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What Inspires You? What Makes You Do What You Do?

Monday, May 10th, 2010

This was the title of a LinkedIn discussion I read in a weekly email update.  The subject was so simple and what intriguied me the most was the 21 comments already posted to the discussion.  I took a peek and it moved me enough to think about the “whys” in my life and comment myself.

Here are some of the comments from the discussion:

“I find that trying to become a better person is what motivates and inspires me. And that may mean different things to people. But, it’s probably one of the most difficult processes for any human being to go through.”

“A particular mission isn’t necessary for me to have this belief. Do you believe passionately in shelter for all? Then prioritize that in your giving and living. Do you believe passionately in wiping out genocide? Then prioritize that in your giving, living and speaking. But my passion, no matter what I do, appears to be to help others become passionate about something.”

“Distributing positive influences to others that are in need of positive direction in their lives and business.”

“Unselfish individuals who care about helping other human beings, making a difference in students’ lives and feel grateful to be able to give. They inspire me to work better on their behalf and on behalf of the students…they also have made me a better donor.” 

“Turning dreams into reality — that is what inspires me to serve as a fundraiser and as a donor.”

“A love for people and their potential make me do what I do.”

“Working with people who really want to make a difference and leave the world a better place.”

“Utilizing my experience and skills to educate, increase awareness, and reduce the stigma, and discrimination, that keeps so many people in the dark as to how they alone can create change and make a difference.”

“I believe that human beings require 3 essentials: food, shelter, and access to knowledge.
If a man is hungry, he has little desire to learn or earn.
If a woman has no shelter, she has little desire to earn or learn.
If a child has access to knowledge, he or she can change his or her own life … and perhaps change the world. ”

Since my comment, I received numerous emails asking more about my experience and it also spurred another group of individuals to weigh in on the discussion.  The discussion has lasted for over two months and is still going!  This has created an open forum for people throughout our nation to think about their reasons and motivations to do what they do.  I applaud whoever asked the simple and intriguing questions on LinkedIn. 

What Inspires You? What Makes You Do What You Do?

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Green and Growing

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

We are excited to introduce the April 23rd event beneficiary -Great River Greening.  They lead community-based restorations of forests, prairies, and waters, while inspiring volunteers to lifelong stewardship.  Great River Greening believes that by restoring land they are renewing communities.  They have amazing opportunities to get involved that will be shared at the Green Party and on our website later this month.

There is an exciting new opportunity to raise funds for Great River Greening through Toodalu, a new social networking iPhone application.  Click the video link below to learn how Toodalu will donate $5 to Great River Greening on your behalf. We love how the free iPhone app makes getting connected easier than ever!  LEAD+Toodalu

Next week celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day (April 22) and National Volunteer Week (April 18 – 24), we encourage you to do your part by taking on a new volunteer project.

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Wait or Make a Change? Is it Time for a Revolution?

Monday, April 12th, 2010

There are so many things we encounter on a daily basis that could improve our house, work, life, and environment.  Why do we choose to ignore some things we could change to improve our lives, while we jump at the chance to change other things?  Why are we selective in what we want to improve in our lives?  What drives us to want to change?   

While sitting at church, watching the collection basket get passed from pew to pew, I barely see any donations being put in.  My husband leaned to me and said, “if everyone donated electronically, it’d be much more efficient.”  That got us talking and I thought, if members were asked to donate online and have money taken out on a weekly/monthly basis, churches wouldn’t have to rely on the donation basket or people being present at mass.  They would have more stability and forecast in their budgets and raise more funds.  I read an article on a study that only one out of six churches have an online donation option: Churches – Slow to Embrace.  How much will it take to get faith-based organizations to change their ways?

