volunteering

Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of [humankind].

Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.

With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of [people].
I have wished to know why the stars shine.

Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.

This has been my life; I found it worth living.

adapted

Bertrand Russell

Many persons have the wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.

Helen Keller

click here to learn more about inspiration!

Are You Inspiring Others to Succeed?
By Paul Lawrence Vann

Last week while delivering an interactive diversity program at Health & Safety Canada 2007,IAPA Tadeshow & Convention the audience inspired me. How did they do it?

I'll explain how the audience inspired me. Speaking in foreign countries is great because the audience doesn't know you & it gives you an opportnity to really experiment (take risk).

I am passionate about being in an electric audience, in other words I love to excite the crowd & for them to reciprocate the energy. The audience in Toronto had high energy & it transferred to me & my program.

"Inclusion Improves Your Organization's Bottom Line" is an interactive program consisting of lectures, group exercises & a high energy slide presentation. Audience members were expecting one thing, however they discover they already possessed the talent, skills & abilities required to become more astute & knowlegeable about the difference between people of different ethnic groups & genders.

My audience inspired me to succeed & I motivated & inspired them to think outside the box because people that learn about diversity, learn about themsleves because diversity is an inside job.

The more & more I presented my audience with group exercises, the more they learnabout themselves & the more I learned about myself. There's only one question left to ask,

"Are you inspiring others to succeed?"

We were born to inspire one another & it's one of the primary reasons why we were put on this earth. If you aren't inspiring others to succeed, start right now & watch how the world around you improves.

source: selfgrowth.com

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Only a life lived for others is worth living.

Albert Einstein

A personal story I'd like to share with you....

Back in 1984, my oldest daughter, Michelle, was in the 1st grade. We lived in Lake Worth, Florida then. I remember it well, as Michelle had been tested in kindergarten, then moved to what they called "the gifted program" immediately. Michelle was always extremely bright as a very small child, I wasn't surprised that they had wanted to test her.

One of Michelle's first homework assignments is what this short story is about. I asked her after school what her homework was, as I cleaned up in the kitchen, and prepared dinner for that evening. I was waiting for her response, which seemed to be coming slowly. As I reeled around to look her in the eye for another attempt at getting an answer from her, she said, "We have to use some divergent thinking!"

As though stung by a bee, I was stunned. I repeated those words to myself, "Divergent thinking? Divergent thinking. Divergent thinking? What the heck was divergent thinking?"

Michelle was obviously bursting with pride for stumping me or for forcing my lips to stay shut, one of the two - and as I began to ask her, "What exactly is divergent thinking and how can it be a homework assignment?" She spoke out loudly, clearly and confidently.

"It's very simple, mom. Divergent thinking is like, ummm, thinking a different way than normal. It's when you use your imagination to think differently to show your creativity!"

She went off to her room to do who knows what; probably her homework assignment of "divergent thinking!" But the reason I tell you this story now is that it is exactly what you need to incorporate into your life as soon as possible. Divergent thinking.

This type of thinking will help you figure out how you can use your creativity and imagination to find useful & enjoyable ways to volunteer to help someone. First determining what you're good at, then using divergent thinking, making a description of what you would like to do, you then burst into action!

Find an organization that may have the opportunity available for you to work your own personal magic in helping others. This in turn will teach you volumes. Just try out that, "divergent thinking" for yourself. It's well worth your time and trouble!

kathleen

divergent
adjective

1.diverging from another or from a standard; "a divergent opinion"

If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart.

Arabian Proverb

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