Sorry for the long delay in posts, but as they say, life flies on wings of lightning. So it has been this last week. We had the privilege of spending the first half of the week with new HM Executive Director Virginia Dixon and her family. We rode the ATVs, fished the lake, shot clay pigeons and black powder and cooked, ate, cleaned, played and prayed together on the mountain and created a lasting legacy of friendship with the Dixon family. What a wonderful way of getting to know and appreciate our leaders and their families. It was especially great to get to know Ray better and to feel his love and leadership of his family. Thanks Caleb, Jordan, and Morgan for joining your mom for the celebration of her HM success and spending time with the Clowards at Aspen Lodge. We loved getting to know and love you more.
On Thursday we traveled to Park City for the Sr. Leader Round Table and Leadership Conference. We were at the the new New Park Hotel and the facility and comradery were great. The discussions insightful and energizing. The leadership training was invaluable and the friendships and networking supercharging for the business. We look forward to more of you attending with us at Reunion in September and at next year's Leadership Conference.
The most important information of the Conference focused on the shift from Heritage Celebrations to Heritage Workshops. Thanks to Wendy McGee, Hallie Redd, Heidi Arave and Mary Hansen for their roles in developing the new Workshop format and for the presentation to help Leaders get the vision of how we will move forward with the goal of every attendee becoming a heritage maker, not just a story keeper. We will continue to pilot this exciting shift in the way we present HM and will have Workshop Kits ready for Reunion. In the meantime we encourage all consultants to get with your upline leader to get the picture and start the transition of how we explain and teach heritage making in a workshop format.
The basic focus is a sequence of simple discussions and interactions with a small group (six) participants (not guests). The sequence is -- photos, stories, scanning, heritage, studio (new demo DVD is coming), premier, membership, packages, opportunities (workshop hosting, scanning and consultancies). As we get our entire consultant organization using the system and the simple scripts that will come on cue cards in the Workshop Kit it, we will "cookie cutter" the business so that it is simple and duplicative for all our new people. This will truly position us to move into momentum growth this fall and on into the next year.
It was an intense training and development event, but it wasn't all work. After all, it was a Leadership Makeover. There were the professional massages at check in, the spa products in the rooms, the Jacuzzi tubs on every balcony, the Alpine Slide after the ski lift to the top of Park City mountain. But the absolute best was just being together again with the other HM Directors and Sr. Leaders from across the country. To sum up the experience, we were truly --- inspired, instructed and motivated. Please get with you upline Leader to get more of the details about her Leadership Makeover and what she has brought back for you.
The next post will come after a bit of R & R on the mountain preparing for the next round of chemo and contemplating some tough decisions we must make about my treatment and life going forward. Until then,
Onward and upward
Love Doug
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Binding Families Together
I had a few tough days this round, but am up and running toward our HM Leaders Conference and our second Executive Family Retreat with Virginia Dixon's family at the lodge this weekend. Life is good and the adventure continues.
As we have developed the HM venture, we have struggled a bit to get clarity of the vision, mission, values and the message of the business. I am not talking out of school to share with you what has been a learning experience for many in this forging of a common vision and articulation of what our business is. I trust that this confession and explanation will shed light and help to clarify who, what and why we now declare we are as Heritage Makers - the company. For family and friends not associated with our business, I hope that you will find, that since my life is so fully entwined in our business that this is my, life journey and purpose for whatever days remain and thereby may be of interest to you as well.
This is the story of our story. It all started, really, with the creation of a concept word called storybooking, the process of creating a scrapbook with more focus on the story behind the pictures and the art, than the art itself. The new concept storybook was also to be a hard bound book, rather than an album of pages and pictures in a binder, the traditional scrapbook approach.
The authors of this novel new approach to capturing important life information in a storybook were Candace May and mother, Sharon Murdoch. This was their concept and they paid dearly to develop the idea into a real product service and eventually a business called "My Family Tales." They were joined in the crusade, to launch the fledgling business, by three other equally committed people who have ownership in the birthing of the storybooking venture. They included Christine Crandall, Heidi Arave and Lisa Nelson. There were others who made contributions including Mary Strand who put financial support behind the new business.
