Wanted: Like-mindedness

"In order for transformation to be sustained, one needs to associate with people who hold the new vision of reality."

This quote is by Richard Hoehn in Up From Apathy: A Study of Moral Awareness and Social Involvement. The book focuses on how people experience conversion regarding social issues - how a stay-at-home, subservient woman suddenly becomes a political activist; how a middle-class, self-centered consumer suddenly becomes aware of poverty and embarks on teaching her children how to care for the poor, etc.

Hoehn's quote is not advice, but an observation. What he found was that associating with like-minded people helped conversion to continue. This isn't rocket science, but it's certainly important. If a new idea rises up in me and I have no supporters, I'm prone to discouragement. Even worse, if a new idea rises up in me and I have no supporters, and my idea goes against the flow, I'm prone to either fail or never start in the first place.

Perhaps this sounds weak, but imagine experiencing conversion in your view of advertising. Now imagine taking on a bottom-dweller position in a corporate ad firm. How do you plan to live out your conversion, especially if it goes against the flow of nearly everything in the industry around you?

There are times when God causes us to see differently. When it happens, recognize it as a calling. Then look for others who see what you see and are willing to go against the flow with you.