There used to be a show on ABC call “Extreme Makeover” where people would submit videos where they would plead their case on why they should be chosen for the “extreme makeover”.  The “lucky” ones chosen would then leave their friends and family and spend a few months with personal trainers, dentists, plastic surgeons, and life coaches.  After some amount of time they would gather all of the contestant’s family and friends and introduce the person that was completely made over……….I don’t think it’s on the air anymore.

After that they came out with “Extreme Makeover: Home addition”, of which I am sure everyone is much more aware.  Much like the original “Makeover” show people were chosen and sent away, but instead of personal trainers and dentists, crews of people would descend upon the house that had been chosen to be “made over”.

I think “Makeover” might not be the best term for this show, because if you have seen it you know they don’t really “Makeover” the old house.  They pretty much build a new one, but only after they take the original house to the ground.  But isn’t that how it has to be?  To have a brand new something, the old something has to go away.

I bring this up because over the last few weeks during our series on identity we have been discussing the fact that perhaps we have built our identity on a false sense of masculinity. Now if that’s the case then we have to realize that our Identity is going to need a “Makeover”, and I’m not talking about the can of paint kind.  I am talking about taking the old one to the ground.

Come on out tomorrow morning as Bill Clark takes us through the fifth week of our Identity series : Extreme Makeover: Identity edition.

See you guys in the AM

D.R.

Men of Fuel,

A buddy of mine used to live with a guy that could build or fix just about anything.  If it needed building, he could build it, if it needed fixing, he could fix it.  Once, my buddy returned to the house with some of his other roommates, only to find their roommate in their driveway standing over their completely dismantled  washing machine.

Getting out of the car my buddy asked him what in the world he was doing.  His response: “I wanted to find out how it worked”

I love that story. Perhaps because I have NEVER had the desire to take my washing machine apart, or perhaps because that story causes me ask myself ‘Why have I never had the desire to take my washing machine apart”

Think about it.  If a result of taking it apart would be me learning how it worked, then I have to imagine that the reason I don’t is because I don’t want to know, or I am scared to death I couldn’t get it back together.

Let me confess that the reason is both.  I don’t want to know, AND I know I couldn’t get it back together.  After all it’s just a washing machine.  However would my answer be different if we were talking about something bigger, something more important, like my Identity.  What would keep me from taking apart the pieces that make up my identity to find out how it worked?  My guess is the same reasons: I don’t want to know, and I am scared to death that it won’t all fit back together.

But what if the pieces I built my Identity on were the wrong pieces, wouldn’t that be worth knowing?

Set your alarms and come on out tomorrow morning as Bill Clark continues with week four of our “IDENTITY” series.

Invest and Invite

D.R. Carlson

Men of Fuel

This Wednesday, which is tomorrow (Don’t get thrown off by the long weekend) we will be heading into our third week of our “Identity” series.  One of the main themes of our series thus far has been that we as men tend to build our identity based on a false sense of masculinity.  We as men go through life looking to our left and looking to our right and seeing that other men are not only also buying into this same false sense of masculinity, but using it as a measuring stick of success.  So we throw our hat into the ring, since this is what we think it takes to be a man, and we begin at first to compete and then we compare.

• Can I run faster than William?
• Am I stronger than Shane?
• Can I get more girls than Steve?
• Can I sell more than Allen?
• Is my salary higher than Bill’s?
• Is my office bigger than Greg’s?
• Is my house bigger than Ted’s?
• Is my title more important than Frank’s?

Compete and compare, Compete and compare.  We all do it.

But who wins?

May I suggest that if our competition is based on a false sense of masculinity, meaning something that isn’t true, then the cycle of compete and compare produces no winners.  The game is rigged.  As a matter of fact, the only thing the cycle of compete and compare will ever produce will be shame.

Come on out tomorrow, and invite a friend, as we dive into week three of our Identity series: “The Shame Factory”