This history and the people of the storybooking concept and My Family Tales in the early 2000's set the foundations for what has become Heritage Makers. Their vision and mission statement was to "put a storybook in every home" for the purpose of creating real life heroes for the readers, usually children and the heroes were often the authors. Their ground breaking work was a vital preparatory part of the eventual creation of Heritage Makers business. From that first storybook for a beloved grandpa, a book that made him a real life hero for his posterity, we now have hundreds of thousands of storybooks, author's, heroes and children who understand, relate to and continue the legacy of their heroes, traditions, values and heritage.
As we moved the storybooking concept, product, people and business into the direct selling system, we did so with the focus of using the heritage enriching power of peoples' stories to the purpose, or vision, of strengthening home and family through those stories' ability to capture, preserve and celebrate family heroes and heritage. In a sense, the story became the means to the ulterior end, or motive, of strengthening the family and clarifying and celebrating the family heritage.
We have now grown our business and extended the storybooking process to a much wider audience. With the growth has come the need to clarify the Heritage Makers message and make it more succinct and duplicable. There have been many discussions around this subject. Some of those discussions have sought to broaden the vision, mission and business concepts, but we continue to come back to the foundations of story, family and heritage. Heritage Makers is a family centric message, business and mission.
So, who are we - Heritage Makers? What are we? What are we about? And how do we tell our story - clearly, concisely with a reverberating sameness that creates a resonance and conversation that can carry us into the homes and hearts of those who have not yet heard our name nor our story?
For the record, Heritage Makers is about family heritage. And heritage is captured and transfered though the medium of the family's stories, even when it is about individuals' stories.
In one sense we are a business of "family life publishing." We publish books about family life.
In is simplest terms, Heritage Makers is binding families together through the power of their own stories.
As we move forward to further clarify and script the HM story we will continue to focus on families and values and traditions and the incredible opportunity to be both an author and a teacher of the storybooking process.
This is why our passion is so focused on remembering the stories and the heroes and values they pass on and perpetuate. In the months ahead, our leaders will be focusing and sharpening their story-telling skills on a standardized approach to the Heritage Makers message, our story. The better we become at telling our story with that consistency, the more powerful our message and branding will become. We invite all of our community members to be ready to learn and share the story and message of heritage making.
Onward and Upward
Love Doug
As we have developed the HM venture, we have struggled a bit to get clarity of the vision, mission, values and the message of the business. I am not talking out of school to share with you what has been a learning experience for many in this forging of a common vision and articulation of what our business is. I trust that this confession and explanation will shed light and help to clarify who, what and why we now declare we are as Heritage Makers - the company. For family and friends not associated with our business, I hope that you will find, that since my life is so fully entwined in our business that this is my, life journey and purpose for whatever days remain and thereby may be of interest to you as well.
This is the story of our story. It all started, really, with the creation of a concept word called storybooking, the process of creating a scrapbook with more focus on the story behind the pictures and the art, than the art itself. The new concept storybook was also to be a hard bound book, rather than an album of pages and pictures in a binder, the traditional scrapbook approach.
The authors of this novel new approach to capturing important life information in a storybook were Candace May and mother, Sharon Murdoch. This was their concept and they paid dearly to develop the idea into a real product service and eventually a business called "My Family Tales." They were joined in the crusade, to launch the fledgling business, by three other equally committed people who have ownership in the birthing of the storybooking venture. They included Christine Crandall, Heidi Arave and Lisa Nelson. There were others who made contributions including Mary Strand who put financial support behind the new business.
This history and the people of the storybooking concept and My Family Tales in the early 2000's set the foundations for what has become Heritage Makers. Their vision and mission statement was to "put a storybook in every home" for the purpose of creating real life heroes for the readers, usually children and the heroes were often the authors. Their ground breaking work was a vital preparatory part of the eventual creation of Heritage Makers business. From that first storybook for a beloved grandpa, a book that made him a real life hero for his posterity, we now have hundreds of thousands of storybooks, author's, heroes and children who understand, relate to and continue the legacy of their heroes, traditions, values and heritage.
As we moved the storybooking concept, product, people and business into the direct selling system, we did so with the focus of using the heritage enriching power of peoples' stories to the purpose, or vision, of strengthening home and family through those stories' ability to capture, preserve and celebrate family heroes and heritage. In a sense, the story became the means to the ulterior end, or motive, of strengthening the family and clarifying and celebrating the family heritage.
We have now grown our business and extended the storybooking process to a much wider audience. With the growth has come the need to clarify the Heritage Makers message and make it more succinct and duplicable. There have been many discussions around this subject. Some of those discussions have sought to broaden the vision, mission and business concepts, but we continue to come back to the foundations of story, family and heritage. Heritage Makers is a family centric message, business and mission.
