If I could get a little deep on your bahinds...

Today, Tim posted a new blog (which you should check out if you haven't) in which he finally spells out some of the reasons his family won't be performing in Branson after next year. It's a great post because it's honest and insightful in its own right, but I was struck this evening by something that Shanna (fancy that) wrote in her comment on the post. It reminded me of a quote that I posted YEARS ago by Gil Bailie. The quote goes something like this:

"Do not ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that. Because what the world needs is men who have come alive."

I think this is my favorite quote in the entire world because it addresses something often forgotten. It is very easy in our fast-paced, stressful world to get bogged down by the obligations we feel toward any number of things. There are so many things that we have been told by people throughout our lives that we MUST do...You MUST go to college, you MUST get a sensible, stable job, you MUST get married and start a family, you MUST grow up to be like everyone else. Forcing ourselves into that mold is one of the major things that is poisoning our society.

Have you ever met one of those people who is so extraordinarily passionate about life that it's contagious? You know the type. After spending 10 minutes with them, you feel like you could conquer the world on a whim. These are the people who stared at the world around them and said, "No. I refuse to allow you to define who I am." These are the people who decided that they were going to be part of the few who never let common sense stifle their dreams.

Do not ask what the world needs. In doing so, you lose sight of the things that make you who you are. Ask what makes you come alive, be it outlandish, insane, uncommon, or frightening, and go do that. Because what the world needs MOST are PEOPLE who have come ALIVE.