Friday, April 25, 2014

GOD GAVE ME A SENSE OF HUMOR © 2014 by Wayne Dan Lewis, Sr.


A Message to the Graduating Class of 2014

You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it.
Bill Cosby[1]

1.       I am always amazed at how some people can walk into a room, and people start smiling, even break out into a big laugh, just because… 

2.       I think it is amazing too, how even at a funeral, people can recall any number of things about the deceased that it makes so difficult a time easier to bear, because something that the deceased was best known for, making people smile or laugh, is something that refuses to allow others to be anything but happy for that person having been in their lives.

3.       The idea that one person can make another person smile or laugh just by their presence is truly amazing.  But when that one person can stand in front of dozens of people and make them laugh, it’s awesome.  And when that one person can stand in front of thousands and cause them to break out laughing, that’s talent.  A God-given talent.

 

Quote: “Today I met with a subliminal advertising executive for just a second.”
–Steven Wright[2]

 

4.       Comedians, Humorists, Funny People

5.       I would like to believe that I grew up in the best of times when I think of some of the funniest people I have ever heard.   For example:  The late Red Skelton;[3] The late Richard Pryor;[4] the late Lucille Ball[5]; Carol Burnett;[6] Tim Conway;[7] Bill Cosby;[8] Chris Tucker;[9] Steve Harvey;[10] Ellen DeGeneres; the late Bernie Mac;[11] Cedric the Entertainer,[12] and far too many more than I wish to list at this time.   I am sure I overlooked quite a few others, count it to my head and not my heart.  For it speaks more to just how many talented people there are out here, or that once were, who could not just put a smile on your face, but could honestly make you laugh.  The talent pool is a relatively small one when it comes to some of the greatest comedians whose talents are without question, awesome.  Why is this important to you as graduates?

6.       To the Graduating Class of 2014, this is important to each of you because many of these men and women that I have just named, may or may not have graduated from high school, or even college.  It didn’t matter where they graduated from, but that they had a talent, and by evidence of their ability to parlay that talent into a means of making a living, says volumes about their willingness to demonstrate who they were.

7.       As you prepare to move out into the world, each of you should understand that what you have accomplished as graduates, will carry you only so far.  While each of you may make thousands of dollars, or hopefully, millions of dollars, what you may find yourself often doing is wondering.  Or perhaps, you may find yourselves being magnetized to a calling that you may have long thought was not yours to answer.  Today, I encourage you to answer that call.

8.       As in the case of those of you who can make others laugh, there are those among us, who await for you to step from the graduation stage to the bright lights of the entertainer’s stage, and touch us with your magic, your warmth, your effervescent talents, and help make our lives a little better because of your ability to make us laugh.

 

Quote:  “I met a new girl at a barbecue, very pretty, a blond I think. I don’t know, her hair was on fire, and all she talked about was herself. You know these kind of girls: ‘I’m hot. I’m on fire. Me, me, me.’ You know. ‘Help me, put me out.’ Come on, could we talk about me just a little bit?”                                                                              –Garry Shandling[13]

 

9.       What Makes Us Laugh?

10.   I could call up a clinical answer as to what makes us laugh, but I don’t want to.  While I think that laughter has a medicinal affect, I don’t think that many doctors are writing those prescriptions.  The pharmaceutical companies haven’t quite mastered the ability to bottle laughing gas for the general public, at least legally.  Correct me if I am wrong.  But the remedy of laughter is self-directed.  We can choose to listen to someone or something that makes us feel good about ourselves.  And we have so many of you to thank for that.  Otherwise, we can choose to sit around and sulk ,and feel sorry for ourselves.

11.   Realistically, we have to be willing to laugh.  I think that we have to, if nothing else, be willing to laugh, if not smile, at some of the most, simplest of things in our lives.  For example, a baby who is learning to walk with their duck-like steps, or a baby who inadvertently laughs, showing their little pink gums.  Or maybe, laugh at ourselves when we spend a lot of time looking for the glasses that are right on top of our heads.  And don’t think it’s not funny when we put that cup of coffee on top of the car and drive all the way to work, only to find it is still sitting up on top of the car, just as warm as when we left home.

