A Beautiful Ripple Effect

Today’s guest post from Christine Mason Miller is particularly special for me and my blogging journey. Yesterday marked my 3 year blog anniversary! My first post was entitled Ordinary Sparkling Moments in honor of Christine’s book that inspired me to open Wordpress and begin a little online diary called A Beautiful Ripple Effect. Three years ago, I would never have imagined that I would get to meet and know the real Christine Mason Miller. She is a rare combination of powerful grace, creative genius, and kindness ambassador (oh and so much more, think superwoman, but with sparkly wings!). I hope she realizes how truly loved she is by so many and how grateful I am for the unconditional support she has given me over the years. She is one of my greatest role models. Christine’s beautiful guest post is below. Again, thank you Christine. You are an extraordinary sparkling woman!

The Desire to Inspire Book Launch celebration is now just over 48 hours behind me. Most of the houseguests who flew in from all over the globe have gone back home, beds are in disarray, and my dining room table still looks like it was taken over by Christmas elves on crack. There is not a single present under the tree yet, and my best friend is still here helping me wash dishes, pack orders and run errands. Traces of the celebration are everywhere, and the sense of exuberant giddiness that fueled all the weeks of planning is still with me. The night of the book launch I chose not to do a book reading or any kind of formal speech, but instead offered a brief but emotional thank you, sharing that this experience has been one of the most remarkable of my life. This book, these contributors, and every single moment of this extraordinary ride has been about many things at different times, but at its essence, just one:  JOY.

The first person to land at LAX for the festivities was Vineeta Nair, a contributor who flew in from Mumbai, India. She arrived Tuesday, and most everyone else was coming in the next day. That night, my husband and I took her out to dinner, and we had a discussion about entrepreneurship. The topic of Apple came up, and we all decided that the core of their success came from their unwavering focus on the why of what they did. Theirs was an empire built on a vision of what was possible – of presenting something to the world that the world did not yet know it would want or need or be endlessly inspired by. They did not do any test marketing; they did not take consumer polls. They created something they felt fiercely passionate about and the world was forever changed.

In any endeavor, it is easy to be clear on what I am doing, and my work is also to figure out how I will do it. But it is the why that compels me more than anything; without a solid foundation to support the motivation behind my actions – whether personally or entrepreneurially – I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed in the morning. The why is reason I do what I do, and this has always been so.

The book launch was an evening of celebration first and foremost. Held in a beautiful setting, this gathering of sixty or so guests – which included more than half of the nineteen contributors – was a living, breathing validation of the why of Desire to Inspire. That night, I only had access to all the conversations and moments that I was experiencing, but having talked to so many who were there since then, I am now developing a more well-rounded picture of the evening. And with every story I hear, with every glimpse I am given into the exchanges between my friends, I grow more confident that the intention I set at the beginning of this journey – which was to create and work and organize from a place of joy – worked. The why of Desire to Inspire was to create a substantive, meaningful exploration of all the ways one can construct a meaningful life, and to do this joyfully. Three nights ago, this why came to life, and created a tiny universe where everyone present had joy in their hearts yet still felt comfortable sharing intense stories of love and loss and walking through this world with one another.

I have known all along that I wanted this event to hold and support and encourage joy, but beyond that I was game for anything. Like always, what transpired was more beautiful than anything I could have imagined on my own, and that light will never fade – confirming that as long as I keep that why at the center of my compass, everything is good, and all is an adventure.

Christine Mason Miller is the author of Desire to Inspire: Using Creative Passion to Transform the World, available on Amazon.com and at bookstores everywhere. Follow her adventures at http://christinemasonmiller.com/.

image: liz kalloch