Every second Sunday, I get together for brunch with a group of women committed to Dining for Women, an organization that supports women and children in extreme poverty outside the US. We each bring a dish and the money we might otherwise send eating out we give to the charity. Why do I do it? Because giving feels good.
In a meeting with a group of Vistage Chairs, Don Riddell brought several packs of socks for each of us to give out to homeless. He asked us to come back next month and tell the stories we gathered as we gave them away. One of his Members bought thousands of pairs of socks and everyone in his Vistage group is giving them to people they see. Why do it? Is it because one pair of socks or one act of kindness will change the lives of the homeless? Well, maybe. It sure would be nice if it could be a small step.
This is the same reason that every month we donate to a charity somewhere in the world that will help one community of women. This month it was a charity in Tanzania (see picture) that helps young girls stay in school by giving them reusable products and hygiene instruction for menstruation. Many drop out of school, or miss so many days they fall behind without adequate products.
The regular practice of acknowledging our connection to the rest of humanity and the importance of helping others brings us to gratitude for what we have. Giving feels good.
If you are feeling down, or sorry for yourself, nothing gets your spirits up as much as helping someone else. This doesn’t have to be fancy. Saying hello to someone on the street and looking them in the eyes can be a start. Giving your left over dinner to someone when you leave a restaurant instead of keeping it for yourself. Calling an old friend who now lives alone and checking in on them even if they have nothing interesting to say.
As busy and important as we may be, achieving that business objective may not make us feel as good as a simple act of human kindness.