Man in the Mirror

Normally, I’m not a huge Michael Jackson fan. With that being said, I have to give credit where credit is due (and lets get real, nothing like being awake at 2AM to bring out the muse). Michael Jackson was an amazing artist and performer. I know that some of you are now rolling your eyes and thinking “Not another ‘praise MJ’ article! Just let the man go!” Ok, I will. This post isn't going to be about the man, but about the idea. After all, that's how we learn and grow right? Every lesson learned could have been learned easier if we had let someone else show us instead of screwing it up ourselves. Please, enjoy the idea:

 

If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change.

I think its a story of priorities. The potential that most people have is immense. For example, back in the year 1820 a young boy decided to make God a priority in his life. He said a simple prayer in a grove of trees in upstate New York (Full story here) For this point, I don't care if you believe what happened to him or not. Here are some ‘fruits’ of that man’s priority shift:

Current Membership	13,824,854
Current Full Time Missionaries	51,736
Humanitarian Cash Donations Since 1985	$327.6 million
Value of Humanitarian Material Assistance Since 1985	$884.6 million

(More Information available here)

That’s a big difference made in a little shift.

As a college student…

my finances are less than… um… ‘ideal'’. Ok, they’re down-right hideous and a little scary. I recently read an article  that said ‘no significant difference in happiness can be determined after an annual income of $12,000.’ That is not a lot of money and what's worse is that I’m not making any where near that. Money does stress me out, but I’m learning to deal with it.

I love my life. I get to go to school, and I love the things I’m learning there. I (occasionally) can earn a buck a two. I’m surrounded by family and friends (from near and afar). I have an amazing girlfriend. Although, my responsibilities at church are demanding and time-consuming, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve. And as busy as I get, I still have time to go do some really cool stuff.

Have you ever slept in a hammock in the middle of the woods under a crystal clear sky, soaked in natural hot springs, climbed/repelled rock canyon, ran through random people’s yards in the middle of the night, met literally hundreds of new people in short periods of time…for years, or climbed Mount Everest? I have…except maybe last one, (but it’s on the ‘to-do’ list).

I’m getting to the point…

Think of it this way. How much ‘leisure time’ do the rich get? Really? If you spend all of your time worried and obsessed with money, when do you get to enjoy the small things in life? And by that definition, who is ‘richer’? The rich may get the big vacation, but they may miss out on the small pleasures, like seeing a rainstorm come in, holding hands with some-one, or learning about a new hobby.

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change

and just for kicks: