Overcoming the Haters: Anthony & Bruce.

Back in the 10th grade of high school I got addicted.
It was an overwhelming experience and it almost totally consumed my life.
Because of my addiction, I spent countless hours in my room ignoring friends. I also developed those scary dark shadows beneath my eyelids; my parents even considered an intervention.
The 10th grade was the year I became addicted to Bruce Springsteen. I believe the proper diagnosis is Bruce-a-holicsim.

Bruce Springsteen entered my life one day when a group of my friends in high school "ended up" at the local mall during school hours. There, on that historic day I bought his Greatest Hits album. "Born to be Wild" was the specific song that I wanted to blast on the car ride home. Initially, I was disappointed to learn that Bruce didn't sing the song. What can I say? I must have been Lost in the Flood to mistake Born to Run with Born to be Wild. (Let's see who gets that one).


One late school-night during one of my "binges", I was listening to his Live 75-85 album in the total dark with my earmuff style headphones on. A song titled, "Growin' Up" came on, and then right in the middle of it, Bruce and the band just stop playing and he starts telling this story:

"My dad and my mom have been following me all over California tryin' to get me to come back home ... they still want me to go back to college. My mom wants me to be an author and my dad wants me to be a lawyer ... but what they do not understand is that I want everything. ... Anyway, mom you wanted an author and dad you wanted a lawyer, BUT TONIGHT YOU ARE JUST GUNNA HAVE TO SETTLE FOR ROCK N ROLL!"

I sometimes think to myself, "What if Bruce had went back to school?"
-What if he had listened to what other people were telling him?
-What if he had tried to live out his parents dreams instead of his own?
No Born to Run! No Darkness! No Nebraska! No Born in the USA! No legendary 3-4 hour concerts! [I am having a panic attack!] Bruce was once quoted as saying, "The first time I looked at myself in the mirror and felt comfortable was when I saw my reflection with a guitar around my neck." Bruce never gave up on his dreams and I am glad he didn't. Bruce knew that his calling involved a microphone and guitar, not a law book or teaching the alphabet to a classroom of kindergartners. Something for all of us to learn from this is the importance of being attune to your God-given gifts and talents. This is what makes you unique. Like a fingerprint, you are the only person like you in all the earth. The strength of understanding and embracing this idea is what author / teacher Marcus Buckingham calls breaking free from the "Tyranny of the Shoulds." According to Buckingham, the tyranny of the shoulds are all those voices -all those dream killers- that stand in your way and negate the calling you have on your life. The scary thing about this is that oftentimes you will find your closest friends and family as the ones shouting the loudest "shoulds" in your ear as you pursue your goal(s).

This is personal for me.

Upon graduation from high school, I felt a strong call on my life to enter the ministry. The college I applied to had a fantastic youth ministry program, but the college was located in GEORGIA. 12 hours away was a long way away for me, and let's face it, I did not do so hot in high school either. The "shoulds" where there; at times loud and clear and other times in people's undertones. Nevertheless, I went.
I never, even once, considered how much money my profession would pay, I just dove straight in, believing this was my calling. I never gave the "shoulds" a second thought, other than to prove all the naysayers wrong. Looking back, they faithfully served as the fuel for my fire. I studied hard, spent many weekend nights in my dorm room reading and 4 years later I walked across the graduation floor to receive my diploma.  Knock Knock. It's Anthony raising a glass to all the haters...

Get INSPIRED! 
Bo Bennett was on the money when he said, "Every day, people settle for less than they deserve.
They are only partially living --or at best living a partial life."  In the epic movie, The Shawshank Redemption we read these hallowing words etched in a beam of wood towards the end of the movie, "Either get busy living or get busy dying." In one of my favorite movies, A Bronx Tale, the Mob Boss Sonny uttered this phrase, "The worst thing in life is wasted talent." And in my personal favorite movie, Braveheart, we hear, "All men die, but not all men truly live."
If you are reading this and are wondering the point, I'll try to make it short and simple:
Live your life.

I know for certain that the Tyranny of the Shoulds would have killed at least two people's futures: Anthony Kladitis' and Bruce Springsteen's. 

One would have lived a life without the music, and the other would have lived a life without a compelling message.

WHOSE Hand is it Anyway?

