Void If Detatched

Those who know me best know that my dream job would be to write and speak to high school age kids and above about how to overcome obstacles in school, life, family and work. I may not be so good at doing those things myself, but I do know how to identify strategies to help others. I would mix in a lot of humor, personal experience, stories of what I know and what I've seen. I can be very approachable and find it very easy to get people to identify and "buy in" to what I am saying.
After a fair amount of searching, I think I have found my theme, or my hook or my gimmick.

Void If Detached

This three word phrase appears on a car wash receipt that for some reason is folded in just such a way that I see those words peeking up at me from the map pocket in my car door each time I get into and out of the car. Void If Detached. It is the stub end of a receipt that the car wash would remove if I were to go back within 48 hours for a rewash... even if it rained. Now, I never do that, not being a deuchebag since I consider most reasons why a car gets dirty to be force majeur and therefore I hold the provider of the service harmless. Not the point. I think Void if Detached is an interesting phrase. How else could it be said?
Without substance if disconnected.
Not fulfilled if separated.
Baseless without context.
Empty without its mate.

From here in my presentation, I could go into myriad examples pertinent to the audience about how we as people are Void If Detached. We can use school, spiritual, marital, business, ethical and other examples tailored to the specific needs of the listener. Certainly, I have a million stories about being Void If Detached. It's a good "runner" with broad thematic qualities. I think it could be a winner.

What makes you feel detached? Are you happy in your life? Are you expecting to get more return than is due to you based on the effort you are putting forth? If you are not putting forth the effort, why? Are you doing what you want to do? Are you doing it for the right reasons?

I can't say I have the answers for these questions, but I believe with the whole fiber of my being that if you put the maximal effort into something because you want it so badly you can't live without it that you will get it.

Sounds kind of boy-scouty, I know, but I believe it. I believe I could have gotten a 4.0 GPA in school. I believe had I wanted it I could be the President. I didn't care about those things. I wanted to have fun in school and what I learned around and outside the classroom had served me far better than anything I could have picked up by putting in that kind of effort. I knew since I was 5 I didn't want to be President when I found out I could have a 40 hour a week job and make almost the same money (no, I don't make $450K a year, but you get the point).

What I want is to be affective in life to the people around me. I want to be inspirational. I want to be referential. I want people to remember me when I am gone, not for what I did or said, but for what they took from me and will pass on to others.

Whew. Heady stuff. I want to be a speaker, a comic, a therapist, a faith healer, a friend, a guru, a resource, an oracle and I want to be those things for thousands of people. I want to be Dr. Oz, or Dale Carnegie or Oprah. I want to be the voice coming at you that washes away the numbness and compels you to follow the path that is right for you while doing no damage to others and maybe even helping them along the way.

Maybe you can't change the world, but you can change your world. You can help a friend who helps a friend who helps a stranger, like those insurance commercials or that horrible Pay it Forward movie that is redeemed only by Hailey Joel Osment's death. The theme for that movie should have been "You'll wish you saw dead people". Sorry, I got off topic there but I hate preachy sanctimonious self-righteous crap like that. I want to have my own brand of sanctimonious self-righteous crap to spew to the masses and make a buck or two while doing it. Just enough for a cool rock star bus and a small plane and a Bentley (man I love a Bentley). But it wouldn't be about the money, (once you have the money it never is), it would be about the helping people.

And that's where it all comes back to Void If Detached. I haven't followed my own rules and put forth the effort to fulfill my own dreams and as such I have not. I have achieved the level of success that is equal to the amount of energy I have put toward it. A few days ago, I posted some thoughts. I am going to highlight some of them again here, if only to keep repeating them to myself so I will actually start to follow my own advice.

You must remember nobody owes you nothin'.

Your attitude makes or breaks you, and everyone around you.

First, be kind to the extent it is possible, thereafter be patient and direct.

You must identify what you want so you know where to find it. It will not come to you.

People will screw up. You will screw up. Let's all move on.

Today, you will be asked to do impossible things under unprecedented circumstances with no assistance, tools or guidance. This is yours to do. Do it to the best of your ability. Expect for the next challenge to be no different.

Someone is always watching you.

Each time you interact with another human being it is another chance to pass or fail that challenge. Break your day into individual challenges. Be proud of your success, honest about your failures and vigilant for challenges to come.

A happy life is not a life without struggle or tests of faith. A happy life is a life well lived under the circumstances.

You do not need to be rich to have all you could ever need.

Thank people for the criticism they offer, even if they offer it in a way that is upsetting to you. Assume they mean well and they want you to succeed.

Offer criticism to others in a way that lets them know you want them to succeed. Do no harm to them and make them feel good about their prospects.

Don't forget to hug your pet goodbye.

Don't forget to kiss your spouse/significant other and tell them you love them.

Drive safely. People you don't even know are out to kill you.

Most importantly - God is with you, always.

I really could use your help on this one, dear reader. I am asking you to put a little energy out for me. Let me know your thoughts and feedback. I really want to run with this.

Namaste.