Lift a Rock Find a...

Of all the books i have the privilege and pleasure of reading to my children one of my favorites is "Lift a Rock...". One of the reasons is that it is a "lift the flap book" which both of my kids absolutely adore. Its always exciting to them to lift the flap and see what's underneath -- regardless if they have already read that particular book many times before. There is something about the discovery that is appealing to them even if the surprise is gone.

There is something about discovery that is appealing to me too. And like my kids it can be both a first time experience or just a re-discovery of something fantastic from the past. And in regards to that discovery i love to share that new found information/treasure with others. I am what Malcolm Gladwell calls a "maven" in his excellent book "Tipping Point." (this is a must read in my humble opinion)

So, with that said, i am now shoving off in a new and more consistent direction with my blog. I will be posting from time to time about a "new" discovery i have made and will use this space to share it with anyone that cares to read about it.

With that said: "Lift a rock and find...Ben Rector." Four times a year i receive a package in the mail from a company that sends me a sampling of new books & cd's to try out. Often the CD's are mix of little to no interest for me. In fact i often pass them on to others without even trying them out. This one time in particular i passed off Ben Rector's CD "Into the Morning" to my wife unopened.
The next time i was in her car i heard this very compelling music coming from the CD player. When i inquired about who it was the answer came: "Ben Rector...its one of those CD's you gave me." I immediately wanted the CD back for myself. If you are looking for some new fresh music you need to give this guy a try. Seriously, he is money. Check him out for yourself. You will be glad you did. I would attempt to describe his "sound" somehow but it would not do it justice and would only lead you to compare him to someone else in your mind. Ben Rector stands alone.

After you give it a listen...let me know what you think.
*Check out "Into the Morning" & try "Loving You Is Easy"/ "The Beat"/ "When a Heart Breaks"*
**I did not get paid for this advertisement but i would happily take any money sent my way.**

Awareness Test...

First, watch this video. Just follow the directions from the narrarator.



So, did you see the "moonwalking bear" the first time. I was clueless -- i did not see it and could not believe i had missed it. And that is the point of the video. We see what we are looking for...or another way to say it is that we see what we want to see.

Which brings me to the question: What are you looking for? Who are you looking for?
Do you only have eyes for the things you want to see or are you aware of all that is around you?

What about the things that desperately need to be seen but are missed not just by you but by many others. And instead of "things" insert "people." Are there people out "there" that need someone to notice them because they are hurting?

Now when i go back and watch the "Moonwalking Bear" video i can't NOT see the bear. It is impossible. So, if you start looking for these people & things -- you will start to see them. There is no way that you won't see them.

Make yourself aware. Make yourself mindful.

Quotes 'R Us...

You fill in the blank

If you are ever in need of a good quote this website that my wife, Emily, found and tipped me off to will help -- World of Inspiration. It is very simple and very easy to use. You just go there and then select a subject you are interested in on the right side. The site then pulls up many quotes along that topic.

I'm big on quotes so this site is something i like to use frequently. Plus, when you are looking for just the right thing to say -- why not enlist the help of someone that has probably already said it. Enjoy.

Awesome things...

Recently my wife Emily stumbled upon this website titled "1000 Awesome Things" based on the book called "The Book of Awesome." I am happy to recommend & endorse this site/book because of their efforts to impact culture in a positive way. The content can be kind of cliche and similar to a lot of "list" type things out there -- but you know what it brings me joy. And because of that i enjoy hitting the website from time to time just to be reminded of "awesome" stuff.

Its always a good thing to be reminded of things that bring us joy. I mean who doesn't want a pick-me-up when you need it. Check it out -- you'll be glad you did and better off for it too.

I give this website & book my...

LOST finale: Eastern vs Western mindset

Disclaimer: This post will not be about the details of the show but more about why i think people mostly disliked it in the end. You do not need to know a single character or plot line to read on.

Even if you can't stand the show LOST you could not avoid hearing about how it ended. I am one that enjoyed the show (however i did have some moments of almost letting go) and in fact enjoyed the finale as well. From what i heard around the water-cooler and read in other places i am in the very small minority.

Reasons that i heard routinely for viewer's dislike of the ending was that too many loose ends were never tied up. Too many plot lines and "issues" were never solved. The writers took the easy way out to the end. And the list could go on...but mainly the dislike coming from loyal fanatics of the show for 6 years was that it left too many questions unanswered or that the few answers given were cop-outs (taking the easy way to resolve the end).

This line of thinking and cause of frustration is a Western mindset. Give me the facts dang it! Answer all the questions! Make the plot lines make sense! Wrap this thing up in a nice tight package so i can rest easy!

The show was difficult to follow. It was so called "intelligent" TV. It made you think and ask questions. And that was a major reason that i liked it. This show impacted our culture in ways that few television shows have ever done. It caused viewers to actually pay attention in commercials, scour the internet for clues, and dig through pages & pages of blogs, chat rooms, & devoted websites to research other fans theories and ideas about what was actually happening on the show.

