Every single day there are opportunities large and small to do good, provide hope and make a difference. | Adobe Stock
I take great pride in my Scottish ancestry. Every time I return to Scotland, I sense an enchanted combination of history, mystery and magic that seems to permeate the country. In my office I have the Matheson clan tartan and crest properly displayed. The clan motto is also forged into a ring I wear as a constant reminder of family heritage and future commitment.
The Matheson clan motto contains three simple words: “Do and hope.” It has always struck me that the word “do” comes first. I believe it is true that you can only have hope after you do. If you aren’t willing to do, you simply cannot have any hope.
The theologian John Wesley once said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
Most of us understand the need to constantly give all that we can in the pursuit of goals, objectives and opportunities. We sometimes miss the greater good which comes from striving to make a difference in the lives of those around us. I am convinced that the true measure of a person’s life is in direct proportion to the positive impact they have on others.
Every single day there are opportunities large and small to do good, provide hope and make a difference. It can be as simple as a smile to the clerk at the register, letting a car merge ahead of you in traffic, opening the door for someone, making a call to a neighbor, sending a handwritten letter to someone who has made an impact on your life, thanking a spouse or partner for all they do, reaching out to someone you have had a disagreement with, giving a compliment or letting go of a grudge ... the list goes on and on and on. Never underestimate the power and far-reaching influence of doing good and the corresponding hope it will bring into your life!
I watched in humble awe this week as Brandon Baker, a nonverbal disabled man from Payson, Utah, was given a “Hero Award” by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. Brandon spends hours every day waving to people driving by his parents’ house. Those who pass by wave back. It is what Brandon can do to make a difference. And what a difference it has made.
When Brandon received his award, an account was shared of the hope given by the wave of his hand. A struggling young man in the area was contemplating suicide and was driving to act on it. He passed by the waving Brandon, who once again, with a smile on his face, was “doing” what he could for the community. The wave made all the difference — Brandon’s doing led a struggling sole to hope. The young man later told his mother that at his darkest moment the thought came to his mind, “If Brandon can live with his challenges and still be happy, why can’t I?” I was stirred by such a powerful “do and hope” moment.
Achievement, impact and success are usually a natural byproduct of doing good. And those who do all the good they can — by all the means they can, in all the ways they can, at all the times they can, to all the people they can, as long as they ever can — are those who not only accomplish the most, but are also the most happy, hopeful, content, confident and energized people on the planet.
I have often said that it is easy to make a dollar, but it is a challenge to make a difference. Doing good is more a mindset than it is a goal or an objective. It is a way of living, a way being and a way of becoming. Doing good, while making an enormous difference for those you serve, will in the end, do more for you and provide you with great hope for the future.
Another way to do in order to have hope is to simply do more. Do more than is required. The business coach Gary Ryan Blair asks, “What is the distance between someone who achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following?” and he answers, “The extra mile.”
If you always do and provide more in service than you expect to receive in compensation or remuneration you will always be in demand. The extra mile mentality doesn’t only apply to what you deliver at work, it also applies to your interaction with your neighbors, family and friends.
It is true that there are never any traffic jams on the extra mile! Living on the extra mile will change your perspective, elevate your vision, keep you in demand and make you a person of impact. Do more!
Finally, do your best when you don’t feel like it. The beloved British broadcaster Alistair Cooke noted, “A true professional is someone who can do their best work when they don’t feel like it.”
It is true that most of the great things achieved and accomplished every day, all around the world, are done by people who don’t feel well, who are struggling or who would just as soon be home in bed. Doing your best when you don’t feel your best shows true heart, true commitment and true dedication.
We live in a time when multimillion-dollar earning athletes refuse to play in a game because they have a hangnail, executives miss meetings because of a little tickle in their throat and employees miss days of work because they are a little burned-out.
On the other hand, there are those who continually give their all, day in and day out, regardless of energy, injury or discomfort. Some seem programmed to push through. Cooke ran his radio show without missing a day from 1946 through 2004. Surely there were some days where taking a pass or hiring a substitute was an option. He chose instead to be there and work regardless of how he felt.
We remember great athletes, musicians, scientists and even the not-so-famous railway workers, custodians, teachers and nurses who simply chose to show up every day for years and years in order that they might perform their best work for others.
Doing your best when you don’t feel your best extends into our personal lives as well. I have often been guilty of deciding not to do something for a spouse, loved one, neighbor or friend just because I felt a little tired or run-down.
A leader came home one afternoon and told his wife he felt a little sick and thought he would cancel a scheduled visit with a neighbor. The neighbor was struggling financially and this leader, who had expertise in money matters, was trying to help. The wife’s reply to his call for validation of his excuse to cancel the meeting was simple, “Then go sick.” He did. A difference was made and hope was delivered to a neighbor in need.
Sometimes we show up, or just get up each morning, with a pocket full of excuses as to why we might not do our best, accomplish our goals or make a difference for others. Each of us face times and even seasons when we don’t feel like working, serving or striving. Those who have the internal commitment and fortitude to keep going and continue doing are those who will achieve the most and leave the greatest legacy of hope.
Do. Do good. Do more. Do your best when you don’t feel like it. Never underestimate your power to do and remember that the natural byproduct of doing is hope. “Do and hope” has been a powerful motto for me and the Matheson clan and is a good model for action on the road to a positive, hope-filled future.
from Deseret News https://ift.tt/37PfnSX
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