Connect With People Where They Are

At my son's 8th grade graduation ceremony, a student diagnosed with autism made it to the stairs but was uncomfortable to get up on the stage when his name was called. Without hesitation, the team of school administrators walked down the stairs and presented his certificate exactly as they would have if he was on stage. They were willing to meet him where he was.

We all encounter situations where people are unable to live up to the systems or standards we have set. Your instinct might be to judge them until they change. But the more compassionate decision is usually to love them right where they are.

Wherever You Are, Invest the Best of Yourself

While filming an interview at a home in Tampa yesterday, I thought I recognized the wedding photos on the wall. After a little discussion, we realized we had met before.

Twelve years ago, I filmed the weddings for both their daughter & son! And they pulled out this VHS copy of one of the wedding movies! We then had a delightful conversation about the importance of family, history, and stories.

My life has never been a straight line. It has always been a beautiful mess of adventures I didn’t expect. But I am reminded that every stage of the journey is an opportunity to bless others.

Wherever you find yourself today – whoever you are with, whatever you are doing – invest the best of yourself into it. Look for ways to share love & light with others.

You never know when you will find a bit of yourself living in the home – or heart – of someone down the road.

Struggling with the Unpredictable

While we were out with friends on Friday night, we discovered we had a flat tire. A rainstorm began immediately. When we tried to change the tire, we realized it had a bolt lock, and we didn’t have a key for it. So, the car had to be towed to a nearby tire store for work the next morning.

The tow truck driver & I agreed on a location, but when I called the store first thing the next morning, my car wasn’t there. It took an hour of calling around to locate it at a different shop. Rather than putting the key in their dropbox, the tow truck driver had locked the keys inside the car, so I had to immediately drive 30-minutes to open the car. They had several morning appointments, so we wait a few hours for the tire to be fixed.

It shouldn’t take this much effort to fix a flat tire. But sometimes this is life. Simple things can become complicated, and unexpected small details can bring our plans to a halt. Certain days, this is our reality and we can’t get away from it. But the way we choose to emotionally respond to these moments defines the way we feel about everything else.

For much of my life, I have struggled with these unpredictable moments. I have let them distract me from joy. I have allowed frustration to disturb my peace. But this weekend I was able to laugh with the journey, embrace the craziness, and accept the moment as a gift… even though it wasn’t what I would have chosen. And I was blessed to be surrounded by people who saw it the same way.

For me, it wasn’t wasted time. It was an opportunity to remember that I’m not in control, but I can be at peace wherever I find myself. And I believe you can too.

Interview in Thero.org

"A lot of documentary makers are looking to tell stories about things that are wrong with the world so they can make those things better. I’m the kind of filmmaker who is looking for the things that are right in the world."

I enjoyed chatting with Thero.org about everyday heroes, the power of being heard, and our not-for-profit The Rising Heroes Project.

Read the interview at: www.thero.org/theroworthy-brett-culp

Return to the Source of Joy

25 years ago, my cousin Matt & I saw The Monkees in concert. We became obsessed!  We sang their songs in performances we created for our family. We used my Dad's video camera to recreate scenes from the TV show. 

Last night, we saw The Monkees perform again, in the same venue we first experienced them when we were 14. 

It's rare that you have the opportunity to feel exactly the way you did when you were young, but it happened to me last night. I remembered the joy of being young, acting silly, & sharing fun with friends. And the past gave me fuel for the future. 

If you are feeling tired or a little lost, I recommend going back to the places that inspired you as a kid. You may rediscover the light you need for the journey ahead.

Embrace your gift. Then give it away.

Education is an incredible gift, and I believe it’s about MORE than our own personal development and success. Education helps us reach our potential so we can give something beautiful to the world.

This was the essence of the Graduation Speech I shared two years ago. I think it’s a valuable message for all of us as we make daily choices about how to use our skills, time, and resources.

So Many Good People

After filming for a corporate project today, my hands were full as I rolled 2 big equipment cases through the lobby of an office building. I was headed toward the exit, and a woman I didn’t know was walking about 20 feet in front of me. She was moving quickly – clearly on a mission - and talking on her phone as she pushed a door open to let herself out. Then, while outside the building, she leaned over without breaking stride and pressed the button that automatically opened the double doors.

I thought, “That’s strange. Why did she press that button? She’s already outside!”

Then I realized… She pressed it for ME.

It didn’t cost her any time. It was just an awareness of the needs of someone around her.

And I remembered how many good people there are in the world. And I smiled.

In Search of JOYFUL GLUE

I was recently interviewing a business leader for a short film. We were talking about building environments that inspire passion, creativity, and teamwork. She said, "We want the business to do more than make a profit. It should be a JOYFUL GLUE that allows people to feel connected to each other while accomplishing an exciting mission together."

This week, I've been thinking about how every part of my life where I interact with others can be Joyful Glue. Although it's wonderful to have a long list of successful projects, if those accomplishments didn't build deeper connections & relationships, they were missed opportunities.

