Thanks Coco

When it comes to the imparting of wisdom, Conan O’Brien is probably not the first person you would name to gather such enlightenment from. But in a recent commencement address to the 

Dartmouth Class of 2011, he shared this insight about his 

recent life-happenings:
“It is our failure to become our perceived idea that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It’s not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound re-invention.”

He went on to say that “whether you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment, you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality.”

(Rocks State Park)
Jarrettsville, MD

I look back over my grade school years and laugh at what I ‘thought’ needed to happen in order for me to be successful. 

My teenage years bring even more laughter as I look back on them. Don’t laugh…you were full of that craziness, too.
And as an adult, disappointment has shown itself time after time.

Yet, through all of this, I find myself growing more original everyday. It is an old statement but rings so true: Most people are born original, yet they die a copy.
The question that each of us must answer is, how do we handle circumstances, disappointments, and misfortune?

The importance of these moments comes down to our perspective. 

So many become just another statistic when they turn away from what is so clear, right in front of their eyes. The very opportunities that should bring clarity to our lives instead push us further into a purposeless existence.

The world doesn’t need another _(fill in the blank)_. 

The world needs YOU.

(Lone Brown Cow)
Forest Hill, MD

You have specific gifts that God placed inside of you before you were even a glimmer in your parent’s eyes. You have things to accomplish that would blow your mind if God revealed it for you to see. 

This all comes down to God’s time and the mysteriousness in which He works.
What might feel like the greatest disappointment you have ever endured might just be your ‘moment’ to find your originality.
Failure may have followed you like a shadow…so do you quit? Or do you take each of these moments to forget what the crowd is saying and do what God put you here to do?

Thanks, Coco, for the reminder. I’ve got some re-inventing to do.

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