We all strive for greatness in one area or another, right? Whether it’s at work, in your family life, spiritually, or a combination, the objective is to improve and be great at something. No matter how hard we work, however, we cannot do it alone.
I was introduced to a new friend the other day. The person that connected us had several reasons for doing so, but there wasn’t necessarily a clear purpose of our meeting. Leaving the meeting, I had a perfect idea of how I wanted to take the Transcending Labels mission to the next level. So, how did we go from no purpose for the meeting, to that? It was a combination of being open to the help and new perspective of someone else, and simply searching for the reason that we were brought together that day.
This is a woman that is not only an author, but owns a publishing company, too; there was a lot for me to learn on that front. She has published several gratitude journals— I just published my first one. And on top of all of that, she has a son with Autism and is a raving advocate for the special needs community here in Indianapolis. It was a perfect connection, but neither of us had a gameplan going into it. For her, she was under the impression that I, too, had my own publishing company, and that that would be the focus of the conversation. I, on the other hand, thought that with all of these commonalities, a good chat would arise; not necessarily any expectations.
I was correct in this assumption. We had lots to talk about right away, but about fifteen minutes in, she asked me, “was there something specific you wanted to get out of meeting with me?” She asked this politely, wanting to ensure that she wasn’t wasting our time by diving deeper into her publishing expertise. I told her that there wasn’t anything specific, I was learning a lot, and was really open to wherever the conversation might go. This is a general approach I’ve been working on in all of my interactions: be prepared, but most importantly, be curious, listen, and be open to where this event, connection, etc. will take you. In other words, stop trying to control everything.
She continued to give me tips on publishing and promoting my books. As the conversation started to come to a close, I believe that God revealed the purpose for us meeting that day. She let me know about an upcoming fair that would highlight products made by (and for) the neuro-divergent community; my wife, daughter and I ultimately attended. From there, she shared with me that individuals like her son are “starving” for social events that are designed for them. My friend shared similar sentiments to the ones I wrote about in Transcending Labels, particularly as it relates to Robert’s story. Essentially, that so many individuals with special needs and/or disabilities have little to no opportunity for social engagement outside of school. How about when they are no longer in school at all? It’s even more significant.
I’ve been thinking about a dream vision of starting a business down the road that employs people with special needs and/or disabilities. I’ve brainstormed different ideas, but now, this woman was sitting in front me directly telling me what the community needs. So, that was the sign I needed to decide that this is what I’m going to do. It’s in the infancy stage right now, just an idea.
With that being said, the objective is to launch this program next year and run social events for the special needs community.
By the way, I’m open to suggestions if you are interested in this type of program.
What are some cool places you’d reach out to about renting space? What are some activities/games you’d want to see that can be accommodating to all? Would you like to personally help me get these started?
Email me info@mitchjstevens.com with any thoughts, and most importantly, look for the purpose in every interaction you have today. Greatness is never achieved alone, and if you’re looking for it, you’ll find the people that want to help you along the way.