So, who are we - Heritage Makers? What are we? What are we about? And how do we tell our story - clearly, concisely with a reverberating sameness that creates a resonance and conversation that can carry us into the homes and hearts of those who have not yet heard our name nor our story?
For the record, Heritage Makers is about family heritage. And heritage is captured and transfered though the medium of the family's stories, even when it is about individuals' stories.
In one sense we are a business of "family life publishing." We publish books about family life.
In is simplest terms, Heritage Makers is binding families together through the power of their own stories.
As we move forward to further clarify and script the HM story we will continue to focus on families and values and traditions and the incredible opportunity to be both an author and a teacher of the storybooking process.
This is why our passion is so focused on remembering the stories and the heroes and values they pass on and perpetuate. In the months ahead, our leaders will be focusing and sharpening their story-telling skills on a standardized approach to the Heritage Makers message, our story. The better we become at telling our story with that consistency, the more powerful our message and branding will become. We invite all of our community members to be ready to learn and share the story and message of heritage making.
Onward and Upward
Love Doug
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Thoughts after Round 3, in Time for Fathers Day
Thursday brought chemo round #3. The result and pattern seem to be following very close to Round 2. No problem the first 24 hours after the start of the drip, then a noticeable drop in energy, a little nausea and tiredness for the next 24 hours. The metal mouth, low grade headache and general weakness are manageable. The biggest challenge for me seems to be with the frustration of not being able to move forward at the pace I am accustomed to working. None of us like to have things stand in the way of our progress. Or is what stands in our way the very experience and tool needed for us to progress? Are my current limitations really the portal to my success?
While the good Lord has given us the marvelous gift of agency, the power and the right to choose, I have discovered that He has a way of giving us the life circumstances that, in large measure, control the range of our choices, by putting us in our own "ballparks" that limit and focus those choices to limited options. Those limitations, in large measure, determine the "pitches" we will get to swing at. Where, when and with whom, we live in the world determines our range of possibilities and sets the "bounds of our game and choices."
In his infinite understanding of each of our individual needs for experienced-based development, he has ordered our lives to provide the challenges that will focus our attention and limit our choices to things most important for our happiness. If we will but trust Him and obey, when we ask for His direction He will not leave us comfort less, nor without understanding and counsel. He coaches us through the voice of His spirit, to use our freedom to choose to our best possible advantage. I am clear that His work and His glory is our eternal Happiness.
Think about it. These are great gifts -- the world, family life, health, challenges, freedom to choose and His beloved Son to cover our choices when we mess up choices that would otherwise separate us from Him, eternally. His plan and His love are perfect for each of us - if we will accept them and Him as He has directed.
He is our loving Father in Heaven. There is a verse in Hebrews that is filled with principle and practice regarding this truth it gives all of us much to think about on Fathers Day.
It is loaded with insight and raises questions that can help us make the important choices in our lives.
Hebrews 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Another favorite scripture about our relationship to our Heavenly Father gives me hope of becoming more like Him as I follow His counsel.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Of course what the scriptures say about men applies to women, they are each the daughters of God in the same way that men are His sons. I love the notion in this verse, that even though we may not now understand (it doesn't clearly appear to us yet), that when the game is over for us individually, or for all of us collectively, when He returns, that we will see Him as He is and that we will be like Him. What an incredible declaration - we will be like Him. He will have worked His perfect and perfecting plan through our developing mortal experience and His son's atoning, saving sacrificing power in our lives. That to that end that we may be like Him. This is His purpose - His work and His glory. And our work and responsibility is to seek to understand and follow the Savior's example and gospel. He came to show us how to have peace and love, kindness and mercy, forgiveness and faith.
His plan for me and my family and for you and yours is perfect. The tests and the tasks, the pitches He throws to me are perfect for me. And yours are perfect for you. And so I will continue to swing with all my might and strength. I suspect that I will hit a few and miss many. But, I rest confident that the end of the game is known to Him and can therefore be known to me, and to you, if we will seek, ask and knock at His door for the answers.
As I am lavished with love from my children on this Fathers Day, I pause to bend my knees and to look Heavenward to my Father and your Father and to humbly acknowledge His love, His patience and His many gifts to me - including the challenges I now face. I know what seems to block my way is indeed, my way. In His way, He is focusing my life to become more like Him. I am so very grateful that He has done so with such marvelous gifts as my sweetheart Judy, my loving and righteous children, my heritage, my friends and you, my family of heritage makers.
