|
 |
You Make A Difference!
by Burge Smith-Lyons |
|
Who you are
makes a difference!
A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her
seniors in High School by telling them the
difference each of them had made. She called each
student to the front of the class, one at a time.
First, she told each of them how they had made a
difference to her, and the class. Then she presented
each of them with a blue ribbon, imprinted with gold
letters, which read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference."
Afterwards, the teacher decided to do a class
project, to see what kind of impact recognition
would have on a Community. She gave each of the
students three more blue ribbons, and instructed
them to go out and spread this acknowledgment
ceremony.
Then they were to follow up on the results, see who
honored whom, and report to the class in about a
week. One of the boys in the class went to a junior
executive in a nearby Company, and honored him for
helping him with his career planning. He gave him a
blue ribbon, and put it on his shirt. Then he gave
him two extra ribbons and said, "We're doing a class
project on recognition, and we'd like for you to go
out, find somebody to honor, give them a blue
ribbon, then give them the extra blue ribbon so they
can acknowledge a third person, to keep this
acknowledgment ceremony going. Then please report
back to me and tell me what happened."
Later that day, the junior executive went in to see
his boss, who had been noted, by the way, as being
kind of a grouchy fellow. He sat his boss down, and
he told him that he deeply admired him for being a
creative genius. The boss seemed very surprised. The
junior executive asked him if he would accept the
gift of the blue ribbon, and would he give him
permission to put it on him. His surprised boss
said, "Well, sure." The junior executive took the
blue ribbon and placed it right on his boss's
jacket, above his heart. As he gave him the last
extra ribbon, he said, "Would you take this extra
ribbon, and pass it on by honoring somebody else.
The young boy who first gave me the ribbons is doing
a project in school, and we want to keep this
recognition ceremony going and find out how it
affects people."
That night, the boss came home to his 14-year-old
son, and sat him down. He said, "The most incredible
thing happened to me today. I was in my office, and
one of the junior executives came in and told me he
admired me, and gave me a blue ribbon for being a
creative genius. Imagine! He thinks I am a creative
genius! Then he put a blue ribbon that says, "Who I
Am Makes a Difference", on my jacket above my heart.
He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find
somebody else to honor. As I was driving home
tonight, I started thinking about whom I would honor
with this ribbon, and I thought about you. I want to
honor you. My days are hectic and when I come home,
I do not pay a lot of attention to you. Sometimes I
scream at you for not getting good enough grades in
school, and for your bedroom being a mess. Somehow,
tonight, I just wanted to sit here and, well, just
let you know that you do make a difference to me.
Besides your mother, you are the most important
person in my life. You're a great kid, and I love
you!"
The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he
could not stop crying His whole body shook. He
looked up at his father and said through his tears,
"Dad, earlier tonight I sat in my room and wrote a
letter to you and Mom, explaining why I had took my
life, and I asked you to forgive me. I was going to
commit suicide tonight after you were asleep. I just
did not think that you cared at all. The letter is
upstairs. I don't think I need it after all." His
father walked upstairs and found a heartfelt letter
full of anguish and pain.
The boss went back to work a changed man. He was no
longer a grouch, but made sure to let all of his
employees know that they made a difference. The
junior executive helped several other young people
with career planning, and never forgot to let them
know that they made a difference in his life...one
being the boss' son. In addition, the young boy and
his classmates learned a valuable lesson, "Who you
are DOES make a difference".
I just wanted to remind all of us that “we do make a
difference” and “we matter”.
Just as Buckminster Fuller explained in the theory
of “precession”, every body in motion effects other
bodies in motion. If we are moving toward a goal, we
are creating an effect. The effect we create depends
on the intention we have while moving toward a goal.
You have heard it is the “journey not the
destination” before. Once you achieve a goal, you
may ask yourself , “Now what”? Remember, the value
you add along the way is really what matters, not
the goal. Keep moving forward and adding value and
the effects you have on the world will matter and
add value.
Let’s all remember to "demonstrate, demonstrate,
demonstrate" and "never give up, never give in".
You are important!!.
© Copyright
Burge Smith-Lyons.
All Rights Reserved.
By Burge Smith Lyons:
 
 The
Essence of Being ™ is
a 3-day experiential weekend to discover your beliefs
about love, money, happiness, success, and how to enhance your
life! It's about breaking old habits and changing
methods that no longer work for you. Through a series of
simulations, role playing, and experiential games, you
will have an opportunity to see the patterns you've
developed in your life. With your new
awareness ,
you have the opportunity to change or keep them. Learn
how to create a new approach to life. HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED!
Click here to learn more!
Burge Smith-Lyons
is the owner & president of The Essence of Being, Inc.
& Burge Enterprises, Inc. which consults, produces,
and facilitates family & corporate trainings and seminars
for emotional healing, better communication techniques, and
team building.
She is a minister, certified rebirther, personal coach,
family and couples counselor, motivational speaker, trainer,
workshop leader and intuitive healer. She has created and
facilitated personal growth workshops in the fields of
self-empowerment, relationships, abundance, and emotional
healing for adults and children for over 25 years.
Burge is
the Chairman and founder of The Healing Forest
Foundation, Inc. It is a non-profit organization
that focuses on experiential learning and the shifting
of outdated belief systems that contribute to physical,
mental, and emotional illness for children and their
families. The foundation produces "Kid Power Camps" for
children ages 6-17 for one-week residential & day
camps. It produces workshops for divorced or separated
parents dealing with alienation & emotional stress.
Burge facilitates support groups with parents who are
dealing with similar issues. She has brought
interactive programs and self-esteem workshops to the
Atlanta City Schools, Prodigy Learning Centers, and
Alternative High Schools in Asheville, N.C. She has also
been a communications teacher for high school as well as
a primary educator for kindergarten and elementary
schools.
She has thousands of
graduates from around the world & training centers in
Atlanta , Miami, Asheville, Boston, and Rhode Island.
Please visit
her site at
www.essenceofbeing.com, or
visit
www.bubbletalk.net to learn about her new DVD: "BubbleTalk...
the subconscious thoughts that block us from getting
what we want".
|