All of this commotion, promotion & marketing of the show played right into the hands of the Western mindset. Raise questions -- then find answers. We were taught from the very beginning of our time in school to use the scientific method to find answers to our questions. And this show pushed viewers to do just the same (again, like no other show before it).

This "bait" was dangled in front of the viewer's noses for almost 6 full years. And it worked. The "bait" created a buzz so big that no less than 2 other shows in a similar genre were launched while LOST was still being aired. The "bait" was so effective that for a few seasons a rerun of the previous episode was aired an hour before the new episode in a "pop-up video" kind of way.

The problem is that in the end (the finale -- which lasted 2.5 hours with an additional 2 hour recap on before it -- again think of any other show that had this type of air-time devoted to it) the bait was yanked away. Many questions were left unanswered. Many plot lines were not even revisited. The scientific method proved useless on solving the show.

How dare the writers do this?! After all those hours spent wringing hands, searching for clues, computing data, and theorizing for answers. This is all we get? Western mindset defeated...by an Eastern solution.

We don't have to have all the answers/solutions. In fact, what if we answer questions by raising more questions. What if the end is more about the bigger story...the bigger narrative being played out? What if the show was really all about the characters and their development? What if the purpose and meaning of the show was to demonstrate the cause & effect relationship of each person's decisions and how it impacted their life?

I LOVED the ending of the LOST. There is no way that the writers could answer all the questions and close all the gaps that were brought up in the last 6 years. And i believe the writers never had any intention of doing so from the beginning. The purpose of LOST was about character development & the story of the people.

We can learn a lot from this ending. Let go of the scientific method from time to time. Embrace character development. Embrace the bigger story at play. Embrace your story and where you are in it. Engage in how the decision you make will impact your life and the life of those around you.

In the end LOST was not lost. In fact the characters were found. If by no one else, they at least discovered themselves. And to me that is the most important part of the show.

More "why" than "what"...

Recently i have been posting entries regarding "Meaningful Distinction." See the first entry where i explain what it is and why it is relevant with examples from our culture. You can see the second if you just want another very popular example from our culture.

Well yesterday a good friend & co-worker, Derrick Purvis, posted a video on his blog from the TED talk series. As i watched that talk i realized that it was directly dealing with & discussing "meaningful distinction." In fact i would say this guy was giving the "biology" behind how to create it.

Moreover, i just started a section on the sidebar of my blog called "Slice of Culture" where i will frequently be posting something in that section that gives good insight into today's culture. It just so happens my first post was about the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talks: Ideas Worth Spreading. So it appears Derrick posted a video that was perfect for 2 things i have recently been spending a lot of time on.

Be sure and check out this video. It is very compelling & well worth your time whether you care about "meaningful distinction" or my interest in the TED talk series. It is a video that has relevance to your life no matter what you do (in my humble opinion).

Meaningful Distinction -- Part 2 "Chick-Fil-A

(Seriously - who doesn't love Chick-Fil-A?!)

Recently, i made a post regarding "Meaningful Distinction" -- what it is and its relevance to us. After writing that piece i really began to see things that just jumped out at me as great examples of "Meaningful Distinction" in our culture.

Chick-fil-a is one of those. When it comes to so-called "fast food" chains Chick-fil-a has definitely created separation from the other main chains. In fact, i dont even think of CFA as a typical fast food restaurant. Yes they are fast and convenient but they are certainly a step above the others. CFA has created a meaningful distinction between themselves and their competition.

If you have eaten at CFA i want you to pause for a moment and think about how your experience there is different from other "typical" fast food joints. Think about how the restaurant looks inside - how it operates - how the employees act - how you are treated - how the food tastes & looks - etc.

Some things you might have thought of:
How it looks -- the restaurant is always clean...from the restrooms to the top of the garbage cans to the floors to the tables to the condiment stations. It is always bright and sterile looking (white is an overwhelming choice of color). There are fresh flowers on the tables in some stores.

How it operates -- effecient is the keyword here. The lines always move fast and the order is always correct. Smooth operation.

How the employees act -- courteous. You will notice they refer to "customers" as "guests." The name change indicates that you are not viewed as a client or a source of money but as a guest. The emphasis is on hospitality not on getting you to empty your wallet. You will also notice that if you say "thank you" the response back is "my pleasure." Again, the emphasis is on being glad & proud to serve the guests. If time allows a host will be around to offer a refill and check on your meal. What other fast food chain offers that?

How the food tastes/looks -- they dont just show great looking food in commercials. They actually have it like that in the store as well. They put great effort in providing the same looking food on your tray as what you see on TV or in an add.

Bonus -- who gives away more food than Chick-fil-a. I can't recall how many times my friends and i have made trips to a local CFA store for free breakfast items.

My point is this: Chick-fil-a has made great efforts to not just be another fast food chain. They want to be your only convenience restaurant. And they have done that by creating meaningful distinction. They didn't invent the chicken -- just the chicken sandwich (and the best customer service in the business). The last part of the slogan was obviously added by me.