Be On Purpose This January

You may think what I’m about to say is crazy, but the first month of the year is the best month of the year! Yes—it is downright cold everywhere in the country. But, underneath the frozen ground, change and growth are happening. Looking at the calendar of events for January, lots of people must also think January is a powerful month for change and growth. It’s Financial Wellness Month; Get Organized Month; National Be On Purpose Month; National Mentoring Month; National Poverty in America Awareness Month; and Self-Love Month. Nearly every day in January, we will celebrate something that focuses on change and growth: National Motivation and Inspiration Day; National Clean Off Your Desk Day; and Celebration of Life Day are examples. Next week, on January 15, we will celebrate the National Day of Service and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The ways we can change and grow ourselves and others lay before us like already-mined diamonds. So, let’s sparkle! Let’s help others sparkle, too!

Being realistic for a second, it’s easy to put the responsibility for helping our neighbors sparkle in the hands of organizations and governments. After all, we’re busy with our own lives, our own families, following our own dreams. But, helping to make others’ dreams come true doesn’t prevent ours from also coming true. In fact, in 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best when he said “In a real sense all life is inter-related. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the inter-related structure of reality.”

If studies are an indicator, sharing, helping, and giving are inborn qualities; it’s our human purpose. We see that someone has a need or we hear someone’s story of trouble, and our hearts break a little. Sometimes, we just don’t know what to do to help. Sometimes, others’ needs are so great, we get overwhelmed. We rationalize and say we’re just one person; we don’t know how to help or where to start. We become immobilized. Then, we do nothing.

Here are a few keys to overcoming our fears. We can start small. We can choose where to help based on our passions, skills, knowledge, and time. We can help at a one-off event. We can make a longer-term commitment. We can tap into the abundant resources we already have: Let’s inventory our pantries and give to the hungry through our local food banks. Let’s inventory our closets and homes and give to Goodwill for those who need warm clothes, shoes, boots, and furniture. Those of us who are athletic, let’s lend a hand at our local Y to help develop young people’s bodies and minds. Those of us who like to read, let’s help our neighbors of all ages improve their lives by teaching them that life-giving skill. If none of that floats your boat, check out this campaign from State Farm. I’m starting to see State Farm’s commercials on television. They sure know how to pull at the heart strings.

Each week that I post opportunities on my Facebook page, Your PRMentor, someone tells me that I have helped them make a career connection or a career move. Someone is growing and changing as a result of my efforts. My daughter has been a Girl Scout for the last four years. During that time, I’ve served as a troop leader; helped with cookie sales; and volunteered to co-lead troop trips. The girls we serve are growing and changing from our guidance. They’re learning how to fulfill their purpose as people who share, help, and give, like they’re doing in the picture, as they gather clothes to distribute them to the homeless. I value being able to serve as a role model to nurture and grow the girls into young women. I also enjoy spending time with the girls and the other troop leaders. The rewards go both ways. While they’re growing and changing, I am, too. I’ve learned patience. I’ve learned to have fun, laugh more, believe in magic, and take myself less seriously. That makes me feel good.

When I think about my journey toward fulfilling my career goals, I reflect on how blessed I’ve been to have encountered people who were willing to give me their time, knowledge, and energy. I can thank them by paying forward what they’ve done for me. We can all do that. As Pulitzer Prize-winner Mary Oliver asks in her poem “The Summer Day,” “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” -- Originally published on the "Office Hours" blog.