12.   What makes us laugh, is the willingness to recognize that everything in our lives is not always serious.  We have to loosen up.  We have to be just as willing to laugh out loud (LOL), as we are to raise the blinds on our windows, or throw open the curtains to let the daylight in, even if it is raining.  What makes us laugh, is our willingness to believe that life is beautiful.  That even on the darkest of days, there is always a chance at a glimmer of light.  And when something great happens in our lives, we have to not only laugh about it, but be grateful, and share the excitement, the exhilaration, and of course, the laughter that burst from within.

13.   Also, what makes us laugh is the fact that we can make more friends by making others’ laugh rather than by crying; feeling sorry for ourselves, and finding fault with everything that goes on in our lives.  And when we can’t find a reason to laugh, and going to a bar to drown out our sorrows is an option that we have grown tired of, well then, flip to the comedy channel(s).  Look for a funny movie on the movie channels.  Or, find that one person in your life who is best known for making you and just about everyone else feel good about themselves, because they not only know how to laugh, but know how to make others laugh as well.

 

Quote: “Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can; all of them make me laugh.”
― W.H. Auden[14]

 

14.   It Is Not an Easy Job

15.   As many of you prepare to graduate, there are only a select number of you who could go out today and make people laugh.  You can bide your time by practicing on the dog at home whose scratching to get out the back door;  your 9 month old baby who not laughing with you, but at you, or, you can take advantage of this opportunity that you now have, and put it all on the table.  Present yourself for the big league.  With the talent that you have, to make people laugh, I personally know that it is no easy job.  Many of you have the ability to make people feel at ease without so much as saying a word, and then, without saying a word, make people smile and laugh.  How do you do it? 

Quote-- “Sometimes, I laugh so hard, the tears run down my leg”.

Author unknown [15]

16.   I don’t think that you can teach what you do.  You are so talented.  If you have learned anything from your education, it is how to survive in the world around you.  Your education has, for the most part, taught you the square-root of Pi,[16] and with that, you can make people smile.  Your education has taught you, that in American history, a man was paid to lead three ships (The Nina, The Pinta and the Santa Maria)[17] across the great Atlantic Ocean, searching for a new route to the West Indies, but here we stand as a result of his discovery.  Surely, there must be a laugh in there somewhere.

17.   Your talent, as someone who is able to make people laugh, and feel great about who they are, is a talent that should be honed well beyond your achievement as a graduate.  Don’t wait until the feeling overwhelms you 10, 15 or 30 years from now.  Don’t wait until you are discovered at a sweet 16 birthday party, or at the office Christmas party.  Your time is now.  You are ready to take your talents to the deepest corners of the world.  For with your talent, that one talent above all others, it can serve all humanity as the greatest alternative to the constancy of war and death.  With your talent, as someone who can make others laugh, you may hold the future cure to cancer, because of the medicinal value that laughter is said to have.[18]

18.   Last but not least, with your ability to make others laugh, you hold the inspirational key that inspires others to search deep within themselves and to uncover that gift, that talent that God has given to them.  God gave several of you the talent to make others laugh, smile, or at best, make others feel good about themselves.   He gave others of you, who are graduating in 2014, the ability to sing greater than the most beautiful of song birds.  And still, He gave others of you, in the class of 2014, the ability to lead with confidence those who are in need of strong leadership on land, in the air, or on the sea. 

 

19.   It’s Not Rocket Science

20.   No, it does not require that as a comedian that you know the sum of the distance between two adjacent lines in a hypotenuse triangle.[19]  Nor, does it require that you be a physicist,[20] who is able to calculate the number of times a rubber ball will bounce on a cardboard box before it stops bouncing.  But, making people laugh is an amazing skill set.  Not everyone can make someone else laugh as heartily, or even break into a smile, just by their presence.  I am mystified by that talent, because on any given day, you, as that rare person that you are, can stand before hundreds, even thousands of people, and make them laugh.  You can make their stomachs hurt, and they enjoy it.  You can make tears come to their eyes, and they are joyous.  You can make them forget whatever is bad going on in their lives, and they will thank you for it.  You are awesome!

