Tag: Kindness

Our True Wealth

Last night we had a drawing in a lottery for 1.6 billion dollars. And today, someone woke up being $1.6 billion richer.  No one knows yet who that person was, although we do congratulate them. It is a beautiful thing to be blessed with life-changing money, and we hope that the money helps people to change for the better.

I would like to mention, money plays a very minimal part in what makes us wealthy. Wealth is measured, not in what comes into a person as far as money, land and other tangibles. Real wealth is viewed as what we pass along and is mostly intangible.

Our real wealth is what we give to others. It is usually those things money cannot buy. A smile or a kind nod to a stranger, a hug to somebody who is sad, or taking time to listen to someone who has something to say, are all internal wealth measurements.

What we have in the bank gathers very little interest in comparison to the little things that we do for others every day. You may not see the benefit you accumulate on your actions, yet I can assure you that as these actions take place in the hearts of many, interest grows. And, you will find out in time, the interest you gather in the hearts of others will be shared from their hearts to even others.

It only takes one or two who are sharing goodness to make a whole block, neighborhood, or even an entire city wealthier than it ever imagined. Please remember that things are only things. Whether it is the school or a city or a state, or just the block we live on, it takes people to make things worthy and wealthy.

I just realized I’m a people. And you know I bet you are one too. I wish us both good health and good inner Wealth.

Thank you for being with me today, I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

What’s your story?

Do you know your own story? Most of us can remember some of the critical points. You need to be able to talk sensibly about the important who, what, where and when. Can you give someone your story in about 90 seconds?

I thought I could until the one day a new college president found out that I was finishing a Masters degree in adult education. He looked at me and said, “Tell me your story?” I’ve done a lot with my life. But at that point, with the question coming out of the blue, I found it hard to tell him something that made sense.

I’ve had an exciting life, I was an Eagle Scout, I was in the Air Force for almost 22 years where I worked on five of the seven continents. I built computers for Apple. I have taught people how to use computers, how to find jobs, and how to write resumes.

I was a process engineer who designed the assembly lines, and the process is to build the computers. I have tracked satellites, modified satellite ground stations and worked in research and development. I have an Associate in Applied Science in Electronic Systems Technology, a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, and finally a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training. Getting caught flat-footed, how could I put everything understandably in 90 seconds or less?

The trick is to actually think about it and practice beforehand. If I’m going to talk to the head of a technical college, I may need to emphasize different points than I would if I had to speak to a manufacturing vice president. It is not that I’m hiding anything, or over exaggerating certain aspects, I just need to talk to what they’re interested in when they ask.

Getting caught flat-footed was my own fault. We never know when an important question will come or what setting it will be. If we think about the questions that could be asked, by whom and where then we can be prepared. Running over them in our mind from time to time, just to keep them fresh is good. Taking 10 minutes a week to practice it a couple of times is even better.

There is a saying I hear a lot that talks about people not caring what you know until they know how you care. Sometimes you will never even know that people are watching you as you do something good for someone else. They see that you care and want to know more about you. Most life-changing moments are serendipitous and come out of the blue. You may not know when they’re coming, yet we can fall back on our scout training.

Be Prepared!

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