Quote Corner

The world is a book,

and those who do not travel

only read one page.

-St. Augustine

Quote Corner

That it will never come again,

Is what makes life so sweet.

-Emily Dickinson

Quote Corner

If you do not breathe through writing,

if you do not cry out in writing,

or sing in writing,

then don't write,

because our culture has no use for it.

-Anais Nin

Quote Corner

What do you do?

You laugh, you know?

I'm not saying I don't cry.

But in-between, I laugh,

and I realize how silly it is to take anything too seriously.

-Sam, Garden State

Quote Corner

Not all who wander are aimless. 

Especially not those who seek truth beyond tradition, 

beyond definition, 

beyond the image.

-Mona Lisa Smile

Live On the Edge

The world is a pretty incredible place. I've learned so much from my previous travels and current time abroad. I've also learned a lot from places back home in the States, though, too.

One of the most important things I've learned in my life is to live on the edge. Take life for everything it is worth, because it is far too short to do otherwise. When you live life on the edge, you get to suck the very marrow out of its bones. You get to experience things you would never otherwise experience.

Erica Jong wrote, "If you don't risk anything, you risk even more."
In Colossians 3:21 it says, "And whatsoever you do / do it heartily."
Katherine Mansfield said, "How can you hesitate? / Risk! Risk anything! / Care no more for the opinion of others, / for those voices. / Do the hardest thing on earth for you. / Act for yourself. / Face the Truth."
Kim Basinger stated, "When I am old I’m never going to say, 'I didn’t do this,' or, 'I regret that.' I’m going to say, 'I don’t regret a damn thing! I came, I went, and I did it all!'"
Paul Tillich remarked, "He who risks and fails can be forgiven. He who never risks and never fails is a failure in his whole being."

These people were onto something!

If you want to live fully, you have to do as Frederico Fellini said to live, "You have to live spherically--in many directions."

There have been many times that I've risked things in my life. Big, physical things--like skydiving, rock climbing, bungee jumping, rappelling, ziplining, and parachuting. But I've risked in other ways, too. I've risked changing my major in college. I've risked putting myself out there for others, even if they've rejected me or disliked me or made fun of me. I've risked being honest with others, even if I knew it was going to be hard to say to them or hard for them to hear. I've risked opening up about my problems and feelings to complete strangers on retreats and on Outward Bound. I've risked living away in a foreign country for a semester. I've risked being lonely and traveling by myself. I've risked applying for scholarships, internships, and job positions even if I didn't think I was qualified or good enough or smart enough.

The point is, I've made it a point in my life to try to never say no to an opportunity when it presents itself. If I had said no to all of the experiences when I've risked something, I wouldn't be who I am today. Risk is what makes us who we are. It sets us apart from those who are too afraid of change, challenge or chance.

So next time you get a chance to risk something, and you can't help but think twice about it and wonder if it will be worth it, just go for it. Do something extraordinary. Do something wild. Do something creative. Do something dangerous or out of character or uncomfortable or something you might fail at. Do it anyway, despite the setbacks or fears you have about its outcome. You might just find that you grow in the process and that you end up a better person because of the risks you take.

Have you ever risked something, even if you were afraid of failure? Even if you did fail, did you learn something in the process? And if you did learn something, then can it really be considered failure? Have you risked something and had it turn out better than you could have imagined? Did you feel different afterward, and were you proud of yourself with what you'd achieved?

Imagine Yourself... A Leader.

Leadership

"The wicked leader is he who the people despise. The good leader is he who the people revere. The great leader is he who the people say, 'We did it ourselves.'"

-Lao Tzu

"The Constitution does not just protect those whose views we share; it also protects those with whose views we disagree."

-Edward Kennedy

"You may read from time to time the voice of small radical groups. But this voice will not change the fact that mainstream Indonesia will continue to be moderate, tolerant and democratic."

- Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

"We cannot turn the clock back nor can we undo the harm caused, but we have the power to determine the future and to ensure that what happened never happens again."

- Paul Kagame

"All of us are driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won't do - that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be."

- Michelle Obama

"“Preventive vaccines have ended or helped control the most deadly infectious diseases known to man. Finding a vaccine to stop the spread of the HIV virus must be a global priority."

- Seth Berkley

All of these people are leaders. They have done incredible things for the world--things like helping to find a cure for HIV/AIDS, restoring peace to Rwanda, and being a voice for those less fortunate or able.

Great leadership takes great courage, hope, strength, responsibility, and integrity. There are hundreds and thousands of people who do great things for this world. Leaders come from all walks of life and all circumstances. They do things like run governments, lead huge movements, develop astounding technology, and own enormous businesses. But leaders also do things like tutor children who struggle in math after school hours, volunteer at local soup kitchens and nursing homes, write to their representatives about their concerns, and make thanksgiving and christmas dinners for handicapped friends.

Leaders are great and may be rich or famous or unbelievably intelligent, but they are also wealthy without money, famous without world renown, and intelligent without the best that education can offer.

Mother Teresa said, "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." Maybe individually we can't make a huge difference in the issues we are passionate about. Maybe individually we can't stop the wars that carry on throughout the world--or the wars that our own country are waging. Maybe individually we can't feed the millions of people who starve every day or quench the thirst of the millions of people who have no clean water to drink. But if, individually, we can't do this great things that seem vast and complex beyond our comparisons, then we can at least spread the word to others about the issues we are passionate about, promote peace to others about the wars of the world and of our country, and feed or quench the thirst of at least one person who is hungry and thirsty.

There are so many ways that people can become great leaders, and it always starts small.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia to a Reverend and his wife. He worked hard to educate himself and relied on his friends and family to help him achieve success. He relied on supporters during his activism. He took advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves to him instead of letting them pass by.

Dorothy Day was born in Brooklyn, NY to her mother and father, who were middle class, average Americans in the late 1890s. She strongly supported women's rights, pacifism, and equality for all. She made a difference in the lives of thousands despite the fact that she began relying completely upon herself with no monetary help from her parents and struggled to raise a child (Tamar) throughout it all.

The "Unknown Rebel" who, at Tiananmen Square in June of 1989 during Tiananmen Protests in China, stood before a line of 17 tanks to block their path is an iconic figure who represents courage and heroism to millions. Little to nothing is known about this man, or whether he is still alive, but he is surely an unknown leader who symbolizes the Everyman and gave hope to watchers.

These people could just have easily led lives where they chose not to do the courageous things that they did. They could have made decisions to lead quiet lives, hidden from the eyes of the public. But instead they stood up for what they believed in. They spoke up and found people to rely on and support them. It's certainly not easy to do the things that MLK, Jr., Dorothy Day, or the "Unknown Rebel" did. It's not easy to do things that Jesus of Nazareth, The Dalai Lama, Christine Lagarde, Nelson Mandela, or Gordon Brown did and still do.

However, taking small steps and again, as Mother Teresa said, "We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love," and that is how great leaders are made. They begin by doing small things with great love.