This week’s theme for me has been all about giving back. It started after watching the series premier of “The Secret Millionaire” last week. I’m excited and proud that my former mentor will be featured on the finale! If you missed it, the show is all about millionaires secretly integrating into society with people that are suffering in some way. At the end of the show they reveal who they are and give away some of their money. It triggered me to look into giving back and volunteering.
Along the way I stumbled across this little girl. Read on to learn more about Maddie James and giving back.
The millionaire on the show last week had a good point when she said that our society idolizes the wrong people (celebrities, athletes, etc.), when we should be focusing on people who are working hard to make a difference and bettering the lives of others. I completely agree. At the end she said to “…give what you can, a smile, a hug, anything”. I love this. It doesn’t always have to be money (she incidentally ended up giving away $100 000.00). Simply being kind to other people helps too.
I’ve always wanted to get involved with an organization that represents an area that I’m passionate about and inspired to make a difference. I decided to do some research. The portion of the episode that related to sick children really pulled at my heartstrings. I was literally sobbing while I watched it. I looked into hospitals and also saw a few organizations dedicated to preserving the ocean. I feel strongly about both. Somewhere along the way I decided to check my twitter account and noticed a tweet from last Friday (I admit I don’t’ check it often). I was directed to the story of Maddie James (a 5 yr old who has an inoperable brain tumor), and subsequent fundraiser to have a new children’s wing of the Ocean Institute named after her as her legacy. Her story has really touched me. I also realized we had just missed her class marching for her during the Festival of Whales in Dana Point last weekend. For more on this amazing little girl, her story & how you can donate, click here. I decided to donate and hope to get more involved in the future 🙂
My point of this week’s ezine is to get you thinking about what is important to you. Having goals and working towards your own future is great (I’m a big believer in the more you make the more you can give back), but please don’t lose sight of what’s really important. One thing I learned this week is how important community is and how coming together out of love is so important. It shouldn’t take something drastic to happen for us to get involved. Being a part of something bigger then ourselves provides a tremendous sense of purpose. Hopefully this article will inspire you to re-evaluate what’s important to you and to decide how you can give back 🙂