Jolt!, Phil Cooke [reading women txt] 📗

Others want a more hands-on approach. They want to do more than just give money, so they show up to work at soup kitchens, counsel troubled teens, build houses, or work in after-school programs.

Although I prefer personal involvement, it really doesn’t matter so much whether you let your money make a difference or give of yourself; the important thing is you’re giving back to the community and impacting the lives of people on a regular basis.

Fourth, think in terms of your expertise. I’m astonished at how few people think about using their personal skills and talents to help these organizations, when that approach may be the most significant impact you could possibly have. I recently met a man who had just retired from being the chief financial officer of a Fortune 500 company and was now volunteering at a faith-based organization working for peace in the Middle East. After more than thirty years of financial expertise at the highest levels of corporate America, he is now helping this organization make a major impact through fund-raising and strategic financial planning.

There is no greater joy nor greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone’s life.

—SISTER MARY ROSE MCGREADY

Perhaps you’re an advertising executive who could help a local social service agency promote its work or raise money. If you have experience as a builder, you could consider organizations that build low-income housing or help renovate homes for the poor or elderly. If you’re a graphic artist, you could design stationery, brochures, logos, and other print materials for charities, churches, or other nonprofit organizations.

A travel agent wanted to help a large charity that was actively involved in building water wells overseas, and he eagerly volunteered to dig wells in poverty-stricken countries. I made the following suggestion: “I’m sure they appreciate the help digging wells, but the fact is, you’re not very good at it. On the other hand, you’re a great travel agent. Have you ever offered to help book their travel to the various countries?” He thought about it and realized he had never mentioned what he actually did for a living to anyone at the charity. When he finally told the organization’s leadership, they were thrilled because travel planning was one of their greatest areas of need. He made the switch and has made a dramatic difference in their travel scheduling, booking, expenses, and the efficiency of their travel needs, saving them thousands of dollars in the process.

Jolt your wallet and your time, and when you do, remember that generosity is more than a onetime event—it’s a lifestyle. Build a reputation as a giver and see the incredible harvest that will result. Avenues of change will open to you as you reach out to help others. Never forget that you were born with great personal gifts and abilities. Find ways to use your skills to help those less fortunate, and your efforts will be multiplied.

» JOLT #15

THE KEY TO

PERSONAL CONFIDENCE

Overcoming Fear and Insecurity

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

—DALE CARNEGIE

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.

—DOROTHY BERNARD, SILENT FILMSTAR

We had just taken off on a flight from Miami, headed to Heathrow Airport in London. We had been filming in Haiti, before the days that all foreign airports had computers, so just getting on an outbound f light had been a nightmare. We’d been up all night before leaving Haiti—hag gling with the airline—and after getting bumped from three flights, we spent most of the day in the Miami airport, having our tickets changed and plans rerouted.

About an hour into the flight, I noticed the flight attendants starting to get a little nervous. They seemed to be roaming up and down the aisles with more urgency than normal, with enough intensity to make me sit up and take notice.

That’s when the pilot’s halting voice came over the intercom: “Ladies and gentlemen, we don’t want to alarm you, but Miami flight control has just relayed that they’ve received a message a bomb might be onboard this flight.”

There was immediate silence throughout the cabin. Not the kind of silence created from just an absence of sound, but the kind of silence that feels eerie, like the calm before an impending storm.

The pilot spoke again, this time trying to be a little more encouraging. “Just to be sure, we’re going back to Miami because we always take these messages seriously. As a precaution, we’re going to dump our fuel over the ocean and then return to the airport.”

Interesting what you think about when you face possible death. Even more interesting was watching and listening to the other people on the plane.

Some quietly sobbed, others prayed out loud, but most sat deep in thought. I pulled out a small tape recorder and quietly turned it on, recording the sounds in the cabin. It was an almost mystical moment as people suddenly stopped laughing, reading, or talking, and began looking inward. Were they thinking about their families? Loved ones? Death? The hereafter?

Since that time, I’ve been detained and questioned while filming during military coups in foreign countries, been threatened on location by insurgents and rebels, crossed rivers filled with piranha, traveled with Bedouins in the deserts, and been so sick deep in the Amazon jungle I would have gladly considered death. But I’ve never quite experienced the feeling of fear as I did that day flying back to the Miami airport.

None but a coward dares to boast that he has never known fear.

—FERDINAND FOCH, WWI FRENCH MILITARY GENERAL

Fear is a normal part of living. It keeps us out of trouble, warns us when we’re getting into risky situations, and makes us think twice when we get a little too bold for our own good. But excessive fear, like anything else, can hold us back. When fear gets out