Just keep tossing…

Do you remember how much fun it is to toss stones in a pond and see who can make the biggest splash? I do. Growing up in Salina, Kansas I remember walking down to the park with Steve, Toby, and James and looking for big rocks to toss. Try it. Here’s what happens. There will be a splash, big or small, depending on the size of the stone and the strength of the arm that threw it. There will also be ripples. We mostly watch the splash and miss the ripples. Life is so much sweeter when we slow down to see the ripples. The ripples may go on and on and on and on…

Recently, I was getting coffee while mentally preparing for another team practice. I had stopped in the clients kitchen and was filling up when a BTL practice participant stopped to do the same. We said hey and then he blurted out, “Man, I love that dream stuff you talk about. I have written it down and look at it everyday. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?” As we talked I began to realize he was commenting about the “flow” piece we had covered long ago. He had connected and was passing it on. In fact, he told me he had been asked to speak recently and had given this same message. He proceeded to show me the pages from the BTL Playbook he had taken out and made his own. He carried them with him wherever he went.

I had no idea.

There had been no splash. He hadn’t jumped up and down during practice and screamed, “Eureka.” Conversations like this one serve as a reminder to me – Focus less on the splash. Focus less on the initial reaction. Stop worrying about people, situations, and futures you can’t control.

Just keep tossing.

Don’t worry about finding a bigger stone. Don’t fret over the size of your pond or the weakness of your arm. Instead, toss a thousand tiny pebbles. Toss because you love throwing, you love your pond, and you love “feeding” it. Toss with a smile on your face, a quiet confidence in your heart, and a fiesty spirit in your soul. Toss away fears and nagging expectations. Toss away negative thoughts about the advantages your competitors may enjoy. Just keep tossing. Someday, friend, you’ll see the ripples. Just keep tossing. Good.

Live hard. Love hard…