Whatta Ya Want, Soul?

When’s the last time you went on a good soul search? I know, right? Who does that? The truth is, surprisingly few. To really examine your life and your wants and your goals is not easy. It’s a daunting task and, frankly, something I have been actively avoiding. I just don’t wanna.

What exactly do you have to do anyway? Meditate on the floor of your room with the door closed and your legs crossed? Sit alone in a church pew with the stain glass shining colorfully on your face? Rise early in the morning and go for a long run? Discuss it at length with your therapist? I have no clue.

And then there’s the question of belief. If you believe in God then you believe that your life is basically His and His will for you is what’s best. So we give our burdens to Him and dust off our hands as we go on your merry way. Could it actually be that simple? Does giving our professional life, personal life, love life to God mean that we’re done? Life is from then on care-free and taken care of? I would think we would all still have to be proactive. Go after our goals while maintaining a close relationship with Him so we know His plan is being followed. Tricky.

And when we decide what we want, we have to weigh the pro’s and con’s. What are you willing to sacrifice for your goals? How much time? How much money? How will it affect family and friends? Is it too late?

And then you have to take action. Actually begin. When? Where? How?

Screw it!

So we go on living a life full of regret and borderline depression. Who cares? So the world was never able to benefit from our desire to change it. Whatever. So life sucks and then you die. Big whoop.

You know the great thing about life? It’s always changing. All around you. All the time. It can’t be stopped, slowed down, or reversed. People make decisions. Big ones. Small ones. And the world changes. Right now, you can decide to go back to school and finish that Bachelor’s degree you started so long ago. Right now, you can Google the price of a plane ticket to Jerusalem and calculate how many Starbucks you’ll have to sacrifice to afford it. Right now, you can tell the person you love how you feel for the first time. Right now, I can search my soul, look deep into the heart of my desires and say, “Whatta ya want?” Right now.

“I have plans for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

-Age

The Art of Living Dangerously

I know people, frustratingly intimidating people, whose entire lives are defined by their passion. An all-consuming drive that pulls them in whichever direction it chooses in order to achieve what it wants and desires most. I don’t know how to live my life this way. I can barely fathom the idea of genuinely finding joy in the sound of my alarm clock as it means I “get” to go to work. And yet, there are people, everywhere, who have found what they were meant to do and will stop at nothing to achieve it.

Not to say these people live the easy life. On the contrary, pursuing a dream often calls for the most extreme and heartbreaking of sacrifices. However, their life has meaning. They are not mediocre. They are not ordinary. They are set apart. Different. They will not look back wondering, “what if?” Can everyone live their lives this way? Sure. According to books like The Alchemist and The Secret, absolutely. But the hard truth is, there are very few of us who will devote our lives to anything more than the average, everyday, run of the mill normalcy of American life. Depressing, I know. But there is hope.

I have come to realize that we can each be different. We can each have that one thing, that niche, that passion that no one else has. We can be set apart while also maintaining a reasonably normal lifestyle at the same time. Julie Powell in her novel Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, Julie has devoted a year of her life to producing every dish in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. A few evenings a week for one year she devotes herself to a task, no, a passion that no one had yet endeavored. She found that her struggles with mediocrity had vanished. Her passion was one small part of her life. It did not consume all, but instead made the rest of her life: marriage, clerical career, small home, and two cats, seem more important.

I encourage everyone who doubts their own value to find something, anything that you love and create a real passion from it. Do you love to draw but never found the opportunity or commitment or self-confidence to turn it into a career? Do it anyway. So you don’t have a swanky art studio on the Upper East Side. So you didn’t struggle as a penniless yet tragically gifted and romantic painter for a few years before becoming “discovered.” Neither has anyone else, really. Draw. Paint. Cook. Dance. Sing. Play. You may never receive a cent. You may never even receive recognition. Who cares? A few late nights a week doing what you’re passionate about as opposed to watching some stupid, mind-numbing reality show (unless of course it’s American Idol) isn’t gonna kill you. It will, in fact, enrich your life. I promise. I’m doing it right now. Staying up late, typing this just for you. And I am fully aware that there may not actually be a “you.” No one may ever read this. But that’s my point. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we all come to realize that life isn’t about fame and fortune. It’s about finding a purpose and following it.

