A young flawed American looking, as I’ve done in the past, to America for guidance, for acceptance, and for strengthened hope.
But what now reflects back into my eyes, mirrors anything but.
It’s an America more flawed than I. An America covering her flaws in a veil. A veil threaded and woven with ignorance and fear for certain groups of her people.
In the past she knitted and wore this veil, only to realize how out of fashion it was.
But in these times of certain uncertainty, she is wearing it again.
Her ignorance and fear is for those who want to enjoy her for what makes her unique, what makes her America. Life, liberty, and happiness.
People who want the right to marry who they love.
People who are trying to pursue a better existence.
And those who are trying to practice their religious freedom.
These three groups of people are exactly who America was created for. But this fact gets lost in the fear.
The fears that same-sex couples will somehow destroy love and marriage for straight couples and American families.
The fears that immigrants are going to come and steal valuable jobs from Americans who truly deserve them.
And the fears that allowing an Islamic community center to be built near the New York City September 11th attack site means that terrorists have won their war and that this will breed more terrorists.
The exact opposites are true.
Same-sex couples aren’t going to destroy the sanctity of love and marriage. They’re going to strengthen it. They’ve been denied it for so long that when they are given the right to marry; they’ll truly understand its worth. And their families will be strong, based on love that’s been tested.
A Mexican immigrant is not going to cross the border and steal the job you have or the job you want. He or she is going to work the lowest-paying, most degrading, and back-breaking job that you can’t even think of, let alone have or are trying to get.
And an Islamic center near Ground Zero isn’t going to breed terrorists. Forcing it to move and showing America to be intolerant of Muslims has a much greater chance of doing so.
Though what I hear and see in the actions and words of many Americans right now is frustrating and disappointing; I’m also excited. Excited for the near future when the veil begins to wear and tear with holes and lose its style.
The guidance, acceptance, and strengthened hope I’ve been looking for in older America may not be there, but that’s because I think I might be looking in the wrong place. Perhaps my generation is where I should be looking.
Generation Y, we’ve been insulted, made fun of, criticized, and branded as spoiled, inconsiderate, and unmotivated since we were born. Now is our time to look to America and guide those who are wrong and right, to accept those who are being alienated, and to strengthen the hope for America’s future.
Devan Tatlow is a four year old who was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. He has 11 weeks to find a bone marrow or cord blood match so that he can have a transplant to save his life.
Because of Devan’s mixed heritage, no match has been found yet and the search still continues. If your ancestry is mixed of Indian (South Asia) and European, please visit www.matchdevan.com and fill out the donor information form. Then please contact your country’s donor registry, links are on Devan’s site.
Also please share Devan’s story and website link: http://www.matchdevan.com/ on Twitter, Facebook, and any other site you can think of.
Please give Devan a chance to live a happy and full life!
Update:According to Devan’s website it says that he now has a partial match! Lets hope for a successful operation and recovery.
1. Pick a college and a major by the time you’re a senior in high school.
2. Graduate high school.
3. Go to college for four years.
4. Graduate college with a degree in the subject you’ve majored in and are passionate about.
5. Go out in the real world and find a job in your field.
6. Live happily and fulfilled…
Sounds good on paper, right? Well how many of us can choose what we want to do with the rest of our lives when we’re in our teens or early twenties? Not many. But unfortunately the system is set up for the few.
So what is one to do to keep from getting stuck in a job they hate and to find what drives them and what they’d enjoy for the rest of their life? Perhaps you could take a year and work a different job in a different field every week, for 52 weeks?
Sound unrealistic? Well Sean Aiken did just that.
In 2005, Sean Aiken graduated college with a degree in Business Administration, but he didn’t really know what he wanted to do with his life. Instead of just accepting it, getting a job in a cubicle, and “living” his life; Sean set out on a unique journey. A journey in search of passion instead of a career. He called his journey “The One Week Job Project.”
Here’s a video clip from The One Week Job Project website that describes the idea.
Sean, along with his friends, produced a documentary of the project and Sean has just released a book telling the journey entitled The One-Week Job Project: 1 Man, 1 Year, 52 Jobs.
Sean has graciously given Lyved the opportunity to ask him a few questions about this project and passion.
What advice do you have for those who can’t make a living out of their passion?
I learned that we don’t necessarily need to make a living out of our passion in order to be happy at work – there are many other factors that contribute to our job satisfaction. When I asked my coworkers what they liked most about their job, the common answer I heard was the people they worked with. It wasn’t so important what they were doing, or if it was their passion, but far more important was who they were doing it with.
