Fitting the world in 140 characters or less.

Exploring the world in 140 characters or less.

This is Twitter.

Twitter is a conversation.

When you post on Twitter, you’re either continuing a conversation or creating one.

This is what many Twitter people miss- particularly businessses.

The goal isn’t to pimp yourself.

The goal is to contribute.

Twitter is a pulse.

There are millions of people (and growing) from all over the planet on Twitter.

Is there an easier way to check the pulse of the globe?

Especially without it being controlled by the media, government, or agenda-driven organizations?

Twitter is sociology on steroids.

What are people thinking at certain times of the day.

What events in the world are capturing the attention of the world.

Twitter has really become the new public opinion poll.

It’s an unfiltered collective and full of bias and opinions and that’s what makes it so wonderful.

Twitter is relational.

If you don’t have people that you know, or are getting to know, it’s not fun.

After all, who wants to talk to an empty room?

Sometimes, the best way to get to know someone is to know the little things about them.

Twitter is about the little things.

What people watch, where they eat, artists they listen to, authors they read, friends they chill with, what annoys them, what makes them laugh.

Twitter’s like a perpetual first date.

Discovering preferences, habits, pet peeves, life rhythms, characters, issues, opinions, wisdom, and absurdities.

It’s all contained in the hairball that is Twitter.

Twitter is what you make it.

It’s not Twitter’s fault if you think it’s pointless.

You just haven’t made a point yet.

That’s the beauty of Twitter.

It’s a blank canvas and we are the artists.

Find me on Twitter at twitter.com/jasonsalamun

One of the best things you can do for your personal development is this:  READ!

So few people do it, which is exactly why you should. While others wade in the same waters of common knowledge, you can explore new islands of ideas.

Several years ago, I began creating an annual reading plan based on my goals. My aim wasn’t to break a reading record, but to read intentionally from a variety of genres that helped stretch me, inspire me, and prepare me. This is one of the best things I’ve ever done.

Creating a reading plan feels like you are mapping your future, because, well, you are.

Here are some questions to help guide you in crafting your reading plan:

What do I want my story to be this time next year?
At the risk of sounding cliché, if your life is a story, you have an amazing opportunity to fill the pages. Setting goals is simply being intentional with your life. There are many things in life we can’t control, but we are responsible for the parts we do.

What’s keeping me from attaining it?
Every good story has big hurdles to overcome and yours should be no different. Otherwise, you should dream bigger. Is it understanding you lack? Do you need a shot of motivation? Is fear getting in the way? It’s important to identify this because it will help determine the right weapons (books) to slay your dragon.

Who has been on a similar journey?
Wise people use what’s already been discovered and build on it. Unfortunately, most people (like me) tend to learn the hard way and feel the need to (cliché alert) reinvent the wheel. But if we get over ourselves and use the wheel that’s already there, we can start to do new things with it.

What books did they read? What books did they write? What resources did they create?
This is where you finally compile a list of books. From there, you can create categories to place them under. Not everything in life fits neatly in a box, but it helps to organize your thoughts and search for books. If you don’t know where to start, ask others, browse websites, and read reviews. I always leave a little wiggle room for the books that pop up during the year that catch my eye, but for the most part, I know what I’m reading.

Once you have your list together, all that’s left to do is read.

Several years ago, I was wrestling with what to do with my life. I had this nagging sense that God was calling me to something, I just didn’t know what. It seemed so many around me knew exactly what to do with their lives. And here I was-full of passion yet lacking direction. I was at a crossroads.

It was frustrating.

On a summer weekend during that time, I went to the grocery store to pick up some items for dinner. As I was checking out, I looked near the entrance and spotted a familiar face standing there waiting for someone.

It was Brock Lesnar.

I knew of Brock. He and I are the same age and I had heard about this beast from Webster, SD from some high school wrestling buddies. He later went on to become the NCAA heavyweight champion in college and found fame and fortune as a pro wrestler in WWE.  In 2004, he left the WWE to pursue a dream of being in the NFL and tried out for the Minnesota Vikings. Despite his rare mix of strength and quickness, it didn’t work out, and he was cut.

I met Brock following all of this.

People unknowingly walked by him as they entered and exited the grocery store, but I knew who he was. After I paid for my items, I walked up to him and introduced myself. He was much kinder than I expected from the pro wrestling persona he had on TV. I asked what he was doing in Rapid City and he said he was going to hang out at his family’s cabin in the Black Hills, do some 4-wheeling, and try to figure out what’s next for his life.

