Day 27 - Two Little Words - Enthusiastically Focus

​An infamous actor once said, "A grownup is a child with layers on."
 
Have you ever sat and watched children play?  Not just SEE them play… I mean… have you ever simply observed their playtime behavior from a distance for an extended period of time?   
 
If you haven’t done so lately, I highly encourage you to get lost in the seemingly bewildering world of the child.  
 
I describe it as “bewildering” because, for some of us, the concept of imagination is woefully undervalued. For many of us, a cardboard box is (obviously) trash.  But, as many parents will tell you, in an indescribable feat of unimaginable imagination and separation from “reality,” the most haughty, humble, and even horrific children can take a simple cardboard box and turn it into the most grandiose spaceship.  
 
Moreover, that imaginary but real spaceship can go places that you and I can only dream of (literally). 
 
Or can we?  
 
Can we still dream?  
 
Or, as many of us think, have we lost all reason to dream?
 
Remember when we were “kids”?  Remember when we all talked about what we were going to be when we grew up?  For the boys, it was usually some action-oriented public servant like a fireman or a police officer… or, in some rare cases, The Six Million Dollar Man (the new millennium edition).
 
Since I didn’t have a sister while growing up, I can’t really comment on what the girls talked about.  But I think I remember hearing something about weddings, Magnum P.I., Prince… and (oh, yes)… something about “pick your favorite color and/or number” on that little paper flip-flap origami thing that many of the girls spent their time inventing and conspiring… er… collaborating - to "tell the future."
 
When I was a little boy, I absolutely loved corn; I couldn’t get enough of it.  And I swore that I would have corn for dinner every single day of my life when I got older.
 
Of course, now that I am an adult, my daily meals are much more diversified.  

However, I **DO** go through about a bag and a half of Doritos CORN chips every week.  So, I guess I stayed true to my childhood plans.
 
               Childhood plans?
 
Hmmm… did you notice the subtle shift?
 
Somewhere along the way, from child to adult, we stopped dreaming and start planning.  But, as children, we didn't have much experience at planning purposefully.  So… we winged it (wung it?).  
 
And the next thing you know, we were stumbling into teenager territory.  And while I won’t dwell on the ups and downs of my own teenage years, you have to admit, regardless of who you are (or were), those were some rather interesting years.
 
Then, we shifted into young adulthood, still trying to figure out what the world had to offer… and what we could simultaneously offer to the world.  And, in the best-case scenario, we had to earn a salary while we were at it.
 
I grew up as the son of GM autoworker, who was also the son of a GM autoworker.  As a teenager, I initially thought my path was as sure as theirs.  I remember wrestling with thoughts of growing older in my hometown, but was constantly conflicted by my dreams of seeing the world and living on an island somewhere.  I remember asking my high-school girlfriend what she planned to do after high school.  I remember reading all those great and wonderful books about all those great and wonderful far-off places that I wanted - no... needed - to visit.
 
I read those books, and, ultimately, I visited almost every place I wanted to visit.

​I simply made the plans... and then did it.
 
I guess I’ve always been a planner.  But, more importantly, I’ve always been a dreamer.  And I sincerely believe that you, too, have always been a dreamer.  You, too, have probably made the subtle-but-significant shift from dreamer to planner.  

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As adults, that’s what we do:
 
We plan...
 
...and then we execute the plan.  ​

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​But if we plan too much, we also make the misstep of executing our dreams (“executing” as in killing).
 
And let’s be clear… I’m not talking about our nighttime dreams – those can be quite weird (please tell me that I’m not the only one who has some pretty far-out dreams).
 
Anyway…
 
Today I have but one simple question:  

What would you do if someone gave you all the resources you needed?  
 
In other words, what you would do for free, but for which you would gladly accept a salary?
 
Today, as we steer clear of the latest numbers and viral videos about the virus, I only ask that you take a trip down memory lane and reconsider some of your childhood dreams.  But instead of resurrecting those long-ago slayed aspirations, focus on what it felt like to be able to dream without penalty.  
 
               That’s right: without penalty.
 
For some strange, odd reason, many adults feel as though all of their dreams have to make sense – or be reasonably achievable.  
 
               Nonsense!
 
Every now and then, we should just let our mind go where our hearts are longing to take us.  
 
How do we get there?  Simply…
 
ENTHUSIASTICALLY FOCUS.
 
Enthusiastically focus on what if felt like to just dream – without penalty.
      
Your mission for today: 
 
1. Look up the origin of the word "enthusiasm" (it just might surprise you).
2. Try to remember and focus on what it felt like to dream as a young child.
3. Prepare for tomorrow's Two-Little-Word mission.  It's big!
 
Forgive. Focus. Find. Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ®  

P.S. Remember: look up the ORIGIN of the word "enthusiasm" - not the definition of the word.

John H. Clark III is an optimistic realist.

Principal consultant at The PIE Group, and Executive Director of TeenBuilding USA, [a non-profit 501c(3)], John believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need.  And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me).
 
Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}.
 
An innovative business manager and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work!
 
An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life, a teen-focused guide, Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens, and the Christian-based book, God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life.
 
He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. 
 
Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and “authorize” people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets.  His trademarked phrase is a winner: