This vase started out as a single stone.

It was hand-carved with loving care out of stone which looks like alabaster to me (which has ‘transluscent’ qualities ) and is slightly more prized than simple marble.

And when the artisan was finished it looked like this …

This vase has a story behind it

The global fair trade movement began with the founding of Ten Thousand Villages more than 60 years ago through the visionary work of Edna Ruth Byler, a pioneering businesswoman. Byler was struck by the overwhelming poverty she witnessed during a trip to Puerto Rico in 1946, where she was moved to take action. The seminal contribution of Byler ignited a global movement to eradicate poverty through market-based solutions.

Byler believed that she could provide sustainable economic opportunities for artisans in developing countries by creating a viable marketplace for their products in North America. She began a grassroots campaign among her family and friends in the United States by selling handcrafted products out of the trunk of her car. Byler made a concerted effort to educate her community about the lives of artisans around the world.

More at: http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/about-history/

Because of the work that Byler did, this vase was created.

But there’s another story of how I came to possess this vase and it starts with one red paperclip.

On January 15th, 2014, I noticed in my desk drawer this red paperclip which reminded me of Kyle MacDonald.

On July 12, 2005 Kyle MacDonald posted a picture of a red paperclip on his blog and in the barter section of craigslist and asked if anyone wanted to make a trade for something bigger or better. A few days later he traded the paperclip for a pen shaped like a fish. Then he traded the pen for a doorknob. And so on, each time trading for something bigger or better. Once all the dust settled, Kyle made 14 trades and wound up with a house located at 503 Main Street in Kipling Saskatchewan.

For many years now I’ve talked about creating an Impact Foundation that would enable small non-profits doing great work, but without the marketing resources to get their message out to the masses, to share resources, services and expert insights that would impact the number of people they can serve.

The thing that always stopped me was … one day … when I have the resources.

That simple paperclip reminded me that we should start today, with the resources we have to have an impact in the world.

So … I had this red paperclip.

And I asked the question, “Does anyone have anything bigger or better that they would like to trade for it?”

I know from my experiences with my “making money out of thin air” demonstration at my live events that amazing things can happen when we work together.

So I decided, whatever I could trade this red paperclip up to, I’d use to actually start the Impact Foundation and get started sharing the massive resources of the Impact Family to people and organizations doing the small things that have the biggest impact on the legacy that we leave together.

So I put out a facebook post.

Within hours, Steven Rowell took me up on the offer to trade my one red paperclip by offering to trade a wonderful vase.

Within hours, we decided to meet and make the exchange.

And then it sat on my shelf …

Have you ever started out with something great and then life happens?

So much going on in life, so how do you keep up with it all.

So it sat for far too long, until I finally decided I just HAD to get things moving again.

As luck would have it, I was scheduled to meet with David Hancock and Bobby Kipper, the authors of Performance Driven Thinking at a mastermind and I was determined to get back into PERFORMANCE mode.

So I put the vase in the back of the car with my luggage and headed for Virginia.

Now the back of my car has a hatchback door that opens hands-free by just sticking my foot under the rear bumper, so when I got to my hotel, I grabbed the iPad and some other materials from the front seat of my car, carried my gear to the back of the car and stuck my foot under the bumper.

BAM!

Out rolls the hand-carved stone vase out of the back of the car, taking a leap off the bumper and onto the solid pavement of the parking lot.

Have you ever been careless with something valuable?

I swear the vase bounced a foot in the air off the pavement and I went scrambling after it.

But it didn’t break.

Have you ever been lucky?

Wow!  I couldn’t believe that the beautiful, hand-carved vase was still intact.

In fact it was still in perfect condition.

I packed it carefully back into the care, making sure that it was secure and swearing to take this as a warning and never let that happen again.

Then I took off for the headquarters of Morgan James Publishing to spend the afternoon with one of my dearest friends.

I always treasure that time.  We talked and laughed and got together for dinner and pool with some amazing people who would be joining us for the mastermind the next day.

Life ever feel that good for you?

After a half-dozen hours of fun, I headed back to the hotel, ready to get some sleep so I could be energized for a very special mastermind.

I grabbed the iPad and some other materials from the front seat of my car, carried my gear to the back of the car and stuck my foot under the bumper.

BAM!

Out rolls the hand-carved stone vase out of the back of the car, taking a leap off the bumper and onto the solid pavement of the parking lot.

Have you ever been careless with something you have that’s valuable TWICE?

