Do something good. Try to do something good every day. Don’t just talk about it, take action.
It hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday when it came up three times in one day (when something comes up three times in one day, you start listening). After Church I was talking to a young friend about how to spread love and do good and I said, “this is done through action, not words. Take action.” I don’t know if I’ve ever said that out loud but it felt right. Later that day/evening as I was reading (I usually have a few books going at any one time) and it came up in both books I was reading. It was referenced in the Bible and then it was referenced in Thirst by Scott Harrison. I’d like to tell the story from “Thirst.” Here is the condensed version:
There was a patient on Mercy Ships who became an outcast in her village. Her name was Kwanam. She left home and went to a Mercy Ships screening to see if her facial tumor, that smelled so bad it made her an outcast, could be fixed. As she waited in line, she felt so scared that she almost turned around and left. At that moment, a volunteer stopped and put a hand on her shoulder and said, “we’re going to try to help you.” It was the first time anyone had touched her in TEN years. She decided to stay. That person changed Kwanam’s life by treating her like a person. Dr. Gray from Mercy Ships says “we’re looking for people who are courageous enough to obey the little voice in their heads telling them to help another human being.”
This story is unbelievable and hit me directly in the chest. How often do we walk by a situation where we are gravitating toward doing something good and we just keep on with our day. Whether it is pulling over to help someone in need, offering to help move a couch or just giving someone a hug that needs it. It’s easy to do the right thing but sometimes it’s hard to feel comfortable enough to do it. We need to pass that comfort level by taking action.
I am going to admit right now that I am very guilty of ignoring action. I have driven and walked by many people in need (even when I’m being pushed to help). One hundred percent of the time, I feel empty after, like I did something wrong.
A more specific scenario is this driving force inside of me telling me EVERY time I walk by a homeless person to stop and talk to them. Not only stop and talk to them but to take them to lunch and have a meal with them. I just keep walking and making excuses. I’m embarrassed that I ignore this and I’m telling you now so you can hold me accountable to change.
This even relates to our jobs and businesses. We can’t think about a job or our business as a means to make money. People don't care if you make money, especially your employees. It’s not about money, sometimes it takes a while to learn this. Do good things and take action for people and customers and the business and money will follow.
I’m challenging anyone that is reading this as well as myself to start taking action. If you’d like to be an accountability partner here, just shoot me an email. If you see me on the side of the road sharing a meal with the homeless, feel free to join us!
I encourage everyone to get into reading, it can be life changing. Here is a small reading list of some that I’ve enjoyed to get you started: https://www.promotionsguy.com/ryan-s-favorite-reads
I’m writing tips each week for people aspiring to improve. These are not industry related but they generally have something to do with growing as a person or growing a business. My intention is to help others grow while growing myself. My book recommendation this week is “Thirst” by Scott Harrison.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss something, feel free to shoot me an email at ryan@promotionsguy.com.