 

21.   As I Conclude

22.   As I have often said, the world is waiting for you.  Why?  In this case, to make others laugh, to heal them with your medicinal-like ability, whether with your family-oriented humor, your dirty jokes, your off-color remarks, or your quick-office wit.  Use your talent of humor, or whatever talent you have been blessed with, because the level of competition is very low when it comes to doing what you do so naturally, and so well.  You don’t need to rush out and compete for corporate jobs, when people would pay you just to do what you love to do, if nothing else, just to make them laugh.  You have the talent, you have the know-how.  You have the gift.

23.   I should caution too, as you will soon learn, that you don’t have to do it for the money.  We have often heard it said, that in order to find complete fulfillment in life, find out what it is that you love to do, and then, find a way to get paid for it. [21]

24.   From the moment you receive your respective diplomas, or degrees, the playing field for success just became unlevel.  And you, as someone who can make people laugh, have a tremendous advantage.  Don’t wait another day, this is your moment. As the curtains closes on this your year of graduation, go out and make people laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

25.   To the Graduating Class of 2014, many best wishes, and may you always be able to laugh, out loud.

 

Quote on love: “ I can’t make you love me, but I can fill my pantry with your favorite snacks and give you a weekly stipend of $75.00”

Robert Delaney[22]

 

26.   Disclaimer:  Information shared on the Coveted Commandment blog is deemed to be from reliable sources, but not guaranteed.   Consult with your respective professional for counseling.  The Coveted Commandment Blog and the Coveted Commandment © 2014 by Wayne Dan Lewis Sr.   If you are looking for a speaker for your group or meetings, please contact Wayne Lewis at wdlewis8088@gmail.com .


[10] Ellen DeGeneres- http://www.ellentv.com/
[21] Find what you love to do quote- Author Unknown
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Monday, April 21, 2014

STANDING NEXT TO GREATNESS ©2014 Wayne Dan Lewis, Sr.


A Message to the Dropout Class of 2014

1.        “I’m dropping out of school!”  These are the words a parent wants to least hear from their child.  It is a heart-break of a thousand kinds when a child hears these words.  So many thoughts go through their minds, and yet, what can a parent do?

2.       One of the things that many parents feel is responsible.  They wonder if they did not push their children enough.  They wonder if it’s drugs, or pregnancy.    Parents wonder if it was the school, or the environment.  There have to be so many things that parents have to wonder when their child presents them with what is initially perceived as a tragic set of news:  dropping out of school.

3.       When I Dropped Out of School
4.       When I dropped out of school (1975), I knew that it was going to be one of the most difficult decisions I would ever make.  Even though it was college, it was something that I believe was inevitable.  I started school at 6 years old, got kept back in 8th grade, and by the time I actually got to college, I was following an agenda that had been laid for me, without my input.  So when I dropped out of college, it was one of the most liberating decisions that I had made.  If you want to know how I dealt with it, please read my blog entitled, “You’ll Never Amount to Anything” © 2013, my message to the Drop Out Class of 2013. [1]  But, if I knew then what I know now, I would perhaps have achieved so much more.  Here is what I believe those who drop out of school need to know as so many face the considerations going forward:

5.       Write down the reasons why you believe you want to drop out;

6.       Evaluate what dropping out of school will mean for you as well as your family;

a.       Where will you live (Parents/move out on your own);

b.      How will you support yourself? (Work, handouts, military);

c.       Will you register for the draft?

d.      Will you register to vote?

e.      Will you prepare for your GED?

7.       Who to let know of your decision;

a.       Parents/Spouse;

b.      Counselor;

c.       Treasured Teacher(s);

d.      Best friend(s);

8.       The above are just a few things that I would have loved to have used to help me to decide either to or not to drop out of school.  But to be honest, at that time in my life, I was perhaps like some of you who dropped out of school, no one could tell me anything.  Nevertheless, the decision was made, without a plan of action, other than to get out of school and go to work.

 

9.       Now What?
10.   Statistically, thousands of kids drop out of school every year.  But for every parent, “not my child!”  While that is no comfort to any parent, there still needs to be a method of recovery that allows parents and students (even if they have dropped out of school, they are still students), to focus on the next critical move in their young lives.  Aside from any anger or frustration that both parents and student maybe going through, it maybe important to understand why the student dropped out, and what his or her plans are next in their lives.

