Would anyone watch a film or read the book about the story you’re living right now? Not what you did in the past. Not what you hope to do someday (I hate that word). I’m talking right here, right now. Is there something compelling that would cause others to lean in and wonder, “what’s going to happen next?”

Let’s face it, no one cares about a story of a guy reclining in a chair eating Cheetos day in and day out. (Unless the chair has magical flying powers in which to defeat alien invaders and save planet Earth from destruction). We want to experience tales that move us. With a hero to root for and a clear goal for them to shoot for.

Will there be obstacles along the way? Absolutely. But that’s par for the course. No struggle, no story. But you must get up and go. You can’t wait for someone to do it for you.

So what’s your story right now? What’s the wall you need to break through? What’s the difference you need to make?

Perhaps it’s an endeavor you need to begin. Maybe it’s a relationship that needs to be repaired. It could be a project you need to finish.  Whatever it is, have the courage and grit to take a step forward. Just one step. You can do this!

After all, that’s what hero’s do.

Whenever you decide to do anything of significance, you are going to create change. There’s a something, somewhere in this world, in your community, in the marketplace, in your life, that needs to be made right, made better, or made new.  Your enthusiasm and passion for your endeavor is contagious and many people may pat you on the back and be excited about it until…wait for it, wait for it…you ask them to change. Suddenly, the brakes are slammed and all that excitement comes to a screeching halt and the air bag of your life deploys.

As you wipe the air bag off your face, a sobering realization hits you: people love to cheer for change; few want experience it.  Welcome to real life, my friend.

You see, we reside in a culture that shouts, “chase your dreams” to our face yet whispers, “don’t cause a scene” in our ear.  Yet, chasing a dream involves creating change which always causes a scene.

So what do we do when you encounter this resistance?

If you’re as stubborn as I am, you will spend your energy and enthusiasm trying to get them to change.  Often, this is like teaching grown-ups to ride a bike yet they refuse to push the pedals and go. You may even go so far as to try to push the pedals for them, but that’s not real change; it’s just wasted effort, and it looks ridiculous.

In frustration and sheer exhaustion, you could throw in the towel, believing it’s not worth it. But before you do that, let me encourage you to try another tactic.

What if you focused on the ones who are willing to change? They may be few, but perhaps they’re all you need to get rolling.

Let’s say your band has a unique sound and you dream of inspiring people around the world through your music. There’s nothing wrong with that. But let’s back the truck up a bit. How do you get there?

You could spin your wheels trying to connect with the passive thousands or you could focus on the committed hundred who are totally into your sound and grow from there. That’s called your base. It’s no coincidence that every movement has one. They are the early adopters, the believers, and the agents for change.  There’s something in your story that resonates with theirs.

They are the key to advancing that dream. And to really create change, you must engage them.

There is nothing like the rush of a good idea. When you hold this nugget of inspiration in your hand, so full of potential and life, it’s as if you’re holding a winning lottery ticket.

Those who live in the realm of ideas know how beautiful and rare this is.  Mostly because we’ve had so many ideas fall flat. And when a good one comes along, we great take pains to nurture it to life.

So how do you know you have a good idea?

While there’s no formula, I do believe all ideas contain these five basic elements in its anatomy:

Irony - This may seem odd, but every good idea should be ironic when contrasted with the current state of things.  It should have a sense of turning something on it’s head in an unexpected way. It’s what snags the attention of others and hooks their interest. Locally, there’s a car dealership that wants to sell cars. Not unusual.  But their promotion is to plant a tree every time they do sell a car, which is unexpected because vehicles are known more for what they do to the environment than what they do for it. That’s a bit of irony. (I love this piece on irony from The Oatmeal)

Simple - You must be able to explain it clearly and succinctly. If not, it’s too complicated and can’t travel into the imaginations of others.  As Einsten is quoted as saying, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”

The Click -  This is the, “A-ha!” moment when the gist of your idea connects with someone other than yourself. Many of my ideas were amazing until I tried to communicate them to someone else. Then I realized how off they really were. But the ideas that required minimal convincing before another person could picture it, were the ones that have blossomed most.