I am now inspired to bring this perspective to everything. In work, family, & every kind of community, I think there is always an opportunity to unify & build an uplifting connectedness.

It is my desire for everything I do to be a Joyful Glue!

A Big Announcement!

I'm officially announcing my candidacy for President of the United States of America!

My platform is based on:

  • Kindness for all
  • Belief that everyone can be a superhero
  • Unity of spirit even when we don't agree
  • Hope that the future will be beautiful


Even if you choose not to vote for me on Election Day, please make this your personal platform for the next 6 months. 

I love you all. ❤️💙❤️💙

Sincerely,
The only candidate using heart emoji

On being Batman

Four years ago, I was in Texas filming with Kye who was still in treatment for leukemia. I asked him what Batman would do if he had cancer. Kye responded, "He would fight it. Like I did."


Our film Legends of the Knight celebrates the superhero that lives in all of us. If you need a reminder of your heroic potential, watch the film this week on Netflix, iTunes, & Amazon. 


And I can't wait to continue inspiring rising heroes around the world & supporting charitable organizations with our next film Look to the Sky.

Building a legacy of leadership

Several months ago, I was commissioned to create a series of short films for the 100th Anniversary of a successful family-owned company called Meritex.  I was excited to watch the films play at last night's special event in Minneapolis. 

During production, after filming 22 hours of interview footage, it was clear how important this guy named Harry was to everyone.

At 92-years-old, he was the patriarch of the business & the heart of the family. I recommended we create a special tribute film for Harry & then present him with a custom piece of artwork: Harry & his grandchildren in the style of his favorite comic strip. As his 14 grandchildren grew up, Harry regularly mailed each of them Peanuts comic strips he cut from his morning paper along with handwritten notes.

I was honored to be part of this inspiring, emotional moment last night in Minneapolis as hundreds of family members, friends, & business associates celebrated this kind, funny, humble, soft-spoken man from St. Paul. Although my calling is very different from his, I hope to one day leave a legacy like Harry.

Thanks to Steve Goad for bringing this amazing artwork to life & to Ryan Hanson for inviting me to contribute to this project.

My Dream For Us

A few weeks ago I recorded a video of myself talking about a superhero film. Here’s the link: https://youtu.be/rKRmMQaLZz8

Many of the reviews for Batman v Superman were negative, and online discussions quickly became a battlefield. For some reason, I felt compelled to share my personal response to the film. In my mind, the only goal was to discuss a movie.

The clip I posted broke nearly every ‘rule’ for online video:

  • At 18 minutes, it was far too long. 

  • It was visually boring. No slick effects or editing. Just one guy talking with no additional shots or camera angles. It was probably the simplest video I have ever produced.

  • There were no funny cats, cute kids, or clever click-bait. It was just me. Talking. For 18 minutes.

But, within 3 days the video had over 100,000 views across multiple platforms. It has more than 1,600 comments on YouTube. Famous people shared it. It has been subtitled into multiple languages and reposted, and I gave my heart-felt blessing for people to do it.

After 3 week of reflection, here’s the MOST IMPORTANT THING to me about this experience:

In life, I often feel like I am surrounded by voices that are trying to control my behavior. Politics, marketing, work, social media. These voices want to shape my behavior by manipulating me with fear, pride, and desire.

My continual longing is for connections that are REAL. I don’t want to be managed, I want to truly see people and be truly seen. I think the best comes out in me when I am able to live and work in environments where I feel safe to be myself. And I instantly love people who show me their heart and encourage me to show mine without judgment.

Although it wasn’t my plan, I somehow managed to create an 18-minute glimpse of this. And people felt invited to join. Not simply to talk about a movie but to celebrate the real opportunity we have to show weakness, embrace brokenness, and gain strength from each other. In this kind of space, we can uncover the highest potential in our own lives and for the world.

For the past 3 weeks, I’ve been dreaming about what we could accomplish together if we committed ourselves to creating loving environments in our families, our workplaces, and online. And then we chose to share our hearts authentically and openly within those safe settings.

In a world like that, I believe all of us would be free to become the superheroes we were born to be. I want to keep contributing to spaces where we can be real together. Thanks for continuing to join me!

Playing Together

Today is my son Logan's 14th birthday.

When Logan was little, he once defeated me 8 consecutive times at the board game Chutes & Ladders. Upon sensing my frustration at the crushing losses, he offered to intentionally lose to make me feel better. He said, "It doesn't matter to me whether I win or lose. I just like it when we play together."

For the last 14 years, it has been my honor to 'play' with this kid. In wins & losses. In happiness & sadness. In success & disappointment.

For me, the celebration isn't simply about what he has accomplished. It's that we have been able to do it together.

I love you, my son. I am proud of who are you. And I can't wait for us to continue to grow together.

Happy Birthday, Logan!

 
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