Tag: helping others

HELP A MAN CLIMB A MOUNTAIN ⛰️

It is Thursday, how is the week treating you? Often, it is at this point, we really could use the weekend to come a day earlier. No matter the day, life can have its tough times. What can we do when we feel overwhelmed? My advice, when facing a problem that either seems insurmountable or that you have no control over, is to help someone else with their problems. This was brought home to me in my own life. The story is relayed in my second book, Living the Dream. In short, when facing one of the darkest periods of my life, I was inspired and found my purpose while serving the under-privileged at a meal program.

I often found this a difficult concept to articulate. How can adding someone else’s problems to your already overwhelmed life do you any good? It seems counterintuitive. Like many things in life, it seems that way, but really is the key to success. I think the quote above about helping someone climb a mountain is a great illustration. Not only will you arrive at the top of the mountain as well. After all, how could you help someone climb a mountain, if you were not there with them? It will also allow you both to get there quicker and with a far greater chance at success than if either of you did it alone.

There are so many examples I see in my own life. I enjoy helping other authors and invariably learn something from them. Also, working together, we seem to reach a far greater audience. At the gym, I see people helping each other out with both workout and diet tips. One of the greatest ways to help one another is to share a smile. There can be so much negativity that we are exposed to in today’s world that having someone share a genuine smile with you can make a huge difference. Just like the mountain example, the more people you share smiles with, the more likely you are to get smiles thrown back your way. Can you imagine a day where everyone went around smiling at each other? Such a simple thing, but it would make such a huge difference.

This week, today, go out and help someone climb that mountain! Share that inspiration. Lend a helping hand where you can. Not only will you help so many people reach the top of the mountains they are striving to climb, but you will enjoy the view from so many different peaks as well!

MY NEW TITLE COULD BE YOURS AS WELL 👏

This charming fellow is a sherpa. If you do not know what they do, they help you carry your stuff up a mountain, so you can worry about doing other things, like say, climbing a mountain. They go with you on your journey. They help carry the supplies you might need at any given time. Sherpas usually have a good deal of knowledge when it comes to the trails and journeys that they travel. Can you imagine how great it would be to have a sherpa throughout your life? They would carry all of the supplies and you would just have to focus on making it through the journey.

This past Tuesday, I had the honor of being a guest on the Mind, Body, Abundance Show. One of the hosts, Charlene, said a phrase I really enjoyed. She referred to herself as a ‘shift sherpa’. Many of us in the self-improvement field could apply this title. We follow you on your journey via a book, website or YouTube video. We share tools and strategies that you can use as you navigate your journey. That is what we do here. You can take Secret2anamazinglife with you as you journey through life. We will offer tools and carry them for you as you need them.

How about you? Are you a sherpa? Before you think that you have to help climb Mount Everest, or even be involved in the self-improvement field, let me assure you that you do not. All of us could use a sherpa in our lives. It doesn’t have to be the tools of self-improvement. It can be to help carry the burdens of life for family and friends. It can be to share our stories and experiences to help others survive, and even thrive, in their journey. A sherpa doesn’t have to stay for the whole journey. They are there to help along some of the toughest paths. How valuable do you think that would be?

In life, let us all be sherpas for those we care about. Let us help carry the burdens we all go through. Eventually, we will need a sherpa in our life when the journey seems too hard and our load seems too heavy. If we all help each other carry the load of life, it will be a lot lighter for all of us.

FIND WAYS THIS WEEKEND 🙏

One of the best, and most fulfilling things we can do is to find ways to help others. The great thing about that is the repercussions of doing so. You not only make the person you are helping feel good, you also feel good for doing so. As an effect of that, you make the world a brighter and better place for everyone. It is a no lose situation.

Even if you are too shy to help in person, there are so many things you can do virtually. From posting an encouraging comment on a friend’s social media page, to sharing a positive and inspiring post (take this one for example)

If we all do one little thing to help others, it will make a big impact. What are your ideas to help this weekend?

MEET ME! GRAB A LIFE-CHANGING BOOK AND HELP 2 GREAT CAUSES!😀

Last post, we talked about the importance of sharing your gift. I had mentioned that I had come up with a way to help two wonderful charities. One is called W.I.S.H. (Women Initiate Self-healing and Hope) Which is a support group that provides emotional support for women as they work through the effects of abuse and encourages personal growth in all areas of life. The second group is Rescue Gang. They are an animal rescue group that focuses on the use of foster homes instead of keeping animals in kennels. I consider these two very worthwhile groups to support. I realize that I could not support them as much as I would like on my own, but I can do it with your help.

On July 27th, you can join me at the Peanut Butter and Jelly Deli in West Allis. I will have all three of my books for sale. I will be personally signing them for you. (They make great gifts as well) There will be free gifts for those of you who purchase multiple books. Here is the best part, I will be donating 100% of the profits to both of these charities. If you have all of my books and cannot think of another person’s life that you would love to positively transform, that is fine too. The wonderful establishment that is hosting this event, has committed to donating a portion of their sales for the evening as well.