Solves a Problem -  Every single idea must solve a problem, or else why bother? There’s a need out there somewhere and your idea is the solution.

Pushback – If your idea goes in a different direction than conventional wisdom, it means it’s going to change something. When you change things, some people won’t like it. Even more, some will push back. I would add that if you don’t have any pushback after making your idea public, you likely don’t have a very strong idea.

Where do good ideas come from?

When I try to manufacture ideas, such as standing a whiteboard, looking at a piece of paper, or staring at a computer screen, the ideas I have are, well, ordinary at best. Yet, there’s still a purpose for doing these activities because it’s where the work begins.

However, it seems the best ideas I’ve ever conceived, or heard of, have come from one of two places. This is where the magic happens:

1) Out of the sky – It never fails. When I do normal things like taking a shower, playing catch, driving my car, getting a manicure (oh, wait), these are the times when an idea strikes me like a lightening bolt.  This is why I always keep something on me to record it.  Pen or paper, phone, iPad, laptop. If you want to catch lightening in a bottle, you’ve got to have a bottle nearby.

2) Piggybacking - The best reason I can think of to share your idea with someone else is because of what it could lead to.  You and a friend are discussing some idea when BAM!, you are inspired by a fresh idea.  You realize the original idea was just the foundation for this new and better idea.  This could be the wall you needed to breakthrough, or it perhaps an entirely different idea, or the merging of several ideas. Regardless, you needed to flesh it out before you could find it out.

Think back to your best ideas. When have they struck you? Do they contain these basic elements? I hope these tips help you in generating your ideas.

God knows the world needs them.

I was fidgeting with the little cups of half-and-half as a good friend and I were talking life over lunch. Both of us being the ambitious dreamers that we are, we discussed all of the hats that we wear and all the ones we hope to wear.

As I shared my current roles and aspirations, I randomly placed a thimble of half-and-half on the table for each one I mentioned. When I was done, I looked at all those little cups scattered on the table, representing my life, and began to line them up by priority.

Then it hit me!

There’s a thread that connects them all. I identified what all of these cups had in common and a theme emerged. And let me tell you, it was such a moment of clarity for me!  So much so, I themed this site after it.

That’s the thing about a story, it needs a theme. So does your story.

If someone asked you what your favorite film was about, you could describe it, right? Could you do the same thing for your life? 

Here’s the thing: you have been empowered to craft the theme for your life. You get to decide based on your interests, talents, passions, and convictions.

Let me encourage you to inventory the roles in your story and the ones you hope to have.  Use a tangible object (half-and-half cups, pen and paper, Fruity Pebbles, whatever), and ask these questions:

• What do these roles have in common?
• If someone didn’t know me and saw this, what would they think matters to me?
• Which ones get my juices flowing most?
• Is there anything I need to let go of?
• And of course, does this line up with what God wants for my life?

 
Chances are, a theme is there just waiting to surface. It was there all along. And once you identify the theme, it will help you make better decisions and live a better story.

At least that’s what I’m learning.

Some stories need changing.

This weekend, we hosted a screening of the documentary, Sex+Money: A National Search for Human Worth. The film highlights the issue of human trafficking and exploitation in the U.S.  For many, it was the first they had thought of the issue. And the impressions following the screening varied from reflective sadness to indignant anger.  It was clear to many that this was a story that needs changing and that they need to be a part of changing it.

How about you?

Is there a story that needs changing that you should be a part of?  Is there something in this world, in your community, or in your relationships that fires you up? Something that makes you think, “This should not be!”? That makes you think, “Someone should do something about that!”

Perhaps that someone is you?

You can gripe about it or you can do something about it. It’s up to you. But heroes do something, and I believe that’s who you are.

If you act, you’ll discover that you’re not alone. Others are passionate about the same thing. And it’s remarkable what a group of people who are fueled with the same passion and driven by the same goal can accomplish.

They make a difference. They change a story. They do what they’re called to do. They become who they were meant to be.

Why not you?