I dropped by my buddy Brent’s house the other day unannounced and I was greeted at the front gate of his yard by two of his barking dogs.  One was a huge Labradorand the other was a small size mystery mutt.   Brent’s wife Kim, opened the front door and yelled, “Go ahead and open the gate and walk up to the house, but make sure you stay on the cement walk way!”  The thought of following her instructions made me a bit uneasy, so I yelled back, “Are you sure this is okay?”  And she said, “Yeah!  You’ll be alright, just stay on the cement!”  I hesitated a bit more, but eventually I slowly got the courage to open the gate.  

As I was walking on the cement walk way, the dogs kept barking and looking at me with a menacing look but it was if there was some sort of invisible barrier that was holding them back.  I must admit I was a bit bewildered and perplexed by what I was seeing but I kept moving forward.

I eventually reached the front door and safely entered the house without a scratch.  Naturally I was curious to understand what had just happened, so I asked Kim.   She said the dogs used to wear a shock-collar and it would shock them anytime they reached a certain point.  I suddenly realized that even now that they don’t have shock-collars on, they’ve made a mental note that crossing the imaginary line means discomfort.  WOW!!!

Needless-to-say, this got me to thinking of the direct parallel that exists with us humans.  We often times allow our past failures, loss and pain to stop us from pursuing things that are worthy of our best efforts.  Just as the dog is conditioned by shock-collars we can be conditioned by our past failures.   I truly believe that one of the biggest sacrifices a person can make in this life is to settle into a life of average, mediocrity and comfort to avoid the risk of failure, loss or pain.  We were designed and created for sooooo much more.

So a good question for today is,  Are your spoken words and actions worthy of  plagiarism?  Are your  current goals and dreams suitable to be envied?  Are your true intentions in all that you do deserving and befitting a noble and just  man or woman of honor?  Or, has your fear of failure, discomfort and pain conditioned you to play small and focus on helping and inspiring just those who share your last name?  Hmmmm…

These questions can serve as a litmus test for a life that’s destined to do something special.  If the masses aren’t being inspired by your actions, then dare I say you’re leaving sooooo much more on the table of life than you were designed and created to do and be.   Chew on this thought for a bit and decide what’s the next action-step for you if needed.  Don’t let the “Shock-collar” of failure and pain bully you into the corner of comfort and complacency.  Not today.

Don’t plot to kill the messenger on this one today.  I’m just looking to inspire others to make it GREAT!

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My Book:      “Make it GREAT”
www.MakeItGreatNOW.com

I  would be two kinds of crazy and three kinds of foolish to let this day slip away without something to say about its’ infamous notoriety.  This day in 2001 we witnessed an unspeakable atrocity and demonstration of the amount of horror that can be inflicted on innocent beings for the sake of a distorted version of retribution.  Out of all the times I’ve been able to process complex thoughts and make since of life’s challenging twist and turns, I continue to fall short of understanding a reasonable rationale for taking innocent lives for any cause. 

Is there a cause that’s so great that it would justify such an egregious, callous, barbaric act?  I can’t imagine there being a “yes” answer coming from the mouth of any sane, rational, compassionate human being.  Some may argue one way or another but I will leave the debating up to the debater’s while I attempt to advocate peace and understanding.

In spite of it all, what was meant for evil actually yielded some good.  This horrific tragedy actually resulted in bringing our great nation together as one.  For a few years people managed to put their indifferences aside and come together in a show of solidarity in our great nation.  But today, hidden selfish agendas and politics as usual has once again started to divide us.  

My sincere hope and prayer is that it will not take another tragedy to bring us back together again.  After all, who says that blood shed is necessary to affect change?  I believe there’s a better way and it starts with me.  I will take the advice of the late Gandhi and actually strive to be the change that I want to see in this world of ours.

I still have great faith in the human spirit and the inherent “Good” that’s in us all.  Let’s recall this day together.  Let’s all remember where we were and never forget where we’re going and remind the next generation from where we’ve come.  Let’s all play our respective part in getting us where we need to be, safely.  Embracing this breadcrumb of wisdom will definitely help us all make it GREAT.

Just a few more of my quotes from my soon-to-be-released book.  Pre-Order your copy today to take advantage of the freebies:  www.MakeItGeatNOW.com

“There’s less pain in small change.”

“Lesson repeated until lesson heeded.”

“To be copied is the best of compliments.”

“A follower-less leader walks alone.”

“Great friends don’t let great friends go without knowing they’re great friends.”

“When we’re all alone, temptations are most strong.”

“Amidst our struggles, stress, strain and strife, our silent partner whispers, ‘This is for my glory.’”

