Whereas the United States of America was once considered the great melting pot of cultures and peoples, I believe the Internet to be that next frontier. It is within the world online where we are seeing cultures and people accessing and serving one another in growing volumes, no longer restricted by physical distance and joined in relative anonymity, often insulated against any preconceived notions from religious preference, race or physical appearance.
Category: Random Thoughts
Living the dream or sleepwalking through life?
Wednesday, 01 June 2011 00:46
0 Comments
I think I fluctuate between the two, personally. There are times when things are light, work is caught up (mostly), family is in harmony, and projects are moving. That, to me, feels like living the dream; when all things are smooth and harmonious.
But, of course, life isn’t always smooth and harmonious. Usually it is, but not always.
Then there are other times where it feels I’m so busy–like my life is moving so quickly it’s escaping me–and if I stop and step back to take a look, I think, “Can I live at this manic pace for the next 5 years? 10? 20? How much will all this have mattered?”
I think about my kids. My son just celebrated his sixth birthday this month. I remember the day we brought him home from the hospital. I remember that first night of, “Holy cats! He’s crying! What do we do next?”
Now he’s six. One child has turned to four, and all are growing up at an incredible rate.
That’s just one example. Extend this to your work. Are you achieving what you set out to achieve? Have you met your goals? Are you having a positive impact on your clients? On your town? (Country? Planet?) Have you stopped to consider if you’re doing the right things? Have you considered if you’re helping enough people?
I’ll conclude with a quote that wandered across my horizon last week. Enjoy.
“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
— H. Jackson Brown
Random Thought #6 – Performing Heart Surgery with a Sledgehammer
Monday, 17 January 2011 21:50
0 Comments
Wordsmithing written language is like performing heart surgery with a sledgehammer. The written word carries so much less information without the inflection in our voice and non-verbal cues we receive during face-to-face conversation.
The Two Flower Merchants
Sunday, 11 July 2010 03:47
0 Comments
See, not with the eyes, but with the heart.
One day, two flower merchants set up shop next to one another. They opened for business on the same day, carried the same lovely selection of aromatic flowers, and maintained similar prices for their marvelous plants. Both merchants took great care with raising their plants and both were kind and courteous to their customers. In fact, their stores appeared to be equal in every way.
At first, the merchants even received equal traffic through their shops, but–as time went on–the first merchant’s shop became more popular among the people. The second merchant noticed this and became concerned. One particularly slow day, he decided to look into the matter. As he stepped out his door to visit his neighbor, he passed one of his regular customers leaving the first merchant’s shop carrying their weekly purchase of flowers. In disbelief, the second merchant hurried into the next store.
Indeed, the store was teeming with customers. The second merchant noticed his competitor wasn’t taking the money himself, as he always did. The first merchant was out among the aisles, talking with his customers. To his amazement, the second merchant watched as the first would chat at great length with the customers and even would occasionally talk to the flowers themselves! The second merchant prided himself on being a serious store owner and could not understand this leisurely approach to running a shop. Yet this behavior seemed to be working for the first merchant, as his thriving store would attest.
When the second merchant could stand it no longer, he approached the first and politely asked to interrupt the conversation. The first merchant smiled, handed his customers to one of his clerks, and turned his attention to his exasperated neighbor.
The second merchant asked, “Brother, I am your humble student. Our stores are nearly the same in all ways, yet your results are doubling while mine are halving. I do not understand.”
“Brother,” the first merchant said, “We are the same in most ways, this is true. The difference lies in what we see with our hearts. You see your store as a store, your plants as plants, and your customers as customers. I see my store as a beloved home and my cherished friends are my customers, clerks and plants, all present to be adored. In that way, we are very, very different.”
Restless Water
Sunday, 25 April 2010 13:50
0 Comments
You are you, no matter when or who.
One day, a little water droplet awoke to find herself surrounded by the great blue Ocean, reaching out from her as far as her eyes could see. At first, she delighted in exploring all the sights, sounds and sensations the Ocean had to offer, but after a time she became restless.
The droplet went to the Sun and said, “Sun, I would like to become a Cloud. I wish to soar the sky and be adored by all the World.”
The Sun said, “Imagine soaring the sky and you will be.”
So the droplet climbed to the top of her Ocean, closed her eyes and thought soaring thoughts. When she looked again, she was flying high in the sky. She looked down at the great blue Ocean and asked, “Sun, what is the Ocean made of?”
“Water,” Sun replied.
The droplet seemed satisfied with this and enjoyed soaring the sky and being adored by all the World. After a time, however, she became restless.
She went to the North Wind and said, “North Wind, I would like to become Rain. I wish to fall to the Earth and bring life to all the World.”
North Wind said, “Imagine falling to the Earth and you will be.”
So the droplet climbed to the bottom of her Cloud, closed her eyes and thought falling thoughts. When she looked again, she was falling to the Earth. As she fell, the droplet looked up at her Cloud and asked, “North Wind, what are Clouds made of?”
“Water,” said North Wind.
“Oh,” said the droplet, a little confused now.
Once she landed upon the Earth, however, she busied herself with bringing life to all the World and forgot about what the Sun and North Wind had said. She was quite happy for a time, but—after a while—the droplet became restless.
She went to the River and said, “River, I would like to know who I am. I have been the Ocean, and the Clouds, and the Rain and now I even bring life to all the World, but I still don’t know what I am supposed to be.”
River said “Follow me.”
The droplet joined River and soon found herself returned to the Ocean. The droplet was dismayed by this and cried, “River! I don’t understand! I have already been the Ocean!”
River said, “When you were Ocean, you wanted to be Cloud.
When you were Cloud, you wanted to be Rain.
When you were Rain, you brought life to all the World and yet,
you still became restless and wondered what you were to do.
Know you are Water and—in being Water—you are the Ocean, the Cloud, the River and the Rain.”
And, from that moment forward, the little droplet knew she was Water and felt peace, no matter what she decided to be.
About Matt
Matt Schoenherr is a husband, father of four, business owner of Dreamscape Multimedia, and marketing consultant. As a syndicated author of a marketing and public relations column, Matt writes for a national online news magazine. Matt has over 17 years of national community outreach experience. His blog at www.mattschoenherr.com analyzes marketing concepts, delivers marketing ideas and occasionally explores the more magical side of life.
