
I still have my box of lego’s. This is not a small box, it is more like a box you would stuff all your Christmas lights in. I have played with lego’s ever since I was little. I remember spending whole weekends creating a combination of lego cities and hot wheel tracks together in order to create the ultimate roller coaster of death. Whenever I would get sick, I would stay upstairs in my room all day recovering and creating. So, as you can see in the title above, today is my tribute to lego’s.
When you are playing with lego’s, you don’t if the building is going to fall apart and crumble, you just build the most magnificent thing you can. I challenge you to think of your life as a box of lego’s. Every single piece of you, your body, your mind, and your soul can be created and built upon. Just like how my gigantic lego I made crumbled when my dog ran through it, our lives are going to crumble. But when we completely fall apart when things go wrong, it just means we are incredibly inelastic. Nothing lasts. Nothing. That is just a rule of life. You cannot hold onto the things you have because they are destined to either go away or fall apart. I have been in a place where I didn’t think like this though. I thought everything was cake and I could eat it too. Unfortunately, things don’t work this way. The reason why people constantly have breakdowns is because bad things keep happening and they think bad things SHOULDN’T happen. So, in turn, they start thinking bad things will happen and then they bring it upon themselves. This is a terribly dangerous cycle to be going through.
So what can we do? Well, we can decide to build back an even more impressive or completely different lego tower or decide to let them just sit there smashed on the floor. The thing is, your mom is going to eventually come upstairs and tell you to clean them up…might as well build something impressive that you can be proud of. How cool would it sound to say ‘I rebuilt this whole entire thing after the dog came up and ruined it.’ Instead of ‘why do I have to clean up all the ruined lego’s.’ Your life is the exact same way. When things fall apart, you just sit there and look at it in amazement. However, while you are sitting there, why not be plotting in your mind of how you are going to rebuild this sucker. How are you going to create another city. How will you fight back and leave the pieces of you out that you didn’t like and fill in the blank spaces with attributes you love.
I wrote a long time ago about an experience I had when I was sitting outside just lighting matches and watching them burn. Hang in there for this quick analogy. When you light a match, and you hold it horizontally, the fire burns the wood quick and eventually sears the ends of your fingers if you don’t blow it out. However, if you light the match and hold it vertically, it takes forever for the flame to climb down the match and often of times puts itself out. When you whole world is lit on fire, which match are you going to be. Are you going to lay down and let the fire consume you, or are you going to keep your head up and stay strong. My dad always tells me, “If you are going to stand in the kitchen, you better be willing to take the heat. ” Well, if you are going to play a really big game in life, there are going to be monumental failures and lots of flames. It is what you do during those incredibly trying times that defines you as a person. Remember, 80% of the time you are going to average…champions are made during that 80%.
So this is my tribute to lego’s. Lego’s are the building blocks of your life. With them, you can add color, shape, and size. When you think of your life as full of lego’s ready to be put into place…you will start building like you were little again.
Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project
i envy you that lego box – the illusionist in me owes so much to those childhood hours when the colorful bricks became everything i wanted them to be.
lego deserves tribute.
I love Legos! They do deserve a tribute or ten! Great piece 🙂
I dig your work mate, thanks for following my blog, I hope you enjoy my stuff as well.
Question: What if they sold lego’s without including the directions/themed purpose? Would the toy be just as much fun, without knowing you were using them in a way you thought they weren’t supposed to be used? Its kind of funny to think of directions or limitations as being the very thing that inspires our creativity. Does one exist without the other?
*for who
…Add to my list, ‘Virtual keyboards will suck.’
“…bad things keep happening and [we] think they SHOULDN’T…”
Well said. History’s great Zen teachers would appreciate this point! I’m working in gttihg my head around this one, myself — life is going to bring the pain sometimes. Tubes will fail when I’m twenty miles out. Plans will change at the last minute. My favorite pants will wear out (or I will lose too much weight to wear them anymore). People won’t always like me fir which I am.
People and animals that I love will die.
I can either waste a lot of energy trying ti deny these realities *or* find the profound liberation that comes with understanding and accepting them and joyfully embracing this sweet, wild, bitter, painful, beautiful life anyway.
Control, ultimately, is an illusion, just like safety: stay at home instead of climbing that mountain, and maybe a tree falls on your house and you die anyway — so why not climb?
Thanks for this post. It was a good one.
