I crave adventure, exploration, and the unknown. Listen if you dare.
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I stumbled across this photo the other day and immediately fell in love. So crisp and pure…yet also has a wisp of adventure, danger, and awe.
"The Bible’s purpose is not so much to show you how to live a good life. The Bible’s purpose is to show you how God’s grace breaks into your life against your will and saves you from the sin and brokenness otherwise you would never be able to overcome… religion is ‘if you obey, then you will be accepted’. But the Gospel is, ‘if you are absolutely accepted, and sure you’re accepted, only then will you ever begin to obey’. Those are two utterly different things. Every page of the Bible shows the difference."
Timothy Keller (via workingninja)
(Source: workingninja)
Stop. Ask Why
Stop what you’re doing right now. Stop what you’re thinking. Try for a minute (maybe two or three) to stay still and listen to what’s around you. Just Stop. Please.
Now, take a few minutes to think about what you were doing just a minute ago. It could be something small you were doing in the present (like typing up an email) or something you’ve been working on for a long time (like building your career). It doesn’t really matter so much what it is you were doing…but what I want to think more about and challenge you to do also, is consider why you just did what you did. Did it have a purpose? Yes, of course it did - but was it a good purpose? What is your purpose? Why are you doing what you’re doing? What’s your end goal? When you breath your last breath what does it all come down to? Whatever you were just doing…does it really matter in the grand scheme of things?
Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that washing the dishes is pointless because it doesn’t appear to be anything extravagant - no, instead I’m just trying to remind myself and perhaps you, that time is valuable and quite frankly I see a whole lot of people (including myself) that just go through the motions…just because. I don’t want to waste my life. Every breath I breathe and every circulation of blood that flows throughout my body carrying oxygen and all the other nutrients I need to live one more second of my life, is a gift and I want to make the most of it. Today. Tomorrow. And the rest of my life, however short or long it may be.
So, stop. Ask why often. Live a life full of thankfulness. Have purpose. Take a deep breath. It’s a gift. Now go do something.
Emancipator Music
I’ve been loving this music! I stopped in Suwannee this evening for some Thai carry out and they were playing this. I asked for more info and they said it was “Emancipator”. I looked it up online and found the website. You can listen to all the songs via the website and of course buy the albums in iTunes (Link). The website also has a few tracks as free downloads: Link. Enjoy!
I love this!
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The spark I’m talking about is simple to describe, but easy to avoid.
Is there someone struggling with a tray as she walks across the hospital cafeteria? You can stand up, walk over, and help her. It’s not your job, it might not even be appreciated, but you can do it.
Is there a better way to answer the phone when angry customers call? You can try it out and then teach it to others.
Is there a noisy hinge that bothers everyone in the room? You can bring in some oil and fix it.
This is so obvious that it physically hurts me to type it.
"via Poke the Box by Seth Godin
What’s Your Posture
You’ve probably heard the expression “dressed for success”…maybe not, either way I think it has some legitimacy. Perhaps even more than being dressed for success; consider ones posture. I’m not thinking so much of ones physical posture…but instead of the mental state of being. Are you leaning forward, being proactive, seeking out opportunities? Or are you going with the flow, coasting, letting the wind take you where it may? Coasting doesn’t seem too terribly bad until you realize that a coasting car is actually slowing down and will eventually stop. Constantly pushing forward and being proactive is so difficult, but just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean it’s not worth it or has no value.
One more thought: how does comfort relate to posture? Typically if you’re slouching you feel more comfortable, same is true for your mental state. If you are currently living in a state of comfort, you’re probably less likely to have good posture and you start coasting - you become lazy. Well, until you get hungry or have a need - then you push forward again. So what would happen if you made a habit of living uncomfortably? If you deliberately made yourself uncomfortable on purpose? Would you be more inclined towards having better posture? I don’t know. Perhaps.
So what’s your posture?
Building Stuff + My Crazy Dream
I like to build things - I always have. I guess you could say it all started when I was a young boy playing blocks with my dad. We had a large cloth sack filled with wooden blocks - all shapes and sizes. Each block was unique and we took turns placing one on top of the other building a tower, trying to make it as tall as the ceiling. When I first started, I wasn’t very good. I was too rushed and didn’t have a steady hand, and would cause the tower to fall. My dad was always patient and never got angry with me…we would just start over again. I love these memories - building wooden towers with my dad, it’s one of my most cherished memories as a little boy. Here’s a recent video of me building a tower of wooden blocks with my Dad about 7 months ago: Link
I still love building things. As of now I build websites, I started a web development company a few years back with a friend of mine (Chais Meyer) called Control Yours. It’s a humble “start-up” company that serves small to medium businesses here in Kearney, NE…and I love the work that I do! However, part of me misses the hands on component of building something. And no, I don’t mean “hands-on” like “hands on my keyboard”!
So, here’s my crazy dream…
My dream actually consists of several parts, but I’ll just start from the beginning. Ok, so you already know I love building things - check. And you know I’m passionate about business (Control Yours, etc.) - check. Well, this is something I’ve been thinking about for quite some time now…I’d love to buy a building downtown Kearney, NE and create something amazing.
Oh, and before I go any further I want to say this: I want this to be a community project. My wish is for several people to come together and offer up their skills and passion to create something beautiful. Ok, here we go…
Phase 1: Buy the building - I’m not quite sure how this will happen yet (I do have a building in mind + some money), but the details are unclear. I need to meet with a bank and see what my options are etc. If you’re interested in pitching in let me know! ;) The ideal building would be on central ave. downtown Kearney (aka: On The Bricks) and would be a corner lot, two (maybe three) levels, and have plenty of potential. Good windows/great view etc. I’m assuming we’d have to do some major reconstruction - I’m OK with this.
