The SuperTeeJ Motto

"In brightest day, in blackest night...", TeeJ will help others with all his might. And let those who CHOOSE to do what's right, be filled with success, and quite a sight.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Day 78 - A Simple, Yet Powerful Phrase

Day 78 - A Simple, Yet Powerful Phrase


At the end of her shows, Ellen says a simple, yet powerful phrase.  She says:

"Be kind to one another." ~ Ellen DeGeneres

Simple, yet powerful.  May we all remember and practice this daily reminder from Ellen.  For kindness is an incredible thing.

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." ~Aesop

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~Unknown

"Kindness in words creates confidence.  Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.  Kindness in giving creates love." ~Lao Tzu

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." ~Mark Twain

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Day 77 - Lessons from Superman #10

Day 77 - Lessons from Superman

"Let me ask you a question I recently asked myself: What have you done to make the world a better place?"  ~ Lex Luthor

It's hard to believe that what I am about to post comes from Lex Luthor.  That's right.  A major arch-enemy of Superman.  Recently in the comic book world, Lex Luthor has partnered up with the Justice League to help combat some major problems in the world, even though he's always had quarrels with Superman.  However, in issue #35 of the Justice League, Lex Luthor shares some valuable wisdom regarding our place in the world.  Bear with me, this is a long one, but it's REALLY good and completely applicable to the real world and struggles and potential we all have.

"From the horrific acts of a lone gunman, to the violent wars tearing countries apart, peace is at risk.  Discrimination, disease, terrorism, bullies, pollution, famine...on the playground and on the battleground...natural disasters and man-made weapons of mass destruction...the list we face goes on and on and as human beings we say, 'I'm not Superman or Wonder Woman, what can I possibly do to help?!  And where do I event start?'  As a fellow human being, I ask the same question...I have the answer."  

"YOU START WHEREVER YOU CAN, because no matter how small an act of kindness or generosity or simple positivity you put out into the world, IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.  And yes, there is a way to make an even bigger impact.  To do that, you have to realize and admit that you can't do everything by yourself.  In a world that cultivates digital narcissistic individuality, you have to let your own ego fall away, BECAUSE THE WORLD IS NOT ABOUT EACH OF US, IT'S ABOUT ALL OF US."

As I read that, I just knew we could all relate to it and take a lesson from Luthor's statement.  

At this time, in the comic book world, Luthor stands with the heroes.  I hope it lasts, but knowing the comic book world, something is bound to change.  Nevertheless, let this be a lesson to us as well: even our enemies can change and contribute.  Perhaps that's why that concept of "forgiveness" is so important.

Another SUPER lesson from the Man of Steel's world.  :)


Day 76 - You Know Who's Awesome?! - #11

Day 76 - You Know Who's Awesome?!

This guy:


This world has some pretty amazing people.  Like Jason Brown.  Ever heard of him?  In 2009, he signed a 5-year contract worth $37.5 million to play center for the St. Louis Rams.  He was the highest paid center in the NFL with his signed contract in 2009.  One would speculate that Jason is in his fifth year of his contract and on his way to solidifying that $37.5 million dollars in earnings, but you know what?  Jason Brown stepped down from his position in the NFL.  At the age of 29, having earned only $25 million of his contract, he now runs a 1,000-acre farm in North Carolina.

"My agent, he told me, 'you're making the biggest mistake of your life,'...and I looked right back at him and I said 'No, I am not.'"

Brown runs the farm to help the less fortunate.  Most of his harvest goes to food pantries to help feed the hungry.  This past fall, he gave away 46,000 pounds of sweet potatoes and 10,000 pounds of cucumbers.  Talk about a difference maker...  

Want to learn more about Jason Brown's story?  Click here.  He's pretty awesome.  :)


Jason Brown picking sweet potatoes from his farm.

Day 75 - Something I've Written

Day 75 - Something I've Written

I was going to wait to announce this, but why wait?  I'm impatient on this.  :)

This fall I wrote my first article that will be published in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Intersections journal.  The publication focuses on faith, learning, and teaching within Lutheran Higher Education.  I was introduced to the publication last summer when I attended a conference related to my work with Vocation.  The article I put together is posted below and will be printed in the Spring 2015 Intersections issue within the next couple of months.  This article is all about helping others discover and claim their callings by looking at our modern day superheroes and our origin stories.  

Also below are two drawings I put together for the piece.  One or both may be published with the article as well.  

