth. No it won’t happen overnight. No man is an island, but it may happen if we can put on our thinking caps to stand fear in the face. Be a little creative and mix things up from the norm. We can hopefully identify the hope for the future. The more people in numbers that take strides each day will inevitably put us all in a better place than we are today.

I am determined to make this year a time to focus on my desires, to learn more skills, as well as make a difference. I strive to stand out in the crowd and work with others that want to help climb to the top in hopes to contribute to the growth of each individual. We must invest in the new entrepreneurs, listen to bloggers, the youth, and the men and women that seek to make a change in this society. Those are the people I would like to take my tax dollars and invest in our future. No more can we risk letting new actions from falling on deaf ears.  It’s unfortunate that some of the crooks will continue to get ahead being deceptive, look for the easy solution, or consider only their best interest. I certainly hope in my lifetime that it’s the individuals that will do what it takes to see “the nice guy get ahead,” and these individuals make a difference to thrive in our next generation.