Nine days into the new year and I am excited to finally be kicking off the House of Shine's "Year Of Project".
The idea for this project began a few years ago when readers of the House of Shine read the book, This Year I Will, by M.J. Ryan. Ryan asserted that one of the reasons so many people fail at successfully accomplishing their New Year's resolutions is because they underestimate how difficult it is to change (or adopt) a new behavior.
Instead, Ryan suggests picking one thing you would like to accomplish and focusing all of your time, thoughts, and energy on bringing it to fruition.
I immediately felt like M.J. Ryan was a long lost friend because, if you stop to think about it, the entire premise of her book is about how to shine. How do you take something for which you have energy and focus on it so hard that you actually - physically - make it manifest? Once we know we are capable of doing that then our potential is unlimited and we are well on our way to shining.
And so began the Year Of Project.
I am excited to have 35 people registered to participate this year, with the range of goals as varied as the participant's demographics themselves. Over time, I hope to share more about each participant, but for today you'll have to settle for the same familiar faces many of you have come to know and love - Cheryl, Heather, and me.
Watch us reveal the focus of each of our years and then visit us in the Comment Section to tell us what you have titled yours.
Shining off until...
I am reminded daily of how much good is in the world.
Yesterday, Jack and I were in the supermarket picking up a few items for dinner. The woman ahead of us in the checkout line was digging through her change purse to finish paying her bill.
Jack, who for over a year has has been helping me save dimes for my local Rotary Club, couldn't help but comment on all the dimes she had. Overhearing him, the woman dug into her change purse and handed Jack one.
I explained to the woman we were collecting dimes for a local program providing computers to kids whose families cannot afford them and how excited Jack would be to add another dime to our jar.
By now we were paying our bill, but our new friend Marilyn didn't leave. She found a quiet place out of the way and began sorting through the rest of the coins in her purse. Together she and Jack uncovered 33 more dimes and insisted that Jack place them in his pocket until he got home and could add them to our mason jar.
Before Marilyn left she did one more thing. She asked me for my email address, so that she could contact me when she had another collection of dimes to be picked up.
All of this happened in the middle of Albertsons on a random Thursday afternoon. It was a chance meeting with Marilyn - one more person committed to powering the planet with shine.
Shining off until...
The week of Christmas, Matthew and I walked around an adjoining neighborhood, so he could sell the last of his 300 Christmas Edition On-a-Roll-Party-Favors.
And something funny happened.
One customer waited for Matthew to finish his sales pitch and then promptly responded by asking, "What are you selling these for?"
I think what she meant was, "Are you selling them on behalf of an organization?" or "Where do the profits go?"
Without skipping a beat, Matthew unbenounced to me, replied, "Because I am trying to find out what comes after a trillion dollars."
Imagine how fearless each of us could be if we shared Matthew's clarity of purpose.
And one more thing.
Like Matthew, I also had no idea what comes after a trillion dollars. Here's the difference between the two of us, though. Matthew wants to know because he dreams about getting there. I've never thought twice about the question because the dollar amount seemed so completely far-fetched.
It's easier to Shine when you are like Matthew - a curious dreamer - than it is when you are uninformed and complacent.
FYI...
Quadrillion
Quintillion
Sextillion
Septillion
Octillion
Nonillion
Decillion
Undecillion
Duodecillion
Tredecillion
Quattuordecillion
Quindecillion
Sexdecillion
Septendecillion
Octodecillion
Novemdecillion
Vigintillion
Googol
Centillion
Shining off until...