Personal Story for John Maxwell Certification

Donna Mae Sheppard

Making a Difference….One At a Time

Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real, was so vivid and exciting that

when you woke up you wanted to go back to sleep so you could be where you

were? You open one eye and you say, no I’m not ready to come back- I don’t

remember where I was, but it was better than where I am now. That is what I

did about two or so months ago. I lulled myself back to sleep, wanting to

recapture the dream or what I’m calling a vision. Have you ever experienced a

dream like that? Do you know what I’m talking about?

I had prayed the night before, Lord show me what these John Maxwell Laws

are really about. Help me understand them in a way that I can communicate

them to people not only from my head, but also from my heart. Because right

now I’m just not getting it.

I woke up that morning with this high feeling; It was almost like I was hungry

for something, but I didn’t know exactly what it was at first. I did know it was

intense… it was almost like P F Chang’s- Chocolate Wall Cake w/ the five layers of

chocolate cake with chocolate fudge icing, nibbles of dark chocolate sprinkled

across the top, melted chocolate dripping over the edge of the plate surrounded

by strawberries and blueberries. Usually that gives me to a high – that sugar buzz

in the head, but the way I felt after that dream was even better and there was no

indigestion or calories either.

I knew there was something, so different about this dream that I not only

wanted to remember it, but I was driven to embrace it. I felt an anxious wonder,

amazement and anticipation “ …my heart was even racing.” I could see snapshots

of people walking toward me and people walking away, but when they walked

away there was excitement in their eyes as they talked about their gifts, their

talents and visions for their future. I would approach people boldly and could see

potential in them that was beyond anything had been natural for me in the past.

It was giving me a “high” I’d rarely experienced (and it wasn’t from drugs either). I

could clearly see people around me I didn’t even know with eyes sparkling and

wide open as they captured a picture of what I called “Their Gifting”. These were

personal talents and gifts in themselves they had never thought about or

developed. What amazed me was that it was the hope and belief I had in them

and encouragement I gave them that helped them and me step across the bridge

between us and our vision.

Some of you are younger than me, but when you get into your Golden Years,

you begin to think like a child and you believe the world is yours. You just believe

if you can walk fast enough and reach far enough anything you want in life is

yours. Maybe we all have a lot to learn from that child that is still within each of

us.

Due to many experiences over my lifetime (I will not talk about today). I want

to be a voice for women that had been wounded and are living in silence as

victims of abuse and domestic violence. I want to make a difference like my mom

did. She saw her mom die in childbirth at 5 years of age because her alcoholic

father couldn’t drive her to a hospital; dropped out of school in the 10 th grade

because she had to work. She climbed the ladder though from being “a good stay

at home mom till I entered college then continued vocational training and

became manager of a local credit union, president of not only the state board of

directions for credit unions, but also on the national board. She was instrumental

while serving on a national legislative committee in seeing that credit unions got

equal status as banks. She often spoke about the Starfish Story.

You have a copy in your handOnce you read it you’ll understand; I can see my mother now standing on a beach Reaching down for a starfish just within her reach;She tosses it gently out past the shoreInto the ocean and seen no more;Don’t you see I’m making a difference for this oneThere are so many more; help me, there is work to be done.

So I ask you today are you casting starfish one at a time or by the dozen?

Something is special in each one of us or we would not be here. We’ve been

gifted with the ability to make a difference in the lives of others. Use your gifting

and may the clarity and passion for your vision propel you to shape not only your

future, but those in your community and in this world.

Vision without action is merely a dreamAction without vision just passes the timeVision with action can change the world

Let’s Make A Difference.

QUOTES THAT INSPIRE…

John Maxwell

“Every leader has lids on his life. The issue is never whether you have lids. The issue is what you are going to do about them.”

“Leaders get themselves into trouble when they put their desire for results before their willingness to develop themselves in areas of competence and character.”

“The truth is that the work of connecting is never finished. True connection is an ongoing effort.”

“It has been said that a good executive never puts off to tomorrow what he can have someone else do today.”

“God is looking for people through whom He can do the ipossible- what a pity that we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.” Tozer

“Life’s most urgent and persistent question for leaders is, “What are you doing for others?”