Today I listened to a conversation between Rich Roll and Scott Harrison, founder of "charity: water" and felt inclined to share a few remarks with you lovely people. I was largely drawn to this podcast episode because of the title, "Don't Fear Work Without End" which is a phrase that Scott and Rich both embrace with great pride. Having just written at length about the importance of the process over the outcome, the appearance of this video in my recommended section of YouTube felt symbolic. I'm using this post as a way for me to reflect on my own personal takeaways from the conversation so if I come off as preachy or judgmental, just know that its directed towards myself and how I want to live. The last thing I want to do is to tell someone how they should feel, think, or act. I have my beliefs and opinions, but they are just that, mine. It would make me very happy if you agree with them but I'll be equally happy to have them challenged. All that I ask is to reserve judgement and consider my words -- and everyone else's -- with an open mind and a willingness to challenge your own beliefs.
Embracing endless work is essentially what I was getting at in my last blog. That which is truly meaningful and fulfilling will never end, whether it be self-improvement or providing clean water to the entire world -- by the way, 771 million people live without basic access to clean drinking water. And guess what, it's gonna be hard work too! It all comes full circle, eh? This is just another example of how much overlap exists in life. Anyway, back on topic. In striving for material accumulation for set ourselves up for work without end too, but this work comes without satisfaction or the betterment of others. Apparently I really love illustrating my points with silly hypotheticals, so here's another one: What happens when you finally make enough money to buy that BMW you've always wanted? You buy it and then life is good, right!? Maybe for a little while. Then you see your coworker driving the Mercedes that was a little too expensive for you; now you're working even harder so you can afford the Mercedes. And the cycle -- which can be applied to anything (house, spouse, shoes, TV, on and on) -- continues. If we recognize that no matter what, we'll be working with no true end, I think it's crucial that we carefully consider what we want that work to be. It's important to emphasize here that, (1) the path we land on doesn't have to be anything grandiose like a massive charity but it should be meaningful and fulfilling, and (2) we're not stuck on that path forever; it's literally never too late to make a change.
When speaking about charity, Scott said something very simple that resonated with me. He explained how charity has been made to seem like a negative thing, like something we should do but don't really want to. I believe it is something we should do, but because we want to! Because it helps others! Because it feels good! Scott also talked about how he loathes the phrase "giving back" and proposed that it should simply be "giving" because "giving back" implies that we've taken something and therefore should return it to its owner. Almost like how children are told to give a toy back to their sibling who was playing with it first. Framing charity simply as "giving", makes it feel more valuable and genuine. And we all know how good it feels to give; seeing a loved one's face light up when you give them a thoughtful gift is one of the most rewarding things for us. Now imagine (another hypothetical!) the feeling of giving clean drinking water to someone who has never had it before, or in my case, giving a patient a chemo bag. This, however, is a hard thing to truly imagine which is another great point Scott spoke about. He shared that people are often hesitant to donate to charities because the donor is left in the dark and made to feel like their contribution had little or no impact. He has been able to combat this with charity: water by showing donors exactly where their money went, how it was spent, who it supported, how many people were able to get clean water, etc.
As someone seriously interested in this type of work, -- and doing it right now! -- I found this point to be extremely valuable because without these "donor reports" people are far less likely to donate again. Then you're left back at square one, trying to get new people to donate. If you can keep people interested in the mission and show them how important their contribution is, they're far more likely to stick around, continue supporting, and even involve more people from their own community. With this in mind, here I am, updating you all who have supported me in hopes of receiving your continued support! I have some ideas floating around my noggin on how I can get you guys even more involved in the mission, but still gotta iron out some kinks. I'd love to hear what else y'all would be interested in so let me know if you have any thoughts!
I want to take a second to once again express my gratitude towards all of you who have been a part of my life and have helped me grow into who I am today. You will undoubtedly continue to play a role in my future growth. I also want to express my gratitude for discovering the 4K For Cancer opportunity which has stimulated my desire to dive deeper into serving others!
I leave you all with a thought that I will be keeping in the back of my mind: Approach situations from a perspective where you ask, "how can I help?" instead of "what can I get from this?"
Happily,
Hayden
All the good stuff: linktr.ee/happilyhayden
No comments:
Post a Comment