Bountiful Results

Our ecomomy is still flat.  Income is flat or receding. Unemployment has climbed to 10.2%.  More and more people now need a hand up, not a hand out.  I know how tempting it is to look to the government for a handout.  It does appear that money grows on trees in Washington DC.

A hand up, to me, is assisting someone cope with a major change in their life.  It could be a death in the family, a divorce, the loss of a job, or even an injury that restricts their lifestyle.  Historically, we have been charitable people. We did this by taking food over to a neighbor that had lost a loved one,we  offered to help someone find a job through the connections that we had, and we offered to take care of the kids for the neighbor, while they dealt with a marital issue.  We need to continue to help our neighbors by giving them a hand up.  Forming a community network would be a great step toward retaining our individual independence with the assistance of the community only when necessary.  We give to non-profit organizations like the United Way, Red Cross, and the American Heart Association so they can give a hand up to those that need it.  I prefer to give my money to the charity of my choice.  When the government gives a hand out – it is from money that has been taken from people in the form of taxes or money that is borrowed from others.

I was homeless for a while in Nashville.  A friend told me about an organization called Matthew 25 Ministries. I went to them for assistence. They gave me a cot to sleep on at their ministry.  This was not a hand out though, I had to have a job and do chores to help maintain the facility.  I was asked to give them half of my income – they held on to it as a down payment for a place of my own.  I was instructed that I would be kicked out if I was blowing my money on drugs or alcohol.  They did random testing.  The whole experience taught me the difference between a hand up and a hand out.  Matthew 25 is definitely about giving people a hand up. They helped me with the motivation and accountability to seek the bountiful results of getting back into a place of my own. I was given an opportunity to save money and to change my outcome through my efforts, not through someone else losing their money in order for me to gain some.

I came up with an acronym for a HAND UP:

Hold out your hand
Ask them about their needs
Negotiate your role
Develop a plan

Urge them on
Praise their efforts

If we incorporate these 6 steps into our efforts, the positive results have a greater chance of being lasting results.

Why do so many people say “Thank God It’s Friday”?  Is it because it is pay day or the day of the week that is the most rewarding.  I know that there are many reasons.

I know from first hand experience, when we are wishing for Friday to come because we are miserable at work, the paycheck will never seem like it is enough to compensate us for what we perceive to be the anguish that we have to endure.  It seemed like a never ending spiral.

One day I was at a crossroad and had a really tough decision to make.  Do I quit my job and spare my sanity or do I continue to endure the madness for the sake of providing income for my family.  Luckily, I found a third option.  I remembered something that Zig Ziglar said about making two lists – one list of the things that we like about our job and another the dislikes.  I made the lists.  I did discover that the benefits and positives did outweigh the negatives.  I then took the negatives and broke that list into two groups.  One list that I could turn into positives by communicating with someone that controlled the negative.  For example, I resented being put on mandatory overtime.  I approached my supervisor and shared with him that I was willing to work overtime when necessary and if I could get an advanced notice of an increase in the work load, we could re-prioritize the schedule and even head off some of the overtime.  It was a win-win.  The other negatives I had to accept as part of the deal.

I also realized that most are not fortunate enough to love every aspect of their job.  It is called work and they do have to pay us to do it.

Can we make the most of our time at work?  Absolutely.  Happiness is not the money we earn.  Happiness is not even the title or status in the company.  It is the experiences that we have while doing our job.  Are you leaving a legacy?  Are you able to make another persons life easier or more rewarding because of what you do?  The answer to both of these is YES.  If you cannot see it, I would love to assist you.  You can e-mail me at john@bountifulresults.com

May all your results be Bountiful.