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Focus, Focus, Focus!
I went running today. But not because I wanted to. Honestly, I don’t know anyone who wants to go running when the humidity is at 90% and the heat index is equally as high. I went because I needed to run.
Yes I just used the word need and run in the same sentence, an idea probably foreign to most of you.
But earlier I had organized and cleaned my classroom for the umpteenth time, wrote out minute-by-minute lesson plans for next week, made all the copies needed for four ESL classes, and wrote guidelines for three classes of computer projects. (I am going to be gone next week so don’t think I normally do all that) Then I left school drained, exhausted, and emotionally spent.
Thus, I ran. Because running is something I love. Normally. And this week seems to be full of things I do not love. Job loss, uncertainity, teaching, being away from family. And all of that has caused me to question my current path..
..giving up a good paying job on a tropical island, leaving one of my best friends behind, moving back in with the parents, joining once again the ranks of the unemployed, and with no clue how to get where I want to go mostly because I am not sure where I want to go.
Running clarifies everything. So I ran. With every step a vision clearer and more focused came into view. The one that above all else flies the banner that says, “Pursue your dreams and live life loud.” I am a very passionate person. Its why I cry at a moments notice, get angry over the smallest things, and get excited very easily. I knew before this week that teaching was just not the fulfillment of all my passions that I had hoped it would be. I got slightly distracted by the lure of a well-paying job, but after a run was once again focused on the end goal: pursue that which makes me come alive, love like Jesus loves, and serve those around me. And then I told myself, “Focus, focus, focus!” Stop getting so distracted!
Right now that exact path is a bit unclear. The specfics aren’t there quite yet. In the meantime, I am treading miles for victims of an awful industry. And writing. And connecting with like-minded people. And gaining some awesome experiences. And waiting and praying. That way when the specifics fall into place, I am ready and prepared.
What about you? What do you do before a vision has yet to come to reality? How do you stay focused on the end goal when the immediate can be so enticing?
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Don’t Set Up House In The Box
Think back to when you were 9 or 10.
What did you want to be when you grew up? What was that elusive career you were going to have? What were your dreams?
I know mine. First I was going to be a singer. Then a doctor. Then a journalist. I loved to sing, write, and help people-why not do it all? But I was 10. Reality had yet to sink its teeth into my ever-impressionable mind.
You probably had dreams too. Its a child-like quality. Even last week, I had my junior high students create presentations based around their dream jobs. I got answers like Nascar racer, PGA golfer, author, doctor, and musician. All from kids who live on an island no one has heard of. They have dreams. I had dreams. You had dreams.
Enter what I have dubbed the box. The box is a form of reality, but the ugliest form. It is the reality that sweeps in to make you aware that you are tone deaf, not smart enough for Organic Chemistry, and not pretty enough to be on TV. It consists of four walls that shut out our childhood dreams. This reality traps us in a box only able to wistfully look back on years where the sky truly was the limit. But we settle in. We start to hang pictures on the walls of our boxes and make them look nicer and after awhile decide that the box is maybe alright. That we have matured and are now thinking more logically then we did as 9 and 10 year olds. Given even more time, we may even forget the box is there.
Then-BOOM! One day you wake up and hit your head on the box, knock a picture off the wall, and see the ugly inside staring back at you (check out Tessa Zeng). But how do we get there? How do we go from children who believe they can be whatever they want to adults who feel they are consigned to whatever box reality has stuck them in?
First, we stop dreaming and start listening to dream-crushers. We ignore the inner self and start to listen to the voices of the world that spew rejection and mediocrity
Second, we stop pursuing our dreams and begin to cope with reality. We live day-to-day and stay within a neat little boundary line created by someone else.
Lastly, we stop asking why. Have you ever noticed how much little kids ask why? My elementary students are constantly asking why. Why are the books there? Why is the desk that color? Why is your room so neat? Why do I need to learn this? They ask why. Then all of a sudden, we stop asking why. We stop questioning why we are doing what we are doing or why it is the way it is. We just do it.
I gave up on my childhood dreams-partly because I really can’t sing(and much to the appreciation of everyone’s ears) and I decided I really don’t want to be a doctor. But instead of replacing them with bigger dreams, I settled into a box of mediocrity. I graduated college with high marks, have a good amount of experience under my belt, and have traveled some in the last few years. But what did I do with all of that; I shoved it in a corner and settled for a box that was labeled “Average.”