It turns out he was at a crossroads too. He mentioned he had options to return to the WWE, possible go to Japan to wrestle, or maybe start training for mixed-martial arts. He just wasn’t sure which way to go. It was clear he had the same inner turmoil as me (albeit in different ways).

Brock then asked me about my life. I told him I was in a similar spot and that I understood what he was going through. We bantered back and forth about each others situations. It was refreshing talking to someone who got it. No one was asking for autographs or pictures, it was just two dudes talking.

Then, his wife walked over to Brock and he introduced her to me. Not wanting to be “that guy” who kept them from enjoying a peaceful time together, I decided to wrap up our chat and mentioned that he had too much talent to not be utilized and wished him well. He wished me well too and we both went on our way.

As I was driving home, I was taken back by our simple chat. I’m sure Brock doesn’t remember our exchange at all. He probably gets that sort of interaction all the time. But for me, it was a gift from God. It was like God was saying that I wasn’t the only one in the in-between. Even those “who’ve made it” experienced what I was experiencing. I was normal (okay, that’s debatable).

Since then, I’ve followed Brock’s career. He eventually entered the world of MMA and today, he is the UFC heavyweight champion after only a handful of fights. This past year, he was crippled by a serious intestinal disorder and it wasn’t clear he’d fight again. And by some accounts, it wasn’t clear how long he would live. But now, he’s alive and well and he did fight again. This past weekend, as I watched his dramatic victory against Shane Carwin at UFC 116, it was goosebumps city. There was the guy who wasn’t sure what to do next with his life now doing something remarkable with it.

Donald Miller says, “A story involves a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.” That’s certainly true of Brock Lesnar and it’s also true of you and I.

Perhaps you’re smack dab in the middle of the in-between. You’re frustrated. You feel like life is passing you by. You sense you’re meant for more.

If that’s you, you’re in good company, my friend. Anyone who’s ever done anything worthwhile has been where you are right now. Even Jesus had his wilderness experience, his in-between time, before he changed the story of everything.

My advice is to pray, go the direction that’s most loving, utilize your God-given talents, and look for opportunities along the way. And if you don’t see any, create them.

Don’t just see your life as it is, get a vision for what it could be, and go for it!

The world needs you – to do – what only you can do.

This happens when you – become the you – God created you to be.

From the J.R.R. Tolkien classic, The Return of the King:

“But Sam lay back, and started with open mouth, and for a moment, between bewilderment and great joy, he could not answer. At last has gasped: “Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? What’s happened to the world?”

“A great shadow has departed,” said Gandalf, and then he laughed and the sound was like music, or water in a parched land; and as he listened the thought came to Sam that he had not heard laughter, the pure sound of merriment, for days upon days without count. It fell upon his ears like the echo of all the joys he had ever known. But he himself burst into tears. Then as sweet rain will pass down a wind of spring and the sun will shine out the clearer, his tears ceased, and his laughter welled up, and laughing he sprang from his bed.

“How do I feel?” he cried. “Well I don’t know how to say it. I feel, I feel” – he waved his arms in the air – “I feel like spring after winter, and sun on the leaves; and like trumpets and harps and all the songs I have ever heard!”’

“Behold, I am making all things new.” – Jesus (Revelation 21:5)

For years, evangelical leaders proclaimed that Christians shouldn’t read Harry Potter or watch the movies. Lest his superpowers provoke our children to become witches and wizards. (Curiously, the moralists aren’t outraged by the magic in Chronicles of Narnia or the powers of Superman.)

The real issue is a lack of imagination. The ring in Lord of the Rings isn’t really about the ring. The Veggies in VeggieTales isn’t really about the vegetables. The magic in Harry Potter isn’t really about the magic.

It’s art.

Art (and stories) often use symbolism and metaphor to communicate something else. This is what makes the fantasy and superhero genre so popular. People enjoy searching for meaning. And there’s plenty of it in Harry Potter.

That said, I’m not going to say yes or no to Harry Potter. I’m not a moralist. I’m a Christian. I would say go with your conscience.

I do believe God is a big God and that every story, intentional or not, is wrapped up in his story. We just need the eyes to see it.

Besides, the real danger of Mr. Potter doesn’t lie in his magic.

It lies in his influence on culture through fashion:

The dark-rimmed glasses.

Its obvious there’s a grand conspiracy and no one is safe.

Especially the hipsters.

This atrocity must stop.

For the sake of the children.