Don't Shake Your Head At Me!

Choosing to opt in or leave it be.

That’s a good tagline, isn’t it? It speaks to the heart of what we often desire to be or do because I believe we are all creative and carry within us the ability to create.

You may be shaking your head right now, “I don’t believe I’m creative. That’s for the special few who are creative geniuses.”

BUZZER SOUND! Wrong. For some odd and ridiculous reason, we have chosen to believe that only artists, musicians, writers, and the like are truly creative. The rest of us muddle through life in a level of creative ignorance.

I want you to meet Joel Hundley. Joel is originally from Southern California, met his amazing bride, and now lives in Vacaville. I met Joel and Jamie the first time we lived in Vacaville. Joel and I hit it off right away.

As you know, I’m a walker. I guess that’s why golf was a favorite to play. I never liked riding in carts. It took the joy out of being on the course and replaced it with speed as the scenery flew by.

Joel, yes, okay. We would take long walks and share life’s ups and downs. He is a singer/songwriter and an entrepreneur, and in both he has always been creative.

His most recent endeavor stems from his sons, who are long-distance runners. Joel chose not only to encourage his sons' love for running but also to get involved, which led to the very first Kaiser Permanente Village Run.

The Village Run began as a thought. A simple thought that was then attached to an action. Joel took action and talked with local business leaders who connected the dots.

What was an idea became reality. I call this creativity. I call Joel a creative.

Do you see yourself as a creative, or are you shaking your head in disbelief?

How many times have I had a thought that I considered unworthy or unwarranted? “Don’t waste my time, Byron. That’s just a silly idea.”

Have you ever had a moment like this?

What’s strange about these ideas is that I almost always discover someone else had a similar idea and chose to believe it, whereas I decided it was nonsense.

Here in Vacaville, creatives are everywhere. They aren’t always seen at first glance, but they are there. Yes, artists, musicians, writers, performers, but also creatives in all aspects of life.

I believe Vacaville is a creative center and a center for creatives.

I also believe that wherever you may live, your town is brimming over with creatives of all types.

Let’s set the captives free. Let’s set our imaginations free to step out of muddleness into trust, risk, and expectancy.

But let’s do this together! So we can encourage, build up, and promote one another.

I’m super proud of Joel Hundley for taking a simple thought and taking simple action, which has now led to an expansion of the original registration numbers for the Kaiser Permanente Village Run.

Byron

P.S. I’m looking forward to following up with Joel after the event to hear how it went and what he learned. Does this sound like a good idea?