A football in my hands is worth about $20.
A football in Peyton Mannings hands is worth about $15 million.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A basketball in my hands is worth about $25. 
A basketball in Lebron James hands is worth about $30 million. 
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A baseball in my hands is worth about $6. 
A baseball in Derek Jeter's hands is worth more than $20 million. 
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A tennis racket is useless in my hands.
A tennis racket in Venus Williams' hands is a championship winning racket.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal.
A rod in Moses' hands will part the mighty sea.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A sling shot in my hands is just a kid's toy.
A sling shot in David's hand was a mighty weapon.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in God's hands will feed thousands.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse.
Nails in Jesus Christ's hands will produce salvation for any person that trusts in Him.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

The Best poem in the ... WORLD!!

I was shocked, confused, bewildered 

As I entered Heaven's door, 

Not by the beauty of it all, 

Nor the lights or its decor. 

But it was the folks in Heaven 

Who made me sputter and gasp-- 

The thieves, the liars, the sinners, 

The alcoholics and the trash. 

There stood the kid from seventh grade 

Who swiped my lunch money twice. 

Next to him was my old neighbor 

Who never said anything nice. 

Herb, who I always thought 

Was rotting away in hell, 

Was sitting pretty on cloud nine, 

Looking incredibly well. 

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal? 

I would love to hear Your take. 

How'd all these sinners get up here? 

God must've made a mistake. 

'And why's everyone so quiet, 

So somber - give me a clue.' 

'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock. 

No one thought they'd be seeing you.' 

Remember, just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.

Are you a Good Girl?

Are you a good girl?

I recently read this very short, yet effective illustration that I just had to share with you.
The strength lies in its simplicity.  

I think you'll agree after you read this that it will be something you will want to pass on. Maybe you have a daughter that could use this advice or perhaps you are a leader and want to influence a group of young ladies with this enduring message. 

"Good Girls are Like the Apples on the Top most part of a Tree. While the Bad girls are the Apples that Have fallen Down and Rotten. So, Most Guys are Soo Lazy to Climb all the way to the Top to get the Good Girls, So, they tend To pick on the Bad girls, (rotten apples) down. 

Those Girls (Apples) on top, sometimes think that there is Something Wrong with them, Because the ones which are rotten, (bad ones) are picked Easily Leaving them waiting on top.

So the ones on top Decide to fall, hence Becoming Bad and rotten. So, Ladies be Patient, the Right guy will not Be tired to Climb All the way to the top ...  And Get you."

Above, there are two important truths to grasp.  
The first is obvious, a girl should know her value.  The story above does a fantastic job at illustrating this. The other truth is not as evident, it is implied, but never stated overtly. The other gem hidden in this striking illustration is when a girl chooses to stay at the top of the tree, she will by default ward off all the low-hanging low-life's. 

The Bible teaches us in the book of 2 Corinthians (6:14), "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship can light have with darkness?" The key to unlocking this passage is in the word, "yoke."  A yoke (I know you envisioned the yellow-y center of an egg) is a tool used by farmers. It hitched two strong bulls together so they could plow fields in perfect unison. The reason the Bible tells a person to not be unequally yoked, is the same reason you would never hitch a Strong bull with a Wimpy donkey. 

The plow lines would soon become terribly crooked due to the strength of the mighty bull overpowering the sad donkey. 

Let's circle back to our original illustration. 

When a girl stays at the top of the tree, she keeps her standards high, thus eliminating all the bad boys that will not match her own intrinsic quality. In reality, just by her position alone she will have eliminated a good 90% of rotton apples. 

The takeaway is that in relationships you ought to seek a spouse with similar values, morals and ethics. So hear this ladies, and hear me loudly; never compromise your position on the tree. Because one day, God will position another apple on another branch that fits your core beliefs ... 
And when He does, you just found your perfect applesauce. 

Anthony's Favorite Poem: The Man In The Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,

And the world makes you King for a day,

Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,

And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife,

Who judgement upon you must pass.

The feller whose verdict counts most in your life

Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest,

For he's with you clear up to the end,

And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test

If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum,

And think you're a wonderful guy,

But the man in the glass says you're only a bum

If you can't look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,

And get pats on the back as you pass,

But your final reward will be heartaches and tears

If you've cheated the guy in the glass.