What an incredible privilege it is to know that we are working, praying, sacrificing and speaking the vision, mission and message of family and heritage together. I hope that your Fathers day is filled with love for both your father here and our Father there. Our work and purpose, that which we can glory in is bringing our children closer to both.
Onward and upward
Love Doug
While the good Lord has given us the marvelous gift of agency, the power and the right to choose, I have discovered that He has a way of giving us the life circumstances that, in large measure, control the range of our choices, by putting us in our own "ballparks" that limit and focus those choices to limited options. Those limitations, in large measure, determine the "pitches" we will get to swing at. Where, when and with whom, we live in the world determines our range of possibilities and sets the "bounds of our game and choices."
In his infinite understanding of each of our individual needs for experienced-based development, he has ordered our lives to provide the challenges that will focus our attention and limit our choices to things most important for our happiness. If we will but trust Him and obey, when we ask for His direction He will not leave us comfort less, nor without understanding and counsel. He coaches us through the voice of His spirit, to use our freedom to choose to our best possible advantage. I am clear that His work and His glory is our eternal Happiness.
Think about it. These are great gifts -- the world, family life, health, challenges, freedom to choose and His beloved Son to cover our choices when we mess up choices that would otherwise separate us from Him, eternally. His plan and His love are perfect for each of us - if we will accept them and Him as He has directed.
He is our loving Father in Heaven. There is a verse in Hebrews that is filled with principle and practice regarding this truth it gives all of us much to think about on Fathers Day.
It is loaded with insight and raises questions that can help us make the important choices in our lives.
Hebrews 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Another favorite scripture about our relationship to our Heavenly Father gives me hope of becoming more like Him as I follow His counsel.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Of course what the scriptures say about men applies to women, they are each the daughters of God in the same way that men are His sons. I love the notion in this verse, that even though we may not now understand (it doesn't clearly appear to us yet), that when the game is over for us individually, or for all of us collectively, when He returns, that we will see Him as He is and that we will be like Him. What an incredible declaration - we will be like Him. He will have worked His perfect and perfecting plan through our developing mortal experience and His son's atoning, saving sacrificing power in our lives. That to that end that we may be like Him. This is His purpose - His work and His glory. And our work and responsibility is to seek to understand and follow the Savior's example and gospel. He came to show us how to have peace and love, kindness and mercy, forgiveness and faith.
His plan for me and my family and for you and yours is perfect. The tests and the tasks, the pitches He throws to me are perfect for me. And yours are perfect for you. And so I will continue to swing with all my might and strength. I suspect that I will hit a few and miss many. But, I rest confident that the end of the game is known to Him and can therefore be known to me, and to you, if we will seek, ask and knock at His door for the answers.
As I am lavished with love from my children on this Fathers Day, I pause to bend my knees and to look Heavenward to my Father and your Father and to humbly acknowledge His love, His patience and His many gifts to me - including the challenges I now face. I know what seems to block my way is indeed, my way. In His way, He is focusing my life to become more like Him. I am so very grateful that He has done so with such marvelous gifts as my sweetheart Judy, my loving and righteous children, my heritage, my friends and you, my family of heritage makers.
What an incredible privilege it is to know that we are working, praying, sacrificing and speaking the vision, mission and message of family and heritage together. I hope that your Fathers day is filled with love for both your father here and our Father there. Our work and purpose, that which we can glory in is bringing our children closer to both.
Onward and upward
Love Doug
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Creative Interpretaion – That Is Not My Reality
Judy and I took a three mile hike across the mountain last night and celebrated the fact that we could. Thanks to the many of you, you whose interest, prayers and faith contribute to that fact. I wish that we could have each of you visit and see the life and feel the love that abounds at our log home at 8,0000 feet about sea level where the sky is bluer than the Robbin eggs, but not so blue as the blue birds. We pray that the days will come when we can host many of you at our mountain home and heritage making retreat.
It was brought to my attention recently, that my vision for strengthening home and family, and the heritage Makers mission, of doing it through the heritage enriching power and legacies of family stories, may leave some folks feeling left out. I refer tho those who feel that the legacy of their heritage would best be forgotten. Those whose stories are too painful to recall, let alone write, may feel like an outsider and have nowhere to turn with my suggestions of the Heritage Cornerstones and Keystone books.
