The 4th Level Of Love

Bryan Martin presents the Master Mind: Becoming a Person of Influence.

4 weeks begins 11:15am to Noon, February 28, 2012 FREE!

1171 W Shaw Ave., Fresno CA 93711.

Bryan Martin is a Certified John Maxwell Team Member, a coach, teacher, and speaker.

Register at http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/353700421337268/

Ash Wednesday reminds you that you are not dust… yet! So live your life INTENTIONALLY and PASSIONATELY with THANKFULNESS. Don’t waste a moment with regret and self-pity. COMPLETE your God given life task, while you can, with ENTHUSIASM and LOVE.

BryanLeeMartin.com and on Facebook.

Who would have thought that I would have anything in common with a big black homeless man living on the streets with a baby in diapers?

Chris Gardner is the father (played by Will Smith) in the movie Pursuit of Happyness. I heard him speak, again, recently. If you saw the movie then you know the story about one man’s struggle through one dramatic and god awful downturn after another, to be THE formative presence in his son’s life. I won’t go into detail here but it is enough to say that the driving force in Gardner’s life was to be there for his son.

The story in the movie is true but one important point was modified. The boy in the movie was 5 years old; in real life he was a diaper wearing 14-month-old. Can you imagine trying to live life on the streets with a baby for a year while trying to escape the blackhole-like pull of poverty to get a foot hold in a new business and a better life? The movie is very moving, but hearing the story from Gardner himself is powerfully emotional.

I’m writing this today because of what happened to me while I was sitting there.

First, I have to tell you that Gardner was the keynote speaker at our annual Keller Williams Realty International meeting (officially called “Family Reunion”). We were there to learn how to have “careers worth having, businesses worth owning and lives worth living.”  It is in this context while listening to Gardner speak of his passion to be present for his son that I had the sudden realization that my own daughter and son were sitting right there next to me. Chills popped out.

My mind went retro and I was instantly sitting with my pregnant wife Jennifer (our first baby) as we planned our children’s lives before they were born. I can almost recall the exact words as we strategized three specific goals for our lives and their lives. We would raise children who knew the love of God, were competent capable people with high self-esteems and who make an impact in the world (Love God, love self, love neighbors.) Those were the beginning of days and years that were very challenging, fraught with poverty and tough times of our own but not just for one year. We had year after year of poverty living. The only reason we did not end up on the streets was because of our loving supportive families… but, wow, we struggled.

The next moment I was flashed back to reality, Gardner made a funny point and the 9000 person audience laughed. I was back to today, I was with my family. We have overcome incredible life circumstances, and my children, now adults with kids of their own,  are successful by every measure and especially in love.

With his good fortune and hard work Gardner’s movie and books have touched millions of people across the globe in ways he never imagined possible. My own good fortune is not as expansive as Gardner’s but it is no less impactful. Jennifer and my love and influence in  our children’s lives is having its ripple effect in the world spreading not only through generations but touching people around us in untold ways.

Gardner’s good story is an ancient story told over and over again about the power of love in family and how family love can and does impact the world. Love is the greatest thing.

Call to action: 1) Be there for your family and friends in spite of the circumstance you find yourself in. 2) Tell me and others your own story of family love. Inspire us with your own story of triumph and love.