Thursday, October 16, 2014

Fit In or Stand Out?

One of the more difficult decisions to make in life is whether you go with the flow, don’t rock the boat or choose to become a trailblazer. I’m always looking for quotes on different social media sites that depict my heart’s passion, which is to stand out, make a difference and do something that counts. The opportunities surround us everyday so the decision is yours to keep with the status quo or become a behind the scenes gladiator?

I’m fortunate to have many friendships that provide a means to make a difference in the lives of youth and seniors. Today I spent most of my day shopping for an upcoming painting blitz in November. I need low cost painting supplies, which mean I visit every Dollar Store in my neighborhood. This is primarily to bless ten grandmas who will get the exterior of their houses painted. Their houses will be painted through an army of 300 volunteers that come from the neighborhood, churches, local businesses and friends. It is these helpers that will stand out because of their choice to take half of their Saturday to do something outside the box.

I’m also fortunate to be good friends with the Starbucks manager at ‘my store’ that I frequent at least once a day. The byproduct of this friendship is being able to receive leftover pastries that I can share with those that are less fortunate. I was able to share these pastries today with seniors who daily frequent the Community Center that we use for tutoring and doing games. It is through my friendship with the staff, thanks Josie and Sammy that have helped connect me with grandmas who do need some loving and help!

Deciding to be a change agent puts you into contact with all types of people of all races, ages, socio-economic backgrounds and educational settings. What excites me is to see that anyone regardless of their setting can make a decision to become an agent or influencer of change. I spent time this morning with two friends who work at a Senior Center. You can tell as you walk into their setting that they love what they do and have a passion to make a difference in the lives of their seniors who come everyday to have their lives enriched.

I know that it is so easy to blend in and choose to stand in the background assuming that there will always be someone else to volunteer, give or listen. Yet, the reality is that it is your time to make a difference in someone else’s life. So often we assume that once we get our act together that it will become our time to rock the world. The difficulty so often is that our day never comes and we end up doing little in life.

So decide now to stand out of the crowd and become a trailblazer or gladiator! Don’t ever become complacent with fitting into the crowd!

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