Rules of the Red Rubber Ball

I was given this book as a gift, The Rules of the Red Rubber Ball by Kevin Carroll. It is only about 95 pages with a bookmark built in it just like the bible. To my surprise, it became my bible. The book is coined "An adult's version of Dr. Seuss" by Newsweek, presumably because it is filled with creativity, imagination and most importantly pictures. The text is twisted and words like art, play, love, speed and magical are displayed decoratively to display their meaning. The book is warm, motivational and absolutely intriguing. Carroll describes his hardships as a child in very few sentences and tells us about how he turned to the playground and sports to fuel his athletic talent and to escape how lost he felt before this discovery. He talks about the Red Rubber Ball and how it empowered his dreams and made him feel alive and powerful, loved and wanted. He talks about catching and chasing after the ball. He then turns the playground and the Red Rubber Ball into a metaphor for passion to relate with the reader. He asks, what is your Red Rubber Ball? What activities enthrall you? What in life do you find irresistible, a source of inspiration, a reason to get out of bed? He tells us that dreams start when we are playing and when we feel free. The actualization that you have of your Red Rubber Ball while reading this book is so gratifying and uplifting that it just shakes you to the core. The pictures are so fun and vivid that you feel warm and draw you into the meaning of the book. It makes you think about what is in your head and what is in your heart. It makes you realize that people are around who will help you and encourage you while you are trying to achieve your goals. It tells you that you are creative and to expect the unexpected. 

I am currently interviewing for an internship at the Nike headquarters this summer. In researching Kevin Carroll, I found that he worked for Nike as a motivator and inspiration to Nike employees. This man's job was to literally get passion flowing through people. I found it really special that I was randomly blessed with this book and it came full circle that it met me again in my hopes for the future. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dz2o2J99cM

This clip on Carroll's Red Rubber Ball Project is very interesting. It highlights the same facts that we touched on in class about how kids are more freely open to explore than any adult ever would be. It also ties in with the Red Rubber Ball metaphor. Your Red Rubber Ball could be anywhere. If you have the chance to discover it or embrace it, that to me is the true meaning of success.