I love what you’re doing and love how you say it! What an inspiration to men! (and women)… Though because women tend to seek it freely and more openly than men, The Better Man Projects is a wonderful perspective and inspiration for men! It doesn’t have to be psycho-babble to be wise, it just has to be relatable and motivating. You do a fabulous job of getting you message out there!:)
Well said! I’m so glad that I finally had some time to really check out your blog. Great stuff. 🙂
Very well done.
Have a Blessed Day our Friend,
Danny & Laura
This is a great post. I like the philosophy and metaphors…a lot.
I love how you used Legos to tell your story. And I admire your reason for starting this blog. Write on…. good stuff 🙂
I love this. Legos have completely defined my life. When I was younger I planned to get hired at the Lego corporation and design sets for others to play with because I couldn’t get enough. In fact, I became so infatuated that there were days when my mother told me I had to stop playing with my Legos and go do something else. Those building blocks have constructed my love of poetry, architecture and the arts in general. How lonely and dull life would be without the chance to play with such amazing toys in my childhood. Thank you for this excellent meditation, there is wisdom to be found in your words.
This is epic man! I loved it..my son has Lego’s all over the house and he’s always creating new and interesting things! Great inspirational message too,,keep that matchstick vertical!!! Thanks!!
Thanks for the reminder, your post gave me a flash back to when my son was young. He loved Lego, and still gets the urge sometimes to sneak downstairs and take them out.
He has created things that you can’t even imagine . . . so magical and creative. The countless hours spent playing, truly an amazing toy that will never become dated and will continue to recreate itself for many, many years to come. I have kept a box full of Lego for when my son has children and they too can enjoy . . . together 🙂
Thanks for the flashback!
I LOVED the post! Brilliant….am going to share it.
Skimming through your blog I found so many great things to reflect and read further. I look forward to delving into the very inspiring world that is The Better Man Project!
Cheers to you!
Thanks for following my blog.
The lego and matchstick metaphor are very powerful and inspiring. I hear my own echos while reading your words.
what a brilliant post! at 30 years old, i too still play with them!
http://dimitrisnowden.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/life-is-like-a-lego/
http://www.dimitrisnowden.com/lego/
Wonderful! I love LEGO, and often talk about it, causing some infuriation, haha! However this massive extended metaphor is pretty sweet. And I love massive extended metaphors. Look forward to hearing more from you!
terrifically inspiring pieve; I intend visiting your blog regularly and leave comments and will be honoured whenever you do so on mine
Thanks for the follow. This is a very lovely piece. My son also spends hours constructing complicated dreams into fanciful realities. Though I am not as talented, I enjoy watching him manifest his dreams into reality. It provides me with Zen like tranquility to gaze upon his creations with wonder and pride.
Appreciate the fresh perspective on a timeless pursuit. Congratulations on your readership!
Love the Lego guy…he’s dressed like me! Thanks for following my blog. More importantly, keep following your own advice.
I love this post! We can all use a reminder sometimes that just because something bad happens to us it doesn’t mean the end, it just means the beginning of something else even better. I love your writing… it’s inspiring!!
Beautiful!
Thank you for following me. Your matchstick metaphor is really interesting.
I love your analogies. Very powerful post. I’m going to be the match that stands up!!!!
Just today I posted this comment on another blog….I think it’s equally fitting here in regards to bad things happening in life….
When the ‘bad’ things happen they force us to think differently, outside what’s comfortable for us, its then that a world of possibility opens up. The possibilities were always there, of course, we just weren’t seeing them. If we do this enough, practice looking outside what we’re comfortable with, we become so good at it we no longer wait for the ‘bad’ to happen in order to spring into action….we start to make things happen, the things we want to happen.
Awesome analogy using legos, and an awesome blog overall. Thanks!
Love the pictures!
Great analogy
🙂 K.
Love the comparison of Legos with life. So true!
Thanks for a wonderful tribute and nicely done analogies. i so enjoy re-visiting those fond memory lane. And, yes, you do matter. Thanks for the lift and keep them coming 😀
Love the photo accompanying this heartwarming post.
I wanted to let you know that I have nominated The Better Man Project for the Versatile Blogger Award. Please see this post for more information about the award: http://thoughtsontheatre.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/the-versatile-blogger-award/
Very nice tribute to a toy that is so much more than a toy, if you get my drift. I remember spending HOURS building space stations, forts, etc. with LEGO sets.
Thank you for the stroll down Memory Lane!