Phase 2: Convert the second level into a 5-10 co-working office suite. I’d like these to be tailored to business start-ups or small businesses with 1-3 people. The story goes like this: You’re an entrepreneur - someone with lots of vision and passion, but little resources. All you need is a desk, super fast internet, and an environment surrounded with beauty and like-minded people. You don’t want to work from home, it’s nice…but you need to get out of the house. Think of it as a glorified coffee shop work place. Rent would be month by month - start-ups and small businesses don’t need the hassle of working with 1-2 year lease agreements. Each participant (aka: company or individual renting the space) would be required to provide all other participants with an exceptional discount. It would be a community, everyone would encourage each other, and offer help. It would be fast paced, elegant, and transparent. The space would consist of a lounge area (big enough where participants could work all day - coffee shop feel), a nice kitchen area, restrooms, and 5-10 office suites. Each suite could vary in size…but would have an open and transparent feel to it - possibly surrounded by glass walls with a glass door or something. Interior design would have an old feel (bricks, hardwood floors & old building feel), but have modern (slightly techy feel) furniture and decor. I know the city of Kearney has some grant money set aside for restoring old buildings downtown in hopes of bringing more life and activity in the downtown area. Several of the buildings need major restoration (especially second and third levels) before they can be operational and brought up to code. Perhaps a grant could help provide some aid in doing this.
Phase 3: Convert the first level into a bakery + mini cafe. Build a brick oven, find some super talented bakers, and create a casual & cozy environment where people can work, have conversations with others, or sit down for a full meal. The menu would be small (only the best), and the food very reasonably priced. I’d like to have a few surprises also: First, a tiny loaf of bread brought to you once you’ve sat down (Jubilee Bread…or something like that); Second, free coffee or iced lemonade (or tea) if you walked from your home or biked or ran - to help promote exercise and a healthy lifestyle. These would be simple perks…nothing too special, but a little surprise just because “we love you” kind of a thing. The bakery part of my dream is probably the least developed in my mind…but has plenty of potential. I’m hoping you can think of something amazing to add to the idea.
Phase 4: Last part. This is crazy, so brace yourself! I want an open courtyard on the roof - or part of the roof. Grass, small trees, flowers, and open seating (no shade…I want the open sun and to embrace the weather). This would be available to both the co-working office suite participants as well as bakery eaters. Perhaps the bakery could have a winding staircase up to the courtyard…who knows. I realize the courtyard on the roof is technically very challenging, but would be amazing!
That’s it…in a large nutshell. Have any thoughts? Interested in joining me?
I took a walk this morning and the sun was absolutely incredible! What struck me was how I physically couldn’t look directly into it - it was so bright and so strong. The only way I could get a glimpse was to snap a photo with my phone. This is an unfiltered shot with my iPhone 4. It’s amazing how we can’t even look at the sun with our naked eye. The thought reminded me of how God is so Holy and we can’t even look at Him without being covered by Christ’s righteousness. The sun allows us to see this world and God allows us to see hope and purpose. Also, side note: I was also thinking of the wind (Nebraska is very windy and their was a slight breeze on my walk), trying to imagine explaining it to someone locked in a building. You could say it makes trees move or you could say it makes a howling sound when passing through cracks in a door or you could say it makes you feel cold - but seriously…it’s virtually impossible! In the same way how do you describe the feeling of knowing Christ to someone without faith? Impossible?
Eliminate the Stimulation
I was talking with Chais (my business partner) last night…we were supposed to be working on a gazillion things we needed to accomplish, however sometimes you just have to take a step back in life and focus on the basics…so we let things slide and embraced the conversation.
We talked about all kinds of things, but one thing that really stuck out to me was how dangerous it can be to live in a constant state of over-stimulation. I’m not even sure how we landed on this observation, but we mentioned several examples of how over-stimulation and abundance can be utterly disgusting.
He got out a piece of chalk and started drawing on our office wall (yes we have a wall painted in chalkboard paint) a picture - I’m very visual in my learning. He drew one diamond (which represented scarcity) and another set of 5 diamonds all grouped together and asked me which diamond was the most beautiful. Each diamond was totally unique so on the one hand, one may argue that they were all equally beautiful, however the one that stood apart from the others immediately caught my eye since it was standing alone. He pointed out how the one diamond represented scarcity and therefore beauty. Now of course…many people are already familiar with this concept (think economics), however our discussion evolved and we started talking about over-stimulation.
Now at first glance this may seem totally disconnected, however this is what truly fascinates me. Over-stimulation is anti scarcity - meaning it de-values things…therefore making things ugly or disgusting.
Ok, enough abstract let me give an example…
Example: Let’s say you own an iPad. Great. Pat yourself on the back, that’s wonderful. Now, if you’re familiar with the iPad you know it can be used for fabulous things. Yes. However, the iPad can be a huge time waste - not always…but let’s face it, Angry Birds is pure entertainment. Now, let me clarify. I’m not anti-entertainment or even anti-iPad - I love my iPad! But the iPad can definitely be a source of over-stimulation.
I guess what I’m trying to get at is what’s your default? When you have free time and can do anything, what do you default to? Do you turn on the TV? Do you fire up the iPad? Do you wash the dishes? Do you do something creative and challenging? Do you do something hard (something that matters)? Or do you default to the over-stimulation because that’s what’s calling your attention.
Do you constantly have noise going on in the background, do you always have a light turned on? What do you do when it’s completely silent and you literally have nothing in front of you distracting you? Have you blocked out 3 hours of your day to do nothing and instead discover something new? Have you ever just picked up a random stick outside and turned it over in your hands for hours looking at the complexity and details in the wood and split ends - tearing off little splinters bit by bit? Do it.
Eliminate the stimulation. Now. Don’t let it rule your life. Don’t settle for default.
