In any kind of life or leadership lore, you will quickly hear about the need for a strong foundation.  We need to be rooted in values or principles that will last when the storms come.  You also hear about people talking about their "roots" and how it sustains them for what lies ahead.

That talk is great, but leads to a posed question - is it talk or is it reality?  This photo reveals what many people, unfortunately, have as their roots - yep, they certainly exist but they are hanging in the air.  Those roots are not attached to anything and, as such, are worthless.

No doubt this tree has lived a long time and has other roots that provide it valuable nourishment and anchor it to the earth, but what about you?  Are your roots real or are they just hanging around?  If you want to know if your roots are deep and real, then try to live without them (and not just talk about them).  If you cannot, then they are real.  If you primarily talk about them and do not match them with a walk, then those roots are worthless and will erode when the storm hits. 

If you ever wonder can you, as one person, make a difference, then look at this photo.   

The one little rock protruding from the water has created multi-directional ripples that go off and bounce off other rocks creating more directional ripples.  One rock!  

Yes, you can make a difference; but, it requires you to make a difficult choice.  It means that you intentionally go against the flow.  It means that you have to stand out and, at times, take a beating.  It also means that someone may not see the difference that you make.  But, as this photo shows, someone may notice and then tell your story!

So many great lessons can be discovered just sitting around a campfire and thinking about life and leadership.  "Captured Moments" is too short of a section to deal with them all, but here is one from tonight - to keep the fire burning (your passion), sometimes the fuel needs to be moved.  Tis easy to leave everything as it is; however, even the biggest fire will burn out.  That shift breathes oxygen into the fuel and a reigniting occurs.  The same is true of your passion - changing your position, sometimes, promotes your purpose.  You are the one that has to decide if a change is necessary.