Proclaim your originality and creativity all you want, but the fact is none of us can really think “outside of the box.” We are all in a box–and there is no escape. The solution: Deal with it.

By the way, all of those quotes you love? None are original. From President John Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country cam do for you–ask what you can do for your country” to Seth Godin’s “If you don’t have time to do it right, what makes you think you’ll have time to do it over?”, and as far back (and further) as the Socratic maxim to “Know thyself” . . . it’s all been said before. In different words, perhaps, but it’s not original.

And neither is the idea that you can’t think out of the box. Everybody knows it. We just don’t like to admit it. But why?

Life is a sandbox and everything you see, everyone you know, every thought you have is here for your growth and education. Our primary need is not to think outside of the box, rather it is to use the tools inside the box and use them to take our baby steps towards wisdom.

Now. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all just settle down and help one another along the Way?

The following was originally posted on my Donald Sturgill website. It will help you understand why and how Roadturn’s focus and purpose are changing.

So, here I am with this can of worms I’ve been feeding, trying to get some focus. Remember, the idea is to begin with those two simple questions: Who am I? And who am I talking to?

Here’s the dilemma: I don’t want you to know who I am. You may laugh at me. You may reject me. You may run me down.

So, I’ve blogged under my pseudo-name, alter ego–Roadturn–for years. And I’ve avoided putting my real self out there. Held back by fear, shame, guilt, and lack of faith (in me, in you, and in Life), I’ve tried to figure out what you might want to hear, rather than to concentrate on what I have to say (and to whom).

All of that changes. Starting now.

My Brand is me, Donald Sturgill. That’s my name, my given name, now the hard part: Who is that guy? What does he stand for? What is his message? What are his gifts–what does he bring to the table?

There is an easy answer to that, when I look deeply inside myself. But it’s an answer that’s tough to face. An answer that is sure to bring on ire, derision, mocking, and laughter. But it’s the truth. It’s the only real truth, perhaps, that I have to offer.

I’m a believer. I’m one who has been touched by Grace and Love. I’m a follower of the one called Jesus, the Christ. And that colors every ambition, every desire, every option in my life.

You see, I don’t lay any claim on a special relationship to the Creator, other than I have heard His call. I don’t belong to a denomination. I don’t think it is nearly as important to “go to church” as it is to be the Church, and it seems to me that Christian talk (Are you going to Heaven? Have you invited Jesus into your heart?) can serve to obscure the Gospel, rather than announce it.

I don’t claim to know much, but I know the One who knows everything. I don’t claim to have much, but I know who has it all.

The bottom line is this: The Dream Into It program was developed, ostensibly, as a program to move entrepreneurs from the idea stage to the into-action stage. It was designed to build a bridge between a Navajo with a Dream and the business incubator at the Small Business Development Center.

But there’s more to the story.

My job was to build that bridge for would-be entrepreneurs–but my heart’s desire was to build a bridge that could move those with little hope, those who are wandering aimlessly . . . to a life of purpose and confidence in the Call.

I know that Dream Into It can restore and define the Dream. I don’t just believe it, I know it. Because the Dream Into It program has done that for me. And it can do that for you.

Dream Into It is really a tool for discipleship. It is a tool for the Church (maybe not for the little c church, but certainly for the big C Church).

So now . . . I know who I am and I know who I am talking to.

How about you?

Kathy Rawlings is living proof that it’s never too late and never too difficult to do what you really, really want to do.

She came up to me after a Dream Into It presentation last spring and, with tears starting to form in her eyes, told me that she was going to get her dream out of mothballs and pursue it. And she did.

That’s Kathy, in the photo, reading from her newly published Rocky A Simple Rock children’s book.

She is taking Rocky’s message of environmental awareness to libraries, schools, and anywhere else kids gather–and she’s having the time of her life.

Good for you, Kathy. May you and Rocky make a difference and enjoy the full measure of success your hard work and determination deserve.

You can find out more about her earth friendly message and beautifully illustrated Rocky A Simple Rock on the Rocky I Am site.

Dan Pink’s new book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, has an excellent introduction in this short video–”Two questions that can change your life.”

It’s worth a look. It’s worth a thought. And it’s worth listening to the answers…

I attended a The 7 Habits for Managers: Managing Yourself, Leading Others, Unleashing Potential seminar this week, and I don’t regret a second of the time investment. It was good stuff, well presented. My recommendation is that, when you get a chance, sit in on one; it will stir up what you already know, at the least, and very likely will give you some fresh insight and ideas about leadership.

By the way, who is a manager? All of us are–we manage ourselves (and we lead others.)

One concept Covey uses is WIG, an acronym for “Wildly Important Goals.” The The 7 Habits for Managers: Managing Yourself, Leading Others, Unleashing Potential idea is this: Plan weekly and implement daily.

A helpful part of the workshop is that each participant is given a CD with pdf and ms-word forms on it. The WIG form encourages the user to write down the top three WIGs for the week, then list objectives and tasks for each. I’ve been doing that on my computer (I call them PGA’s, though–Primary God-given Ambitions), but I see the value in writing them on paper and carrying it in my pocket. Sunday being the first day of the week, I’m going to sit down with my printed out WIGs (PGA’s) and go at it.

Try it; you’ll like it.