Today is a special day for me, and an even more special day for a couple other people I know and love, and I’m going to tell you why. 

But let me first say this. This much I am certain of… my work in the world has a much wider impact than I will ever know, and so does yours. 

Each one of us is called to do a special work in the world. Maybe you’re a teacher, and you impact the lives of hundreds and even thousands of kids. I can still remember the name of my favorite teacher, Mr. Galmoth. You might’ve heard me tell the story of how Mr. Galmoth taught us about how seeds grow… it was really the first illustration of the law of gender that I was ever taught, and it left a lasting impression on me. 

For someone like me, a little boy who struggled in school, who believed himself to be dumb and stupid, and who felt like a nuisance to all my other teachers, having someone like Mr. Galmoth come alongside me to actually teach me and encourage me, had more of an impact than Mr. Galmoth will ever know. 

Maybe you’re a police officer. And you are repeatedly interacting with people at some of the hardest, darkest moments of their lives. And you bring a kindness, a tenderness, and even a firmness that they needed to receive and experience in that moment, and that they had never received from other authority figures in their lives. I have no doubt that you are leaving unforgettable and impactful impressions on many many lives, in ways that will forever change them for the better.  

Perhaps you work in the corporate world, and you are navigating business deals, business relationships, business politics, day in and day out. And you bring something unique to the table. You bring a certain sincerity and authenticity, a truthfulness and a level of integrity that is so often missing in that realm. And even when you feel like you’re working so hard and nobody sees the sacrifices you are making to live to a higher standard, trust me, they are noticing. And you are changing lives through the way you live and the way you hold yourself and others to that standard.

Or maybe you’re a speaker, trainer, or coach, as I know many of you are. And you are actively working with individuals to help them increase their understanding of their personal power, their self-confidence, and their awareness of their own potential; or maybe you’re working with companies and organizations, helping groups to understand the value of inter-personal relationships, the different strengths each of us brings to a team, and ways to find harmony and unity in their own teams. 

Whatever it is that you do, whatever stage of your journey you’re at, I promise you that you make more of an impact than you’ll ever know. Remember, you are causative.

Which brings me to my story about why today is a special day. 

Today, a wedding is taking place. The wedding of two very special people. And they are special for many reasons. First of all, for who they are, for their character, and their personal commitments to their growth and to intentionally making a positive impact on those around them. 

And this is particularly special for me as well, because of how they came together and reached this point of deciding to build a life together, which I know will only serve to exponentially increase their impact in this world. 

I was honored with an invitation to this wedding.

You see, these two people met just over 3 years ago at one of my Turning Point workshops that I have been leading for quite a few years. They were both in their teens, and they attended with their parents. And right away, they stood out to me. I had taught this workshop close to 30 times before, and the thing that I noticed right away about both of them is that they played full out. 

It’s pretty uncommon for teens and even young adults to attend the Turning Point event. If they do come, they usually come as “hostages,” meaning that their parents dragged them there, and they are unwilling participants. You see, Turning Point is a very intense 3 days of digging deep into your limiting beliefs, your invisible boundaries, the things that are holding you back, and releasing them and moving forward in a big way. For someone at any age, this is a very hard thing to do. But I think it is especially admirable for someone as young as 16, 17 or 18 years old to do that kind of inner work. 

At that age, you are only just barely beginning to establish your own identity, who you are, who you want to be, and to begin painting that future picture of what you want your life to look like. And I think a lot of young people find themselves in one of two categories. Either they think they’re invincible, like they don’t need to do the work on themselves, they can do whatever they want, period end of story… and then they enter the “real world” and it hits them smack across their face. Or they find themselves so utterly lacking self-confidence and a positive self-regard, that they struggle to put themselves out there, to take those chances that they need to take as they enter adulthood and the responsibility that comes with it. 

Well, these two young people came to Turning Point and they played more FULL OUT than most adults do. They did every single exercise. And they didn’t just do the motions of the exercises. As the teacher and facilitator, I can tell when someone is just going through the motions, or when they are all in, and these two were all in. In a group of close to 200 people, there were only a couple other teens in the seminar, so these two found each other and naturally partnered up for most of the exercises, as they were at a similar stage in life. 

And that was the beginning of THEIR story! Of course, they both have their own individual stories that are just as important, if not more important, than their joint story… but there is something unique and powerful and exciting about two people who come together with a common purpose and a common vision, and who are very intentional about taking steps to move that purpose and vision forward in their own lives and together. 

I am so proud of both of them for the journey they have walked, and I know they are truly going to conquer the world. The power they now hold as a team is the kind that moves mountains.

And I have been privileged to have witnessed their journey over the last 3 years. And to watch from the sidelines as they charge forward in pursuit of their goals. And I just think it’s so cool that it all started at Turning Point.

And as I was traveling this week to attend their wedding, I was reflecting on what I know of their journey. I don’t know it all, but I know little tidbits. And it hit me that there are so many people who attend my events, who hear me speak, who work with Roddy and I in one of our programs, and we don’t get to watch their growth journey. We don’t get to witness the impact they’re having on the world. Because I know there are so many of you who have done, are doing, and will continue to do incredible things in this world, who are changing lives every single day. 

It serves as good a reminder to myself that I am causative. I am a causative and creative force in this world, whether I realize it or not, and whether I’m intentional about it or not. And so are you. You have a choice. You can be intentionally causative in a positive way, or you can default to the “because”… “I can’t do this because…” “I can’t do that because…” In this state, you’re still being causative, but you’re not causing what it is that you want to occur, and that which will cause a lasting positive impact in this world. Remember that. You are causative. Whether you mean to be or not, you are causative.

And in closing, I want to take a moment and thank you. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your journey as much as you have and as much as I have been able to be a part of it. Thank you for trusting me to speak into your life, and for trusting yourself to speak into the lives of others. 

You play a far more critical role to the betterment of humanity than you will ever know. Just trust me on this! 

I believe in you and I believe in your dream!!

Hold Your Image!!