I would love to see all of you stop down and support two groups that really deserve it. You can do so by purchasing one of my books that will allow you to go from the life you are living, to the life you love. You can purchase one of the many amazing products at the Peanut Butter and Jelly Deli. You can have a meal and a drink. It, as the owner Mike notes, is the only place in town that you can enjoy a PBJ and a PBR at the same time. They have many amazing products you can take with you to enjoy at home, or give as gifts to friends. There will be a link at the end of this post for the event on Facebook. There you will find more details and can ask any questions you may have. From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of the two organizations, thank you so much for your support.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE EVENT ON FACEBOOK 😀

SHARE YOUR GIFT 🎁

The above picture is of the Reiman Cancer Center where I live. Sadly, I have had 3 people I know go through procedures there. It is a very tough thing to have to go through. I would imagine it is very tough on those who work there as well as the loved ones who accompany the patients as they undergo their procedure. Every time that I have been to this place, the people there could not have been any nicer. As you watch many other families struggling through illness, you wish there was something you could do. I think in many ways this is true of all of us at one point in time. I am here to tell you there is something you can do, and should do.

I wanted so much to help all of the families that were hurting as they were doing their best to navigate the journey cancer had taken them on. I wanted so much to repay all of the kindness the nurses and workers there showed. What could I do? I wasn’t rich. I wasn’t a doctor. I was simply an author. That is when it occurred to me. Share your gift. That is all we are supposed to do. Find that thing that is you and share it with everyone in a beneficial and loving manner. I noticed there were books at the stations for the patients, and those who were with them, to read as the chemotherapy took place. How about a nice book about reducing stress and finding joy? I inquired with one of the nurses if I could donate copies of my book. There were happy to accept. I gave them one to put at each station.

Sometimes sharing your gift is easy. Like the example above. They had books there, and I wrote a book. Sometimes you have to be more creative as to how you can use your gift. With money being tight all over, charities are feeling the pinch more than ever before. I wanted to do something to benefit my community, but I did not know how. Two of the causes that are near and dear to my heart are helping the victims of domestic violence and animals. I knew two local groups who did just that. I decided that I was going to hold a book signing event and donate 100% of the profits to these two charities. This is set to happen next month. Not only will it benefit the charities themselves, but I hope it will bring people together and galvanize them towards a greater cause. There will be more details coming soon on the event.

The point is, we are all given a gift. It is said with great reward come great responsibility. I believe that the reward of the gift we are given is the responsibility to use it is such a way that we can help others. Some are straight forward, like the book donation example. Some take a little more creativity, like the book signing idea. We all have a gift and we all have a responsibility to use that gift to help others. I would love to hear your inspiring story about yourself, or someone else, using their gift to help others.

ARE YOU A LIGHTHOUSE?

Miwaukee lighthouse

Are you a lighthouse? Seems like a dumb question. You are certainly not a tall cylindrical building. I would go as far to say you do not have a light emanating from the top of your head. Although I have seen some interesting hats in music videos recently, but they are generally the exception and not the rule. So why would I ask if you are a lighthouse? This idea came from the tag on a cup of tea I was enjoying. I usually drink Yogi brand tea for the reason that they contain some inspiring bit of information on each tea bag. Today mine read “Spread the light; be the lighthouse.” Certainly they were not advocating some sort of strange form of reincarnation.

I began to ponder what the job of a lighthouse really is. Certainly it spreads the light. It does so to help safely guide ships through obstacles and dark weather. That is very helpful to the sailors trying to navigate the waters. How can we be a lighthouse? We certainly are all like the sailors. No, I don’t mean we are the captain of a large yacht sailing around the sunny Caribbean, although that wouldn’t be a bad situation. What we all are is captains of our own ship of life doing our best to navigate the waters of life. I don’t know exactly what your life is like, but I would imagine it has its share of obstacles and dark weather. We all appreciate the lighthouses we have in our lives. The warnings and guidance that we receive that make navigating our troubled waters a little easier.

What exactly does ‘being a lighthouse’ mean? How can we help each other navigate the troubled waters of life? We can mimic what a lighthouse does for ships, by doing the same thing in the lives of others. We can warn them of obstacles that they may be approaching. This isn’t necessarily yelling at someone not to do something you don’t think they should, but more being a sign of caution. One of the great ways to do this is by telling your story of obstacles you may have faced and overcome or are overcoming. We all have faced challenges in our lives. Sharing our stories is one way to be a beacon of light to others. Maybe you have survived an abusive relationship or a in the process of doing so now? By sharing that story you cannot only give others going through the same thing hope, you can also let them know they are not alone. When we are in the middle of our own struggles it can be hard to understand that there are others facing the same thing. Just to know we are not alone is reassuring. Helping others to see the warning signs that we may have missed is a great way of being a lighthouse. We may have crashed onto the rocks of life, but if we help others avoid doing the same thing, it will serve a positive experience.

Think of the other job we mentioned that a lighthouse does; help others navigate treacherous and dark weather. When someone is facing a dark time in their lives, such as a break up, job loss or loss of a loved one, their world can be devoid of light. When you find yourself somewhere dark it can often be difficult to see where to go, or even how to go forward. That is where having a friend who is a lighthouse in our life comes in handy. We don’t have to give them directions or tell them where to go, we just have to be a light to help them keep sailing along. That may be offering to listen, sharing a smile, doing something kind and thoughtful or a host of positive things that bring light into someone’s life. We may not be able to rid them of the darkness, but even offering a little light can go a long way.

Whether you are warning others of obstacles you may not have navigated well in the past, or just shining a light in the lives of others to help them get through the dark and stormy periods of life, being a lighthouse can be a great thing to do. With the global pandemic as well as the start of the winter season, many of us could use light in our lives now more than ever. I encourage you to discover ways in which you can be a source of that light. If you have ideas we did not mention here I ask you please leave them in the comments below so we may all bring as much light into the world as possible.