Your Ultimate Aim

I have a wonderful inspirational book by Max Lucado that a dear friend gave to me as a Christmas present. For each day of the year it has a Bible verse focused around a specific theme followed by some insightful thoughts to ponder. On Monday, I picked it up and the theme was particularly relevant, “Christ’s Ultimate Aim.” It talked about how Jesus was always able to stay on track and on target. He kept his life on course. A quiet, reverent “wow” flashed through by mind. How many of us could make that statement today? I was struggling just to decide on all of the things I wanted to focus on for my staycation!

As I continued to reflect on this thought, I realized that Jesus’ life was probably not very different from ours in terms of having his attention tugged in many directions or having many possible paths that he could take in life. He could have had any “career” that he desired. He was popular and well-known which certainly could have gone to his head. People made constant demands of him that were in their best interest. It would have been easy to experience a sense of being overwhelmed and stressed. Yet, Christ remained centered and chose a humble route to be a Savior and save souls. He focused relentlessly on this one task and was not deterred.

So what can we learn from this kind of discipline and devotion? First, we have to decide what our one thing is to accomplish in life. Yes, I know….you can’t just choose one thing, right? But then again, why not choose one thing? Wouldn’t the results from a singularly purposed life be infinitely larger than the results from one made up of a sundry of pursuits? That doesn’t mean that you only do one thing but your purpose is focused on one theme. That most likely will mean a number of goals or objectives around your theme.

Once you decide your one thing or purpose, commit it to writing. In fact a life plan as recommended by Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing, is an excellent idea. There’s something about the written word that instills commitment and keeps us on task.

Finally, refer to your purpose often. Let it inspire you. Let it guide you. If you have truly chosen your tailored life purpose, it will be your ultimate aim. You will stay on course and on target. It’s never too late to choose a life purpose. Why not take some time today to refine your ultimate aim?

Tribute to Michael Jackson, The King of Pop

I will never forget June 25, 2009. Despite a number of important events happening on this day including a long time friend’s birthday and a credit union board meeting in which I was the stand-in recording secretary, this will forever resonate in my mind as the day we lost Michael Jackson. A line of sand has been drawn in my life along with others as the time with Michael Jackson and life after Michael Jackson.

I grew up with Michael and the Jackson 5 like many others and being only two years younger I identify closely with him from a generational perspective. Like all teenage girls, I fantasized over Michael, dreamily sang the songs and lusted after him. Back then we regarded him as quite sexy……with that king-sized afro, slick dance moves and shy demeanor he was so fine! I never had the opportunity to attend a live show during my teen years so I made up for it by collecting each and every album and single 45 (Gen X and Y probably don’t know what a 45 is) record that I could get my hands on. I still have many of them although some of the older albums were lost.

So it went without saying that once the Victory Tour was announced, I was going no matter what it cost. I participated in the now famous lottery method that was used to sell tickets. Yes, it was not the traditional approach and was more expensive since you were required to purchase four tickets but none of that mattered to me. It was my last chance to see Michael as a part of the Jackson 5 or what was now billed as the Jacksons. Michael’s solo career was taking off and the Jacksons were well past their heyday….he would be moving on after the tour. The Victory show was up until that point the best show that I had ever seen. My purse was stolen that night but I was so high on Michael my angst over it passed relatively quickly. Luckily, it was returned intact with driver’s license and photos the next day minus the money of course.

A few years later, Michael announced the Bad Tour. I was there. It still ranks today as the best live performance that I have attended. Michael is the consummate performer. No lip synching or long wardrobe changes here. For two hours he sang, danced and mesmerized us like no other. In fact, I remember thinking I didn’t know how a person could have so much stamina to keep up such a pace. He was absolutely incredible.

After the Bad Tour, you all know the story. He had a few more albums released and some relative successes. However, the days of Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad were gone. He seemed to descend into an abyss of eccentricity and just general weirdness. It was both confusing and sad because his talent could never be denied even during this time. I watched him during the Super Bowl performance in 1993 when my beloved Dallas Cowboys triumphed over Buffalo and the show was simply amazing. How could someone who takes such command on stage be so bizarre and reclusive at the same time….the duality still perplexes me.

So here we are….MJ is gone and we are all left grappling with the suddenness of it all. Along with his family we are mourning as we take comfort in the memory of his enormous talent, his heart for making this world a better place and the legacy of music which will live on. It is these qualities for which I choose to remember Michael, the indisputable King of Pop.

Looking Through the Windows….I see the
Man in the Mirror….and so now
All I Do Is Think Of You….as I
Remember the Time….remember the
Thriller….. remember….
The Good Times….and remember
The Way You Make Me Feel……you’re not only….
Mama’s Pearl…..you’re……..
Another Part of Me………we all love you and we
Never Can Say Goodbye…..instead we’ll just say farewell for now until
Maybe Tomorrow…….where we’ll hear you say eternally……
I’ll Be There.

Why I Twitter

If you’re scratching your head wondering what “Twitter” is or what it means, you’re not alone. This new hip micro-blogging social media platform is just now beginning to go mainstream. In April, Oprah sent her first “tweet” to answer the question “What are you doing” in 140 words or less.

There are a number of articles out there explaining what Twitter is and why you should use it, so I won’t expand here. You have probably gotten an idea from my first paragraph. Hints: micro-blogging, social media, “what are you doing” and 140 words or less.

Rather, I want to share why I, a 40-something boomer or most recently I learned a jonesy (jones generation), have embraced the Twitterverse. Put simply, it’s brief and concise, it’s up-to-the-minute, it’s easy, it’s free, and it’s so cool. What better way to let friends know what you’re doing and as a by-product establish your personal brand? It’s also a great way to connect with new friends and contacts in a way that has not been seen up until now.

My goal with Twitter is to allow those who choose to follow me and view my updates a glimpse into who I am personally and professionally. I tweet about my life, my likes and dislikes, my goals, my dog, my family, and of course, my job as a credit union VP. I’m promoting Carolyn Jordan who happens to work in the credit union movement at Neighborhood CU. It’s my hope that those who get to know me will feel an emotional connection that provides and inspiration or resource that they can use in their life. If they happen to need a financial institution maybe this connection will encourage them to use my credit union. The other side of the coin is that credit union employees and members will get to know me better as well through that same emotional connection.

Someone said a while back that Twitter was like one big chat room. Well, there may be some credibility to that statement…..but it’s so much more than a chat room. It’s hard to explain. With Twitter, I have a ready source of followers in which I can connect to instantly and glean insight. I get the news much quicker than any other source I have used previously. It’s real time….happening right in the moment. And it’s a cool way to record my day and revisit at day’s end. It’s just plain fun…..a wonderful stress reliever.

I wasn’t surprised when my boss, the CEO of our credit union asked who uses Twitter at a recent management meeting, I was the lone ranger. I held up my hand proudly! I know most of my colleagues don’t get it. Someone said it’s too much to keep up with because of the constant updates. Someone else said, isn’t there something similar on Facebook? And others just don’t understand the novelty in answering the question “what are you doing” throughout the day. Hopefully, someone will take the plunge and try it. I did and it has changed my world…..for the better……or as we tweeps say….for the twitter.