I’ve discovered that we can all change our lives dramatically for the better - and we can do it before the gift of desperation. It takes a new sense of focus, and it also takes acting on a few new thoughts.
- Start each day with an awareness that you are here for a purpose other than to satisfy demands to add stuff to your life. I do this with a few morning minutes of meditation and prayer. Other people read a book or take a walk. After a while, you’ll find your own path to peace and self-awareness.
- Make serving others a primary focus. Help someone in your office be more successful. Hold the door for someone. Start a mentoring program, be a big brother or sister, or call a local volunteering program.
- Slow down. I was always so busy pushing for the next big break that sometimes I ran right past it. So take a few minutes to take a deep breath, step back and enjoy life a bit, and you’ll be surprised how many opportunities personally and professionally just show up.
- Start now. You don’t have to remake your whole life overnight. Small changes when practiced consistently will create dramatic results. Remember, you’re choosing to act - before a "Gift of Desperation" is forced on you. Keep at it and soon you will look back and be amazed at how far you’ve come, and so will your coworkers and loved ones. And while I may believe in deathbed conversions, acting ahead of time is a whole lot more satisfying.
There’s nothing magical about these actions. The results, however, from even small consistent actions, can be phenomenal. Not only will you feel better about yourself, but often your professional life will take off, too.
Philanthropy Is Good for Corporate Image and Employee Morale
One Christmas, a group of businesses in Alexandria, Va., got together and repaid money stolen from the Salvation Army. The cost per business was about $500, but the value to the community they served was a hundred times that amount.
Managers and employees got out of their offices and they began to see each other in a new light. They donated time and distributed toys. These actions began to create a lot of goodwill and press in the community. In the long run, I noticed how much their good works changed the companies involved. Morale went right through the roof. Productivity and profits went up as well. I know from experience this wasn’t a coincidence.
The action taken, willingness to help, and focus on service connected these companies, their employees, and the community in a way that far outweighed the financial costs.
In fact, smart companies are increasingly using corporate giving as a marketing tool. According to a study published in Business Week, two-thirds of consumers would switch to a product or retailer that supported a cause they believed in. Likewise, employees of companies that promote good causes are likely to feel a strong sense of loyalty to their employer.
Increase Community Involvement During a Company Crisis
It’s no secret that high-profile corporate ethics scandals have rocked the market and hurt companies large and small. In hard times, it’s only natural to turn first to reducing charitable contributions and employee benefits - and the newspapers are full of depressing stories of cutbacks and givebacks.
Instead of following the crowd, think of the positive public attention you can get by increasing your community involvement and awareness. Downward economies don’t last forever, but the public’s memory of a good corporate citizen often does. Sometimes it doesn’t even take money, just the willingness to show up and help.
Positively Motivated People Increase the Bottom Line
Positively motivated people will deliver to the bottom line faster than new technology and a slick mission statement, and nothing will motive people faster than feeling the company they work for sees them and their community as significant.
Change your own focus, and it’s likely you’ll also change the way your business works.
More Thoughtful Resources
- Create the Life You Want With a Mid-career Crisis
- Read, Learn, and Think Your Way to Success
- I Just Lost My Job: How Am I Going To Tell My Kids?
- Inspirational Quotations for Business: Success Quotations
- The Awesome Power of Goal Setting—Ten Tips for Triumph
- Beyond Traditional SMART Goals
- Play a Bigger Role in Life: Build Your Self Esteem
