Grow Your Capacity to Give

Thursday August 13, 2015 #749

“The very best thing you can do for the whole world is to make the most of yourself.”

~Wallace Wattles

Giving of your time, wealth and resources to others is exceptionally rewarding and I believe a social and moral imperative.  However, you must never cease building your resources – physical, financial, emotional.  It is only through continuing to make the most of yourself that your resources, and therefore your capacity to give, continue to grow.  Never stop learning, never stop innovating, never stop finding new ways to solve old and new problems.  You are key to the success of those around you – keep pushing yourself and those you lead to create value and resources that can help ever more people succeed along with you.

A Little Goodness

Tuesday January 21, 2014 #595

 

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.”

 

~John Wesley

 

I think most of us want to be positive, giving, generous people all the time.  However, our very human nature can trip us up with our desires, greed, selfishness, worries, and jealousies.  The point and the goal is not to be perfect.  The point is to at least be “net positive” – to be a good person more than not.  And as we grow in our experience and wisdom, the goal should always be to improve the ratio of good to not so good.  How is your ratio today?  Try a little goodness right now.

Doing Good

Tuesday January 7, 2014 #591

 

“In the quiet hours when we are alone and there is nobody to tell us what fine fellows we are, we come sometimes upon a moment in which we wonder, not how much money we are earning, nor how famous we have become, but what good we are doing.”

 

~A.A. Milne

As humans we tend to judge our worth (and we tend to judge others) on various forms of scorekeeping:  wealth, position, title, address, physical appearance, etc.  However, at some point we all find that the only true measure of our worth is what we give and the good we do for others.  Unfortunately, many don’t have this realization until their death bed or some tragedy or another.  Why wait for this realization to be forced upon you?  Rather, be a more intentional and positive force of good for your family, community and workplace.  Measure the success of each day not on what you’ve accomplished for yourself, but rather what you have accomplished for or given to others.

 

Perhaps counter-intuitively, focusing on others in fact delivers more intangible and tangible personal worth for you than if you focused merely on yourself.

Giving

Thursday November 28, 2013 #580

“Success isn’t great because of the stuff you get. It’s great because of the stuff you suddenly are allowed to give.”

~Robin InspirationEnergy

An amazing gift of success is the ability to give of yourself – time, money, skills – to those who can benefit.  Giving can be tiny – a smile, a word of thanks, or some of your time.  Or massive (think of what Bill & Melinda Gates are doing with their foundation).  And for most of us, our ability to give falls within these boundaries.  In the end, what we give is not the issue.  It is that we give at all.  Think of all you’ve been given in your life and think about how you can begin or continue to return the favor. 

Three questions:  What can you and what will you give, and to whom?  Start with a little of your time and enjoy the tangible and intangible gifts you will receive from giving.

True Greatness

Tuesday November 26, 2013 #579

“No one ever attains very eminent success by simply doing what is required of him; it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction.”

~Charles Kendall Adams

The majority of people put forth just enough effort to be relatively comfortable.  That gives you and me the opportunity to rise above this mediocrity and do amazing things!  Be the person who tries a bit harder, shows up a bit earlier, gives a bit more than is required, defends someone a bit weaker, laughs a bit more often, and decides to be a bit more successful.  Starting now.

“More is Better” or “Less is More”?

Tuesday October 29, 2013 #571

 

“There may be no better discernment in life to master than learning to apply the rule of “more is better” to the situations that merit it, and “less is more” to those that need it.”

 

~Wendy Strgar

 

I do believe that joy and happiness arise from knowing how much “enough” is.  We rush through life chasing after more money, more things, more status, more consumption – never realizing that our fears and feelings of scarcity blind us to knowing when we have enough.  And in this rush to consume and accumulate, we too often neglect those things that we can never have enough of:  love, hugs, kindness, gratitude, and opportunities to give of ourselves. 

 

It is time you look at life through a lens of abundance, rather than scarcity, to allow you to realize you may actually have more than enough monetary and possession based wealth.  Giving you space for more of those intangibles that truly bring joy and happiness.  Today, give a little more, love a little more – consume a little less, accumulate a little less.  You, and those who love you, will be better for it.

Living an Inspired Life

Tuesday October 22, 2013 #569

 

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.
 Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

 

~Helen Keller

 

Are you living a life you would be inspired by if it were someone else’s?  Before you answer “no”, be sure to take a moment to reflect on the many inspiring things you do daily:  helping someone with a small need, providing a smile to your loved ones and co-workers, and the thousands of other small gestures that make a difference.

 

Now, the challenge:  Are you living life safe or are you treating life like the adventure it is?  Taking reasonable risks, trying new experiences, meeting new people, learning new skills, stretching yourself?  If you realize upon reflection that you’ve been avoiding life’s richness, do something about it!  Write down 3 things you would do if pressed to “try” something you’ve avoided for whatever reason. 

 

There is no real security.  And, going for that bit of adventure won’t kill you.  Go for it now!

Love is indeed the answer

Tuesday December 25, 2012 #483

 

“Love is a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible – it cannot be seen or measured, yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment, and offer you more joy than any material possession could.”

 

~Barbara DeAngelis

 

On this day, the greatest gift we give or receive is love.  Pause and reflect with gratitude on those you love and those who love you.  Remember that love is a verb and therefore we must actively love with our words and actions.  If you want more love in your life, give more love to others.  If you have an abundance of love in your life, celebrate with gratitude by giving even more to others.  Love is indeed the answer.

 

Merry Christmas, with abundant love…

A life we can all learn from

Thursday November 22, 2012 #474

 

The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best medicine for despair is service. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired.

 

~Gordon B. Hinckley

 

Today would have been my Dad’s 80^th birthday.  Rather than dwell in sadness (though I am sad I can no longer talk to him), I choose to reflect on his life – a life of constant learning and teaching.  My Dad understood that to resolve the worries, despair and weariness he felt from time to time, he needed continue driving forward in his work.  He saw his work, his purpose, as constantly learning about the issues and causes important to him and then teaching others what he had learned.  He didn’t stop there.  Whenever he could, he volunteered and otherwise helped organizations and individuals who lived for and championed his passions.  In his last days, he continued to speak to me and to his friends about these passions.

 

My Dad passed quietly in his home on October 15, 2012.  79 years of consistently living to his principles – learning and teaching every day.  I will miss my Dad, and so will the people and the organizations that benefitted from his passionate efforts.  It is a life we can all learn from.  Time to get to work…

Be Kind to Someone Today!

Tuesday September 11, 2012 #453

 

“Kindness is a hard thing to give away. It keeps coming back to the giver.”

 

~Ralph Scott

 

It is worth the reminder: Be kind to someone today!  It is so obvious from our own experience that being kind vs. being aloof or cruel is enriching for you and for the object of your kindness.  However, in our hectic and anxious lives, we often forget this simple truth and act in ways that belie our desired kind intent.  What to do?  Act intentionally in kindness.  Spend the next hour thinking intentionally about providing a kind reaction in every situation.  Let this be the start of a kindness habit.  You know you can do it, and when you do, it will come back to you in waves.