Every week, I receive a Monday Motivational message from John 0’Leary. These messages are a way for me to positively influence the start of my work week. I’ve written about some of his emails in the past and this week’s was another one of those stories that really made me think.
“The Gentle Whisper of Generosity” is a story about a little girl named Rachel Beckwith and her impact on hundreds of thousands of people. Most of us don’t realize the effect that a single act of generosity can provide. Many times our actions have the same effect of that ever-expanding ripple in the water from where we dropped the pebble.
The Gift in Giving
Part of this story hit me on a personal level when they spoke of using our success and wealth for others, not just ourselves. I know, referring to ourselves as successful and wealthy can seem like a stretch – but when you compare us to the bulk of the world – we really are.
In Rachel’s story, John talks about her partnership with CHARITY: WATER for her ninth birthday. Her birthday is a great example of those ripples on the pond.
Clean water is a challenge for the majority of the world – & something that we all can help to fix!
I really connected with Rachel’s act of giving to a charity devoted to water. I don’t know about you, but clean water is something that I often take for granted. I just expect it to be there when I turn the faucet. In the past few years, I’ve gotten involved in similar charities myself – and have developed a stronger appreciation for that faucet!
In fact, last Christmas, our team decided to make a donation to Living Water International, another charity devoted to clean water. We pooled the normal money we would spend on each other, corporately and in our business community and made the donation. Knowing that we had so many lives made us feel like the real recipient of that gift!
The Gift in Service
Giving and service plays an important part in our business lives. I frequently talk about the value of friendship with my partners and customers – and the impact that has had for HL Group. Our friendships developed out of more than just being a good vendor. It comes from doing your part and more. Like making sure that whoever you’re teaming with – customers or partners – gets the best that you can give, even when you don’t own the responsibility.
We’re fortunate that many of our close customer relationships have spanned a long period of time (some almost 20 years), giving us many opportunities to work together. This shared business relationship can’t help but overflow into personal lives. That is what makes this business something I truly enjoy!
We all have been more blessed than most and have the ability to impact more than we think, with less than we believe. Don’t stop short of your goals in helping others. We never will know how things can continue to grow beyond us – just ask Rachel’s family.
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Wes Haubein is the President of HL Group, Inc., a premier provider of mobile asset inventory management, RFID and supply chain solutions. He writes regularly about management, solution integration and technology.
