At the point of possibility

The future is simply infinite possibility waiting to happen. What it waits on is human imagination to crystallize its possibility. Leland Kaiser

I awoke this morning ready to write about my experience last night as a presenter at a Pecha Kucha evening. Created three years ago by architects, Klein Dytham in Tokyo, Pecha Kucha means -- 'a chit chat in public forum' in Japanese. the theory being -- give someone a powerpoint and they'll dither on forever. Give them a tight format -- 20 x 20 (20 slides - 20 seconds a slide with each slide advancing automatically) and you get fast paced conversation that stays on point, informs and entertains. Naturally, the evening is designed to be fun and exciting -- and includes beer breaks and other libations.

I awoke this morning intending to write about the pressure, the fear of failure and the success of my experience talking in a 20 x 20 format on Failure.

and then...

I dropped into Maureen's blog over at Writing without Paper and my plans evaporated as I became immersed in the power of one woman to turn personal misfortune into an opportunity to impact the world. At the age of seventeen, Colleen Haggerty lost a leg in an accident. It would be facile to say it changed her life -- it did, but, as she writes on her blog, losing her leg didn't disable her. Pregnancy did. Not that she'd change anything -- being a mother to her children is worth it -- but the weight gain and body shifts re-proportioned her hips and knee joints and her prosthesis didn't fit and her mobility decreased and suddenly, she found herself lying on the couch like a 'beached whale'.

And thus, she came to her commitment to walk a mile a day. for a hundred days -- to overcome the pain and discomfort, the stiff joints and raw skin to reach a goal she set herself because -- well, because she deserves to feel good about herself.

And then, reaching that first goal, she lengthened her view to see another challenge, another goal. To help those in developing countries receive mobility through prosthetic limbs. Colleen is now walking 100 miles in 100 days for 100 legs. Her goal is to raise money for the Prosthetics Outreach Foundation - POF, an organization working to provide prosthetic limbs and orthopedic care in third world countries.

She is one woman doing one thing to make a difference.

It's something we can all do. One thing to make a difference in the world.

Think about it -- if we are to create a better world, to create lasting change that expands possibility on earth, what's one thing you can do to make a difference?

Last night at the Pecha Kechu evening, I listened to speakers talk with passion and commitment about what's important in their lives. The theme for the evening was 'Failure' -- and the success seeded in each misstep.

For me, working in a homeless shelter, it would be easy to believe I am surrounded by failure every day. But, as I told the audience last night -- I work in a world where we don't see people at the 'point of failure'. We see them as being at the 'point of possibility'. That point where anything can happen if we just take a breath, let go and leap.

We are at the 'point of possibility' in making a difference in the world. There is much we need to do in the world for difference making. Colleen Haggerty has found her point of possibility. What's yours?

Think about it. What's one thing you can do today to make a difference? Are you willing to commit to doing it for 100 days? What would happen if you tied-in what you're committed to doing to support a cause you're passionate about?

Think about it. I am. There are countless ways to open up to possibility and make a difference -- you could commit to volunteering one hour every week for one year. Or one dollar every day for 100 days. And when you're ready to commit, come back here and share your story so that I can support you in making it happen. I'll be back with my commitment too!

Nameste.

The video below is about the POF, the organization Colleen is raising funds to support. It's pretty amazing -- and astounding -- to watch what these two doctors have accomplished with the help of some pretty incredible nurses, volunteers and people committed to making a difference in the lives of those for whom mobility could mean, life or death.