Thursday, January 12, 2017

Mirror Mirror......Look Who's Pouting About Potential....

Yep. I admit I pout. Not often. But I do. Just today I gave in to frustration and yelled out in a challenging conversation with my Prin-Ci-Pal (No worries--I still my job!) "That's a double standard. I am being asked to do twice the amount of work than everyone else. This is not fair." I was met with the reply, "Let's unpack that statement." I went on to tell how if someone else was given this specific task that I currently have, they would NOT be asked to do the detailed amount of work that I am being asked to produce. What's that about?

I bet someone is reading this thinking the same thing I was, yep. Not cool. But listen to this. "Not everyone is being prepared for your seat." Yeah. That hit me right in the face. Of course my bossy self replied, "I didn't ask you to groom me for that seat." Which was met by, "It's my job to pull it out of you what I see."

I then walked right out the door.

Ugh.

In my office I was HEATED. When my "ear" came through I couldn't wait to vent to him. Like the great listener he is, he let me get it all out and then gave me wait time before he came back to help me process it all. On that return trip he said, "Mac you experience a lot of pressure. But know this, you are going higher. And the higher you go the more you are going to experience in preparing you for where you need to be. It is all necessary. Pressure makes diamonds or it can break. Are you gone be that diamond? You have to decide."

Ugh.

My "ear" is always dropping jewels on me. Giving me what I need even when I ain't trying to receive it. His timing is always impeccable. I truly appreciate his presence in my life.

I sat there. I got it. Of course I knew my Prin-Ci-Pal was right--that's why I walked out!  And my "ear" just added to what I needed to hear. It's impossible for me to speak about potential and not be challenged on my own. I know where I am now is NOT my destination....just a mere stop on the journey. As I transcend on my path, the challenges are greater, yet I have everything within me already to meet success. I gotta go through the process. It is in the process...shaped...sharpen...molded....and it hurts....ain't always pretty...but it's necessary...

Yes that mirror was smack in my face today and I had to see myself. Look right at my potential. Fix my face, adjust my crown.

You know I completed the task, right....and got handed a new project.....

Here I go.....no pouting this time.....

Sunday, January 8, 2017

Dying Empty by Forgetting What Has Been

Potential--the unreleased ability. That which is possible. Capable of being but not yet. Dormant ability. Not what is, what could be.

It's a known fact; the richest place on Earth is the cemetery. Many have died with their treasure locked within. Potential unfulfilled.

Tugs at the heart strings. Digs right to the core of one's soul. It gets personal for every being on this planet. Each one of has a place and a part that is undeniably created just for us. Though spaces are akin, they are not alike. Each one is carved out specifically for you. And great news. There is only one you. And no one can do you better than you.

So why are we so full? Why haven't we emptied our cups? Why are we still sitting on our potential? the answers are lengthy yet centered solely around our own memory. Gather this--we can't move forward because we keep remembering the past.

"I can forgive, but I won't forget." Well did you really forgive? And why can't you forget? If the memory of the act is still present then it is holding valuable capacity for newness. We can tackle the forgiveness at a later date, but zone in on the memory. We do need to forget. What was, was. It needs no further space for existence. It had its moment.  Even Paul states, "I do not consider I have attained it all yet, but one thing I do know. Forgetting what lies behind me and reaching forward what lies before me. I press on toward the goal...." (Eph. 3:13-14 paraphrased). And this forgetting is critical to reaching forward.

Past errors should be forgotten. They exist no more. Past wins should be forgotten. They exist no more. All of the past has just become fuel for reaching forward. If you are present in this day, your mere breathe is enough that you need to know of existence to move forward. It is only when you relinquish the past can you recognize that you actually have potential yet to be fulfilled.

Too many of us are burying our talent in the sand yielding nothing. Nada. Zilch. We are wasting in our own space because we refuse to forget. Holding tight to the memories of yesteryear has us full and fat. Telling stories of what you use to be able to do and how well you did it. Lavishing in how well you came out after that challenge 7 yrs back. Just fat and full. Potential over ripe and screaming to be released, but we keep pushing it back down. Back down to the bottom so we can keep telling our stories to ourselves as means of accomplishments and arrival.

Forget about it! Yep you did great things and guess what, you have way more great things to do.

Let it be stated that when you reached your Earthly end, your talents multiplied greatly throughout the world. That your Creator is pleased because all He created you to be, you fulfilled. No potential wasted.

Nothing great simply stopped at its first win or last failure.

**Thank you Pastor Dr. L. Powell for the great word that inspired this post. I heard. Reflected. Shared.**

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Everybody Needs a Bono

"Some people build fences to keep people out and other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you." -Bono, from August Wilson's Fences

Had the viewing pleasure of seeing Denzel Washington's rendition of the famed August Wilson's Fences. I was amazed at how much depth that was able to be captured on film. Most times the live theatrical version can not be matched, yet this one brought so much raw emotion. I saw life's reflection in every character like I was reading the original playbill.

With so many big rocks to takeaway (OMG I am such an educator.....teacher terms...big rocks...takeaways...smh) I find Henderson's Bono the epitome of my heart's song. One can not progress without a Bono. Forget what you heard, no (wo)man is an island. Your journey can never blossom to possibilities without a Bono. Bono is your beyond your bestie. Bono understands s/he may need to walk away for a month of Sundays so as to not taint your healing season. Bono understands you may need to lose to win. Bono is your reflection of fantasy and reality.

I quote Marcus Brutus often..."The eye cannot see itself but by means of reflection" (unfortunate for him he chose the wrong mirror--Cassius..). We are given the privilege of companionship on this journey and must value its responsibility. Even in our silent reflective moments we don't see it all. And our Bono provides us the inside details to push us to our success because s/he desires to see us reach our success just as much so as we do. For in our success is his/her success. Bono said it all, "I done known you seem like damn near my whole life. I been following you... I done learned a whole heap of things about life watching you. I done learned how to tell where the shit lies. How to tell it from the alfalfa. You done learned me a lot of things. You showed me how to not make the same mistakes…to take life as it comes along and keep putting one foot in front of the other."

Bono pushes you to see the truth when you chasing lies. See the you, you so intentionally may be trying to hid.

Monday, January 2, 2017

Defining Time

Our clocks started ticking the moment we were born. It's like a giant hourglass flipped and the sand is running out. Borrowed time. Yet the concept of bounded time is a man-made catastrophe. Folks have created this bounded expectation on when in time things should occur. And unfortuantely we have fallen for it. It guides our choices and makes our decisions for us. Gotta have a degree by 22. A marriage with children by 30. And the list goes on and on of these bounded expectations that usually result in negative pressure. So much that if when we fail to reach these societal bounded norms, we believe we have failed. That something is wrong with us and the time we are given. Oh death to the lies!

You aren't bounded by the concept of time. Stop failing for how others have defined your time. No one can determine how your time should be used. It belongs to you and how it is used is solely your responsibility.

Yes it is a Truth that time stands still for no man. And there's no time like the present. These both simply mean you must use your time in intentional forward motion to reach your preordained victories. These victories are timeless, yet are dependent on your actions in order for them to manifested into your realities. Those great celebrations on your journey will come to you in the moment it is meant to be when you are in the space and capacity to maintain its beautiful fulfillment.

Those extra steps in your journey are meant to add character and value to your experience. The error in (wo)man is to compare one's journey to other's climb. It ain't worth the extra rocks on your road Love.  Choose to define your own time.