The Antihero In You & Me

What’s the difference between glory and shame? What makes a hero, and what makes a villain? Success vs. failure, good vs. bad? 

Well, it depends on who you’re asking. 

Take, for example, my most popular youtube video to date: a testimony from my experience working at Northwestern Mutual. One commenter remarked, “I appreciate your heart in all this. It’s a breath of fresh air man.” And others told me “thank you” or asked me for advice. 

On the other side of the isle, though, I’ve received critical feedback such as, “This was an awful video, north western sucks” - and my personal favorite - “Can’t hear a f*ckin thing over your g*y car” 

Haha! :D

[In that person’s defense, I was driving a diesel truck at the time, and the muffler most certainly impacted the audio quality of the video]

At the end of the day, though, how can I know whether I created a valuable piece of content or if I wasted my time along with everyone else’s?

In my opinion, we’re pretty good at identifying haters and trolls. They characteristically live behind keyboards, show no interest in discussion, and exist for the sole purpose of triggering our discouragement. You know the type.

And most of us are well-equipped to either ignore those voices or channel them into some kind of positive motivation. 

It’s not the haters, but everyone else, that can get us tripped up!

The family member

The childhood friend, college buddy, colleague

The pastor, teacher, coach, boss

The news, newsfeed, new song 

The culture

These are not keyboard warriors. None of them are strictly out to deceive you. None of them are against you. In fact, most of them even care about you.

So it's not that they are negative or untrustworthy voices. 

It’s just that they all … talk.

That’s it.

They all have stories to tell you.  

Harmless, except for one thing: the only difference between glory and shame is who’s telling the story. 

And that's okay. Because it’s not someone else’s story we need to mind ourselves with, anyway. We aren’t living for the praise of man, after all, nor in fear of man’s accusation. My perspective is that glory and shame are for the outside to discuss rather than our inside to identify with. 

The mindfulness challenge, then, is this: have I taken someone else’s story and made it my own? Have I lost my mind by allowing others to live there ‘rent-free’? 

What would my mind even say if it weren’t buried under all the stories I've been told?

Often, these subconscious agreements to others’ stories manifest themselves as internal feelings of pride-glory or shame-failure. (Neither your true self nor the indwelling Spirit would likely frame your life's circumstances and choices in such a fashion).

I believe there is a beautiful, vast space in between glory and shame called existence, and it’s beckoning dreamers and realists alike. 

And if you’re ready to test the waters, well, surf’s up! :D

Or when in doubt, don’t go out ;)

Either way, hang loose 🤙 🙂