Let that chicken go! Let that chicken go!
Creative Commons License photo credit: leoncillo sabino
Yes. It lies deep within each of us. The chicken that says we can’t. Oh, you’ve heard it! Remember the time your friend needed help and you talked yourself out of it? That’s the chicken. Remember that lady on the side of the road–the one with the flat. Five miles past her you kept thinking, “I should have stopped.” You didn’t. Chicken. Remember that business venture you’ve always dreamed of trying? Everyone else said it wouldn’t work but it was your passion! Now, 25 years later you wonder, ‘What if?’ Chicken. He lives in all of us. That stinkin’ chicken…
But very deep within lies something stronger. Where do those thoughts of kindness and love come from? From where does that innate sense of motherhood in women come from, or the warrior/provider mindset in men? What about those creative, crazy ideas? Why do they stick with us all these years? Those ideas, friends–thhose innate senses and acts of spontaneous kindness–they derive from the soul. You see, that chicken we talk so much about is our own undoing. It is our fear rising against our nature telling us we can’t accomplish greatness. But the soul? The soul cries out, yearning for us to live! To live a life of imagination and sharing. A life of response and action. Our soul cries out for us to live…..well……..from the soul.
I like to say, ‘Let that chicken go! Live life from the soul!’
Tags: doubt, fear, feelings, positivity
I had a moment exactly like you described above. I was 3 blocks from home and was in a rush to get dinner started, and I passed by a woman who was changing a flat tire in a parking lot. I can’t tell you why dinner was more important than helping someone in need!
Next time I’m stopping.
I’ve decided stopping is less inconvenient than that sick feeling you get when you should have stopped. The only way I get past that feeling is by making excuses- and who wants to do that? Well- all of us from one time to another and some of us chicken infested souls, all the time. I can say this because I’ve been there.
Good post bro!
I heard a person say recently, “Do it, afraid”, we can’t go by how we “feel” because our feelings will lie to us. Oh let Love, Power & a Sound Mind Rule our Day today!!
Most of us have experienced the thoughts/feelings that you described, especially the “wish I had stopped to help” gnawing. How rewarding and encouraging when we actually stop to help! Yesterday I was headed home, tired, hungry, ready for a loooooong day to end and I noticed a couple trying to load a car onto a trailer….You know, one of those situations where it was obvious that the trailer was not meant to haul cars, etc. Anyway, I stopped, asked if they needed help (of course the man said “naw, we can get it”) and the lady said probably. I helped them load the car onto the trailer all the while the lady was saying “I can’t believe someone actually stopped to help”. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Needless to say my day ended much better than I had anticipated. Amazing how ‘untired’ one gets when helping someone else. Boy, that feeling is so much better than the why didn’t stop one!!!!!!!!
Great to be reminded of these things often!
Friends and supporters of Mitch’s Soul Food Revolution:
Many of you claim, as I do, to be “friends” and “supporters” of Mitch’s ministry. Many of us have been encouraged by his sacrifice of words and time for us. Well, it is time for a “gut check”, to borrow an athletic phrase, to look at yourself and see just who you are relative to those you claim as your friends. Some of you have experienced the chicken in you and shared your missed opportunities to help someone who was not even one of your friends, but just a fellow human who had a need.
Well, the Soul Food Revolution needs a little boost at this time. We all know that any business, ministry, etc. cannot survive without sufficient funds to meet expenses and make it grow. I personally plan to help out, but first listen carefully to these excerpts from “Let that Chicken Go!”. These are words from Mitch that surely you all agreed with when you read them. Do you still believe them?
“Remember the time your friend needed help and you talked yourself out of it?”
“That’s the chicken. He lives in all of us. That stinkin’ chicken…”
“But very deep within lies something stronger. Where do those thoughts of kindness and love come from? Those ideas, friends–those innate senses and acts of spontaneous kindness–they derive from the soul.”
“You see, that chicken we talk so much about is our own undoing. It is our fear rising against our nature telling us we can’t accomplish greatness.”
“But the soul? The soul cries out, yearning for us to live!”
“To live a life of imagination and sharing.”
“A life of response and action.”
“Our soul cries out for us to live…..well……..from the soul.”
‘Let that chicken go! Live life from the soul!’
*****end of Mitch’s comments*****
NOW, CALLING ALL NON-CHICKENS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE!!!
I am the analytical type and maybe to the extreme sometimes and sometimes the non-chicken within justs screams out at me to quit analyzing and as Nike would say, “JUST DO IT!!!”.
Well folks, let’s just do it! But I must share my analysis with you.
But first things first—I must give some firstfruits to put my money where my mouth is. I just stopped and made out a check for $50 for the Revolution!!! I am mailing that check this morning and so it should get to Mitch tomorrow. Mitch, I hope you read this today so that you will hold me accountable to my word. It is check #5154 written on the High Plains Federal Credit Union. I pledge to give another $50 next Wednesday the 13th as that is my next payday. That of course comes to $100.
Now, here is my analysis. It only takes 50 people giving $100 to total $5000. I challenge 49 other people to do the same. Now some of you folks could probably give $5000 today and not miss a meal or a mortgage payment. Well, just do it!
But, I will get back to my challenge. Mitch does not expect $5000 tomorrow! I have not talked to him about this, but I sorta suspect he doesn’t. Folks, don’t tell me your not use to the “installment” plan. $100 today may not be possible for some of you. Make it real easy on yourself and pledge to give $1 per day for the next 100 days. I paid over $3 the other day for one of my addictions, a grande café mocha at Hastings. Maybe you spend more than a $1 a day on coffee, donuts, candy, etc., you know those “essentials”. Give me a break!!! We’re talking pocket change here! Starting tomorrow, 100 days covers the rest of May (25 days), June (30 days), July (31 days), and August (the first 14 days). There it is!!! Can you not give $100 by August 14? How about $10 per payday for the next 10 paydays? If you can’t do that how about $5 per payday for the next 20 paydays? You see, you can make this pretty easy on yourself.
I would also recommend that you hold yourself accountable so the chicken doesn’t get the best of you by making a verbal or written commitment to Mitch once you figure out how soon you can give your $100.
OUT OF THE WAY CHICKEN, THERE IS A REVOLUTION COMING AT YOU!!!
Wow! You guys are blowing me away with your comments and support! Let’s keep the revolution going!!!!
OK! Don!!! Thanks for helping me move one step closer to letting go of my CHICKEN. I’m putting my $100 on Mitchell’s desk right now…..It’s cash, so pray for me to not want to take it back… I’ll be like Kiki with her roll of quarters – “Here take it!”
I Love It
! NO MORE CHICKEN, NO MORE CHICKEN!!