In this January 20, 2014 episode of the weekly "7 Days of Yes" vlog, host Travis Thomas reflects on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, using Dr. King's blend of visionary speech and front‑line activism as a model for viewers. He urges the audience to pair big, aspirational goals with concrete, day‑to‑day actions, asking them to identify obstacles that keep the "rubber from meeting the road." Travis also shares personal notes: he and his family recently watched Spike Jonze’s film Her, which he found deeply thought‑provoking and recommends, while dismissing Anchorman 2 as a poor film. The video ends with a reminder to focus on daily work that advances one’s larger vision and an invitation to share feedback on the accompanying blog.
Chapters
Hello, Yes people! January 20th, 2014. How is everyone doing today? This is the Yes, 7 Days of Yes weekly video. Today is the 20th. Here in the United States, we're celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As I've been reflecting on that, I grew up and it was always kind of his story. His life is just such a celebrated story, such a celebrated life, and I feel like every year I learn a little bit more and a little bit more about him as a person and about the movement, which just continues to be inspiring. I just finished Malcolm Gladwell's book David vs. Goliath. There's a great chapter in there about the march in Birmingham and how that was kind of a turning point in the civil rights movement, and really fascinating about King. And some of his key guys. But today, you know, today is such a wonderful day and I'm thinking, okay, let's take that into the week about— obviously he's known for the I Have a Dream speech in Washington. But what I love about that is when you look at what he did, it wasn't about standing up, giving a few inspiring speeches, and then going, all right, everyone, take care of it. You know, I've inspired you. Now you go do the rest. He was on the front lines. He was on the front lines marching. He was serving jail time. He was, you know, in the front where things were getting thrown and brutality was happening. He was there. So it was that amazing balance of inspiring vision and then practical day-to-day work. Putting the time in. Actually being there doing the work. Having the vision, having the dream, doing the work. And that's our theme this week. As we think about, you know, we're still fresh into 2014 and guaranteed we all thought about things that we want to achieve, maybe big goals for the year or even bigger goals down the road. And so we have those pictures of what we want to achieve, but what is the day-to-day work that we're willing to put in? So as you think about that, what are you doing on a day-to-day basis to make some of your goals, to live some of your dreams, to bring some of that— Growth. That authenticity into view, into picture on a day-to-day basis. So what's that feel like? And what's getting in the way for you? What are you noticing obstacle-wise that's getting in the way of where the rubber meets the road? So we do want to have that vision of what do you really want? What do you want to be moving toward? What makes you happy? What do you need in your life that brings you joy and brings you peace? Create that dream, create that vision for yourself, and then start to walk in that direction. So that's what we're going to do this week. Feel free to share your feedback in the blog post. We'd love to hear from you, and I'll try to post as well. On another note, my wife and I and brother and sister-in-law went and saw the movie Her last night by Spike Jonze starring Joaquin Phoenix. My wife and I loved it. I think my brother liked it, and Lori. I think they liked it. My wife and I really, really liked it. Extremely thought-provoking on lots of different levels, from relationships to what we feel is real. But I probably need to see it one or two more times to really tap into some of the big ideas. But really, really moving, really thought-provoking. And so I recommend it from that standpoint. From a thought-provoking standpoint, all right? I have to be safe about how I recommend some movies too. Anchorman 2, horrible. Don't see that. Sorry, Will. I know Will Ferrell probably watches 7 Days of Yes. Really talented, funny guy, horrible movie. Sorry. But go see Her. 7 Days of Yes, remember, big vision, where does the rubber meet the road? That's your mission for the week. Have a great week, everyone. Thank you, Travis.