Another factor I observed was that those who were the happiest in their careers were the ones who had a vision of how they were contributing to something greater than themselves. It mattered that they showed up to work each day because they contributed something valuable, and something was made better because of their work. For example, I worked on an organic dairy farm with a guy named George. The job demands long hours, very hard work, early mornings – after a couple of days I thought, “How can anyone enjoy this job?” But George seemed to love it. To George, he was providing food for thousands of people while contributing to the environment with his organic farming practices. He understood the significance of his job and that’s where he derived his job satisfaction.
I’d say if you can’t make a living out of your passion look for other ways in which you can fulfill your passion outside of work. I think it’s important to take a good look at your passion and think about different ways in which it could be fulfilled at work. For Week 22, I was a Radio DJ. On my last day I sat down with the radio station’s program director, Scott. I asked Scott, “How did you get involved in Radio. Did you always know that this is what you wanted to do?”
He said, “If you ask most people in radio where they started out, we’re all kind of failed musicians really. Truthfully we’d rather be the people making the music, but to be involved in music in some way, that’s where the passion lies.”
Even though Scott is not what he originally thought he wanted to be as a rock star, he loves his job. He still works in the same industry, deals with the same people, and is still able to cultivate his passion for music. We can’t all be rock stars, but it doesn’t mean we have to end up in a completely unrelated field – maybe we’d be just as happy being the person who hands the rock star their guitar.
The economy has changed a lot since you started this project in 2007. Do you think young people are forgetting about passion and are just finding any job that pays enough because of the current economy?
I think that a lot of young people don’t realize that it takes a lot of work to find a career you’re passionate about and still earn enough money to pay the bills, especially in today’s economy. There’s no problem with taking a job to pay the bills, the important thing is to not lose sight of where you’re heading, to continue developing your skills, and taking steps toward achieving the job that best suits you. I heard many stories over my year of people who took jobs for various reason, sometimes financial, and then 10 years later they realized that they are still in the same position that was supposed to be “temporary” and they’d lost sight of their original career goals.
Most college graduates have a ton of student loan debt, so do you have any tips on how they can find a balance where they can explore their passions but also earn some money to pay back their debts?
I think it’s more important to uncover the characteristics you need in a career to be happy then it is to uncover your passion. We do this through gaining experience, so merely by entering the work force we start to learn about the things that we like to do, the things that we are good, become more valuable to a future employer, and begin to pay back those nagging student debts.
What advice do you have for parents that aren’t too sure about their daughter or son trying to make a living out of their passion and by blazing their own trail?
Leave them alone. Support their decision. I think if someone has a genuine desire to pursue their passion, blaze their own trail, and yet they don’t go after it whole heartedly at some point in their life, they will undoubtedly experience a pang of regret. The younger we are when we do this the better.
Trying a bunch of things that seem interesting is probably one of the best ways to find a passion because of the hands-on experience. However, not everyone can try 52 jobs. So are their some other ways that people can find new passions?
Continue to develop your self-knowledge, try new things, volunteer, speak to people in different professions that interest you…
Even though you’re tried 52 different jobs, are there any more you’d like to try?
By the end of the year I had a lot of different offers, but I’m happy with the ones I chose. There was one job offer with bestselling author Seth Godin that I wish I was able to accept, but unfortunately the logistics didn’t work in my favor.
What kind of criticism have you been faced with during this project and how have you reacted and kept going?
I’ve received some cynicism towards the project but I try and remember that any unjustified criticism is likely rooted in their unhappiness with their current situation, and that it has nothing to do with me. I know why I’m doing what I’m doing and that’s all that matters – if people are able to learn as a result of me sharing my experience, great, if not, then that’s okay too.
Of the 52 jobs you did, what was the most nerve-wracking and why?
Yoga Instructor. I’d never stepped foot inside a yoga studio until that Monday morning, and then to be faced with the challenge of teaching class the Friday was extremely nerve-wracking. I attended 6 hours of classes a day, sometimes participating, sometimes taking notes about the instructor’s techniques, and then stood up and taught my first class on Friday. Very nerve-wracking, yet also very rewarding.
So Sean, what do you want to do with the rest of your life?
You’ll have to read the book to find out!
It’s called The One-Week Job Project: 1 Man, 1 Year, 52 Jobs, published May 4, 2010 by Random House.
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The project is ambitious, exciting, and inspiring. I recommend that you please check out The One-Week Job Project book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, IndieBound, or Random House. And please connect with Sean, on The One Week Job Facebook page and by following him on Twitter.
Three years ago, I was happy, successful and working in a different industry. My associate and long time friend walked into my office and asked me what I thought about creating a Facebook-like social network for the 12 Step recovery community. I sat there for a second and yelled; “YES, of course, let’s do it!” We haven’t looked back since.
That was April 26, 2007 when we began our journey into the social networking world, which is usually inhabited by 20 and 30 something Internet gurus and nerds. My cofounder, Ken Pomerance and myself Ron Tannebaum, are anything but – we are both Baby Boomers, in the 50 something category, or in other words Internet dinosaurs, but that did not deter us.
