March Forth...and Do Great Things! 2016

"The words we choose and then we use, create our future!" Ray Ellis 

(March Forth is a little known holiday that was created by Deborah Shouse, a famous writer, speaker and creativity coach. It is celebrated on March 4th and invites us to march forth into our lives, take on new experiences, and celebrate our accomplishments.)

This year we got to Leap into March Forth! Wow, what a difference a year makes! Last year I wrote about March Forth and really had no idea what a great year I would have. It was important to let go last year so that I could move forward! Now that I am retired and working for myself I find new enthusiasm for the work I do and the people I serve. That enabled me to be creative and innovative which led to new material and innovative models for my work as I March Forth!

Transformation can be daunting for some people. Unless there is a compelling reason many people hold on to the status quo. Establish your "Why" and when you share it with others, do so in a way that they see how they fit into that vision of the future. Instead of Tell-a-Vision, create a shared vision. Share a story so that people are able to visualize the transformation in their minds eye. Then their predominate thoughts will help create sustainable transformation for the future for everyone.

Back in 2004 I created a poster for a contest. I worked in the tool crib on the shop floor of the C-17 factory in Long Beach, CA. I won a trip to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Conference. There was a speaker there that spoke about the Concorde crash. They had determined that the cause of the crash was a strip of metal about 12 inches long and one inch wide that was laying on the runway on its edge. During takeoff it blew out a tire that send debris into the fuel tank under the belly of the aircraft. This caused the explosion. I was so inspired by this speaker and the findings. This might sound crazy but the fact that 12 inches determined success or failure stuck in my mind. I think about the fact that I could be one foot away from success or failure ... March Forth!

After the speaker was finished I went up to the podium and had my photo taken pretending to be the speaker. I set a goal to speak at the Boeing Leadership Center within 5 years. I started telling people I was going to do this and they all laughed at me. Telling me it would never happen. Well I Marched Forth and 5 years later I was speaking at the Boeing Leadership Center! In fact, I spoke there many times. One time, Dennis Muilenburg, (the current CEO and Chairman of The Boeing Company) was the speaker right before me. When I got up to speak I thanked him for warming up the audience for me!

This Friday which is March Fourth, I have the pleasure of speaking at Columbia University! I plan to talk about Marching  Forth as it applies to transformation. This will be a fulfillment of a dream that I have held in front of me for years. You see I have learned that my own transformation from the shop floor to the executive suite is inspiring for others. To be able to share my story for the benefit of others gives me pleasure to continue to do more.

Who inspires you to March Forth? 

Thank you for reading.

Please share your thoughts and comments...

Ray Ellis, Master Solutionary at The Center for Dialogic Leadership, LLC is a consultant, dynamic facilitator and speaker. He is working on writing short stories of his experiences titled "Inside Up ... from the Shop Floor to the Ninth Floor and Three more to Go!" 

LOVE YA! SEAYA SOON...