But I am not average. Just like you aren’t. I am passionate about changing the world and I can assure you that isn’t going to happen while I am stuck inside a box I have constructed. And you -well, the world needs you! Because the road less traveled includes ideas, thoughts, and passions that I believe will truly change the world. The creative, the passionate, the free-thinkers, the lovers of humanity, the haters of the status-quo; these are the people that will be daring enough to throw caution to the wind and pursue a path that dreams bigger and accomplishes more then anyone saw coming.
So get out of whatever box is keeping you from following the dreams you had as a kid or the dreams you have now. Take a risk, jump ship, and go for it-it may be the best decision you ever make! (and now I am going to listen to my own advice!)
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Tessa Zeng: Blogger, Revolutionary, Awesome Person
Meet Tessa Zeng. Master Creator of Experiencing Revolution.
She is the embodiment of someone who has kicked the status quo to the curb and is carving out her own place in this world. A former art student turned rogue blogger turned future ebook extraordinaire-she is an inspiration and a catalyst for change and outside of the box thinking.
Lately, one of the things I am loving is making new friends that I have never met. Friends that have similar interests and ideas and are united under a desire to pursue our passions with gusto. Tessa is one of those people so I asked if I could interview her. I had read her blog and decided I wanted to get to know her a little better. She graciously agreed and here are her thoughts. Enjoy!
1. What is your favorite food? Color? Thing to get in the mail?
Hardest questions first?! OK: Freeze-dried strawberries, a constant battle between emerald green/magenta/fuschia/absolute ultramarine… and the coolest thing to get in the mail are real words. Hand-written letters, books, etc. My friend AnnaMarie has sent some remarkable postcards from Paris that might rival that statement, though, now that I think of it.
2. What are 3 words that define you?
Why is cat?
3. What got you started blogging?
Chris Guillebeau’s 279Days to Overnight Success . I had this resistance to the idea, having dabbled in online journaling growing up and witnessed the growth spurt of fashion blogs. But Chris said something to the effect of- if you have ideas, a blog is the best way to get them out there. And I was like…ok, wow, why not?
My first blog was what I call a not-fashion blog. I had absolutely no idea what I was in for, and trial-and-errored for four months, learning the ins and outs of WordPress, social media, etc, which was the best training ground ever.
4. What are two places you get your inspiration from?
1) When things hit a nerve. I spend so much time just soaking things in and processing them. Then the inevitable explosion happens in my head- blog posts really are like land mines.
2) What other people aren’t saying. It’s like the truths are all buried underground, and sooner or later you realize no one else is digging them up quite the way you want them to, and you pick up the shovel with your own hands. Hm, I’m sensing a ‘buried’ metaphor here.
5. Where do you want to take your blog?
This is an interesting question. I could say- to a wider engagience, a more effectively-positioned platform, perhaps most accurately to the point where I can experiment with a variety of projects. But mostly, I want to take my blog into the real world. I call it the Laptop2Life conversion rate . I believe online data is only as powerful as how much we can figure out how to leverage it offline.
6. What are the top 5 blogs you read?
Here’s where I make people mad, haha. I’ve never done RSS, Google Reader… in the beginning I read like mad, because it was like discovering a new world. But I’ve found that once you immerse yourself, curate your Twitter feed to a certain extent, and most importantly- keep writing and unraveling your own thoughts, other people’s posts will just crop up when relevant.
That said- I probably singlehandedly spiked pageviews at Chris’s AoNC, Danielle’s WhiteHotTruth, and Ash’s TheMiddleFingerProject. Too many current inspiration hubs to list, but I’m especially soaking up the philosophical headiness of MingZhu’s The Public Studio and John Hagel’s Edge Perspectives.
7. Why the interest in changing the way we create?
Heh, my old ebook title was going to be Changing the World = Changing the Way We Create. And though I’ve since jumped ship for a sexier catchphrase (you’ll have to wait and see!), I really believe that. Coming from art school, where everything was about making… juxtaposed with all the changemakers and passionate philosophy I’ve encountered since online, I’ve stumbled across an intersection that few seem to be exploring- that our creativity has the potential to open up the greatest channels of communication possible.
Creation is how we’ve gotten here, how we’ve built up the world around us with bare hands. And if we can do it more deliberately than ever before, and find new ways to make everything- from blog posts (http://experiencingrevolution.com/hey-there-im-an-awesome-blog-post-you-should-obviously-come-read-me/) to clothing (http://rethinkingstyle.com/style-yourself-free)- we’ll be able to design the experience of a more enlightened world.
8. If you could give a new blogger one piece of advice, what would it be?
Forget how blogging is ‘supposed’ to be done. Learn from the best and do your research, but don’t let it define you. It’s just as in anything- no one really knows what they’re doing, the experts finangled their way there, and Thesis theme just happens to work for a giant sea of status-quo-busting blogs that now, ironically, all look the same. Dare to experiment.
