This time of year, many organizations are attempting to tug on your heartstrings. From orphan animals to orphan children and homeless adults, it is intensified right now. How are you responding to those pleas? If you are like me, you want to give to every cause that you believe in and help solve all the world’s problems. And if you are like me, you simply can’t cover that much ground. Does that mean you can’t do something to try to make a positive difference? Of course not, because you all know that you can.
It is curious as to why this time of year is so jam-packed with requests for money and time. I read last year that 93% of our population celebrate Christmas in some form and there is also gift giving at Hanukkah. Not to mention the parties, shows, parades, special meals and so on that require financial resources and serious time commitments. That all means that people are spending lots of money this time of year. And yet, so many organizations are still asking for more.
In addition, many are also asking for your time to assist with various programs. Last year I volunteered eight times in December alone, and that didn’t include my regular volunteer roles. It worked for me because it occurred on the weekends and I had already cleared my calendar for this priority. I don’t know about you, but the month seems to fly by faster than a 199 MPH Japanese bullet train. But that doesn’t reduce the ask out there from organizations trying to do good things for others.
I had an idea that was inspired by a sermon that I heard at a church by a very dynamic gentleman named Greg Steir, the founder of Dare 2 Share for teenagers around the world. Ironically Greg’s message was “Get outside the camp”. That correlates to what I have previously written about, meaning step out of your comfort zones for the sake of others (and yourselves). It also ties into the concepts of IE quotient: Inspiration + Execution = Results, and the advice our pal Albert Einstein gave us about doing things differently. So really, as Solomon (the wisest human ever) wrote…”there is nothing new under the sun”. What is different is when you actually “do something” that can have a positive impact, whatever that may be.
For several years I have been a convert to simplification of life and this time of year I step harder on that brake. One way that you can do something different is to pull the plug on the commercialization and the stress of the popular activities during this season. That would free you up for additional relaxed time and introspection. If, however, you thrive on activity as many do, you will need to search outside your camp for your new difference-making behavior. There are certainly many existing opportunities. I challenge you today to act in the next 48 hours in a way that may be entirely different than what you have before attempted. That doesn’t simply mean think of something to do – it means doing something. It is one thing to be inspired, but unless you work out your inspiration it remains only inspiration and eventually dies. That may have a negative impact or burdensome effect later. Why? It just may be that if you have an idea and neglect it, you later experience remorse. Regrets can become guilt-laden and create layers covering our real capabilities to do good things. Regrets can cause discouragement and a dramatic reduction in inspiration because of your failures to execute on those inspirations. The cure: do something!
I have written about leadership and serving / focusing on others to encourage, inspire and motivate them to reach for their unique potential. Think about one thing that you could do in the next 48 hours that could change a relationship, encourage someone, mend a fence that has been torn down by irresponsible behavior, add innovation to revive a process that may be stuck or floundering or something uncomfortable to help someone else. The possibilities seem endless, so it should be easy to find one.
If you have ever entered a dairy barn where cattle were stanchioned all day long during winter months, you likely remember a distinct smell that was unpleasant to you. Cattle are not the brightest of animals either. They will kick you, bang you with their incredibly hard heads, swat you in the face with their often-messy tails and even cover you with their excrement if you are within reach. Yet, it is important for someone to feed, care for and milk those cows to provide dairy products, cooking ingredients, and all kinds of food considered important to good nutrition. Those workers are outside the camp of fresh smells, clean clothing and hands and even safety at times, but they are doing good and important work.
My challenge to you is to do something outside your normal camp of comfort. And if you commit to doing it right away you will more likely than not complete your task. Make sure it is a “stretch” from your comfort zone so that you experience some sensation from it and it isn’t the “same old, same old”. It could ignite you to make a difference in a way you never have. That could begin a positive revolution of change that has no limits. Wouldn’t that be beneficial to your company, your team, your family, your friends, yourself, or someone with no place to go or family to visit this time of year?