Hello everyone! First of all, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year. I am a bit late in doing so and have been reworking my ideas for this blog and can't wait to get back in touch with all of you! 🙂
The main reason for my post today is, of course, to honor the great leader, Rev. Martin Luther King. Like so many forward-thinking leaders, he was cut down before we could benefit from all of his wisdom. Most of us know him most poignantly from his "I Have a Dream" speech. He has become an icon for all of us who have a dream! His words can inspire even the most reticent amongst us to realize that we can and should try to follow our dreams!
Many of you may already know that the King family and our incoming president's, Barack Obama's, family have declared this day a day of service for all Americans. I am thrilled to see this and hope that each and every one of you will consider this to be not just "one day" of service, but rather a day that you will think about what you can do for others. A day of service is a wonderful thing, a lifetime of serving others in some capacity is a glorious thing that will reap you many rewards.
Sadly, most of us get caught up in our lives, our own problems, our own desires and wants and fail to see how much more needy some people are in their lives. Failing to give others a helping hand is failing to give yourself a helping hand.
Over the years I have had so many clients tell me that they were alone, in a bad place, a depressed and dark place. Most of the time when I suggest that doing something for someone else would help them greatly, I was met with resistence: "I am too tired." "I am too poor." "I am turned off by poor people." "Volunteer? That's too boring." "What will I get out of it?" "I haven't found anything that I like to volunteer for." "I don't have any special skills." "I don't know how to volunteer." "What could I possibly do to help others when I am so down." Well, you get the idea.
The truth is, most of us don't know how good we have it. Anyone and everyone can find a way to serve their fellow man and reap the rewards of doing so. Those people that have listened to me have some amazing tales! I won't repeat them all here, but one woman met her future husband while volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. Another person was hired on at the Red Cross in a high paying job (after she did the Get a Job spell and was feeling like it didn't work for her – I told her to go volunteer somewhere for awhile – she was hired two weeks after volunteering there)! Trust me when I say that nothing will make you appreciate your life more than getting out and seeing what you can do for someone else.
You know, it doesn't have to be dramatic! Maybe you can just talk to a friend that you know is down and offer to take her to lunch. Maybe you can go to a church and ask if there is a family who needs some kind of help – it doesn't have to be monetary. Your time can be turned into "money" for a family who needs someone to babysit, or help with yard work, or help their children with homework. Everyone can do something that someone else needs!
Most of us have a tendency to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves when things aren't going our way; getting out and seeing who else has things that aren't going their way and teaming up with an effort of help, charity, and hands up is a great way to heal yourself and others!
Martin Luther King had a dream, I have a dream, you have a dream, and so does someone else who could use your help. Together, we CAN all make dreams come true.
Love, light, and peace, Mambo Sam