It is true that some, certainly too many, have painful memories of family life that was not supportive and loving. When thoughts of the roots of one's life are filled with neglect, belittlement, abuse and pain it is hard to imagine finding much of anything positive to write about. To those of you who have such roots and such concerns for your future with Heritage Makers, I offer the following experience and insight for your consideration. And, I assure you that there is both place and great need for your experienced based participation and for your embracing of the need for our vision and mission. We need your leadership and example.
A friend of mine who is the founder and owner of another very successful direct selling company has a phrase that he uses every time someone points out why he can't do something he wants to do. Whether the reason is financial, practical and sometimes even legal, if he is blocked from pursuing his vision by one of these "why nots", he simply and firmly informs the naysayer, 'well that is just too bad, but "that is not my reality". And then he moves ahead and does it anyway, in spite of someone else's perception of what he could or could not. And he thereby proves his point. It wasn't his reality.
He is not ignorant of the facts, nor is his a simply "to heck with them" attitude. Rather, here is a man who has learned to create his own reality, in spite of what others see as limits to that determination. You might even say that he finds purpose, joy and opportunity in finding out what others think he can not do, and then he proceeds to do it anyway.
In studying his life I find that he has become a master at what I call "creative interpretation." When others see obstacle he sees opportunity. In fact he uses the obstacle as a stepping stone to his achievement and success. Spoken another way, what blocks his way, is his way to success.
Now, back to those whose own heritage was filled with pain and neglect, and who don't want to continue those values, or lack there of, and the traditions that were painful and demeaning. And to those who simply had no heritage to bring forward, I offer this insight. You have the grand privilege of applying the creative interpretation principle to determine what the significance of the events of your youth will be in your future. Clearly you can not change the facts, but you can determine the meaning and so what of the facts.
Those without heritage in their roots may plant and grow a new from the seeds of their own desire and vision a heritage of their own. They can be the authors of a first generation of values, traditions and relationships that are both worthy and laudable. You can change the meaning and influence of the past in the present. By how you think about, speak about and write about your past, in the present, you can change its effect on you in the future.
You can write your own stories, the cornerstones of your heritage, based on what you learned from those relationships and experiences. The tragedies turned triumph are the stories that move us most to be bigger, better, stronger, wise, kinder and successful. The Keystone book of What it Means to Be a ____, can be what it means to be you, if you do not have a family. It can be an expression of a brand new heritage of your own making if you were not bequeathed one.
In short, we are the authors of our own stories and heritage. We can choose what part of our past that we want to bring into our future and what part to leave in the past. Perhaps the grandest part of the adventure of life, especially family life, is that we get to choose, to say what is, to create the story - if we will. And then we get to help others become the builders of their heritage too. They can design, blue print and construct a heritage of their own, with you are the consulting architect.
Another powerful thing about creative interpretation is the healing that comes when you seriously look for the silver lining and the gifts that were delivered with garbage wrapping paper. Your attitude about your heritage can heal the past and enrich the future of your relationships, even with those who injured, or ignored you. You can rise above your past and you can raise others from your past with you. Why should you? That's easy, because you are a heritage maker and your can.
One of the great blessings of my illness has been the understanding of how priceless forgiveness is in the grand scheme of things. We cannot repent for the mistakes and sins of another person, but we each have been given the divine gift of bestowing forgiveness upon those who "sin" against or injure us. The act of forgiving another person, family member, past or present, is a gift we give ourselves to free us from caring their debt of guilt and justice. It is a gift to them to allow them to start anew with us and leave the past and ts pains and sorrows behind. Only the Master can forgive sins that prevent us from fellowship with Him, but we can heal our own bruises by forgiving our bruisers.
We can build a new and lasting heritage that does not carry forward painful or destructive traditions of our past. This opportunity to stop the cycle and start a powerful positive legacy for our selves and our families is the great equalizer in heritage making. Lets use it an dteach it effectively and gratefully.
Onward and Upward
Love
Doug
It was brought to my attention recently, that my vision for strengthening home and family, and the heritage Makers mission, of doing it through the heritage enriching power and legacies of family stories, may leave some folks feeling left out. I refer tho those who feel that the legacy of their heritage would best be forgotten. Those whose stories are too painful to recall, let alone write, may feel like an outsider and have nowhere to turn with my suggestions of the Heritage Cornerstones and Keystone books.
