My world began refreshed ...

This weekend has been life changing! People say this all the time, like "Dude, I met this girl and she changed my life". Well, I can understand and state the same crazy phrase, but the leadership conference awoke something deep that will allow me to see my life, work and play efforts through another set of eyes. The other eyes won't be able to function again. What happened? What was the color the punch I drank? Truthfully, I have not been an amazingly religious soul. Nor have I thought of anything I have done as trail-blazing. This weekend at the Young Professionals Summit in Madison, Wisconsin, I heard the words, felt the message of the key note speaker and two day moderator, Rebecca Ryan. The facts were staggering. Like someone who is 70 years old, right now, is surround by his piers at 5 to 1 being white to minority. A child who is five is surrounded by by his piers at 1 to 1 being white to minority. The cultural shift in America is rapid and fast. Within 5 years women and minority will hold 70% of the jobs in America. But those are simply numbers. What I felt that changed my being, is that it truly is up to our generation to make our communities better and in touch with the times. Developing the culture and class to meet the needs of the demographics. How to retain the 25-45 age demographics. How this effects the work place. What employees want from their career. That someone who is 25 has already held at least five jobs. Again, statistics. But the point remains, this is not the America my parents or grandparents have found comfort. This is a culture where a child will text message the parent, one room away to ask if dinner is ready. Being one of two Fort Wayne Indiana delegates to hear this message and know that the responsibility is larger now for our generation to be visible and make greater strides in all levels of our life, is now more clear than anything I have yet to learn in life or in college. The people who I have met at this conference are by far some of the greatest people I have encountered. I depart today from Wisconsin and this conference refreshed. Well, sort of, I am exhausted. Never thought that thinking would take so much out of me. One parting thought, I had the cheese curds. They were okay. Just okay. Which just tells me Wisconsin cheese is like their football team, just okay.