11.   Statistics can show any number of directions that school dropouts have taken.  Those statistics may have indicated that dropouts went into the job market, or went into the criminal justice system as criminals.  But statistics can also show that those who dropped out of school had a plan, a plan that would lead them to greatness. And to that end should be every parent’s greatest desire.

12.   Unfortunately, many of us focus on what the worst-case scenario is for us as dropouts.  But there are many students who actually aspire to do great things in their lives, as many of you will soon find out.    There are still some things that we need to be careful off that could affect us as we pursue greatness in our lives. 

13.   SYSTEM DESIGN/SYSTEM FLAW
14.   I would be remised if I didn’t also suggest that the need to drop out of school is often overlooked as necessity.  By that I mean that from a historical perspective, thousands and thousands of young people drop out of school beginning anywhere from 7th thru 10th grades.[2]  Many of those students are from poor families who for whatever reason, are not able to keep up with the curriculums of the school systems.  And to that end, the school systems do not necessarily design their system for those who can’t keep up.  As often as many students drop out, it appears that schools are improving the flaw of their systems to ensure that more students drop out.  Why?

15.   Many school systems may deny it, but school systems cannot fulfill a promise of a job for everyone who graduates.  Correction:  they can, but they apparently choose not to.  There appears to be more to gain if a few thousand students drop out of the system and eventually find themselves in jails, prisons, or on the streets, the direction that most of us would believe would be the inevitable one for those who drop out of school.  I don’t believe that has to happen.  And by evidence of the many who prove that dropping out of school does not mean a loss life, an opportunity exists for our societies to begin exploring fantastic new ways of improving the quality of life for all of our students, regardless of their way of achieving great things in their lives.

16.   An opportunity exists for school boards, school systems, educators, administrators and parents to look at the greater good that is highly probable for our young people who may not be able to wither the route of traditional education.  A new tradition exists to be explored for those schools and communities who are sincerely interested in turning out great achievers who all don’t have to walk down the aisle, or across the stage a point society says, but when that person is ready.

 

High School Dropout Facts

http://www.americaspromise.org/dropout-crisis-facts

 

17.   Will You Return to School?
18.   After being labeled a dropout, is it likely that you will return to school?  I did.  But my reason(s) compared to others’ reason(s) will vary.  But here is are two reasons to consider why and/or why not:

a)      Yes: because it’s very possible that several life lessons and experiences can be brought to the forefront that can be shared with others who are also returning to school;

b)      No:  because schools don’t take credit for their role in failing to meet the expectations of a lot of students who eventually drop out.  It would appear that by returning to school, it would vindicate not only the school from which you dropped out of , but also the school system.  School systems do not deserve a past for failing to help so many of those kids who drop out of school.

c)       Yes:  because you want to send a positive message to others considering dropping out that school is essential to one’s overall development, or

d)      No:  because it would appear disingenuous that say that dropping out of school was the wrong thing to do if that is what you feel you need to do.

19.   Obviously, it all comes down to a personal choice for anyone who is considering whether to drop out of school.  But in the end, they (he/she) will have accomplished their greatest achievement regardless of the role school played in their lives.

 

20.   Successful Millionaires who Dropped Out of School
a.       Princess Diana- Dropped out of school at age 16;[3]

b.      Richard Branson, CEO Virgin Airlines worth $4.6B;[4]

c.       George Foreman- World Heavyweight Boxing Champion and Pitchman[5]

d.      Mark Zuckerberg- Founder of Facebook, worth $16B in 2012; [6]

e.      David Karp, sold Tublr to Yahoo for $1.5B; [7]

f.        Bill Gates-Co-founder of Software Giant Microsoft;[8]

g.       Walt Disney- founder of Disney World and Disney Land, received an honorary high school diploma at 58;[9]

h.      Ray Kroc-founder of McDonald’s Restaurant[10]

 

21.   Dropouts or Pioneers?  Dropouts or Visionaries?
22.   My own mother told me when I dropped out of college after a year and a half, that I would be a “no-body”.  Those words have never left me, even though my adopted parents had done a lot for me, those words had a very long-lasting effect.  For each time that I returned to school, I was trying to get past the perception that I was a “no-body”. 