It is true that some, certainly too many, have painful memories of family life that was not supportive and loving. When thoughts of the roots of one's life are filled with neglect, belittlement, abuse and pain it is hard to imagine finding much of anything positive to write about. To those of you who have such roots and such concerns for your future with Heritage Makers, I offer the following experience and insight for your consideration. And, I assure you that there is both place and great need for your experienced based participation and for your embracing of the need for our vision and mission. We need your leadership and example.
A friend of mine who is the founder and owner of another very successful direct selling company has a phrase that he uses every time someone points out why he can't do something he wants to do. Whether the reason is financial, practical and sometimes even legal, if he is blocked from pursuing his vision by one of these "why nots", he simply and firmly informs the naysayer, 'well that is just too bad, but "that is not my reality". And then he moves ahead and does it anyway, in spite of someone else's perception of what he could or could not. And he thereby proves his point. It wasn't his reality.
He is not ignorant of the facts, nor is his a simply "to heck with them" attitude. Rather, here is a man who has learned to create his own reality, in spite of what others see as limits to that determination. You might even say that he finds purpose, joy and opportunity in finding out what others think he can not do, and then he proceeds to do it anyway.
In studying his life I find that he has become a master at what I call "creative interpretation." When others see obstacle he sees opportunity. In fact he uses the obstacle as a stepping stone to his achievement and success. Spoken another way, what blocks his way, is his way to success.
Now, back to those whose own heritage was filled with pain and neglect, and who don't want to continue those values, or lack there of, and the traditions that were painful and demeaning. And to those who simply had no heritage to bring forward, I offer this insight. You have the grand privilege of applying the creative interpretation principle to determine what the significance of the events of your youth will be in your future. Clearly you can not change the facts, but you can determine the meaning and so what of the facts.
Those without heritage in their roots may plant and grow a new from the seeds of their own desire and vision a heritage of their own. They can be the authors of a first generation of values, traditions and relationships that are both worthy and laudable. You can change the meaning and influence of the past in the present. By how you think about, speak about and write about your past, in the present, you can change its effect on you in the future.
You can write your own stories, the cornerstones of your heritage, based on what you learned from those relationships and experiences. The tragedies turned triumph are the stories that move us most to be bigger, better, stronger, wise, kinder and successful. The Keystone book of What it Means to Be a ____, can be what it means to be you, if you do not have a family. It can be an expression of a brand new heritage of your own making if you were not bequeathed one.
In short, we are the authors of our own stories and heritage. We can choose what part of our past that we want to bring into our future and what part to leave in the past. Perhaps the grandest part of the adventure of life, especially family life, is that we get to choose, to say what is, to create the story - if we will. And then we get to help others become the builders of their heritage too. They can design, blue print and construct a heritage of their own, with you are the consulting architect.
Another powerful thing about creative interpretation is the healing that comes when you seriously look for the silver lining and the gifts that were delivered with garbage wrapping paper. Your attitude about your heritage can heal the past and enrich the future of your relationships, even with those who injured, or ignored you. You can rise above your past and you can raise others from your past with you. Why should you? That's easy, because you are a heritage maker and your can.
One of the great blessings of my illness has been the understanding of how priceless forgiveness is in the grand scheme of things. We cannot repent for the mistakes and sins of another person, but we each have been given the divine gift of bestowing forgiveness upon those who "sin" against or injure us. The act of forgiving another person, family member, past or present, is a gift we give ourselves to free us from caring their debt of guilt and justice. It is a gift to them to allow them to start anew with us and leave the past and ts pains and sorrows behind. Only the Master can forgive sins that prevent us from fellowship with Him, but we can heal our own bruises by forgiving our bruisers.
We can build a new and lasting heritage that does not carry forward painful or destructive traditions of our past. This opportunity to stop the cycle and start a powerful positive legacy for our selves and our families is the great equalizer in heritage making. Lets use it an dteach it effectively and gratefully.
Onward and Upward
Love
Doug
Friday, June 6, 2008
The Pricelss Moment of Ah Ha!
Some moments in our lives are priceless. I could go into a long diatribe and expound on a variety of these precious glimpses of supernal joy, but today I want to share only two that occurred this week. They are precious and priceless for me and for those who were part of them, and they will be priceless value for those whom receive the effects of those moments of pure insight and understanding and then form them into duplicative moments for you and others.
