The power of one thought

Sorry it has been a little quiet on the desert front … I have been traveling this week and write from Americus, Georgia where I am spending the week working with Habitat for Humanity’s Youth Program.  It is kind of rare that I go on the road anymore due to my little guy, but this was an exception since it was a request from my best friend, Desiree, who is the manager of the program. 

I have really enjoyed being up in front of a group again and getting some insight into what is on the minds of employees in organizations.  In this case, most of the staff of the program are young themselves, either recent college graduates or a few years in the workforce.  They are excited, committed and passionate about the work they are doing and it makes me feel really optimistic about the future of our society to see their dedication to making the world a better place.

We drove past the original office of Habitat this morning, which was one house on a quiet street.  Later in the day, I sat in an auditorium and listened to their CEO talk about the huge amount of homes being built by volunteers in 90 countries around the world.  As an example, this month, 2,000 volunteers will build 100 homes outside of Mumbai, India as part of the Jimmy Carter Work Project.

As I sat back and listened to all the activity going on, I couldn’t help but think that at one time, the idea to provide "every man woman and child has a decent place to live" was just a thought in someone’s mind.  By acting on that thought and getting something started, a huge wave of power and energy was released, which has been harnessed to build over 200,000 homes, providing shelter for more than 1,000,000 family members.  Maybe some of you have been part of the millions of volunteers who have picked up a hammer and nail and helped build a Habitat home in your local community.

Maybe building houses or starting a non-profit is not your cup of tea. Whatever your passionate idea is, if you feel stuck or afraid or hesitant, I encourage you to get moving with it.  You may be amazed at the creative power it unleashes.

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And speaking of being on the road and doing creative things, it looks like Amanda Congdon of former Rocketboom fame and now fearless leader of the Amanda Across America project will come visit me at my home in Arizona next week to tape a video interview.  She is traveling across country and interviewing bloggers and other people with something to say and posting the interviews on her video blog (vlog) site.  She says that there will be about a week delay from the time the interview is taped until it is posted on the vlog, so I will let you know when the link is live.  I am really looking forward to it, and am excited to be a part of an entrepreneurial and creative project.  It will be fun to meet Amanda in person and learn about her adventures first-hand.

I better make sure I clean my house as all of you will join me in my living room!