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Life takes a bit of time and a lot of relationship- William P. Young in "The Shack"

"The world is your stage," I began. "You have a voice. A unique one. One that will surely be missed if you do not speak or sing your lines."

This was my first lecture to my eager Introduction to Speech Communication students some summers back. I was trying to get them to understand how their unique voice was necessary for the "Musical of the Earth" to be a runaway hit. I wanted them to note how their unique voice, set in the backdrop of the "choir" of the world, was especially chosen to sweeten the melodies and symphonies of life on earth. If they failed to speak or sing their lines, it would be nothing short of tragic, dull, and uninspiring...

And that same challenge, I now pass on to you...

You have a unique voice. You are, as one of my favorite authors put it, "YOU-nique." Your experience on earth will be less than complete if you do not speak or sing your lines. How you raise your children, what...

"It's kinda hard being humble in the belly of struggle..." - Busta Rhymes

It's amazing how much we take for granted...our freedom...our ability to breathe "relatively" clean air and drink safe water. However, though simple blessings surround us, we all still encounter hardships and undeniable bumps along the road, as that is just the nature of the life we were given.

In the midst of my own difficulties, I have become acutely aware of the things that some of my friends are currently enduring, and have realized that we all have, or are currently going through much of the same struggles. Not only do we, as a whole, deal with tremendous challenge and pressure, but many also struggle with the reality of disheveled dreams.

This reality tends to blur the vision of our lives and we wonder if we are going to make it. But... "when all you can see is your pain, you lose sight of the most important things...pain has a way of clipping our wings and keeping us from being able to fly...and left...

My least favorite course in high school was Physics. Mr. Jacob, from India, was a good man with a very distinctive accent, yet, because this course was required, I sat through many classes learning about Newton’s Laws and other components of the course. As I think about the direction that this post (and others over the next few weeks) will take, and reflecting upon what I learned from that class, I discovered that I am drawn to “energy” – though in a different way than one may assume.

According to my physics class, energy is the capacity to do work. If that is truly the case, it is safe to say that energy is the currency we use to “pay” for life. As I have mentioned before, “time” isn’t what we must manage from day to day; it is energy. How we manage our energy (replenish it, use it, and conserve it) determines how successful and whole our days are. If we expend all our energy at “work”, we come home with nothing left...

“Such a powerful ability, the imagination! But without wisdom, imagination is a cruel taskmaster.”- William P. Young in The Shack

Growing up, I was always dreaming and scheming. I envisioned where my life was going and I imagined what my success was going to be. Thank the Lord, my vision and imagination were taken to heights that I did not even think possible! My move from my parents’ farm in Lusaka West to the Great State of Texas? Never thought that my imagination would take me this far. I truly could go on and on about how the “future” turned out to be greater than I thought it would be as I imagined back then...

The interesting thing about imagination, however, is that it can become like a child running with a pair of scissors – potentially fatal. Our mental energy – something I call “mentergy”– is an amazing tool that must be harnessed and used with wisdom. Use it wisely, and the world will bow at your feet; misuse or...

"Victory comes, at times, just when one no longer expects it." – Martin Buber (1878-1965)

I first came across Buber’s work while in college; specifically, in my Philosophy of Religion course with Ms. Pak. A brilliant thinker, Buber, in this case, shows us just the kind of attitude it takes to win. No matter the field of endeavor, it is often those who stick it out the longest that earn the prize. I must be clear here and note that I do not advocate futile efforts and attempts; some pursuits are lost even with “sticking it out.” What I am pushing for, instead, is an attitude of sustained energy – pushing all the way through, even when the end is uncertain.

World Series Champions and NBA Champions are not made by one game; they are forged in the depths of a grueling series. For some, it’s that fourth game that changes things...others, such as the NBA, the seventh and final one. No matter what point brings such turnaround and victory, it is never an...

“If we lead with questions rather than answers, curiosity can strip us of an agenda and stop us from holding so tightly to our own ideas and beliefs…” - Marcum & Smith in “Egonomics”

Like Bristol, I was “born with a huge bump of curiosity.” I have always tinkered. As a child, I tinkered with electronics (much to the chagrin of my parents), electricity (all it took was one shock and I never played with it the same way), irrigation systems (oh, mommy just loves to tell this story), and so many other things. Today, I still tinker; the only difference is that I now tinker with ideas...

From the moment a book was first placed in my hands, I became an avid “thought-tinkerer.” I could not believe that there was only one “best way” or that “conventional wisdom” was correct. I remember arguing with my 3rd or 4th grade teacher that blood was not red – that is, not until it was out of the body. Of course,...

"We need to give people what we rarely get" - Frankie Mazzapica

I am overwhelmed by the desperation I see in the eyes of my audiences with each trip. While their demeanors hold and posture the socially-acceptable "everything is alright," their eyes say otherwise. They are starved for acceptance, recognition, and...here it comes...love...

On a recent trip, a friend smiled brightly because of "the way you make friends everywhere you go." I thought nothing of it possibly because I have worked at making it a habit to not only greet all who tend to me in stores, restaurants and other places of business, but to ask them their names and thank them personally. "Thank you, Deb," I might say. Or, "you really are the best, Tim." It is S.O.P in my world and now seems to flow out naturally and with ease...

To many, this might be posturing; being overzealous and manipulating people. To me, however, it is the way of life. I once heard it said that "a wise man knows everything, but a shrewd man,...