Who Are We

“DNA is an abbreviation for deoxyribonucleicantidisestablishmentarianism, a complex string of syllables.” - Dave Barry

After watching various episodes of a television show named Who Do You Think You Are? on the NBC network, I was convinced to get my DNA tested. A search into the smallest of particles that make up who I am was intriguing to me. The Ancestry.com website has a link for DNA testing which is rather simple to take, but complicated in the science of how it is looked at.

I had no preconceived notions about getting a nicely packaged history of my family such as the television program depicted. Having watched my mother research our genealogy for a number of years and having done so myself, it can be very difficult. It takes time, money, patience and lots of investigation. But it can be very rewarding when you find that one document which has a name on it. Honestly, it is an exciting moment to find a name on a U.S. Census from 1880, knowing it is a connection to your past.

My particular DNA test gave me a bit more information about my past, but more importantly it documented who I am for future generations. One day I will be in the same category as my current day ancestors. Heck, I am a parent so therefore I am technically an ancestor already. But this DNA test was able to tell me even more.

- Did it confirm things I have believed about my ancestors?
- Did it reveal something totally unexpected?
- Did it create a connection to people I would never have thought possible?

The unknown is quite exciting as opposed to being worried.

Some people asked me, "What if you find out something horrible?" My answer was "Okay, no problem, I'll deal with it." Finding out about the unknown can actually open new possibility. It can open new doors and put to rest that which we carried for years. The unknown has changed lives. My expectation was to let it reveal itself as another piece to the puzzle of my life.

It fills in the story of who I was for my children and generations to come.

Sounds a bit self important and it is not meant to be. Finding out about the unknown helps us learn more about who we are. If we can figure it out while living can help us achieve more in that life. Facing our fears of the unknown also helps us take one more step in overcoming obstacles in life.

We can't live in fear of the unknown.

We may not like what we find, we may be overjoyed by what we find. Either way, the tiniest parts of our life will have as much impact as the largest parts. DNA could stand for "Do Not Ask", but I choose to ask who I am. Let the smallest pieces of you reveal something about your life. They are there for the asking and may reveal the very thing you have been searching for.

Stay inspired my friends.

Why Complicate Things

“The most complicated skill is to be simple.” ― Dejan Stojanovic

From John McPherson, a talented and funny artist, an amusing look into a way of life many of us fall into sometimes. I guess our complicated lives or the way we make them complicated could be summed up in this one cartoon panel.

I do imagine you could go back in time a few years or even hundreds of years to see a similar type of busy schedule people lead. But life lived complicated can be stressful and debilitating.

There are ways to simplify your life and it comes down to determining what is important to you. Each of us make choices everyday to commit to various things which fill our day. Not all commitments are bad and circumstance can yield the same harried and complicated life.

So enjoy life the best way you can. Look for ways to set priorities in your life and take time to "stop and smell the roses."

Stay inspired my friends.

The Field in Your Life

“And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy; And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.” ― Kahlil Gibran

I listened to a speaker once talk about a person's sphere of influence. A sphere of influence is that area or impact you can have on those that enter or pass through your life. Taken in its simplest form, this sphere is your family, friends, co-workers, people in the store you shop at, where you buy your gas, church and everything you do.

During these moments of interaction, how you speak, conduct yourself and the way you respond is a chance to impact another person's life. If you think about it, everywhere you go you create a sphere of influence.

As the saying goes "wherever you go, there you are", so is your ability to impact people.

What this means is that your influence and ability to impact people moves with you. In example, when I travel outside of the United States, many say to me that I will be out of my comfort zone or out of my environment.

But my environment is all around me where ever I go. I carry my own environment with me and those I meet are entering into my field as I like to call it. A field you may wonder?

Just know that as you move about in your daily life, wherever you go, you can have impact on others.

Try not to lose any opportunity to engage and create change. And stay inspired my friends.

Put it Down and Look Up

Lift your eyes and do what you can for someone today, large or small.

Stay inspired my friends!