I was watching ESPN's Game Day recently where fans stand behind the hosts for two hours rooting for their favorite team. Of course the crowd is always filled with lots of homemade posters but I saw one I hadn't seen before. It read, This Is A Poster. Yep, it sure was a poster. And I'm confident those who made it just wanted to be funny but you have to admit they weren't very creative compared to the others.
Their sign reminded me that a lot of us settle for the easy way or simply don't try using the resources we do have on our personal journeys. When it comes to artwork I'm not very creative or talented so my poster wouldn't outshine many others but I could have done better than that one I saw on television. In the same way, many of us climbing our personal mountains need to think about what we DO have that can help us go higher rather than giving up and doing the bare minimums.
So what resources might we have available to us?
First, we have other people. Yes, it's easy to think that we can't accept the help of others, but successful people rarely do everything alone. They take advantage of the good hearts and resources that others usually want to share with them, especially when they are facing hard times. In fact, we steal from the joy they could have by assisting us with their ideas, resources and time.
Second, we have ideas we haven't thought of before. Sometimes challenges actually can motivate us to try things we've tried and consider using our life in ways we never dreamed we could serve. Mountain climbers do this kind of thing all the time. I regularly read books of climbers who were attempting to conquer mountains or routes that had never been overcome. Most of the time, they had to get creative and try something they hadn't planned on to really be successful. Maybe you need to get creative if you're going to keep going.
Third, we have the inspiration of others who have gone before us. We need to regularly talk to and read about others who have walked our trail before us. Their successes and perspective can inspire us to not quit, give us ideas on how to make it and in a sense walk beside us on our journey.
So, as you climb, remember you have more resources with you than perhaps you thought. Never quit climbing.
I created and held the "this is a poster" poster in the ESPN College GameDay broadcast you mentioned. (Check out my Twitter profile picture @jacksk4 for proof.) Considering the overwhelmingly positive feedback the sign received on Twitter, I'd say it was creative enough to entertain some people. In my opinion, the self-referential silliness was a refreshing break from an endless marathon of signs featuring tired puns and opponent bashing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. I too thought it was funny and it made for a good illustration!
ReplyDeleteThe statement on the poster was obvious to the point of inanity, but I think a sign so different from nearly all others on the show deserves to be called creative. I consider many of the posters that play on pop culture references and/or insult sports personalities as somewhat derivative in comparison.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for reading the blog and your comments. Again, it was just an illustration, Ken, not an attack on you. Keep being "creative."
ReplyDeleteI got a little carried away defending myself. Please accept this apology!
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