My suitcase lay open, half packed, on the floor. There is so much more to pack and I seem to be running out of time. How is it possible that I took so much away on vacation with me and why am I finding it difficult to corral all of my possessions- mostly clothes— into this one suitcase? …On Friday, I woke up from my most frequently recurring dream yet again. What does it mean this time? What challenge am I ready to take on? What do I need to leave behind? Read about my discoveries here.
The arrival of 2020 is an ideal time to reflect on what drives us, and plan with intention for how we want to engage meaningfully in our lives, with family, our communities, and society at large. We can do this in ways that are big and small. What is your vision for your self, your commitments, and the world in 2020?
“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference,
ignore the small daily difference we can make which, over time,
add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”
-Marian Wright Edelman
What I’m Celebrating
Each trip around the sun leads me to greater understanding of who I am and how I would like to show up for others. This year, I embraced that trip by welcoming the new year, a new decade, and a new day on the 57th floor of Liberty Place. While dancing at dawn, we were asked to think of questions such as, “How will you bring harmony to your community?” and offered reminders to practice thoughts of kindness, speak words of kindness, and offer acts of kindness to yourself and others.
“Help the next one in line, always stay humble and kind”
-Tim McGraw
Small Acts of Kindness
Small acts of kindness in daily life can change the way you and others see the world. I spent a couple of days in New York City over the holidays and I made a pitstop at CVS during a long walk uptown. When I left the store, I held the door open for the man coming out after me. He stopped me, looked me directly in the eyes and said, “I don’t think that anyone has ever held the door for me before”. Just one small bit of human connection changed my perspective on the way that every choice that we make matters. Helping others, in little or big deeds, can be a great source of joy and satisfaction. This Ted Talk offers one perspective that it’s how we give that matters.
Kindness and Kinship is the Foundation for Impact
I work with people who are at inflection points in their lives. Often this comes in the form of questions like “What can I do for others?”, “How do I engage more fully in a life with meaning and purpose?”, “How can I serve?” Grappling with these fairly large and perhaps even existential questions is challenging. However, it becomes less daunting when one begins with simple acts of kindness and authentic relationship building. These entry points are foundational to larger scale, more impactful engagement. Father Greg Boyle, Founder and Executive Director of Homeboy Industries, says that service is not an end in itself, but a beginning towards finding real kinship with others. Service is the hallway that leads to the ballroom of kinship. Listen here for his meditations on kindness and compassion on Krista Tippett’s On Being.
I work with people as they explore kindness, connect with their values, their family, the community and the world at large by engaging in philanthropy.
Together, we identify a shared value system for philanthropic work; and
determine the pathway forward for strategic impact.
Click here to learn more and begin a conversation.
“There are three ways to ultimate success. The first way is to be kind.
The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.”
-Fred Rogers