Jamie Oliver is one person who decided to inspire change in others by taking a stand against obesity.  Indeed, America has the biggest obesity problem of any country in the world: it affects nearly one out of five children!  Sadly, our children have a shorter life expectancy than our generation.  Accordingly, Jamie started a healthy eating campaign and a show called Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.  He declared, “I believe that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. Too many people are being affected by what they eat.  It’s time for a national revolution. America needs to stand up for better food!”

I’ve seen one show and admire the way Jamie Oliver is thinking.  He ventured to the unhealthiest city in the nation, Huntington, West Virginia, and went through the uphill battle to change the way the residents think about food.  Jamie found ways to prove his point to the most critical and resistant people.  He was persistent and wouldn’t let anything stop him in his goal of teaching 1,000 Huntington citizens how to cook wholesome foods.  

Jamie has found his issue and platform – what is yours?  We have the power to change things, what do you want to see changed?

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Interrupt Your Life

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

Greg Tehven - Co-Founder of STLF

While attending a seminar last week, I met an extraordinary human being that made me think about the importance of interrupting our lives.  He didn’t say one thing that was huge or profound, but many collective thoughts that made an insightful impression on me. 

This inspirational speaker was Greg Tehven.  A 25-year old who leads a national organization of servant leaders.  He launched the vision of “changing the world” with three of his friends only 10 days into his college career.  These four students founded Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF).  They created a community service project on wheels, calling it the Pay It Forward Tour.  To date, they have sent out 206 Pay It Forward Tours, with 8,040 participants, logging 100,000 hours of community service throughout the United States.  Last September, Time Magazine listed STLF as the #2 way to serve America in its piece on 21 ways to serve America.  Greg’s personal mission is simple: To challenge, inspire and encourage young people to live a life of excellence.

Greg and his group exemplify the spirit of service.  They inspire and engage middle school, high school and college students in meaningful service and leadership experiences. They promote action through community service, building lasting relationships, and learning about the communities they serve. 

Pay It Forward Tour - March 2010

His words resonated with me because I think LEAD is very similar in how we’d like to serve the young professional community and because he is so reflective on his experiences.  He thoughtfully shared stories of how so many individuals have inspired him throughout his life.  Greg takes the time to reflect on who he is, who he wants to be, and this shows in the way he lives, by living his life with intention. 

So many of us are always on the go, we fill our lives with meetings, coffees, happy hours, workouts, TV, dinners, errands.  When do we make time to reflect on who we are?  Who we want to be?  How we want to be remembered?  We fill out annual reviews and create development plans for our jobs – when do we do that for our personal lives?  I don’t have the perfect plan and don’t have an answer to those questions. After listening to Greg – I will make an effort to interrupt my life and reflect on the experiences I’ve had and think about the individuals that have enriched my life.  This will get me a little closer to figuring out who I want to be.

To learn more about Students Today Leaders Forever, go to: www.stlf.net

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Making Sense of LEAD’s Attire

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Whether it’s black tie or summer chic, LEAD supporters have been an impressively sharp-dressed group.  If you’ve never been to a LEAD event or just want to understand the levels of event attire, here is LEAD’s guide to dress for success:

• Festive Black Tie – as dressy as we get.  Guys wear a tuxedo/dark suit with tie.  Ladies wear cocktail dresses (long or short).  We tend to save this for our holiday party. 

  

  

  
  
  
• Business/Dressy Casual – dressed up version of a casual look.  Men wear a sport coat, collared shirt with trousers or dressy jeans.  Women wear a tailored jacket, dress or blouse, skirt/trousers/dressy jeans.
• Green – new edition for April’s benefit for Great River Greening.  Attire is GREEN and creativity is key.  You can wear the color green, find an eco-friendly outfit, buy your wardrobe from a consignment store or simply borrow clothes from a friend!

• Summer Chic – summer is normally a time when rules don’t apply (as much).  Men typically wear business/dressy casual with lighter weight fabrics (including but not limited to linen and seersucker).  Women’s hemlines can go shorter with sassy summer dresses/skirts or longer with maxi dresses. 

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