Know you don’t have to turn your entire life upside down in order to fully enjoy it. Mediocrity is a word we use to self-deprecate. It’s not real. You have a passion, follow it. Start with one night a week for an hour. Give yourself a small goal and when you achieve it (you will), set another. And repeat. Eventually, all the things that make you “average” won’t seem so run of the mill anymore. Have faith in yourself.

By the way, if your passion is giving foot-massages, call me. We should get together…one night a week for an hour. I didn’t mean that to sound quite as scandalous as it did but I’m not taking it back.

-Age

Truly Influential, if Seemingly Ordinary, People Within Our Community

What do the names on this list have in common?

· Edward Kennedy
· Michelle Obama
· Biz Stone and Evan Williams (The Twitter Guys)
· Brad Pitt
· M.I.A.
· Rush Limbaugh
· John Legend
· Zac Efron
· The Ladies from The View
· Tiger Woods
· Sarah Palin
· Jon Favreau (President Obama’s head speechwriter)

Besides the obvious fame and fortune, and perhaps notoriety for some, these public figures represent a sampling of Time Magazine’s over 100 Most Influential People of 2009. Let’s face it, the names on this list are a bit intimidating. What’s more, they were nominated by names equally as daunting in their celebrity status. Names like Ashton Kutcher, Oprah Winfrey, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Many of these people do indeed have a daily effect on the lives of each one of us, so I don’t want to offend or in any way imply that the people on this list are not influential. However, the word “influence” has many meanings and everyday Americans like you and I have a different perspective on who or what is influential within our community. Which brings me to my long-awaited (sarcasm implied) blog topic…truly influential, if seemingly ordinary, people within our community.

My first Victim of Praise is a young man whose life is defined by passion. Most people simply want to survive this world, but very few are intent on changing it. Charlie Jenkins is not one of those whose life is marked by survival but one whose heart, mind, and soul are focused, driven, hell-bent on making it better for as many of the “survivors” as possible.

Founder of StandUpEight Clothing Company, Charlie hopes to cast a large net of support in the crusade against Malaria in remote parts of Africa. Charlie’s non-profit organization will send a malaria net to Africa with each purchase from his informative and easy to navigate website, www.StandUpEightClothing.com. As a board member of the Boys and Girls Club of San Gorgonio Pass and the future Vice President of his local Rotary Club, Charlie hopes that by networking with other influential people within his community he can spread word of his efforts to decrease unnecessary tragedy. Not bad for a man who just celebrated his 25th birthday.

Charlie recently told me, “Adrienne, if you know anyone who wants to pay me to just go around doing good, let me know.” He’d love the opportunity to spend Bill Gates money on charitable organizations and causes throughout the world. The best part: there’s no ulterior motive, no get-rich scheme, no selfish impulse driving this passion. He is simply a man within our community that wants to see positive change. Don’t we all?

Life isn’t always that easy, however. We can’t simply go around “doing good” all day long. We have to work, take care of our families, pay bills, and make sure there’s food in the fridge. Everyday life consumes us and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just…life. One way we can make a difference, one way we can help, is through our support and acknowledgment of people like Charlie. His ultimate goal may not be to inspire others, but it is an unavoidable part of being a passionate individual. He has given each one of us the opportunity to do good and the world is a better place because he is in it. We may not ever see Michelle Obama or Tiger Woods walking down the street or coaching a children’s soccer team at the local park but we can find many inspiring and influential people within our community if we look hard enough.

For more information on how to support the crusade against malaria and other causes that Charlie Jenkins is passionate about, please visit:

· StandUpEightClothing.com
· Offthebouncesoccer.com

-Age