9. What is one way you feel Experiencing Revolution changing the world?
To be honest, I don’t know. I think it’s too early to tell. But this also touches on something I’m arguing in my ebook- that specific changes are rarely the point. What really matters is the larger shift, which I get a sense of when someone comes out of the woodwork to comment with a passionate anecdote, or when new changemakers somehow find and resonate with my online work (like when you emailed me, Amanda!) – that’s the real change I feel. It feels more tangible than statistics. And more than anything, I feel a new experience shaping!
10. What is one thing you hope to accomplish with the release of your new e-book?
Start to shift a major paradigm about the way we make things. If I can make a visible dent in the ancient rock of creative thinking, I’ll be thrilled! Not to mention clarify my vision that much more for anyone who finds me and my work- and isn’t that communication clarity what we all long for?
Her e-book comes out on April 30th! If you’re creatively ambitious and curious, check out Tessa’s site for more details… or go straight to the cat 😉
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Welcome to the Re-Launch
Check it–> I have been blogging for NINE years! That’s right, 9!
For most of those 9 years, my mom was my biggest fan (and she still is!), but I finally decided I wanted to put a little more effort into this and put myself out there in the blogging world. I starting reading all these blogs created by people who seemed pretty similar to me–passionate, full of ideas, and with no desire to stick to the status quo. They have crazy successful blogs and I thought, “if they can do it, why can’t I?”
This idea was scary to me. The thought of putting myself out there is WAY outside of my comfort zone. Further outside of that zone then “pack-up-and-move-7000-miles-around-the-world-to-an-island-no-one-has-heard-of.” That was easy. Believing that I have something to say that someone other than my mom might want to read, not so easy.
But I believe I have this gift- I love to write. I have scores of journals documenting every day of my life for years. I am passionate about things I want other people to know about. And really, how many dreams ever get fulfilled without hard work and a lot of risk-taking. So after an awesome consult with the ever-amazing Lauren (check her out at The Mad to Live) I dove in head first! I signed up for a domain name, re-vamped my blog, spiced up the theme, added some awesome pages to highlight who I am and what I am passionate about, and decided that I was going to believe in this and in myself.
I am going to write, create, and pursue my passions outside of the box society seems to think we should all fit into. This is my space in the world. This is my act of rebellion against a system that I never liked much anyways. This is my chance to change the path and to change the world. Maybe it fails, maybe it doesn’t. Maybe it takes a few tries,a few months, a few years. All I know is I will get up every single day prepared to change the world, take on risks, and write with the passion that is in my heart.
Check it out, read this and check out my causes page, and if you like what you see, read some more, contact me, or subscribe to my blog!
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Tread on Trafficking 2011
There is a road we keep running on until we reach our goal, but love gives us strength to continue our journey. -Trafficking survivorAs my heart has continued to break over the atrocities of sex trafficking, God has been moving in me to do more. I know that this is a difficult thing to talk about. The statistics are overwhelming and the problem keeps growing. Yet, the difficulties and challenges we face in seeking to defeat this evil in no way compares to the evil these precious girls face every single day. They in no way compare to being used and bought and sold for man’s evil pleasure. I wrote about this here, but to recap:Therefore for May and June, I will be part of a team to Tread for Trafficking. Together, we have committed to run, bike, hike, and swim 500 miles (260 each) over the two months and we are asking you to sponsor us. You can check out our page and commit to sponsor us per mile or give a one time donation. We have set a lofty goal of raising $2000, but really, that’s just 200 people giving $10.00. Easy! This is something very near and dear to my heart and I am going to give $1 for every mile I tread. So join us in supporting Love146 and the abolition of sex trafficking, as we tread on trafficking.-Sex Trafficking is the 2nd largest global crime raking in over 32 billion in “profits” each year.-Predications state that it will surpass drugs to become #1 sometime in 2011 because, unfortunately, humans can be sold multiple times.-Only 1 to 2% of girls are ever rescued from sex trafficking.-Only 1 in 100,000 Europeans are every convicted of sex crimes.-Every two minutes another child is captured and enslaved in this “life”.
Therefore for May and June, I will be part of a team to Tread for Trafficking. Together, we have committed to run, bike, hike, and swim 500 miles (260 each) over the two months and we are asking you to sponsor us. You can check out our page and commit to sponsor us per mile or give a one time donation. We have set a lofty goal of raising $2000, but really, that’s just 200 people giving $10.00. Easy! This is something very near and dear to my heart and I am going to give $1 for every mile I tread. So join us in supporting Love146 and the abolition of sex trafficking, as we tread on trafficking.