23.   Today, I want to make sure that no one who drops out of school is perceived as a “no-body”.  Until you are in a position that forces you to look at what school offers and what your visions are for a successful life, and realizing that school may actually fall short of what is necessary to help you achieve that level of success, then the label of being a drop out is no more than just that: a label.  Obviously, many people drop out of school for many a reasons, but a lot has to be said for those who drop out and have a grander vision of what they want out of life. And yes, they are willing to drop out of school to achieve it.  It sounds like to me, they are breaking out, to achieve something that if they don’t go out and tackle it right at a given moment, they will never be whom they know they are destined to be. 

24.   Perhaps, those who decided to drop out of school were pioneers.  We know that pioneers, historically, were men and women who packed everything that they owned in a wagon, and headed out over the nearest horizon. Or, maybe pioneers were those who filled ships with all that they had to travel across uncharted waters to a land they had only dreamed of.  Those pioneers struck out regardless of what others thought, or whatever dangers that may have belied their path.  They held their heads high, showed no fear, and took on the challenges that others dared not take on.  And in their best hour, showed what true greatness was.

25.   Perhaps, those who dropped out of school were visionaries.  For them, they had gotten enough education to square them, and then, they moved on.  Soon, we would hear back from them.  They have settled down in a new area, gotten a new job, and are achieving some great things.  Why can’t that be today?  Why can’t someone who drops out of school, be allowed to work for a few years, in any area of the country or the world for that matter and, when they are “settled in”, either return to school, or start their own business?  Or grow one hell of a family? Is it possible that those who drop out of school are visionaries?

26.   Dropping Out of School-Wearing It As a Badge of Honor
27.   Truth be told, we all drop out of something.  Many of us, even as we may have completed school, may have cut a class, dropped out of class, dropped out of sports, or music. Some of us may have dropped out of relationships, quit jobs, quit smoking, or quit losing weight.  If dropping out of something makes us losers, then many of us can wear that label.  But, how we wear that label is important.  For those who dropped out of school and have gone on to achieve greatness, it is a label that can be worn as a badge of honor.

28.   For those us who have never dropped out of school, who have always held strong to our various goals, beliefs, or threats from parents, should not be so quick to judge those who quit school without knowing what their decisions involved.  Sometimes, people dropout to help family members who are sick, or to help because money is needed to make it.  Others may drop out of school because they too are overwhelmed by the pressure of the curriculum, or the failure of the curriculum to help them realize their truest potential in life.

29.   Whatever the reason for dropping, many of us can only wish the best for someone who drops out of school, only to discover in just a short period of time, that that person has not only excelled in their personal lives, but, are perhaps in a position to offer to those of us who stayed the course, a job, or advice on how to live our lives to the fullest.

 

30.   Preparing for Greatness
31.   Once we have gotten over the perceived tragedy of dropping out of school, we have to resist the temptation of allowing others to dictate our next move.  Recent history has shown to us that dropping out of school has nothing to do with being a looser, a no-body, or a quitter.  While these terms may apply to those of who allow them to, there are those of among us, whose quest for greatness will not be determined by such playground antics.  We are preparing to achieve great things, and the fact that we dropped out of school is no less a measure of our quest to achieve something spectacular.  We have proof, even evidence, that dropping out of school does not signal that we are shutting down our lives, or rolling over and playing dead.

32.   What history will not reveal about us who drop out of school is that we are recalibrating, like the GPS on our Smart Phones.[11]   History will only reflect on us negatively until we achieve greatness.  Otherwise, the labels that are the equivalent of bullying and teasing, will be applied.  But that will not matter to those of us who are charting a course for our own greatness.   We know that we can succeed because history can be easily accessed to show us that we have predecessors.  But, history can only show so much.  For those of us who drop out of school, the rest remains up to us.  We each have our own obligations and responsibilities to put in place so that our missions, however difficult, however unclear to others, are all be assured as we move to make our goals a reality. 

33.   Going Forward
34.   Dropping out of school is considered illegal in many communities.  If not careful, many students could find themselves behind bars, or at the beginning of a career behind bars.  Please be careful and know the importance of the laws of your area.  This should not be considered as an endorsement for anyone to quit school.  But at the very least, if it is a consideration, please refer to the suggestions above regarding what you should consider before dropping out of school.

