Helping is NOT always good!

Hello there,

If you're like me you want to help every way you can.  Being a part of Together We Can Change The World would indicate you have a giving heart.  That's great!  Unless... GIVING would actually do more harm than good.  Huh?  Let me share a story with you that was written by one of our Someone Believes In You authors, Suess Karlsson.
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"What is this? I can't tell." Curious, and getting down on his knees on the sidewalk, Lane got a better look at it. His normal evening walk sometimes rewarded him with treasures from nature. He enjoyed his discoveries and always regarded his finds with great respect.

But what had he found? Recognizing it as an emperor moth's cocoon, Lane decided to keep it. He gently scooped the cocoon into his chest pocket and meandered home. Placing the cocoon into a clear container, Lane felt a small excitement travel through him. He surprised himself by anticipating being a witness to the moth's emergence from its cocoon.

A few days passed. Finally, a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force its body through a tiny, tiny hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as the majestic moth was stuck.

Lane could watch no more. In kindness, he decided to help the moth.

With a small pair of scissors, he snipped off a bit of the cocoon and freed his emperor moth. Now the moth emerged easily. But something was wrong . . . very wrong. It had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. Lane continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand. He expected the moth to be able to support the body which would contract in time. Neither happened!

In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly.

Unfortunately, Lane realized too late that the restricting cocoon and the moth's struggle for freedom was a requirement for survival. The moth needed to struggle through the tiny opening. It was nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight. Its freedom and flight would only come after the struggle.

By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health.

Wow! Come to think of it -- sometimes the same is true for humans.

The struggles in our lives give us strength. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. It is never easy to struggle and it is certainly never easy to watch someone else with their struggles. But think about it, if we never let children struggle with learning to walk, we would all be carrying around some mighty big kids! What if we never made any mistakes? Would we learn anything? If everything in life worked out the first time, how many inventions would have been missed?

Lane believed he was doing the right thing. And he is not at fault. We are all like that. We just want to help and make it better. I do that too. With my kids, my friends, even with myself... but sometimes I know I need to wait and let the struggle run its course... Let the fight create the strength. Out of love, I must allow nature to do its work.

I know it is not easy but I believe the outcome is worth the wait. I believe in my kids and friends and family... yeah, I believe in myself enough, that I will allow the obstacles to stand. I won't give up trying though, and I'll never quit encouraging others around me.

Will you do the same? Let's both learn from Lane and let life teach us. We will be strong and able if we can do that. Let's give every obstacle an opportunity to become our strength.

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I so love this story because it holds so much powerful truth.  I think the biggest challenge is having the wisdom to know when people need help, and when they need to struggle to find their strength.  I would love to hear any stories you may have about times when you needed that struggle, or when you knew someone else needed that struggle - and what the results were.  Nothing is more powerful than people's stories... I would love to know yours!

If you, or someone you love, is in the midst of a struggle now - take heart from the lesson of the Emperor Moth.

Have a wonderful day!

Ginny Dye

Things Are Getting Clearer

Years ago I was ghostwriting a book about the Chincoteague Ponies on Chincoteague Island and went out to spend 2 weeks on the island.  One early morning I hiked a couple miles or so down the beach to get away from the crowds and hunkered down on a log to wait for a very special "happening" that only happened once a year. 

The beach was shrouded in fog but the sun, as it rose above the horizon, cast sparkling lights across the emerald waves topped with frothy whiteness.  I basked in the beauty, while also peering into the fog that was beginning to be swallowed by the sun's rays.  The fog muted any sounds but the nearby seagulls but I knew it would happen any minute. 

As I peered down the beach I think I felt it before I actually saw it... The fog seemed to get darker, and then a little darker, and then... out popped the first head of a pony!  Within moments the beach was alive with 100+ wild Chincoteague Ponies, encased in a "Living Corral" of 30 or so Chincoteague cowboys who were riding in a rectangular formation. 

Waves were crashing.  Mamma ponies were calling to the 60 or so foals prancing through the herd - dashing back and forth down the beach within the confines of their corral.  The men were yelling out and the clink of bridles and saddles formed an amazing musical backdrop.  Wow!  I just sat back on my log and drank in the magic of what I was seeing.

The cowboys (who by the end of the week would all become friends) tipped their hats at me and smiled as they surged by.  They told me later they'd never have anyone come so far down the beach to usher them in.

12 years later, the image of the first pony head popping from the fog has never lost it's magic.  It's close to how I feel right now.  There has been so much "fog" during the last month, and especially during the last week of closing down My Power Mall.  Yet I've learned that if I watch hard enough that I will understand and gain clarity from even the foggiest experiences. 

In the last couple days I have watched a lot of "pony heads" come popping out of the fog. :)  I realize that while My Power Mall had the potential to be great for so many people, it just wasn't meant to continue.  I realize that the management of My Power Mall had taken us from our real purpose - the only reason we created MPM 3 years ago - Together We Can Change The World.  While TWCCTW was always my main driving passion, the reality of 80-90 hour weeks running MPM severely impacted what we could do and too many people had their main focus on making money - not on making a difference.

While I so appreciate the need to make money, and we so wanted to help people with that, it is obviously not ours to do or My Power Mall would have survived.  As each day passes I am finding more peace in that reality. So many exciting things are happening right now and I'm seeing things so much more clearly.  I will share it all with you in the days to come.

However you feel about My Power Mall and the circumstances of your own life, I encourage you to do two things.  Go the extra mile (walk further down the beach) to gain the clarity that you want.  And, two, peer hard into the fog.  If you stay focused and watch as hard as you can, you WILL gain clarity and you will get your answers. 

No matter how hard things may seem, or how confusing they may be, there is good that can come from every single thing.  I'm not saying everything that happens is good - I'm just saying good can come from every single thing.  Sometimes the fog is a little thicker and it may take longer before the "pony heads" come popping out but I am convinced they are hiding in every situation you face.

Thank you for joining me on this journey of life and thank you for wanting to make a difference.  My challenge to you today is to do ONE THING to make a difference in someone's life.  It doesn't have to be big.  Hundreds, then thousands, and then Millions of us each doing one small thing will have a massive impact on the world. 

My vision for that is stronger than ever!!