The Beginning: Episode I Part I

The Beginning

I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I am seeking my ultimate truth, possibly, the ultimate truth. I am feeling apprehensive at the thought of being so revealing. It means revealing who I am in ways that will bring judgment. And what human being of sound mind wants someone to judge them? Thus, we arrive here, at the beginning of self-empowerment.

I cherish the days when I didn’t know the order of our current reality. I didn’t judge people, because I was ignorant about right and wrong, good and bad, heaven and hell, etc. Hey, ignorance is bliss, but that’s for another blog post. Back then, when people did things that I now consider cruel, my little mind thought, “Oh, they must be going through something.” I had no inclination to take their actions personally, but all that changed with time. People, in my opinion, seemed generally cruel and cruel to me, specifically. So my mind came up with the brilliant idea that something must indeed be wrong with me. I started to take nearly everything personally. You know, the usual. If I earned praise for good performance, I took it personally. If I was reprimanded, I took it personally. So far so good right? That’s how we learn to be good people. Yeah, until everything people think you should or shouldn't do defines you more than how you define yourself. Ever get trapped in a role? (More on this point in another post.)

It is with my current understanding of self-empowerment that I start my quest by asking, “Am I strong enough in mind, body, and spirit to be myself regardless of the spoken and unspoken judgments people may have me?” Then my ultimate question is revealed, “Am I empowered enough to manifest my greatest vision of my reality—the one I am willing to live for, possibly even die for?"

The Real Blue Caper

I started a business called More Possibilities Within Reach or MPWR for short. Pronounced empower, MPWR embodies nearly everything I want to manifest in the world, things like connectedness, sharing, concern, understanding, growth, blah, blah, blah, and foremost, a love of humanity. Yes, I have nerve. I started a business to cultivate a love of humanity. If that isn’t preposterous enough, I expect this love to permeate all existence. Yeah, right. I promised to tell the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be and there it is. I love you guys. Part of me wants to throw-up at the corniness of it all even as my Divine self is patting me on the back. What results is choking. And that is the truth of the matter as I see it right now. The truth that I am fighting back my urge, at this very moment, to depersonalize my dream into just a business venture because I think my own love of humanity is corny!

Are you the reader, willing to admit that as much as you may like the idea, you may also think it's corny? Hey, you’re reading this so you are going on this journey with me! In addition, please keep my obvious self-doubt in mind for later, because it is the very reason I started writing this blog.

Moving on, five years ago, I took a job because it wasn’t going to be too demanding. I needed as much energy as possible in order to “start my new business”, code for follow my vision. I don’t really want to recount how hellish and rewarding it has been, but I probably should—in another blog entry. I will say that I have used my credit and job salary to finance the business thus far. I viewed this approach essential to the nature of the vision itself because if I really believe in it, I should be the first to invest in it with abandon. (Please don't try the 'with abandon' part with just any business.)

A lot of mistakes were made and there were quite a few disappointments with people who were contracted to develop certain aspects of the business. However, the beauty of the current vision is the result of quite a bit of perseverance on my part and on the part of the contractors and freelancers who believed and do believe in MPWR. I've learned quite a bit about sharing a vision with others. I look forward to learning even more as MPWR grows. Not really, but honestly, I do and I don’t, but really, I do. I just have some anxiety and apprehension about the process. However, I know the end result will be worth what it takes to manifest it. Whatever the result, I look forward to giving my all and that is all I can do regardless of any outcome.

The Blue Cape

So now we arrive at this blog! As a business owner, one does a lot of reading and researching. I was reading about gimmicks; about getting people’s attention by drawing attention to something. All I remember is one entrepreneur talking about a carrot and the image of a blue cape became MPWR’s “gimmick”. MPWR was conceptualized using the allure of comic books and graphic novels. Its premise is based on cultivating personal power in the form of developing self-empowerment. MPWR was founded on the belief that everyday people are powerful forces, that everyday people are indeed heroes.

Everything just fit. Duh, the blue cape gimmick was a no-brainer. All I had to do was put on a blue cape and pass out information. All I had to do was put on a blue cape and pass out information. I had to put on a blue cape and pass out information. Me! Well, I quickly found a way out of that. I would pay someone to put on a blue cape and pass out information--but not so fast, Cassandra, not so fast.

When finding someone proved a little harder than anticipated, I was faced with a powerful dilemma. The dilemma being that the blue cape is an excellent gimmick for MPWR, but for a recovering bull-head of a Capricorn like myself, the cape was the epitome of “clowndom”. Yes, passing judgment is a Capricorn’s birthright. I am joking just as much as I am being serious. Ask any Capricorn how things are supposed to be and see if you don’t get an encyclopedic run-down of how things SHOULD be. Any self-respecting Capricorn would not be caught “alive” on a street corner with a cape on! I’m joking—just as much as I am being serious :-).

So I did the one thing no one should do when she doubts herself, I asked my friends for their opinion. Friends- “Oh wow. Really? Ungh. Seriously.... Oh. Hmmm. Well…” You know, the gamut of—you’re out of your mind, but I don’t want to say it because obviously you’re serious because you had the nerve to say it out loud which makes me uncomfortable because I know you mean well and we’re friends so—“Oh wow. Really? Ungh. Seriously… Oh. Hmmm. Well…”

Now this post is getting long, but be sure to read the conclusion post, The Beginning: Episode I Part II. ;-)