Here's your first look at Superheroes and Origin Stories: Tools for Helping Individuals Discover and Claim their Callings!  A huge shout out to Amanda Mesirow who helped revise and review what I put together.  :)

Superheroes and Origin Stories:
Tools for Helping Individuals Discover and Claim their Callings
TJ Warren, Pathways Center Associate for Vocation and Mentoring at Wartburg College

“How can I decide what to do with my life when I don’t even know who I am?  I feel like I’m walking in a dream, and nothing’s real, not even me.” – Clark Kent
“Then maybe the answer is to wake up.  There will come a day Clark, when for the very first time, you won’t have to hold back…a day when you can cut loose…a day when you can finally be who you truly are…you’re unique in all the world.  Extraordinary.  Not just any manand more than just a man…a SUPER-man.  Live Clark.  Follow your passion.  Show the whole world what you can do.  Fly, Clark… Fly…” – Jonathan Kent

Excerpt from Superman: Earth One by J. Michael Straczynski & Shane Davis

The origin story.  The stories of heroes coming to be.  Origin stories are fascinating; this is why we tend to get caught up in them.  I can’t tell you the number of times I have read or seen the origin of Superman, and you know what?  I never get sick of it (and apparently, neither does society as the story gets told over and over again).  Origin stories define characters: where they came from, who they were, what they’ve faced, and how they discovered themselves, their strengths, and their calling.  When it comes to characters within literature and film, we often times know of them, but until we know their origin, we do not know them and their purpose in the world.  I am convinced that discovering one’s origin and referring to the stories of our fictional heroes can be powerful tools in helping individuals discover and claim their callings.

American scholar Joseph Campbell defined a theoretical concept that can be observed within many forms of literature and film.  Campbell’s theoretical concept was called “monomyth” (one myth).  As writers and filmmakers continued studying the pattern, the theory would later be referred to as “The Hero’s Journey.”  Although the pattern has been debated and modified throughout the years, many agree that the pattern consists of 12 stages: the ordinary world; the call to adventure; refusal of the call; meeting with the mentor; crossing the threshold; tests, allies, and enemies; approach; the ordeal; the reward; the road back; the resurrection; and the return with the elixir (see figure 1-1).  These stages can serve as a catalyst for helping individuals understand their origin. 

For example, in my own journey (where I’m the hero – which is fantastic, I must say), identifying my ordinary world consisted of being a young Iowa boy, who believed he was meant to impact the world in some way, but he was unsure of who he was and how he could contribute.  Then, my freshman year of high school, I attended a youth leadership conference called Get a Grip where I met my mentor.  By experiencing this leadership organization, I discovered that my way of impacting the world around me was by encouraging people, making them laugh, and helping them realize their true potential.  After a few years of being mentored and continuing to discover myself, I crossed the threshold by attending college.

This is just one way we can take a look at our origin story.  By walking through “The Hero’s Journey” stages, we can start to pinpoint significant moments in our lives that have shaped us and that demonstrate what we are good at.  This method of reflection can also lead to other questions, such as, “does your origin story decide your vocation?”  For example, does coming from a family of medical professionals mean you cannot pursue an art degree?  The concept itself can at least start the discussion on a level in which people understand and can relate to.

As I have worked in higher education, I’ve noticed that we tend to make things incredibly complex as we work with students.  More simply, we must strive to find ways in which we can connect with students on their level.  Although college is a time for rigorous exploration and discovery, we need to find opportunities to meet them at their level and relate what we are trying to teach with where they are in relation to their experiences, their interests, society, etc.  Once we have their attention, the rigorous exploration and discovery can commence.
  
When an individual walks into my office, their attention is immediately drawn to my Superman and other hero collectables displayed throughout.  These items generate discussion.  Students, faculty, and staff ask, “Why Superman?”  My response is always, “Because he humbly seeks to do good in the world using the many talents that he possesses.”  And to the general question of, “Why superheroes?”, I say, “Because I believe we are all superheroes in our own way.  The hero’s journey lives within all of us.”

Heroes, however we define them, speak to all of us.  Whether they are fictional (Superman, Wonder Woman, Harry Potter) or real (Rosa Parks, Ghandi, Mother Theresa), they speak.  Why do they speak to all of us?  We can relate to their failures, their hardships, and their struggles.  We can also relate to their successes; the moments in which they overcame adversity or some villainous foe.  Heroes inspire us to do and be something more; to pursue our calling.  Therefore, we must find ways to help others become the hero in their lives.

As higher education professionals, we have an opportunity to mentor students—as Professor Charles Xavier does with the X-Men—along their own journeys.  We get to challenge, support, and encourage students to focus on their strengths and manage their weaknesses so that when their true purpose does call, they can, as Jonathan Kent said, “fly.”  What an incredible opportunity…when it comes to claiming one’s calling, we must find ways to connect or relate with students and meet them on their level.

