Sharing Your Talent

Many years ago I was involved in a trip to Mexico with a local church. Dozens of people went on the week long trip from all walks of life. You name the profession and they were most likely represented; doctors, dentists, musicians, landscapers, firefighters. That was the purpose of the trip: whatever you did for a living here in the states, you now were going to go to a very remote, very underprivileged area of Mexico and provide your services for a week, free of charge. Dentists fixed teeth, contractors built and repaired homes and firefighters trained the bomberos.

It was a life changing experience for me. It caused me to reevaluate how I did things at home. I learned to give more freely of my time, talent and treasure daily. I realized that I did not need to go to Mexico in order to give, I could do it right here.

What special talents do you have? What unique circumstances do you posses? Are you able to change the oil in a neighbors car? Are you able to watch a young couples children while they go out for a night? We have horses at our home and we like to allow the neighborhood children the opportunity to come over and ride. Something they would otherwise be unable to do. Whatever special circumstance or talent you posses, consider giving it away.

Memorial Day

 
General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of Republic officially proclaimed Memorial Day in 1868. General Logan thought to create a day in which we could honor those who have died in service to this great country. Additionally, he proclaimed this day to be a reminder to take care of those who were left behind. In his General Orders he stated the following:

"If other eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us.

Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from his honor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation's gratitude, the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan. "

This Memorial Day honor those who have literally given everything. Raise a flag at your home, decorate a fallen soldiers grave and maybe most importantly, give to those that they left behind. Give of your time, talent and treasure.

God Bless the U.S.A.

Talent in Store

Recently I was watching a television show about people who buy and then sell the contents of abandoned storage lockers. You know the ones ,the rows upon rows of storage units that vary from size to size and seem to be on just about every street corner. Well, one of the younger buyers stopped to ask one of the more experienced buyers for some advice. The more experienced persons response was essentially, "I do this for  a living, any advice I give you I will have to charge you for."

I thought "wow" what is this world coming to when simple advice from a friend or co-worker has to come with a price.

At The Giving Principle we advocate giving of your "time, talent and treasure". This is one those instances when giving of your talent is all that is needed. The ability to pass on some of the knowledge or talent that you have accumulated over the years is often more powerful than any other gift you can give. It often can not be measured the way a monetary gift or a gift of time can, but it can be one of the most influential. Why? Because eventually time passes on, treasure is consumed but talent is something that can be kept and used forever.

Gone fishing

It is that wonderful spring time of year once again. For many people that means that they can get back out of the house and enjoy some long awaited outdoor activities. Activities that you enjoy can also be used to bless others. Take fishing for example, many people subscribe to the theory of catch and release. This is the process of catching fish generally for the sport and enjoyment of fishing but for one reason or another the fish are placed back into the water uninjured in order to be fished again. This may be done because the fisher has caught his quota of fish for the day or maybe because she does not like fish.

Either way, consider saving the fish and keeping them on ice and donating them to a needy family you may know or donating them to a food shelter. The same can be done with wild game that hunters harvest. One large elk or deer can provide a family with enough meat for an entire year.

Plan "B"

             

Ten years ago around Christmas I was headed down to the local grocery store to pick up a few items. As I pulled into the parking lot I noticed a homeless looking man sitting out on the lawn between the main road and the parking lot.

I really did not pay much attention to the fellow. As I parked my truck I noticed that there was a very nice looking older woman getting out of a very nice car right next to me.

As I proceeded to do my shopping I noticed the woman who had parked next to me walking the aisles picking out items and placing them into a basket.

As I finished my shopping and paid for my items I followed the same woman out of the store. The woman had several bags of groceries in her arms. She proceeded to get into her vehicle and began to pull to the end of the parking lot. I was behind her as she rolled her window down and handed the man who was on the lawn all of the bags of groceries that she had just purchased.

The woman had no idea anyone was watching her. This woman had no idea what an impression she made on my life. Not a Christmas goes by that I do not remember that fine woman and what she did for that man on the lawn.

Thanks to Dave from Arizona for sharing this story. If you have a story you would like to share maybe we will post it. Just send us an email at thegivingprinciple.com

Blue skies are a memory

It is a difficult time for many of us financially and because of that I hear people say that they are unable to give money as suggested by The Giving Principle. Furthermore, we hear some say that they are unable to give of their time, often for the same reason; their time is spent trying to make ends meet in this troubled economy. Finally, they claim that they have seemingly limited talent that would benefit others.

To these claims we say that treasure (money) is not the only gift you can pass on. It is quit understandable in these times that many of us do not have extra money to pass on. Furthermore, we all possess some type of talent. One does not need to be able to rebuild a big block Chevy engine or be a concert pianist in order to have talent, let alone pass it on. Lastly, the time that you give does not necessarily need to be a huge sacrifice. Actually, in many cases it should not be. We do not necessarily advocate giving up your entire Saturday in order to give your time (although that is certainly appreciated). The fact is that if we all gave up our one day off a week, many of us would not or could not sustain the giving lifestyle for long. The Giving Principle advocates passing on to others in three areas; your time, your talent and/or your treasure. It does not have to be all three and it does not require a great sacrifice.

Let us give you an example:

This week a massive winter storm is impacting nearly the entire United States. Freezing temperatures, snow and rain are wreaking havoc across the country, blue skies are mostly a memory. During this storm I found myself at the gas station. As I was fueling my vehicle, a car pulled up to the gas pump next to me. The driver exited the vehicle and made their way around the gas pump. It was clear that this person was ill equipped for the howling, sub zero wind chill that had befallen us. Furthermore, I could see two young children in the rear seat crying as their mother left them. Thinking that this was an opportunity to pass on the kindness, I walked over to the young mother and offered to pump her gas for her, allowing her to retreat to the relative warmth of her car.

Did I give of my time, talent or treasure? Well I did not give of my treasure (see the introductory sentence), and although I consider myself quite adept at the art of pumping gas, I really was not giving of my talent either. I did however give two minutes of my time and this two minutes, I believe was greatly appreciated. It really did not impact my day or my schedule but it made a big impact on that young mother who in turn, with The Giving Principle card is likely to pass on her kindness.

Planting seeds of GIVING.

During the winter months our gardens sit idle, covered in frost and snow. However, when spring arrives there is great anticipation as the seedlings that have been planted begin to break through the soil and reach for the sun. Fruits, vegetables even wildflowers begin their awakening in the warming weather. I think that I take as much (or more) joy from watching our garden grow as I do in harvesting and consuming it's bounty.

Giving is much like planting a garden. We sow seeds in anticipation that they will grow and become fruitful. Not every seed planted takes root. Some are scattered to the wind, some are consumed by birds and others just fail to thrive, however we continue to sow in hopes that our seeds will take root and we can enjoy a harvest.

So go and plant seeds of giving. You may not always be able to see or enjoy the harvest but bask in the enjoyment of sowing.