Life Enrichment: Giving Back
"Giving back" means how you help make the world a better place. People who use the mantra understand that doing what is expected -- and then some -- makes the difference in improving others' lives, as well as their own.
During the last few months, I have been writing about life enrichment, which is a descriptor for the general message of my keynote program, "Gourmet Living: Building a Menu for Your Life." This week, as I fly to San Diego, I'm reflecting on the "giving back" portion of life enrichment.
There were three reasons this topic stuck out. One, I am in the middle of cleansing an unused laptop and I will be shipping it to a person I have known for over 14 years. At 25, she is struggling, but has found a quality part-time job, begun to set goals, is raising a 5-year-old daughter alone and is building her life. Recently, I have helped her buy a car. Hopefully, she can use the laptop to improve her education and connect to the world.
Second, this past weekend, my wife and I opened out home to a local women's association that ran a "home tour," in which a multitude of people tour several homes in our community to raise money for a variety of local charities. We spent money to obviously make our home shine, but the local ladies' association will raise close to $10,000 on that event alone.
And third, during the last the last two weekends, I played (poorly) in two fund-raiser golf tournaments, with a third fund-raiser tournament scheduled next weekend. The first was for the arts, the second for the local volunteer fire department, and the one next weekend is for the golf course itself.
I am certainly not bragging or using this blog to promote what Ken Thoreson does. I have been blessed in many ways, but I feel it is important to help others in whatever way you can. In our community, people volunteer thousands of hours a year and in many small ways to improve the quality of life locally and nationally.
The outcome: As you improve the quality of others' lives, your life will become enriched and you will become a better person and more fulfilled.
My challenge this week is for you to ask yourself what you can do or are doing, even in a small way, to improve our world. Give back! Let me know your actions and recommendations in the comments below or in an e-mail.
Posted by Ken Thoreson on May 05, 2014