Happy Soul Food Friday!
This week:
Were you Blind Sided this Weekend? Lessons from Michael Oher and Super bowl 50:
“The future holds everything I want”
10 Principles of Success:
Stay Informed: Change Politics through Change.org
Were you Blind Sided this Weekend? Lessons from Michael Oher and Super bowl 50:
With Michael Oher playing in Super bowl 50 this past weekend, I wonder how many people rented or re-watched the movie The Blind Side.
And how many with no pre-existing loyalties to either team found themselves rooting for the Carolina Panthers just because of this “American Dream” story?
While some have criticized The Blind Side as presenting a white savior narrative in which a black man is unable to overcome poverty without the guidance of a white mother, my overall assessment was more charitable as I believe in a different circumstance the roles could be reversed, and our family couldn’t help but rent it again the night before the Super Bowl.
As a sports obsessed culture, we seem to have developed our own selective blind spots to domestic violence charges by professional football players, and remain blind to the persuasive devastation of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in football players of all skill levels, so maybe this story is a bright spark in a culture of selective seeing- given such a long-standing passion and tradition for American football.
Baby Mike learned as a child to close his eyes to bad things going on around him, reopening them with an affirmation that the world is good.
Big Mike grew up in a community, steeped in pervasive & institutional racism with attitudes and actions shaped by social “norms” -normal being the psycho-pathology of the average- rather than behaving into true “Christian” values. Sadly, like many people in this country we are not yet color blind to actualize the promise and potential of every person.
Mr. Michael Oher now for the second time had an international stage to demonstrate the power of his off-the-charts protective instincts and give us something good to highlight from the gladiators of our time that literally sacrifice their minds and bodies for their fame and fortune and their patricians, and our collective entertainment.
Yet, how many of us steer clear or are literally blind to certain parts of our local community? How many of us behave into societal norms, remaining silent on matters that matter most in a civil society?
If all our youth are the “quarterbacks of our future”, can and do we protect their blind side with our well-honed protective instincts?
Perhaps as part of Super Bowl 50 in this leap year we can reach for a new goal line, focusing on and celebrating the unsung heroes not just on but off the field. Like Michael if we would all just exert our protective instincts, maybe we could model taking care of each other, and create an opportunity for everyone to achieve their potential both on the field of play and in the real game of life.
Now that would be a REAL contact sport and deserving of the cherished ring!
More on Michael…
http://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/Michael-Oher-Blind-Side-Play-Super-Bowl-50-40069964
“The future holds everything I want”
One month into the year and I’ve already had several leaders express concern about meeting this year’s goals. Sober realism is a necessary leadership trait, and so is deliberate optimism. Seeing your opportunities in a positive way is both necessary for your own aspirations, and to energize others. Recognize that by thinking about the future optimistically your thoughts focus and crystallize around the results you seek.
You may find that a positive affirmation helps you maintain optimism about the future. Whenever you drift into concerned thinking, you might repeat a sentence to yourself, even something as open ended as “The future holds everything I want” can keep you in a hopeful and forward looking frame of mind. Granted, this affirmation isn’t a catalysts for change, but it can alter your perspective about your experience, which in turn may initiate your openness and willingness to take the risks you need to reach your goals.
Thinking positively about the future directs your mental energy toward promise and optimism. When you feel that the future holds possibility and engagement, you will focus on what’s going right, and communicate this state to others. This feeling of contentment allows you to look at the things that occur in your work and life – even things that might seem negative – as opportunities for growth. Viewing your experiences as a series of possibilities means you see the future as an opening instead of something unknown and fearful.
In the spirit of leading and learning,
Eric K
10 Principles of Success:
Change.org:
In 2015, more than 130 million people took to Change.org to create the change they want to see in the world.
You can see a few of the thousands of victories our users won below. And if there is something you want to change in 2016, in your community or in your country, you can start your own petition today.
Stay Informed:
Today, we’re excited to announce the launch of Change Politics, a new platform from Change.org that connects you with candidates and helps you make more informed decisions on Election Day.
With Change Politics, you can ask candidates about the issues you care about and upvote the questions you want answered. Top questions and favorites will be presented to candidates on January 31st, in advance of the first state primary.
Explore questions
Check out trending questions for the Democratic Primary and ask yours
Learn more about participating candidates:
Thanks this week go to Eric K, Larry H, and Agents of Positive Change Everywhere!
Pay it Forward…
Love,
Neville
“We become what we think about”
Happy Soul Food Friday! 