The first moment actually spawned the second moment. It came after meeting with a group of our top Heritage Makers leaders and discussed at length the vision mission and values of the company. We were focused on developing a more effective languaging and a presentation sequence for consultants to pass heritage making story on to clients. We had talked about the four cornerstone storybooks that every child needs to establish the foundations of their heritage.
We had concluded the the first four most important storybooks included teh child's roots, that is a storybook of each of their grandparents - maternal and paternal. Those were the first two root books. Then they needed a storybook of their parents lives, before meeting each other, their love story, marriage and anticipation of establishing a family with a rich heritage of values and traditions. The fourth cornerstone storybook needed to be a book about the child - anticipation of his or her birth, childhood, talents and how much they were and loved and how they add to the family. These were the storybooks that would help the parents build self-esteem, a sense of belonging and begin to define the child's story.
Everyone was excited and agreed that these storybooks would make huge differences in the way children and on to young adults would view their lives, and family life. Then we talked about the other storybooks that would follow that largely would chronicle the important events and relationships of the child's and family's life. The metaphor of the building of family heritage continued with these additional self-published family library books. Then came teh discussion around what was the Keystone storybook for the family heritage building. What would be the single most import and influential storybook for the entire family and each child in it. What book would recall, capture and create the heritage, traditions and values, and transfer them to generations to come.
The answer was the storybook called "What it Means to Be a _________ (the family name). This would be a book that told the family story collectively with just a taste of the heritage past (progenitors) and heritage present (members of the family - mom, dad and kids (their vita and special gifts and place in the family). It would articulate and celebrate the traditions, values and priorities of the family. It would celebrate the family members, individually and collective. This storybook would be the story of the family and would give structured meaning and agreement on what it means to be a member of that unique family.
It was a lively and exciting discussion as each of us realized that that strorybooks as indeed the Keystone of heritage development within the family. It was blueprint for moms to define and project a framework for how members of their families live and a basis for her children to evaluate and make choices consistent with who they are because of their heritage -story. Now if this notion resonates with you, you too may have just had one of these amazing moments of "ah ha". You may have discovered the answer to the age old question of "how can I be there to make the right choices, when I an not there". The answer is even when you are not there you can give them their heritage that, like a shadow, will always follow and influence their choices.
One of the leaders in our group, Heidi A, who has been with us literally from the beginning and has been through all of the development of the vision, mission, values, systems programs, incentives, tools etc of the business had a powerful ah ha from this experience.
Shortly after our discussion about the cornerstone and keystone books Heidi had a discussion with her four year old son about what it means to be a member of their family. As they discussed things that were happening around them and in the world she ask Jace "would you do that?" " No, mom!" was the replay. "Why?" she asked him. "Because I am an A___ and we don't do that!"
It is one thing to theorize and conceptualize with the group. But, when the proof of the concept comes back from the mouth of your babes in a priceless precious moment of "ah ha!" you are moved with the reality and truth of the theory. You know the power of the concept and you increase in passion and commitment to the principle and its proliferation.
The second ah ha came in a meeting at the office that was centered around some of the same discussion of cornerstone and keystone books and how to incoporate this message in our website and communications. After about an hour of dialog and word smithing efforts of the team I shared Heidi's experience and email to me about it. It was then that Justin, another of those great souls who has been with Heritage makers from the beginning and has had the most to do with the development of our storybooking technology strategy, had the ah ha moment. I watch it as he said "Now, for the first time I get it! It makes perfect sense!" the it was the whole focus around Heritage Making, rather than just storybooking. He understood an a new, deeper, more profound level, why we are called Heritage Makers not just storybooers, or digital scrap bookers. It was for me a priceless moment for our home office team and those who were present to witness the ah ha.
Now what do ah ahs do? They shape or reshape the way we think about something. They change our priorities and understanding and actions. The make a difference in th eway we do things and thereby in the outcome of our efforts.
Get it? The ah ha is that we, Heritage Makers are trying to communicate the message of heritage making with the power of story and storybooks in such a way that we create an "AH HA" for everyone mom and dad who hears the message. This is our mission and it is what will create a conversation, a brand and a business (thousands of independent businesses). These are businesses that will leverage these ah ah moments I have shared and will spawn other ah ha moments that will establish the principle of heritage making and will make a difference for their family, their neighborhood, their community, the world.
If you are not a heritage maker, yet, I sincerely invite you to consider it. I hope this is an ah ah moment for you.
