I  was visiting the Mighty Sequoia National Forest not long ago with my family.  This is the type of trip that never gets old for me.  While walking the “Trail of the Giants” I suddenly had a “Hallelujah moment of clarity.”  Some of those great trees are a few thousand years old and almost 400 feet tall.  Although the great Sequoia Redwood trees hold the illustrious title of tallest trees in the world, the life of all of them started by one single seed.  A Redwood seed is only the size of a small oatmeal flake but overtime under the right conditions of soil, sunlight and rain they’re able to grow to the massive giants we see today. 

Then this thought suddenly hit me.  If it is true that we humans are God’s greatest creations, then inside of us we should have the potential to do things in this world that would dwarf the massiveness of the world’s largest trees.  I believe that we all are born with a seed of greatness lodged inside of us.

I heard a great speaker once say that the wealthiest place on the planet is the graveyards and cemeteries. This is because most people die without ever realizing the full potential of their seed of greatness. Most people leave this life with all of their potential still locked inside of them only to be claimed by the grave.  Only our creator knows what could’ve been created or accomplished had they realized their full potential. We must not let this be our fate.  We must commit to finding our purpose and “Why” for living and develop our full potential in this life as if our lives depend on it because our quality of life actually does depend on it.  

While on my trip to the Sequoia’s, I felt inspired to create a reminder of the seeds that created the giant trees of the Sequoia National Forest and use it to remind us of the “Seed of Greatness” that exist in all of us.  I proudly display this “dream novelty” in specific places that I can see and be reminded regularly to continue to fill my day with purpose-filled actions and pursue my goals, gifts and greatness. 

These crystal resin crafts all have one single authentic seed from a Sequoia Redwood Tree and are all hand made with love.  Only a limited number is available so start your collection today and share one with a friend or two as a gift.  We can all use a little friendly reminder every now-and-then to keep us on track and on task in this “Life” thing, especially if you’re a part of a team/organization.  We only get one time through, so let’s make our best effort to make it GREAT!

www.CedricCrawford.com/Products

As a kid my Mom used to always say, “Give me my flowers while I’m living because when I’m dead and gone I can’t smell them or see the beauty they bring.”  What she was really telling us is that she wanted us to use spoken and written words and actions to express to her how valuable she was to us and how we appreciated her. 

As an adult I now understand that one of our inner-most basic needs is the need for recognition and to feel like we matter and are valued by somebody.

Last night I had the privilege to receive this card from one of my five teenage group-home boys.  It wasn’t for my birthday or any other special event or occasion.  It was for my favorite reason of all, “just because”.  Just because what, you may ask.  Well, it was “just because” I’ve taken the time to be there with him and for him 17 hours a week over the last year.

You see, his real Dad has been in prison for many years and his Mom has been removed from his life too and other relatives and next-of-kin are “too busy” to care.  So, I’ve been given the special opportunity to model positivity for him during the good, the bad, the ugly and the sad times.

The unfortunate reality is that there are millions of other kids just like him in desperate need of a hand up and a little T-I-M-E.  It doesn’t take much of it (time) to leave a positive footprint in their life, but you do have to make the time.  They’re all around us, in our neighborhoods, churches and other corners of life, so you don’t have to look very far. 

They need us now more than ever before to pick up the slack and help them to make it GREAT!  There’s no better feeling than knowing that you’re making a positive impact and difference in the life of not just your own family, but also in the life of someone who doesn’t share your last name. 

Give it some thought of how you can contribute and take ACTION, however big or not-so-big it may be.   Let’s all collect our flowers while we live and continue in our efforts to make it GREAT

www.Twitter.com/CedricRCrawford

D id you know Circus Elephants are trained as babies by setting a “Limiting Belief” in their mind that change is painful. The trainer ties a tourniquet to the elephant’s leg and the harder it pulls away from its position, the tighter the tourniquet gets.  This action securely lodges a limiting belief in the elephants mind that trying to escape his chains can cause severe pain.  So, ultimately the elephant gives up all hope of breaking free from his captors.  The only way to break this belief is if you induce a state of panic in the elephant by threat of death.  Unfortunately, the elephant was not given the ability to reason on a level that would allow it to endure the short period of pain in order to free itself from the bonds of its chains.

The great thing about us human beings is that our creator may not have given us the size and strength of an elephant or the speed of a cheetah, but he did give us a large brain and the ability to process complex thoughts and reason with it.  Thank God that we understand that we have to be willing to endure temporary pain to achieve our desired gain and aim.  There’s no need for us to wait for imminent danger or a death threat if change is necessary for us.  Just make the decision to start the process today and strive to make it GREAT!

My new book (Make it GREAT) is loaded with content that’s specifically created to make you better today than you were yesterday in every way, so pre-order today.  Your best investment is the one you make in your own knowledge, guaranteed.  Let’s Make it GREAT!

www.CedricCrawford.com/The-BOOK/

I was having a casual conversation with my friend Michelle recently about some of the inherent perils of the information-driven internet and other content-driven mediums of today.  I absolutely love having adult conversation with like-minded people who are seeking to get better because it always helps me to get better too.

During our conversation I suddenly had one of my “Hallelujah Moments of Clarity” and realized something that we should all be aware of.  So I invite you to consider the following today as you go about your daily, content-creating life.

What we say is not always what other people hear and what we write is not always what other people understand when they read it.  It’s clear to me that every verbal word we speak and written word we write is at the mercy of the interpretation of the reader.  The person on the receiving end of your spoken or written words will ultimately draw their own conclusions (good or not-so-good) based on their prior experiences and current mental mindset. 

So as a result, I feel compelled to offer you a bit of unsolicited advice today.  It would be wise for us to take the time to choose our words wisely before releasing them out into the unforgiving realm of cyberspace.  Not many things can cost you more in this life than the price you could pay for being “Misunderstood”.

Don’t “misunderstand” the words and meaning of my message today as you continue in your efforts to make it GREAT.

The Book:   “Make it GREAT”

www.CedricCrawford.com/The-BOOK/