“Many people unknowingly give up right before they were going to be rewarded for their efforts of hanging in there.  Don’t let it be you. Not today.”

Tips to help you become that person or leader that others want to follow.  Techniques to show you how to take captive those moments of high tension and stress and turn them into triumph and success.  Takeaways on how to leave others physically and emotionally better than you found them.  Nuggets of Knowledge that will catapult you light-years ahead of “most people” in the area of personal development.

A better you today in everyway is the goal and all these things and much, much more can be found in the pages of my book that’s being hailed as the contemporary bible of personal development by many.  Pre-Order your copy TODAY @:   www.MakeItGreatNOW.com

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Only a limited number of copies will be made available to the general public on the first release phase in November so secure your copy NOW.   www.MakeItGreatNOW.com

Quotes from my book:
“Make it GREAT”

“Success is just the byproduct of succeeding in the collective moments.”

“In life it’s not the fewest mistakes that’s most important, it’s the fewest repeated mistakes that matters most.”

“The harder you work the harder it becomes to say “I quit” and the more you get up the tougher it becomes to keep you down.”

“We-Time” is just as important as “Me-Time”.

Sweet nothings may be good, but sweet something’s are absolutely GREAT.”

“Good intentions are a penny a pound, a nickel a six-pack, a dime a dozen, and a quarter a case, but actions are worth their collective weight in gold.”

Don’t miss your opportunity to make your “it” GREAT!

www.MakeItGreatNOW.com

“The Least of These” as referred to in the “Good Book” (bible) strolled into my life yesterday as I sat in the lobby of a local Christian school chatting with my friend, Donna.  He was brilliantly disguised as a homeless man and outcast of society with a black duffle-bag draped over his shoulder and a cane in his hand as he walked with a limp over to us with a look of desperation on his face.   I’d seen his type many times before tattered and dirty clothes, ratty and matted hair and a toothless grin so we greeted him with a smile and kind words.

Most people would probably have been turned-off by his appearance and demeanor, but I was actually turned-on and eager to hear his story, but there was just one small problem.  He couldn’t speak or write.  Ughhhh!!!  Definitely a challenge on our hands I thought.  I’ve been here many times before but never with an individual that couldn’t speak or write. 

He put his bag down, handed me his California Identification Card and began in his attempt to communicate his desires to us.  Forrest was his name and it was clear that he was going through some significant struggles in his life.  “How can we help you?” was the question we asked and after several minutes of grunts and different hand gestures in a futile attempt to communicate, we all started to become a bit frustrated. 

We offered him some cold, bottled water, some cookies and a short prayer for his safety but I wasn’t content to just send him on his way.  So I grabbed his bag and walked with him to a local park.  100 degree, summer Bakersfield, California weather with no clouds in the sky, yes it would’ve been easier for me to drive him in my vehicle but I wanted to walk a mile in his shoes with him (so to speak).  As we walked on the hot pavement in the sweltering heat no words were exchanged, but I felt some type of strange connection and bond being established between us.  I can’t really explain it or put it in words but I felt like a quiet whisper was saying, “This is good,” and we were being smiled upon in the moment.  Hmmm…

Once we reached the park we shared a park table-bench with four strangers, Destiny, Daniel and Elder Wilson and Elder Furlough from a local Mormon Church.  I introduced my new friend Forrest to them and we all engaged in a casual conversation while Forrest listened in.  Several minutes later the others left and it was just me and Forrest again.  I lightly banged my fist on the table and voiced my frustration of not being able to communicate with him adequately.  Then it hit me.  “Charades!!!” I said to myself.  “I can find out more about him with charades.”  So the game began. 

I spent the next several delightful minutes with Forrest uncovering some interesting facts of his life.  A seventy-year-old, homeless, 10 year military veteran just passing through Bakersfield looking for a cool place to lay his head for a couple of hours before he moves on.  I gave him a few words of encouragement followed by some sincere words of appreciation for his service to our country.  I then took the opportunity to bless him with a few dollars and some bus fare and sent him on his way with a smile.

I shared this story with you today in hopes that it will spark something in you that reminds you to seize the opportunity to be kind to the “least of these” in the world around you when the opportunity presents itself.  I hope that you can see yourself modeling similar behavior that brightens someone else’s day in an awesome way.  You never know, we may be the only face of the faith they see. 

I can’t pretend to know what the future holds for Forrest, but I do know who holds the future for all of us and He wants to partner with us on our journey through this thing called “life” to make it great. 

So, I encourage you today to keep the faith or join the faith and let’s continue in our best efforts to make it GREAT while helping others to do the same.

www.CedricCrawford.com
www.MakeItGreatNOW.com