Onward and Upward
Love Doug
The first moment actually spawned the second moment. It came after meeting with a group of our top Heritage Makers leaders and discussed at length the vision mission and values of the company. We were focused on developing a more effective languaging and a presentation sequence for consultants to pass heritage making story on to clients. We had talked about the four cornerstone storybooks that every child needs to establish the foundations of their heritage.
We had concluded the the first four most important storybooks included teh child's roots, that is a storybook of each of their grandparents - maternal and paternal. Those were the first two root books. Then they needed a storybook of their parents lives, before meeting each other, their love story, marriage and anticipation of establishing a family with a rich heritage of values and traditions. The fourth cornerstone storybook needed to be a book about the child - anticipation of his or her birth, childhood, talents and how much they were and loved and how they add to the family. These were the storybooks that would help the parents build self-esteem, a sense of belonging and begin to define the child's story.
Everyone was excited and agreed that these storybooks would make huge differences in the way children and on to young adults would view their lives, and family life. Then we talked about the other storybooks that would follow that largely would chronicle the important events and relationships of the child's and family's life. The metaphor of the building of family heritage continued with these additional self-published family library books. Then came teh discussion around what was the Keystone storybook for the family heritage building. What would be the single most import and influential storybook for the entire family and each child in it. What book would recall, capture and create the heritage, traditions and values, and transfer them to generations to come.
The answer was the storybook called "What it Means to Be a _________ (the family name). This would be a book that told the family story collectively with just a taste of the heritage past (progenitors) and heritage present (members of the family - mom, dad and kids (their vita and special gifts and place in the family). It would articulate and celebrate the traditions, values and priorities of the family. It would celebrate the family members, individually and collective. This storybook would be the story of the family and would give structured meaning and agreement on what it means to be a member of that unique family.
It was a lively and exciting discussion as each of us realized that that strorybooks as indeed the Keystone of heritage development within the family. It was blueprint for moms to define and project a framework for how members of their families live and a basis for her children to evaluate and make choices consistent with who they are because of their heritage -story. Now if this notion resonates with you, you too may have just had one of these amazing moments of "ah ha". You may have discovered the answer to the age old question of "how can I be there to make the right choices, when I an not there". The answer is even when you are not there you can give them their heritage that, like a shadow, will always follow and influence their choices.
One of the leaders in our group, Heidi A, who has been with us literally from the beginning and has been through all of the development of the vision, mission, values, systems programs, incentives, tools etc of the business had a powerful ah ha from this experience.
Shortly after our discussion about the cornerstone and keystone books Heidi had a discussion with her four year old son about what it means to be a member of their family. As they discussed things that were happening around them and in the world she ask Jace "would you do that?" " No, mom!" was the replay. "Why?" she asked him. "Because I am an A___ and we don't do that!"
It is one thing to theorize and conceptualize with the group. But, when the proof of the concept comes back from the mouth of your babes in a priceless precious moment of "ah ha!" you are moved with the reality and truth of the theory. You know the power of the concept and you increase in passion and commitment to the principle and its proliferation.
The second ah ha came in a meeting at the office that was centered around some of the same discussion of cornerstone and keystone books and how to incoporate this message in our website and communications. After about an hour of dialog and word smithing efforts of the team I shared Heidi's experience and email to me about it. It was then that Justin, another of those great souls who has been with Heritage makers from the beginning and has had the most to do with the development of our storybooking technology strategy, had the ah ha moment. I watch it as he said "Now, for the first time I get it! It makes perfect sense!" the it was the whole focus around Heritage Making, rather than just storybooking. He understood an a new, deeper, more profound level, why we are called Heritage Makers not just storybooers, or digital scrap bookers. It was for me a priceless moment for our home office team and those who were present to witness the ah ha.
Now what do ah ahs do? They shape or reshape the way we think about something. They change our priorities and understanding and actions. The make a difference in th eway we do things and thereby in the outcome of our efforts.
Get it? The ah ha is that we, Heritage Makers are trying to communicate the message of heritage making with the power of story and storybooks in such a way that we create an "AH HA" for everyone mom and dad who hears the message. This is our mission and it is what will create a conversation, a brand and a business (thousands of independent businesses). These are businesses that will leverage these ah ah moments I have shared and will spawn other ah ha moments that will establish the principle of heritage making and will make a difference for their family, their neighborhood, their community, the world.
If you are not a heritage maker, yet, I sincerely invite you to consider it. I hope this is an ah ah moment for you.
Onward and Upward
Love Doug
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