“Every man has a vocation to be someone; but he must understand clearly that in order to fulfill this vocation he can only be one person: himself.” - Thomas Merton
The Life Solutions Network is a collaboration of volunteers and service professionals in the Cincinnati/NKY area working to improve the capability of people in need.This newsletter aims to present information, ideas and tools to grow personally to better serve others.Our target audience includes potential or experienced volunteers and service professionals, organizations that need volunteers and those that encourage service.We hope to touch you with knowledge and skills to allow you to “serve to your potential”.Please share this with someone who might consider life skills or mentoring as a volunteer role.
Perspective - Our Customers
We have been working on an improved model to depict the LSN Toolbox. Everyone can find something of use but the tools make most sense in the context of our Customers:
Potential Volunteers. We seek to attract more people to service. ”People helping people” is our tagline.
Experienced Volunteers. We encourage deeper service to our purpose, passion and potential.
Volunteers as Mentors. This is our sweet spot, encouraging and developing mentors (and life skills instructors).
Volunteer ad Mentor Program Leaders. These are typically non-profit professionals who lead volunteer and/or mentor programs.
Executives. The “manage and lead” toolbox contributes to operational excellence and sustainability.
Clients. While we occasional do direct service, it is always through another organization. Our extensive life skills toolbox is intended for volunteers of those organizations.
Please take time to explore the tools. Many are on-line but all are freely available to non-profits and volunteers seeking to serve the community.
Click the image above to explore the LSN toolbox.
Network Updates
Volunteer Leaders Retreat on May 8. We were privileged to secure Paul Wesselmann (“The Ripples Guy”) for our 2nd annual Volunteer Leaders Retreat. Paul treated us to learning and personal growth with an engaging and entertaining style. Follow Paul at his web site and subscribe to his weekly “ripples” e-mails.
Connect at Boone County Library on May 17. Our second volunteer fair of 2018 is on Thursday May 17 from 2-4pm at the Boone County Library. Join us to engage 15-20 local organizations that need volunteers. Click here for more info.
Retire with Purpose. LSN is hosting regular, free, 60-minute workshops throughout the year. Click here to see the event listing.
2018 Mentor Leadership Summit. This is a new idea planned for November. We plan to invite mentor leaders to a half-day event for networking and sharing of best practices. Stay tuned for more info.
Book Recommendation
The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling by Stephen Cope. This is an inspiring book to find your life’s purpose—what Eastern spiritual teachers call dharma. The author says that in order to have a fulfilling life you must discover the deep purpose hidden at the very core of yourself. The secret to unlocking this mystery, can be found in the pages of a two-thousand-year-old spiritual classic called the Bhagavad Gita.
Some excerpts:
Here are the keys to Inaction-in-Action: Look to your dharma. Do it full out! Let go of the fruits. Turn it over to God.
Dharma is born mysteriously out of the intersection between The Gift and The Times. We have a responsibility to The Gift. The Gift is God in disguise.
If you bring forth what is within you it will save you. But this saving is not just for you. It is for the common good.
Actions taken in support of dharma change the self. The act of commitment itself calls forth an unseen dharma power.
250 Words
My blogs are about life, life skills, service and living to our purpose, passion and potential. I aim to write about 250 Words (the amount an average adult can read in one minute).
What Gives You a Thrill? We owe it to ourselves to know or find our passions.Passion might be related to a special cause or it may simply be using our gifts of talent.
Career Planning with Purpose. Manage your career plans strategically and tactically…guided by your purpose.If you don’t your purpose yet, then start with “know yourself deeply”.
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:
Volunteer NKY on Facebook: Retire with Purpose. If you are 50 years of age or older, it’s time to start thinking about your future. It can be a daunting or exhilarating time. Plan it deliberately to craft your ideal life. Retire with Purpose is a free 60-minute small group workshop.
Work with Purpose on LinkedIn: The heart of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit that gives you a sense of meaning, joy, or passion.
Recommended Web Site
The Chronicle (of Evidence Based Mentoring). The chronicle is an online source for sharing new findings and ideas about youth mentoring. The goal of the Chronicle is to encourage active dialogue around evidence-based practice in youth mentoring in ways that improve the practice of youth mentoring.
Click here to see a complete list of recommended external (to LSN) web sites.
The Life Solutions Network encourages “purpose, passion and potential” in the form of capability-building service to our community. Thank you for your friendship, partnership and service. Let me know how I can support you.
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