As you work with students, find stories of heroes that speak to you (superheroes, heroes, friends, family members, politicians, world justice figures, etc.).  Use these role models, mentors, and leaders to help others realize who they are and how they can contribute to society.  As you provide these examples, help others articulate their origin story so they might find their purpose in the world and “wake up” to take their call.

Sources:

Campbell, J. (1949). The hero with a thousand faces. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Straczynski, J., & Davis, S. (2010). Superman: Earth one (Vol. 1). New York: DC Comics.

Vogler, C., & Schreiber, B. (n.d.). Hero's Journey. Retrieved November 23, 2014, from http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero%27s_journey.htm.

Figure 1-1:


Drawing 1:


Drawing 2:




Day 74 - A Post from Awhile Back

Day 74 - A Post from Awhile Back

Here's a post from awhile back.  Lessons from Superman #1.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been reading several Superman comics as of late.  I know several people would consider this to be somewhat childish, but hey, I’m a kid at heart!  :)  The truth is, comics taught me how to read; they taught me how to comprehend.  If it wasn’t for reading comics, I probably wouldn’t have obtained an education.  So I give a lot of credit to comic books and I am thankful that they taught me how to read.  That, and I value the lessons we can learn from superheroes, especially Superman.

As I continue to read Superman comics, I continue to see such valuable lessons we can apply to our everyday lives.  The other day I read Superman issue #700.  Superman returned from a long retreat.  All was well until a citizen approached him and was upset that he was not around to save her husband.  Clark flew to space to reflect on the situation, like he normally does and he recollected a memory from his father, Jonathan Kent.  Mr. Kent once told Clark:

“If you want to grow anything worthwhile, it’s all about the soil.  That’s why you have to rotate the crops from time to time.  Anything that stays in the same soil too long withers and eventually dies.  I think people are the same way.  If we stay too long in the same soil, we start to dry up inside.  Soon, there’s nothing left but the shell, and after a while, even that goes.  If we do the same things, in the same way, over and over, in time, we fall asleep in our own lives.  Until something happens to wake us up.  That’s when, like any living thing, you have to take yourself back where you should be, where you started off before you fell asleep.  You have to rotate back to fertile ground to the soil that nourished you.  Back to the Earth.”

In order to grow, sometimes we have to look back on our roots to become the person we want to be.  Perhaps it is important that we look back on our values and beliefs from time to time, to stay in perspective and to grow into something worthwhile.  “If you want to grow anything worthwhile, it’s all about the soil.”


Day 73 - An Article You Recently Read

Day 73 - An Article You Recently Read

A lot of lessons are learned the hard way unfortunately, but according to this article I recently read, they don't have to be.  It's amazing to me that we ourselves make life more complicated then it has to be.  From the website, www.powerofpositivity.com, here are 11 life lessons you don't have to learn the hard way and that can really be beneficial to you if you are able to master them.

1. Positive self-talk is vital to well being. 

2. Be aware of your thoughts.

3. Let go of what no longer serves us.

4. Happiness is a choice to be made.

5. See the perfect moments in life, not the imperfectness of life.

6. Keep it simple.

7. We're a lot richer than we realize.

8. See the good ahead.

9. Say "I love you" more.

10. Be an encourager.

11. See our true potential.

BONUS - Express gratitude daily.

To read the full article, click here.

Day 72 - A Wish for Others...

Day 72 - A Wish for Others...


In all honesty, I do wish something REALLY good happens for you today and that your 2015 is filled with much happiness!  :)

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Day 71 - Perseverance

Day 71 - Perseverance 

So, this is incredible...


I am in complete awe of these two and the tricks they can do on a Teeter Todder.  One has to wonder, "how on earth can they do that?"  Well, like all things worthwhile, a great deal of practice and patience is necessary.  See, what we see in this video is excellence, but what we don't see is the number hours and trials it took to get to this point.  We don't see the pursuit and perseverance of precision.  To execute excellence and precision, it takes a lot of mistakes and failures; concepts that frighten us and keep us from pursuing our goals.

Do you know, you can do anything you set your mind to?  Sure, we all know that and have been told that before.  It's still something I struggle with and find difficult to fathom.  However, to pursue excellence and precision, we got to be willing to go through the mistakes and failures.  We've got to deal with the pain in order to become great.  Thomas Edison was estimated to have failed approximately 10,000 times developing a storage battery, and yet he once said, "I have not failed.  I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."  Have you failed 10,000 times at something?  Have you failed 100 times at something?  When did you give up?  

