The City of Ember: Journeys Through the Darkness

It’s amazing to me as you work toward a specific objective, usually one that starts in your mind, and you begin to cultivate certain thoughts, like plants in a garden, how outward circumstances start to shift as you work toward that specific goal.

I’m not the kind of guy that sets a specific timeline for my goals, although I do believe in deadlines. I think more in terms of large objectives and vision than goals.

Vision is my direction and then I work toward aligning my daily steps of work, reading, and relationships with that vision.

To me, one of the worst forms of punishment is working without vision. It’s worse than working in darkness. It’s hope vanished, and no chance of light or improvement.

I recently watched the movie “City of Ember” with my family. It’s about an entire society that moved underground for some reason (doesn’t specify in the movie). This society lived there for almost 200 years and nobody from the city had ever ventured out from the city with success.

The people in the city talked about “the darkness” on the outreaches of the city and to avoid it at all costs, mainly because the City of Ember was the source of light.

Then, some young teenagers venture out and…

Well, I won’t spoil it but you get the picture. What I took from the movie was that the greater light was outside of everyone’s paradigm. It took new innovation and thought to step outside of where they were to reach the greater light.

But they had to step through the darkness to get to the greater light. So it is with life. Any new vision and steps toward that end will make us step through the dark.

People are constantly selling get rich quick schemes or saying how simple success is. It just isn’t true. It comes through hard work and periods of blinding darkness.

Millionaires aren’t made overnight; they go through steps of darkness. Great families aren’t made just because…there has always been periods where the parents go through darkness and say, “What are we doing?”

Great societies are the same, their greatness is revealed after periods of sweat and tears, even war.

Great individuals are the same. People who move society, lead, and impact others have almost always gone through significant trials (darkness) in order to learn the lessons that give them the tools to accomplish a great work.

God knows us all intimately. In times of trial, just remember that He knows your greatness and you are simply discovering it.

**************************************

Carl Woolston is a business and marketing consultant with KGaps Consulting, a co-creator of the proprietary marketing methodology “Hub Mentality,”, and a co-founder of The Center for Social Leadership.

His expertise includes network development, marketing, web strategy development, lead creation, and lead capture strategies.

He and his wife Christy are raising their six rambunctious children in Bountiful, Utah.

Connect With Carl:

Email: carl [at] kgaps [dot] com