Your Change is Gonna Come

Start Where you are; your change is gonna come!

Places I go and people I meet often comment on how I’m always smiling.  The truth of the matter is that, it’s never always. Yes, I too have tasted disappointments, bitterness, depression, racism, and more, yet, I have unshakable hope in a better tomorrow.  I smile because of this hope.  So in this post, I’d like to share seven things I’ve learned in my 55 years that help me to keep smiling.  Maybe you can find an "Ace" among them. 

Get connected to those around you; you have more in common than you think. The life giving blood is red in all of us.  Don’t let your race, ethnicity, or partisan beliefs box you in. Lean in and learn how to use a shovel.





1. Listen to others heartbeat and not just your own.  The soul of the man makes the man not just what you see. You have to listen intently and intentionally to hear what you can not see. 


2. Say yes, and not yes, but.  No one should want a yes person all the time  but if you are going to say yes, don’t cancel it out by inserting  your but (pone intended).  If you say ‘yes, and’, you deepen the connection and allows the conversation to continue to so you reach a shared understanding. Plus, it shows you care enough to add (and) put some skin in the game. 


3. Be in the moment; the chili can wait and so can the texting.  Me included.  Heck if I’m hungry, someone maybe trying to offer me a free chicken dinner or give me a voucher to get my on and I can’t receive it while texting.  Seriously, we can learn a lot from others stories, experiences, and failures if we allow them to share and we just listen. 


4. Stay Flexible. So what if your team didn’t win, it doesn’t mean there is not a reason to celebrate. Celebrate getting them next time; celebrate losing $50 on the bet instead of $100.  Celebrate you can learn a new lesson, explore a new fact, and get excited about the possibilities. Those of us served in the Air Force., ‘flexibility is the key to air power”


5. Follow your own Dreams—all of them.  As Kenny Rogers, The Gambler  said, 

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away and know when to run
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealing's done

 

Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep

Cause every hand's a winner and every hand's a loser

As you chase your dreams there may be some dark hours, lemons, you name it, but just remember even in the worst hand you could find an "Ace" you can keep.

7. Don’t worry.   Because you got started, your change is gonna come. Because you got moving, you can be the change you want to see.  

When I was a little girl, my dad bought all his girls this shirt that said, "Don't Worry, Be Happy".  I guess deep down my dad knew that "to be" is a state you control yourself.    Rain may come and winds may blow but this one thing I do know, some of my happiest moments were when I danced in the rain. 

 

Be encouraged.  Your change is gonna come and when it does, grab it and hold on.

 

Success to you.