This learning moment comes courtesy of my friend Emily, who I briefly ran in to yesterday but came away with a simple yet awesome story.
As I was walking up the street on a beautiful Sunday, I saw an elderly couple walking ahead of me, taking up most of the sidewalk. Since I was late to a Super Bowl party, I was walking quite briskly and was going to step into the street to walk around them. I didn’t want to bother them, but I guess one of them noticed and they both stepped to the side to let me pass.
I didn’t really expect this and gave a quick “hello” and smiled as kind of a thank you. Maybe 20 feet after this, I saw my friend Emily walking down the street, so we hugged and talked for a bit before parting ways.
Later that night, Emily messaged me this:
After I saw you, the old couple stopped me and started talking to me about you. “Do you know that boy?? He’s so nice! He was passing us by and said hello, then gave you a hug!”
Sometimes, it’s the little things :)
We’re all here on Earth for a while, so why not keep it friendly?
Ever wonder what people say about you behind your back? I certainly do, as probably any other curious human being would.
It’s easy to know how you act and want to be perceived, because you control it. But you’ll probably never find out how others truly perceive you.
And perhaps it’s for the better. Though there might be some benefits to knowing what others think of me, it might make me change how I act and take away from who I really am.
Without this knowledge, I am left to wonder, but can also just be me.
The philanthropic dollar is so special.
It has no political ties, doesn’t involve paying off a bill, and isn’t passed off with evil intentions. It is purely voluntary and purely from the heart.
It exchanges hands from one caring person to another caring person. It holds the value of changing lives. It inspires.
When you give a philanthropic dollar, you are giving not only to a person or an organization, but you are giving to an idea: The idea that the world can be a better place. The idea of social change.
I learned about the value of the philanthropic dollar through a class I took at UC Berkeley called Cal Strategic Philanthropy.
Photo by PhilanTopic
From personal experience, it’s pretty common to meet someone who describes himself as a “people person.”
While I don’t really agree with this designation, I think the idea and concept of being a “people person” should be pervasive. Some of the most successful people in society are the ones that can best relate to others and skillfully work in groups.
The world, as far as I know, revolves around people, not numbers.
Though it’s probably true that you work better with certain people than others, there should never be anyone that you can “never work with.” Smart people adapt to make the best out of the situation.
If you’re tasked with some work, keep in mind that it’s pretty easy to tell if your heart’s not in it.
Whether it may be through listless body language, uncomprehensive work process, or an uninspiring finished product, it shows. A lack of energy and enthusiasm in any of these areas is telling.
I’ve seen others do this and am certainly guilty of doing this myself sometimes as well. But put your heart into work and the results turn out much better. Though it might not be humanly possible to put your heart into everything you work on, I think it’s important to strive to do so as much as you can.