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A Mighty Purpose
"This is the true joy in life, the
being used for a purpose recognized by
yourself as a mighty one... The being a force
of nature instead of a feverish, selfish
little clod of ailments and grievances
complaining that the world will not devote
itself to making you happy."--George Bernard
Shaw
I've seen this Shaw quote a couple of times
in the last few weeks and it seemed fitting
for what I wanted to talk about this month.
Do you have one of those mighty purposes in
your life? What is it? Are you a force of
nature? We all spend so much time
complaining about the world we live in and
the one thing I know for sure is that what
you focus on expands. If you spend time
focusing on what's wrong in your life, what's
wrong will become the major part of your
life. If you spend time focusing on what's
wrong in your spouse or children or friends,
those qualities will take on immense
proportions. Sadly, nearly all of us are
guilty of this behavior at one time or
another.
I guess for most people, spring is the season
for renewal. For me, autumn has always been
my favorite season and the time for me to
plan my future, set goals, make decisions,
aim in different directions. Maybe it's the
promise of cool weather that gets me
motivated. Maybe it's knowing that there are
only a few months left in the year. Whatever
the reason, I find October a great time to
refocus.
As many of you know, I have spent a large portion
of my time working as a volunteer for the
Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. I
am still very proud to be a member of that
organization, but find that I want to devote
time to other causes. But which causes?
I am going to devote some time to a few
nonprofit organizations whose mission is
closely tied to my own - to help people live
the best lives possible - those A+ lives. So
far, I've found some that line up closely
with my own beliefs.
Here are some of my favorite organizations:
Planned Parenthood of San
Antonio - This organization does more
than any other to reduce the number of
unwanted pregnancies in our community and
help women (and men) achieve the best lives
possible.
Texas Public
Radio - We are so lucky to have two
public radio stations in this city, one
dedicated to music and another to news and
features. Between helping me to calm down by
listening to
classical music or learn about the world
and our environment, our public radio
stations are a gift to the community.
KRTU
- Trinity University's radio station
has been smart enough to put Labkids Radio
(my son and his friends) on for several
years. Plus jazz is a substantial part of my
A+ Life.
Too often we look at the problems in this
world and decide they are too big for us to
handle. The Clinton Initiative suggests that no
matter how little time or money you have to
commit to improving the world, you can do
something. This website provides
encouragement and resources to make a lasting
change.
I heard about Kiva for the
first time a few weeks ago from a good
friend. This is an amazing organization that
gives you the opportunity to loan very small
amounts of money to entrepreneurs around the
world to help them become self-sustaining.
Click
here for an article about the
program.
Another great opportunity to show people
around the world the true nature of American
generosity is Heifer
International. For very small
amounts of money, you can purchase much
needed livestock for a neighborhood to help
build sustainable communities all over the world
Do you have some favorites? Please share
them with me. I'll be deciding on a few to
spend my money, time, and talents. I hope
you are doing the same and finding your
mighty purpose.
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