We chose a great name, no, the best name for a recovery site; In The Rooms. In The Rooms is a term used in all 12 step fellowships (AA, NA, GA, OA, etc.) that helps maintain our anonymity. For example, instead of saying to someone at a party, “Didn’t I see you at an AA or NA meeting” I would say “Don’t I know you from In The Rooms.”
After choosing our name we started developing our vision on a yellow legal pad which quickly transcended onto the back of one of my daughter’s science boards. Our idea and vision came naturally and quickly. Since we both have been in long term recovery for over a quarter of a century, we knew what we would want in a social network for the global recovery community.
In The Rooms was born.
We created a FREE online social network dedicated to the global recovery community for people seeking help, in recovery and their family, friends and allies of recovery worldwide. Our mantra is the acronym HITCH, to Help, Inform, Touch, Connect and Heal. And our mission is to augment or enhance traditional 12 step and other recovery programs by offering a place to not only find like-minded people but also people who share the same interests, passions and hobbies. The site helps connect people with other recovering people around the world, creating a supportive environment and community.
In The Rooms transcends the boundaries of all 12 step fellowships socially, while keeping the integrity intact by having individual groups for each fellowship. For the first time in history, In The Rooms provides social interaction between fellowships not found when attending regularly scheduled meetings. We are actively bringing together members of the global recovery community socially to experience a vast array of tools that can be used to enhance and expand ones recovery, experience and social connectedness. We designed In The Rooms for those not as fortunate as us, who can’t get to a meeting everyday or who need support in places where it’s hard to find or are home bound because of illness. We are not only a lifeline for many but we also save lives.
In the beginnings, In The Rooms world headquarters was my house. We began assembling a team with our limited budget, financed by myself and hired a part time developer and web designer to build a platform and make it look good. Before we began our fund raising we set out to California to meet with some social networking successes to listen and learn.
Ken and I put together a power point presentation that we could take with us on our quest for investors. I think we used the power point once before we realized how boring it was and just started explaining our vision. We let our honesty and passion speak for itself. It worked. The first ten people we presented our business plan wrote us a check and we were on our way to make our dream become a reality.
Ken and I both know from being in recovery to let things happen naturally, and that they did. We were on a spiritual journey toward our number one goal, getting In The Rooms ready for launch. Everything was happening the way it was supposed to happen, one person introduced us to another, one door closed another one opened. For example, we were introduced to a new design team, three wonderful guys who own Macias Advertising in Miami, and they joined our team and created our new In The Rooms logo, look and identity. At about the same time we met an old friend of mine from childhood at a funeral who’s company later became our new tech partner and now In The Rooms was ready to launch. We even eventually moved our offices into the In The Rooms loft.
In The Rooms has been growing ever since. Since our inception and launch on October 6, 2008, In The Rooms has become the number one trafficked recovery based social network in the world with over 80,000 members, in over 50 countries and over 218,000 years of recovery in just 18 months. In The Rooms currently has 18 different 12 Step fellowships represented and there is more to come. We feature a vast speakers tape library, daily meditations, a worldwide meeting list for AA, NA, GA and OA, blogs, forums, discussions, four ways to communicate including private and instant messaging, comments and status updates. In The Rooms has over 1200 affinity groups to choose from or you can start a group of your own that fits your needs.
There is a recovery movement and In The Rooms is leading the way. We want to put a positive face on recovery. Those in recovery are no longer just the person living under the bridge or pushing a grocery cart aimlessly in the streets. We are the moms and dads, aunts and uncles, grandparents, your favorite teachers, judges, doctors, priests, rabbis, ministers, plumbers, lawyers, legislators and your next-door neighbors. Recovery is an asset not a liability.
We look back and compare the recovery movement today to the breast cancer movement 30 years ago when the word cancer was whispered, not spoken aloud. Now where can we go and not see a Pink Ribbon? Those recovering from addiction are responsible members of society and the old myth is dead. Addicts and alcoholics do not have to die from their addictions, we do recover and recovery is an asset not a liability.
Since that day in April 2007 when I made the decision to join Ken and move forward to create In The Rooms, the best recovery site the world had ever seen, my life has made a significant change spiritually. I wake up everyday feeling whole, knowing I am doing something that is good for the global recovering community and humanity at large. I cannot wait to get to our offices, The In The Rooms loft everyday. I have truly found what drives me. It is my passion
for helping others and standing up for what I believe in. I have realized now that my feelings of happiness and fulfillment is an inside job and comes from opening my heart and giving back to others unconditionally. I’m loving every minute of it.
Over the course of my studies I was finding myself struggling to find direction; it felt as if I was drifting through my studies with no options available at the end of the line. This feeling did not begin to turn around until I made the decision to open myself up to colleagues at work and tutors in study; as a result I began to look deeper in to their plans for the future.
