Following Freedom

Last night was one of the first nights in awhile that I slept outside. The weather was rough. A storm had blown down a house that afternoon. High seas and cold howling wind.

I had decided to sleep outside in solidarity with Nigel Bracken, who had organised a sleep out in Johannesburg in solidarity with the homeless.

I wanted to bail. What does my sleeping outside change? I'm in PE anyway.... and Does it make a difference? I don't think so. I kind of know it doesn't, but I want to stand with the poor and the oppressed. I want to fight a good fight and I want to support people who fight good fights.

That brings me to Nigel Bracken. This guy is after the real deal. He gave up a comfortable house in Johannesburg suburbia to move his family to a flat in the dangerous city centre. You can read his story transforming.org.za

That brings me to the core of this blog. We all follow people. We live in a society full of celebrities. They are only celebrities because other people celebrate them. Most of our celebrities are shallow, pointless and frankly full of themselves.

We celebrate people's talents like pastor's who speak well, singers who sing well (or are great at lip syncing), businessmen who are flamboyant, men who kick a ball really well... For some of us knowing and seeing these people gives us an excuse to never fulfil our potential, rather to sit on the sideline and watch them do their thing.

Why not celebrate people who really make a difference like nurses, teachers, social workers, moms, or volunteers running soup kitchens. People who lead the way in transforming society for the better...

We got it wrong. I got it wrong

Who are you following?

Who are you celebrating?

We all need examples. Older brothers and sisters, guides who inspire us to greater things. When we look up to people, that is ok. Just make sure we look up to the right people. Celebrate the people who do things that really matter.

I want to follow the people that I want to become. (Tweet This)

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You can share this story on twitter by clicking here. I would love you to connect more with me through Facebook or Twitter. 

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We talk and talk and talk...

This is a follow on from my conversation I had with Darren, (Read it here)

Somewhere in our conversation he uttered the words:

"Most of us use too many words and do to little." (Tweet This)

I found this quite a profound statement for a guy whose only real schooling has been the school of the streets. Darren left school when he was 16. He never studied further.

This statement really hit home for me.

Most people enjoy talking a lot. I have been in plenty of meetings, conferences and gatherings where people talk about all kinds of shallow and equally deep topics.

I love talking. It's my love language, my number one thing to do. Being ignored in a conversation, or being made to be silent is my worst nightmare. In Belgium we have a saying: "To Talk like a Bruggeman"....... its non stop conversation.... As I am a Bruggeman that saying has been more than once been applied to me.

For me, talking comes so easily. It is simple to talk about other people and to prescribe quick solutions. I know a fair few people who talk for hours about the changes they need to make in their lives. I have friends who have solved most of the worlds problems in their conversations.

I am one of those...

I need to become an action man.

No, I am not talking about some rugged bare chested wrestler. A whole lot would have to change for me to become that!

I need to become a do-er of the things that need to be done in my life and in the world around me.

I can't solve every problem in the world, but by changing one thing at a time I can make steps towards a better world for everyone.

Doing however, is a hard endeavour. Leaving your comfort zone, really stepping out, taking a chance...

The next time you talk, your story will be more real when you have done it and not just read it, talked about it or saw it on TV.

Share and Connect:

You can share this story on twitter by clicking here. I would love you to connect more with me through Facebook or Twitter. 

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