And not been so lucky?

This time the hand-carved vase with all of it’s history shattered almost like glass.

Fragments were all over the pavement.

I picked up a few pieces to see if somehow it could be repaired.

Have you ever broken anything valuable beyond repair?

Maybe you’ve done this with your own dreams.

I picked up the pieces, headed for the door of the lobby and dropped the fragments of my dream into the trash bin.

You know the one.  The place where people throw their half empty coffee cups, half eaten meals, half baked ideas.

Into the trash went everything.

And I went to bed.

Have you ever woken up to a new day?

The next day dawned just like I knew it would.  Broken dreams, broken vases, but endless possibilities.

After all I was going to spend the day with some incredible people.

It was a fresh new start and as I got in my car to head off to the mastermind …

I stopped.

What if I didn’t throw away my history, my dreams?

What if I took the fragments of my beautiful vase and turned it into something special.

I had no idea if it would still be there.

The garbage had probably been emptied long ago.

But something moved me towards that trash bin.

I took off the cover and began to rummage around in the drippings of coffee, the tangle of half eaten food, the smell of the leftovers of people’s lives and a the very bottom, I found my vase.

I dug it out.

Grabbing some tissues from the car, I wiped it off and cleaned it the best I could and took my sticky, broken vase to the mastermind.

And I told my story …

• About how sometimes we just need to get started.
• How sometimes the results are amazing
• How sometimes we put valuable things on the shelf.
• How we can take them out and put them into action.
• How sometimes we are careless with the value that we bring to the table.
• And sometimes we don’t learn from our mistakes.
• And how sometimes we need to be persistent and pickup the pieces.
• And how we can make even the fragments of our dreams into something special

Now at the mastermind there was a brilliant, beautiful, amazing young woman.

Her name was Jessica Foldberg and she is a Managing Editor at Morgan James!  

Everyone at the mastermind was very impressed with this remarkable woman and as I told the story she listened.

When I finished, I told them that I wanted to continue the thread of this remarkable story of impact, that I didn’t want it to die with a broken vase.

That’s when Jessica shared something very wise.

She told me that the broken vase was more beautiful than ever.

Sometimes as people we put on a brave face and try to appear perfect in every way.

If you look at the vase from one side, it is still perfect.

From the other it shows the cracks and broken edges of the way life impacts us all.

So I asked Jessica …

“Do you have anything bigger or better you would like to trade for it?”

That’s when Jessica told me she didn’t have anything to offer.

Now you tell me, did she have anything to offer?

So many times we think we don’t have anything to offer of real value.

But, I know it’s obvious to everyone reading this story.

Jessica is amazing and she has SO much to offer.

Just like you.

So, Jessica put her thinking cap on

Nope, she’s way too stylish for a thinking cap!

Just take a look at Jessica and you will realize quickly that this woman knows style.

In fact, Jessica has big interest in helping other people develop their own style.

Here’s what Jessica came up to trade me for the very beautiful and special vase.

Jessica offered to trade …

One personal styling session including an …

• Evaluation of  your current style and wardrobe
• To offer assistance and ideas to either add to your style or start fresh
• To create an online closet of suggested items that work for your style and body type

Jessica has a vase with a story of impact.

And I have one personal styling session that I can trade for something even better.

One more step in the story of impact that started with one red paperclip.

Want to be part of the story?

I have one personal styling session that I can trade for something even better.

I’m asking the question again, “Does anyone have anything bigger or better that they would like to trade for it?”

Let me know your best offer!

 The story continues …

Whatever I can trade this styling session up to, I’ll use to actually start the Impact Foundation and get started sharing the massive resources of the Impact Family to people and organizations doing the small things that have the biggest impact on the legacy that we leave together.

Let me know right now what you have to offer!

UPDATE!

David Perdew the founder of NAMS just claimed the styling session with Jessica Foldberg by trading me …

A NAMS12 Workshop ticket on Aug. 1-3 and 30-minute consultation with David at the workshop – Click here to see what’s happening – That’s about a $1000 value total!

Whatever I can trade this NAMS12 Workshop Ticket and consulting session up to, I’ll use to actually start the Impact Foundation and get started sharing the massive resources of the Impact Family to people and organizations doing the small things that have the biggest impact on the legacy that we leave together.

Let me know right now what you have to offer!

All the best,

Ken McArthur
KenMcArthur.com
TheImpactEvent.com
OneDayIntensive.com