35.   The important thing to remember going forward, is that dropping out of school does not make anyone a loser.  As a matter of fact, it may actually signal that many of our students maybe on to something that school fails to recognize.  By evidence of far too many successful men and women throughout our various communities who have dropped out of school should not only be acknowledged, but should have schools making accommodations to help those who have great ideas, that schools could possibly benefit from.  Such an accommodation would allow for the student to smoothly transition into the workforce, study at their own pace, or withdraw until they achieve what it is that is calling them.   And then, peacefully, without negative connotation, or without judgment, allow the student to return to a classroom setting that allows them to get back on track academically.

36.   Allowing for such a transition for students who drop out, would make the school systems that we have in place look less draconian when we look at men and women who achieve great things in their lives, even after dropping out of school.  The opportunity to make a transition to greatness is there.  School systems have the wherewithal to make this happen.  If in doing so, they open the door to more students who are perhaps just as destined for greatness because our society works to make a way for more students to rise to their designated greatness, we would perhaps have fewer young people in jails and prisons, but instead, working alongside of men and women who could use their insights, or if nothing else, their enthusiasm to work, rather than be incarcerated.

37.   Going Forward, Again!
38.   The idea that someone who dropped out of school would achieve greatness is no doubt more of a secret rather than be flaunted to many of our young people in schools.   Reasonably, we cannot afford to have a large number of students running around the streets who aren’t in school.  That would be a failed system.  And, we can’t afford to have that.  But as history tells us, and shows us,  there are many leaders who have dropped out of school, who have achieved greatness.  There are many business leaders, who have dropped out of school, who have achieved greatness.  There are many entertainers and sports figures who have achieved greatness, who have dropped out of school. 

39.   Going forward, again, we may have been on to something from a long time ago, but it may have been perceived counter-productive to allow students, parents and communities to believe that if students were released too early into the world, that they would have been unprepared for the world ahead of them.   But, given the number of people who have dropped out of school, and who have achieved world greatness in so many areas, why can’t there be an even greater number of young men and women who have dropped out of school and who have taken care of their families with less than a high school education?  Or less than a college education, who are great leaders in their respective communities?  High school or College dropouts, as we have labeled them, have raised great families, with kids who went on to finish school, finish college, and who have turned out to be successful doctors, lawyers, judges, business leaders and so on.

40.   Going forward, again, we don’t always need to look to history for those who have achieved greatness in America.  We would probably know more about those who achieved greatness if we didn’t negatively label those who dropped out of school as losers, quitters, or anything that would suggest they gave up.  Instead, we should open the door to these men and women who were no less visionaries, innovators, leaders, pioneers, or successful achievers in whatever they had put their minds to.  They are among us.  They are our fathers and mothers.  They are brothers and sisters.  They are our aunts and uncles.  They are cousins, friends, cousins, classmates, colleagues and, they are our community. 

41.   Going forward, look very closely, and you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that many of us have been following the leadership of someone who once dropped out of school, even as they hold a GED, or only 20 hours of college credits; or just 2 years of apprenticeship of a 4 year program.

42.   Going forward, we owe it to ourselves, and to those whom we determine as school dropouts, to recognize their true greatness and how, despite the presumed embarrassment, or labeling that they have endured, they are great people, not only for what they have overcome, but for who they are all together.  I believe that many of us are standing next to greatness.  Men and women, who can come out of the shadows, and no longer stand behind the shame of having dropped out of school, but having overcome circumstances that many of us may have folded from the pressures that they faced. 

43.   We are standing next to greatness, for many of whom, may have not had a guiding hand as they quit school, but instead walked out into the world, not sure whom they could trust, and how they would be viewed.  Yes, they may have dropped out of school, but they did not drop out of society.  And as a result of their very difficult decision, many of us are better for the lives they have given us through their hard work, dedication, and commitment to their communities and their families.  We should be proud, and be quick to recognize not the minuteness of their dropping out of school, but instead, recognize the magnitude of what many of us believed was not possible, unless they had a full education.

44.   Congratulations, belatedly, to those of you who have dropped out of school, who have accomplished some truly magnificent things for you and your families.  Congratulations to those of you who have dropped out of school as outstanding future achievers, who are no doubt destined for greatness.  Congratulations to those of you whom we formerly referred to as, The Dropout Class of 2014. Wear it proudly, as a badge of honor!


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