“Wow, Jim! What a way to start a positive and uplifting post!” It is. From a certain point of view.
Over the span of the past week I’ve noticed a HUGE uptick in followers of the Toy Box with one most exceptional stand out. That being my article on “Working with intent“. That post has garnered more likes and brought more followers into the fold than anything I’ve ever written here. To all of you “Welcome to the party” and “Thank you for your show of support.” Like you, I’m carving out my slice of the digital landscape and encouragement of any kind is always appreciated.
In watching the notifications and numbers coming through, I’ve been revisiting that article and putting serious consideration into what about it that has caused such a “pop”. My conclusion? We are all still working diligently towards the American Dream. The stats are showing me that the majority of you new readers are of the mindset I share in still daring to move forward with the promises of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as declared in writing by Thomas Jefferson, despite the headlines and illogical talking points that the television and online talking heads and politicians are spewing.
It is my belief that it is that SPIRIT of the American Dream that moves us on and keeps us dedicated to the earnest of purpose no matter what the world may be showcasing. And yes I said “American” dream and do so with purposeful intent.
This American Dream is not merely an IDEA of HOPE but instead a REPRESENTATION of the pure determination shared by us who accept the challenge to make for ourselves and our families lives that leave behind a brighter world. And that most certainly isn’t an easy task. The power of positive thinking and “thoughts and prayers” only goes so far before the reality that blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice MUST come into play. I have yet to meet any “overnight success” that didn’t take years if not decades to arise nor have I found any truly successful people at their helms that didn’t suffer the pain that comes from hard life lessons learned physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. If you can prove me wrong, please send me an email with links. I’d like to use them as reference and sources for my upcoming book; “The Bulls*hit people buy into for only $19.99 a month”
Now that the rant portion of this entry is out of the way, may I get back to the root of the headline that led you here: Dead Ducks
Over the past few years, my family and I have become quite the fan of the Robertson family, made world famous by way of the television program “Duck Dynasty.” The show is fun and does one thing that most forms of entertainment run away from now: remain true to its core values. That aspect is what made the program endearing to us. A commitment to conviction of action, thoughts and deeds. And now, even more so having learned more about the family themselves and the true dynasty that spawned the show: Duck Commander.
The story of the Robertson family and their company founded on “dead ducks” is one that I have come to truly appreciate. More than just faith in Phil’s idea of creating the perfect duck call, the dedication to the goal as well as the commitment of the family is one we can all learn a thing or two from. Their story is as much as ours no matter who you are, what your vision is and where you’re from.
This leads to a great book I picked up just yesterday from Duck Commander CEO Willie Robertson; “American Entrepreneur”. If you consider yourself an entrepreneur, small business owner or one that hopes to be either, I highly recommend this one. It’s entertaining, informative and empowering.
The book and story of the Robertson’s is just one of the many that have inspired myself to “go for it” in all of my pursuits of the “American Dream.” Sure there are shortcomings in this ideology but I dare pose the request for anyone to show me a better one to have and we can chat. The only caveat I will add however is that I am no where near delusional in my understanding of the mistakes that were made I will however stand very firm on the course corrections that I have seen personally in my lifetime. I have also seen the ones that were made that did in fact make things most certainly worse, all under the guise of “improvements”. The key in discerning the mistakes versus the fixes is actually quite simple if one can be honest in their observations. We can examine and discuss those later but for now I want to instead focus on a simple commonality that we all share: There is not one human being that is of greater or of more importance than the other at our core. Race, religion, sex and most certainly not politics will ever be an immediate pass to “the front of the line”. Our merit and worth excels as we excel individually in our usefulness and purposefulness to our fellow humans as well as all the other animals, minerals and vegetables that we share this little blue orb with.
I prefer to keep this blog and all of my outreaches as apolitical and non-dogmatic in its spiritual ideals as possible. Yet we are living in a time where the current state of the narrative that the world is being spoon fed to us all is refusing to let that be an option. Division seems to be the main commodity for continued discontent and without some serious creativity or acquiescence to their demands for an impossible utopia, a content creator can get swept up into a fray they had no intentions of being a part of. My solution to that modern manufactured problem is simple and it is this: In my efforts of entertainment, information and observational output, mine are not intentions of preaching or pontificating to be “right”. I will hold true to my core beliefs and am more than willing to let you have yours. That is how you celebrate the birth of a Constitutional Republic. No matter what type of “Dead Ducks” you build your American Dream upon, remember to be kind. You don’t have to like everyone and everyone doesn’t have to like you. You don’t have to “get” them or they “get” you.
Now, Go Play! (nicely)
Jim 07/04/2022
