Hello and welcome,
And today's word for living your best life is contribution.
What impact do you want to have on the world?
Contribution is all about giving back,
Using your talents and resources and knowledge to create a positive difference for others.
And I meet many individuals who want to do more,
But they don't feel they have anything to share.
And it's a very beautiful enfoldment when people realise that everybody has something to share with the world.
And no matter how little knowledge I may have,
I will have some knowledge that somebody else does not yet have,
And so I can help somebody somewhere all the time.
When we talk about contribution,
We are going far,
Far beyond financial donations,
Although those are very useful and very needed in many,
Many areas.
But if we don't have the finances,
We can be giving our time,
Our knowledge,
Our mentorship,
Our kindness,
Our support.
Even small acts of contribution can create a huge ripple effect that benefits entire communities.
And contribution gives us a sense that our life here,
Our journey,
Means something,
And therefore it's really,
Really wonderful.
And of course,
It has that ongoing bubble effect,
But the more we do it,
The more others do it,
And the greater kindness and contribution can just grow and grow in a society and on this planet.
Now,
If we look over some interesting people in history who have demonstrated contribution,
Let's look at Andrew Carnegie.
He was one of the wealthiest men of his time.
He donated nearly his entire fortune to education and libraries,
And his belief in philanthropy helped shape modern charitable giving.
Studies from the University of Chicago have shown that giving to others activates something in the brain's reward center,
Which again releases those feel-good hormones,
And who wouldn't want that if we want to live our best life?
We want that reward center to be activated,
Do we not?
So here's another way to get there.
Harvard University found that volunteering increases life satisfaction and reduces the risk of depression.
And let's please not underestimate the power of a conversation with a stranger.
I often wonder how often have I said something quite innocent that may have helped somebody,
And how often other people who said something quite innocent to me,
Often in passing or in a queue in a supermarket,
Has helped me on that day.
Amazing,
Amazing.
Sometimes quite transformative.
So three things I would like to suggest for today.
Number one is identify ways to give back through volunteering,
Mentorship,
Charitable donations.
You might even want to call a friend and say,
Is there anything you want to run past me?
I can give you five pure minutes of me not saying anything.
You could run past any problem,
And I won't even respond until the end.
You can just really get it off your chest.
Even that can be such a way of giving back.
Number two,
Use your skills and talents to help others to grow their skills and talents.
Go around the office.
Do you have five minutes free?
Has there been a call that's been cancelled,
Which gives you an extra bit of time in your diary?
Go around the office and ask people,
Is there anything I can do to help?
I've got 10 minutes free.
Can I do anything for you?
Can I help you with anything,
Get you a tea?
Let's encourage that mindset in people,
The mindset of giving back.
And number three,
I would like to invite you to start cultivating a habit of generosity and gratitude with your daily interactions,
Acts of kindness,
Acts of encouragement,
Words of encouragement.
Think about how you can be giving back and contributing to a greater world to live in,
A world that you'd love to live in.
We're going to end today on a quote by Anne Frank.
No one has ever become poor by giving.