When I opened up to colleagues conversations became more serious in nature but still felt comfortable as I knew I was taking new steps to learning. This course of action encouraged me to take any available opportunity for self improvement and be engaging in the face of a challenge. This practice resulted in my undertaking of activities including driving lessons, Taijitsu classes, re-energizing the social charity committee at my place of part time work and interviewing peers on their development in aid of my BA project (which in turn inspired this article).
Sharing details about our lives with one other was both pleasant and enlightening. From reflecting on this I came to the conclusion that role models don’t have to be magnificent success stories and inspiration can come from the simple but moving characters we encounter in work, at study or anywhere else. Organizations are rarely more interesting than their people.
Many people live by their life goals; people pursue their career or their hobbies as their way of life. Ambitious people seek ambitious life goals. Inspiration can be found from many sources for those who are willing to accept learning from the examples of others. Everyday role models are people above, level or even below you within your field whose actions and insights inspire you to better yourself.
These role models can be people in situations similar to yourself or in situations you may encounter in the future it’s a matter of applying the lessons they share to your own issues.
Whatever wisdom you seek is widely available if you embrace the examples of your own everyday role models.
What makes a role model
A lot of people see a role model as their source of inspiration; these role models are commonly successful people upholding values similar to your own.
Your everyday role models are not the heroes you aspire to, but they are the people you see day to day living their own lives, each person is a storybook and their lessons have merit for those willing to listen. Your everyday role models can be ordinary people with very simple plans and values; it is in listening to and questioning these simple motivations that you can get deeper in to the mindset of your role model.
What you can learn from a role model
We are encouraged from childhood onward to have role models to look up to, so we can learn from the experiences of others. When applying this thinking to your everyday role models it is likely they have had more experiences and can offer more insights than first meets the eye. It is up to you to engage with and take lessons from these people.
Your role model of choice can act as a source of progress, by imitating their steps to success you have set down a plan to achieve. Role models can also be the ones who grant you direction to begin with, by taking their values to heart. Observing the actions and mindset of your role model allows you to compare yourself with your role model and identify changes that you feel are in order.
Everyday role models are people similar to you; they are your friends, your family and your colleagues. They have their own set of values just like your heroes and they can hold just as much wisdom as well; all that is needed is for you to open the book.
How you can start learning from your everyday role models
The beauty of observing lessons from everyday role models is the simplicity to get out there and start, these people are the people you know and care for the most. See them as an open book not a chest of secrets.
Take these lessons to begin learning from your role models:
-Take time to speak to them – A simple process, don’t be the one who is too busy to stop and talk. When you encounter one of your colleagues take the time to stop and speak to them
- Ask simple questions – These simple questions are all that’s needed to get the ball rolling, these questions are a matter of asking “What’s going on?” or “How are you?” use of simple manners put people at ease and help them open up.
- Be interested – The key to learning anything from these talks is to be attentive to what is being said. Taking an interest allows you to retain the lessons learned better, you will also come across as interested to the other person, and as a result they will feel good engaging with you and be much more open in the future.
How to be an everyday role model to others
Perhaps you admire the simplicity of learning from others and wish to know how to make yourself a better everyday role model to people. The time may come where you step up to leadership by necessity; this is the time when you will need to understand engagement. Engagement allows you to show your team:
- Understanding
- Respect
These narrow the leadership gap between you and your team, bringing you closer.
- Speak to your peers – Developing relationships from which inspiration can be derived is a two-way street. Speaking to others is the key to making yourself open.
- Give advice based on common values – Discussing solutions to issues works well if both parties have the same outcomes in mind. Identifying your own values with a colleague’s allows discussion between both parties to run parallel with one another – the result is you are working together on a logical and human level.
- Be yourself – To be regarded as a true role model you need to teach your own lessons, for if people are to accept you, they must accept the real you. They will learn to admire your quirks and see what makes you unique.
To conclude
Giving more consideration to your surroundings allows you to perceive more about life and is the first step to finding the answer to your problem, so take the first step, tell your everyday role models how you admire their values and insights, and tell them the positive effect their lessons have had on you. Now is the time to begin opening up to your own everyday role models.
Written by Daniel Burns
I am a full time BA Business Management student from Northern Ireland with aspirations for a career in management upon graduation. My 3 years of study have taught me the importance of leadership through engagement. My writing started as an outlet for my own personal reflection on life and learning. My intention is to share these thoughts with the web community in the hope of gaining a deeper understanding of working and developing through people’s values and attitudes. For any questions I’m available at bbdanpat(at)aol(dot)com.
On Lyved (pronounced lived), you will find articles on various aspects of life. Every post is positive, motivating, and offers tips on how you can improve your life and change the world. To learn more about Lyved please visit here.
Here’s the standard path of young adults today:
