Hi
Jim sat on his dingy bed.
Around and under the centre of his universe were the bits and bric brac of a life collected. Books, a radio and just some tired essentials. Some of these were the leftovers of Jim's story. Dog eared photos of past relationships and distant memories.
The boundaries of this one room dwelling were not wood, stone or walls as most of us know it. But chicken wire side and top. The crooked door sat open. The stale smell of breakfasts, bacon and burnt oil lingered in the still air.
There were many of these cubicles that housed men whom life had left behind. These poor houses of New York were a place to stay before living on the street became the final destination.
David knocked. He wasn't quite sure who was in the room.
David Isay was a journalist and founder of StoryCorp. He was starting a new project to write a book about capturing the lives of ordinary people. Not billionaires, millionaires or successful scholars or artists.
He was in the right place.
We all have a story
David believed that everyone has a story that is worth capturing, publishing and sharing.
In that room Jim shared his past, his failures and frustrations. David's notebook started to fill. This was repeated many times as the book's multiple players were interviewed and assembled.
A few months later the book was ready. David took a copy and dropped in to see Jim.
As he opened the book to the simple one page story, Jim saw his name in black and white. His eyes widened. The book was snatched out of David's hand and he ran down the corridor and said "I exist…..I exist….I exist".
It was a simple but public revelation of a life lived. But an ordinary life had been validated and acknowledged. That is what we all want.
To be validated. To be noticed.
You don't have to wait
Jim had to wait for David to show up to be discovered.
His desire to be recognized was dormant but quietly wished for. His tale was now told. It wasn't Broadway, Hollywood or the front cover of Time magazine but the recognition was real.
Just hoping for someone to reveal your story and disclose your existence to the world is mostly just a hopeless dream. Sitting and waiting for the world to show up is not how life should be lived.
It does not have to be like that. But many of us live our lives built on idle hope.
The game has changed
In 2008 I discovered social media and I was intrigued and curious. I observed behaviour that bordered on obsessive.
Facebook was my first place to play, watch and chat with people and Twitter was next. Digital publishing platforms were also in the mix. WordPress and Blogger made creative portals to publish your creativity with the world easy and free.
I discovered that the social networks are much more than places to share food photos.
Social media is where humanity and technology intersect. The social networks allowed visibility and global marketing without paying any gatekeeper or media mogul. It was a game changer.
The social web had democratized publishing and marketing and it amplified our humanity.
It's more than play
You just need to decide whether you want to just play or use it to transform your life.
Do you want to reveal and manifest your passionate purpose to a waiting world at full throttle? Is there a voice that sits inside and says "there is more to life than this existence"
If you are willing to start and transform a passion project from a hobby to a lifestyle of substance, then you can build and leave a legacy that maybe you had only dreamed about. You can become a person of influence.
Here is a new mantra that goes beyond just an acknowledged and recorded existence.
I create, I publish, I exist.
That is a place where real personal growth happens. But you will need to take some steps to make that a reality.
There is no need to wait or be discovered by a journalist.
How do you create influence in this digital world? How do you make a difference?
Read the rest of the article >>> Here
Have a great week.
Cheers,
Joao,
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Jeff
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