"But I tell you there are some times in life where you fall down, and you feel like you don't have the strength to get back up...because I tell you I'm down here, face down, and I have no arms and no legs.  It should be impossible for me to get back up...But it's not.  You see, I will try 100 times to get up and if I fail 100 times - if I fail and I give up, do you think that I'm ever going to get up?  No.  But if I fail and I try again and again and again.  For as long as I try, there is always that chance of me getting up." ~Nick Vujicic (Check out his positive message here)

Through hundreds and thousands of failures, there's always that chance for success and therefore, every failure is one step closer to your goal in mind.  Start failing.  Go out there and fail.  Celebrate every failure, because it's bringing you one step closer to where you want to be; one step closer to your presentation of epic success and pure amazement.


Day 70 - Story from Your Childhood

Day 70 - Story from Your Childhood

When I was in 1st or 2nd grade, I used to love going to Chuck E. Cheese's to play my favorite arcade game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game (I love how everything in the 80's and 90's was, "The Arcade Game," "The Movie," "The Lunch Box," "The Flame Thrower" - Any Spaceballs fans out there?)  :)  

One weekend, my father and I went to Chuck E. Cheese's to eat some pizza and play some games.  As usual, I was glued to the TMNT arcade game.  Just two minutes after entering the restaurant, I was playing the "evolved reptilian crime-fighting" game.  Once our pizza was at our table, my dad summoned me to come and eat and I took the fastest break ever to eat pizza and get back to pursuing the villainous "Shredder."  After all, the Turtles weren't going to save April O'Neil themselves.  

While Dad was finishing up his pizza, I rushed back to video game with a handful of quarters tucked away in my pocket.  I approached the arcade console and dumped all of my quarters out on the dash.  I started playing and made it through level one without having to put in another quarter.  As I started level two, another boy approached the machine and stood next to me watching me play.  Halfway through the level, the boy darted off without a word or action.  I didn't think anything of it and continued playing.

A couple minutes after the boy had departed, he returned with his mother holding his hand.  His mother approached me quickly and yelled at me.  She accused me of stealing her son's quarters and "butting" into his game.  I vividly remember her face just a few inches in front of mine screaming my eyes out.

"You stole my son's quarters?!  How dare you!  How would you like it if someone pushed you aside and stole your quarters?!  Huh?!?!"

I was terrified.  I cried and tried to plead with the mother that the quarters were in fact mine and that I got them from my Dad.  She continued to yell at me.  I couldn't help but bolt around the mother with tears running down my face and leaving the quarters behind.  I told my father what happened and he jumped up to confront the situation.

After minutes of arguing with the mother in the middle of the restaurant and not getting anywhere, my Dad and I paid our bill and left.

I've reflected on this story recently because of some of the racial tension that our nation is facing currently.  See, the one thing I never mentioned in the story above is: the boy and the mother who accused me of stealing their quarters were both black.  

For some, this may shift the perspective of the story.  I certainly hope not.  I was fortunate to be raised in a family that valued the person, not just their background; the individual, not just the color of their skin.  So, only when I look back on this story do I see skin color.  I can honesty say that when I was a little boy, I was being screamed at by a mother, not a black mother.  I was being yelled at by another individual; an individual that had been misinformed by their son, not a black son.  Yes, these individuals were black and that's part of who they are, but they are individuals, just like me.  I think it's time we realized that we are all individuals.  We all have different backgrounds.  We all come from one "race."  The human race.


Sure, there are different cultures and that's what makes life wonderful.  We all have differences that make us unique and beautiful.  Sure, there are bad things that people do, but guess what?  That's part of the human race.  It's not the color of one's skin that determine's an individual's actions and choices.  
We've got to get past the labels...this goes for EVERYONE. And let's stop bashing one another.  After all, this isn't a video game.  This is real life.  EVERYONE deserves compassion and respect.  Let us remember Aretha Franklin's memorable lyrics, "RESPECT.  Find out what it means to me."

May we treasure our differences, learn about one another, and care for one another as members of one "race."  The human race. 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Day 69 - Something You Witnessed

Day 69 - Something You Witnessed


Today, I witnessed something incredible.  As I was passing a restaurant on my way home this evening, I saw a man on the corner with a sign that said, "Please help.  I'm homeless."  The instant my mind comprehended what the man's sign said, a young woman walked up to the man and handed him a bag of food.  A citizen from Alaska could have seen the grin on the man's face.

Those small things are a big deal.  I'm asking myself, "what small thing can I do that's a big deal to someone else?"  We should ask ourselves this everyday.  How can I lend a hand, today?