Impact

Margaret Mead (1901-1978) was an American cultural anthropologist who was often a featured writer and speaker in the 1960s and 1970s.  She worked to explain the human condition and why people do what they do.  One of her most famous quotes, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has” actually was cited at the end of the 2006 music video by Nickelback, entitled “If Everyone Cared”.  If you haven’t seen the video, I strongly recommend that you join the over 15,000,000 who have seen it by clicking on

"Nickelback - If Everyone Cared" 

In this video, Nickelback highlights the work of people who have made a difference, not because they belonged to a large organization, but because they wanted to do what was right.  The music video highlights Nelson Mandela who dreamed of equality in South Africa, Betty Williams who sought peace in Ireland, Peter Benenson who was outraged by two students being incarcerated for 7 years because they toasted freedom through a letter launched Amnesty International, and Bob Geldof who took on world hunger through Live Aid.  The chorus of the song:

If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

Then we’d see the day, when nobody dies.

is a reminder to us all that caring is what really makes the difference.

Please join with Entrusted Legacy in making a difference in the lives of youth by supporting the development and growth of a positive role model and mentor.  You can be part of that small group of committed citizens.  Contact us a support@entrustedlegacy.org

Glass Half-Full or Half-Empty?

We have all had the opportunity to ponder this quote about our perception—is the glass half-empty (on the downward cycle with little hope for rejuvenation) or is the glass half-full (ripe with possibilities to be even more successful).  Your mindset surrounding this quote is critically important for all of us.  Stephen Covey stated in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that, “…all things are created twice. There's a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all things.”  He then goes on to bring this notion into view when he talks about the design of a home that is so visualized in a person’s mind that when the blueprint is drawn, those thoughts are easily captured. It would be easy to focus on what isn’t working in education today.  It would be easy to focus on the glass half-empty when we read the newspaper and watch the news.  At Entrusted Legacy we believe that the way to combat the “half-empty” glass is envision “a cadre of well-trained people that form the nucleus around which learning organizations are built.”  We believe that this cadre of people, well-prepared to be a positive role model and mentor for youth, can change the future.  The first creation was determining what knowledge and comprehension needed to be shared with these positive role models and mentors.  The second creation was developing a system that would be available to youth leaders 24/7.  Now the challenge is to see to it that everyone has the access to this great content training.  The first creation is Entrusted Legacy.  The second creation relies on your willingness to make a difference. Please visit our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org and invest in our first creation today through your donation.  Together, we can make a difference.

A True Win-Win

We've heard it said that “people have the infinite capacity to wait to get even.”  Now when one first reads a statement like that the words that come to mind are revenge, retribution, payback, reprisal, and maybe even vengeance.  We immediately think about a time that we were wronged or belittled or underestimated and can conjure images not only of our own humiliated self but the perpetrators of those feelings.  In the book, Don’t Laugh at Me, the authors state, “Don’t laugh at me, don’t call me names.  Don’t gain your pleasure from my pain.” 

In the movie and novel, Time To Kill, there is a poignant scene in which the character prompts the jury to think about a heinous crime and then flips the scene for the jury to consider how they would feel if that story applied to someone they loved.  This notion of “flipping the context” works equally well with the quote above, “people have the infinite capacity to wait to get even.”  What if we put a positive spin on those words?  Did you have a role model?  Did you have a mentor that helped you to believe in the possibility of you?  Do you know, without a shadow of a doubt, that you are better off today because of that relationship?  Do you have the “infinite capacity to wait to get even?”  At Entrusted Legacy we are working hard to “get even” with all our mentors and role models.  We are committed to developing a critical mass by training and developing others to reach even more youth than we can reach on our own.

Go to our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org and exercise you capacity to “get even” with those who helped you by helping others.  Together the difference we can make is powerful!