Click here for more details.
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Construction Zone
I am almost finished with my site!! I just have a few final design touches to add, but I am ready to get back to blogging and for the most part the site is functional. I will officially launch it soon..stay posted!!
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Expiry Dates
Let’s play a game.
Go to your refrigerator and see how many things you can find that are expired. (ok go!)
Welcome back! How many things did you find? One? Five? Twenty-five? None?
I did this the other day and will not admit to how many things I found, but lets say it was a good idea that I played the game. Now, you may be wondering why we are playing this silly little game. There are good reasons, other then the fact that your fridge is now clean and you can eat anything in there with no fear!
We live in a world that is consumed with expiry dates. We look at when milk will expire before we buy it, we put deadlines on everything, and use things until they die or expire. Think about it. Every day your life is filled with things that have eventual expiry dates. And this is a very good thing in most cases. Eating food that has expired can be very bad for your health. The problem comes when we translate this thinking into our spiritual lives and start putting expiry dates on the things that are outside of our control.
If I am not married by this date, it won’t happen.
If they don’t get better by now, its hopeless.If the money doesn’t come today, what will happen?If the scholarship doesn’t come, how will I go to school?
Will I ever figure out what to do or will I be 40 and still wandering around aimlessly?When am I going to get pregnant?And the list could go on..And maybe you have been there. Sitting in the dark, waiting for the impossible and wondering if it is ever going to happen. Maybe you put your own expiry date on the situation. Maybe you stopped believing that we serve a God that has NO expiry dates.Let that sink in.With God there are NO expiry dates.In our eyes, it may seem that way. It may seem impossible, but what is impossible with man is possible with God.But what if they don’t get better you ask? What if I never get married? What if the baby never comes?Have God’s promises expired? NO. Because He doesn’t put expiry dates on situations. He puts due dates. And His due dates are often drastically different then our expiry dates. See, its not about what we can’t do, but what HE can do. It’s about going back to the drawing board and not limiting God to our time table. Even in this life if it appears the situation has expired, we must remember that perhaps God’s due date was calling someone home to Him. Or perhaps the due date is just years after we imagined it would be.Check out Abraham and Sarah (Hebrews 11:8). God told her she would bear a son. And yet, it was years and years later, long after Sarah was considered able to have child, that she was finally pregnant. But because she put an expiry date on the promise, and God failed to meet that timeline, she got involved and caused a whole mess of problems. When we act on our timeline, we fail to see that God’s timeline is really about Him. Its about a God who still does the impossible. Its about a God who wants to show His glory and who still acts in ways that are beyond human understanding and recognition.So, ask yourself. Do you really trust and believe in Him who promised to be faithful? Can we give up our timelines and expiry dates for a God that offers only due dates? Can we begin to live as though we serve a God still in the business of doing the impossible?I am working on it. And today I challenge you. What situation have you put an expiration date on that perhaps God has just put a longer due date on? Where in your life do you need to step out of your timeline and into God’s timeline?(Blog idea credit goes to an amazing sermon I heard at Hillsong)You May Also Like
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Two Weeks In One Dress
The little black dress in the Blue Mountains This morning I did not want to put it on. I have been traveling all week and was heading off to spend 24 hours in airports. I just didn’t want to spend those hours in the dress. And then it hit me…
I was tired of feeling bland.
I love clothes and I spent the week in a city full of fashion and shopping. I was starting to look around and notice the people around me and how cute they looked in their clothes. I saw the girls with shopping bags galore and thought perhaps there is something to the muse shopping is good therapy.
But thats why I started this anyways right?
To debunk the notion that I am the sum of what I own and what I wear.
To fight the advertisers that claim to be more you must buy more.
Yet after spending two weeks in the same dress I am realizing that those battles are not fought quickly. The tendency to accumulate does not die easily. The thoughts and lies and feelings I have believed for so long are deep rooted and unwilling to budge.
I set out on this journey for six weeks and it is already feeling arduous.. I can’t imagine doing this for a whole year. (OneDressProtest) And yet, I can see now that six weeks will not be long enough to defeat the giants of consumerism and shallowness that weigh heavy on my heart. In less than four long weeks, the dress will be retired, perhaps never to be worn again, but the battle will go on-raging and back-talking every time I put those demons in their place.What about you? Have you to been consumed by the notion that you are what you wear?
The LBD and I with a kangaroo Because friend, you are SO SO much more than that!
