Key Players

My use of the term "keyplayer" is familiar to a lot of people, since I've been using it in addresses for several years. But beyond making my blog address memorable by matching it to screen names, there is more behind my selection.

My first and most obvious basis for the term "keyplayer" is my having played the piano since age 5 and the organ since 13. Playing keys has been one of my most active and obvious means of contributing to the world. The tag "123" reflects musical counting that goes along with the keyplaying.

Beyond these transparent references is a broader meaning that is just as personal: identifying my role as a "key player" in all of my world -- not just a self-congratulating assertion of my own importance, but moreso an acknowledgment that each person is a key player worthy of respect, of cultivating one's own talents, and of offering one's gifts. I hope that through my directing, leading, and mentoring, I always make this clear.

As human beings, we are animally programmed to scan the environment for danger: a survival tactic that, in the extreme, can leave one dwelling in negativity. Culturally, we're told to know our limitations, keep our place, and focus on practicality in order to guarantee our basic needs. As key players, we claim our right to embody our best selves, to embrace whatever talents and passions we uniquely can offer, and to transcend the limitations of others' expectations.

Often our frustration grows not from our falling short of external patterns for us, rather from our neglecting to sense and reveal who we are.