“This is the paradox that surrounds our quest for happiness: We know the things that will make us happy, but we don’t always do them.” - Matthew Kelly
Perspective - Business Engagement
When we think about volunteers we usually think in terms of the organizations that need them. But what about the “sources”? I believe the sources are families, churches, schools and businesses – the places that the initial encouragement to serve originates. Over the last year few years LSN has done a good job at engaging the social service community and churches but that is not enough to encourage and grow volunteerism. Our newly formed Awareness Team helped craft a strategy to better engage local businesses. Our plan includes strategic networking (e.g. Covington Business Council), speaking events (e.g. Rotary), getting into the print media (Business Courier) and establishing a contact list for direct e-mailing. Our message is that employees who volunteer make better employees (while improving the community) and that LSN provides mentoring and “solutions” to individuals and organizations.
If you are reading this as a business leader and want to encourage volunteerism or if you are seeking to leverage your business or work skills in a volunteer role, I’d love to hear from you.
This is a slide from the Work with Purpose speaking event. We become what we think and believe.
Network Updates Volunteer NKY
Connect. LSN is thankful for the leadership of Dr. Gregory Stewart in hosting the volunteer fair on the Gateway Campuson February 13. Dr. Stewart is a member of the Volunteer NKY Planning Team. He encourages student engagement through service learning, just one of many forms of volunteerism.
Skilled Volunteers. A pilot project to link skilled volunteershas been launched to connect skills to the needs of the NKY social service organizations. The idea is that anyone with work skills (HR, nursing, project management and more) can better serve in their passion and talents. This moves us beyond the typical volunteer roles you might find in Volunteer Match.
Volunteer Leaders Retreat. Planning is going well on this inaugural event. Our objectives are to: enhance the capability of volunteer leaders, elevate the profession of volunteer management and create further engagement for Volunteer NKY. Our keynote speaker is Alicia Webb-Edgington(President, Life Learning Center).
Mentor for Purpose.
This team has outlined workshops and exercises that will be added to our toolbox. Our intent is to move beyond “teaser” presentations to deeper work on mentoring and coaching skills. A premise is that we can all mentor. The Know Your Beliefs topic below is an example.
Don’t forget to check the What’s New sectionof our web site. This is a simple way to keep track of new LSN content.
The True You: Discover Your Own Way to Success and Happiness by Uncovering Your Authentic Self and Building Remarkable Relationships With Others. The author, Emma Bell, will show you how to discard your old programming, uncover who you are authentically, and develop a powerfully positive way of seeing yourself and your potential. Emma Bell also publishes a YouTube channel titled The Inside Shift.
Here are some excerpts: -When you live your life on autopilot, you are at the mercy of your subconscious programming. You think without thinking, and the thoughts that comprise your “software” are simply the legacy of your upbringing. -When you are clear about your personal needs and your purpose, you become more resilient and able to give the best of yourself to motivate, engage and influence others. -Our repetitious thoughts are called thinking patterns and arise from our core beliefs—those things we believe to be true about ourselves and the world around us.
Save the Dates
Mark your calendar for upcoming events and watch for Facebook event postings.
Volunteer Leaders Retreat. We’ll hold a best practices-focused gathering of volunteer leaders on May 9 at the Life Learning Center. Registration will be required and there will be a small fee.
Volunteer NKY: Connect. The next volunteer fairs are: May 23 from 2-4pm at the Life Learning Center and September 9 from 10-12 at Florence Christian Church.
I am interested in supporting your local organization. Click here for my speaking topics.
Know Your Beliefs - From the LSN Web Site We become what we think and believe. If that is true, and I believe it is, then it makes sense to deeply understand our thoughts and beliefs and make sure that they are serving us well. Here are some examples of beliefs:
People are usually trying to do their best.
People should be trusted until proven untrustworthy.
Getting ahead at work requires good work and networking with the right people.
Relationship are 50/50.
I am not stating that these are all “correct” but that they might be your “truth”. Some are healthy and some are toxic. Do you monitor what you are thinking about?
A Know Your Beliefs exercise and worksheet has been posted to the LSN web site (on the Positive Thinking wiki page). While it is better used in a group workshop setting or with personal mentoring, I think you’ll find this helpful for personal use too. This is part of the Dreambook series of tools and templates. Give it a try.
I’ve mentioned these previously but two books are worth reading to explore personal beliefs more deeply: The Mind Made Prison and Loving What Is.
250 Words
My blogs are about life, life skills, service and living to our purpose and potential. I aim to write about 250 words (the amount an average adult can read in one minute).
This summarizes my 5-part series on Mentoring for Purpose:
Mentoring vs Coaching. A mentor is a person who works one-on-one with another to help them reach their potential.
Recent Social Media Postings
Unlike the LSN Blog which is original content, the Facebook and LinkedIn postings are articles gathered from the internet. The themes match the blogs. Here are recent favorites:
Work with Purpose: The Caring Leader. The power of caring has been proven in the corporate world.
Recommended Web Site The Work is a way to identify and question the thoughts that cause your suffering. The author, Byron Katie, shares a process to explore and then change our beliefs that cause the uncomfortable emotions of our lives. Everything you need to do The Work is available free on this website including videos and worksheets.
The Life Solutions Network encourages “purpose, passion, positivity and potential” in the form of capability-buildingservice to our community. If you want to become a Member, send me an e-mail. Membership is free; I only ask that you commit to “capability-building”. Thank you for your friendship, partnership and service.
The Life Solutions Network is a collaboration of volunteers and organizations in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area working to improve life skills capability with people in need. This newsletter aims to present information, ideas and tools to grow personally and better serve to "add value and meaning to people's lives".
