Minors Buying Booze: A Lesson in Serving Others

zoe-and-essentials

Most of you are familiar with my two kids, Royce and Zoe (ages 6 and 5). I realize I’m biased, but they really are adorable and what I love so much about them is their hearts are–usually–so passionate and giving. They are really sweet kids and we’ve been blessed by them in so many ways.

In our house we talk about how we can be better servants to each other and the world. There are plenty of examples where Erica and I fail at this as a couple and also as individuals, but yet we also hope that it’s never by intention and that there are good things that we contribute to our community and family. The words we use, instead of “Servant Leadership”, are “thinking of others.”

So we’ve challenged the kids (and this is Royce’s particular focus this week as it relates to her sister) to consider ways we can “think of others” and act accordingly. Zoe has now developed a bit of a passion for helping the homeless people. Erica and the girls are working at a soup kitchen periodically, and Zoe always wants to give money about to those in need.

homeless-man-signThe other day Erica and the girls were driving around and Zoe saw a guy who needed money on

the street corner–and she all but insisted we give him an Essentials as well as some money. Erica tried to dismiss it, but Zoe was adamant so she obliged.

After passing the money and Essentials over the guy said a casual “thanks” for the money and then exclaimed “AWESOME–PEACE GUYS!!!” when she gave him the Essentials.

Indeed, it was pretty peaceful until that evening.

When Erica and I were returning from a dinner with the other Board members for the Olympia Hands On Childrens Museum we thought we’d stop by a favorite restaurant of ours for a glass of fermented grape juice. For whatever reason, I didn’t park in my regular section. In fact, I pulled onto a sidestreet in Oly that I’ve never been on before, and parked right in front of this little dive bar. As I’m finishing the final turn of the wheel while backing in, Erica’s having a bit of a conniption.

I’m trying to figure out why, amidst her saying “THATS THE GUY, THATS THE GUY!” (Erica never forgets a face, so I’ve stopped second guessing her on these matters, if she says “That’s the guy” then clearly “THAT really IS the guy”).

Well, “that guy” was wearing a really nice cardigan sweater, a comfortable looking pair of jeans, along with some cozy looking boots. He was going into the bar for a drink. Weeknight, a normal looking guy, nicely dressed and looking toasty warm having just pulled up in his pretty modern car.

No big deal, right?

img_0200UNLESS, of course, this was the very same “homeless guy” who was panhandling out on the streets six hours earlier taking money AND an Essentials from a 5-year old kid who didn’t know any better.

So while Erica was debating a confrontation with “the guy”, I reasoned the better of it with her–though not before going inside to try to snap a picture with my iPhone so I could blog about this story later. A terrible but true picture is to the right that I snapped of him sitting at the end of the bar enjoying a tall cold one.

At first it really bothered Erica, and I can see why. You can also see her expression outside the bar below, she’s peeved though also posing for my picture. It’s not just the principle of it, but I think it was that the very innocence and purity of a little girl who simply wanted to help and serve had been manipulated and used.

Yet, this stuff happens all the time when we’re trying to serve others.

As I thought about this story for a day I tried to think about the lesson in it all; it just couldn’t have been coincidence to run into this guy a few hours later.

The lesson for me was a simple one, which is that we’ll forever be disappointed if we try to serve others with an expected result. And, in fact, if the result is conditional upon our service, then it really isn’t an act of unconditional service.

img_0201Is it annoying that a guy was faking life as a homeless man and using the money for beer?

Yep. Especially when it was our kids money (Zoe’s not even six and she’s already bought a drink!). Actually, as I think about it, this was our money, cycled through the hands of our kid, then onto fake-homeless-man.

But I don’t get stuck any deeper emotionally there, and I can’t.

The purpose of being a servant or simply “thinking of others” is to try to serve and be helpful. It’s not to get a favorable response. Or a thank you. Or some sense of satisfaction. Those are bonuses, but not the reason to initiate or take action and give.

There are so many more parallels that are of bigger impact than this particular story; in this case, we invested a tiny bit of money, an Essentials, and a giving spirit into the deal. It really isn’t a downer, in fact it’s quirky enough to use it as an example to illustrate a bigger point.

There are so many other times where I have seen others, or experienced myself, a genuine and sincere outreach or expression of compassion, gratitude, and desire to help others. Only to never see the result (which to me is easy to handle), or worse, get a response that’s unfavorable or even unappreciative.

Have you ever seen someone respond to an outreach of compassion with either unappreciative behavior, or worse? Of course. That’s life.

But, then, after seeing that type of behavior, do you ever think to yourself, “Well, if I had known he was going to respond that way then I would never have XYZ (pick your act of service)…”

This is the danger for all of us as it relates to building a community or family of culture and service.

A genuine act of service is one in which there should be no expected return on investment, otherwise it makes the service conditional. Conditional upon someone doing something good with it, or appreciating it, or thanking you, or being nice to you, or whatever.

So at first while I think Erica regretted Zoe’s gift giving of the fake-homeless-guy, and she resented him for it, after a bit of dialogue the perspective changed.

It was in Zoe’s heart to give the gift, and it was done unconditionally, which is the way it should be done without an expectation for any result.

And, like in all scenarios, even though the outcome visible to us might not always be the outcome we expected or desired in our hearts–there’s always more to the story, and often the more-to-the-story is what you never see.

Maybe a 5-year old giving a gift to this guy pinged his heart in some way at some point, or maybe it will cause him to do something different the next day. Maybe he will compelled to take another course of action for his own future. Or maybe he’ll just keep vamboozling little kids and will buy more and more beer.

And same goes for the person that you recently served with whom you didn’t get the response you expected. What matters most is in the givers heart, and the work that we have to do is not worry about how recipients respond but how the giver gives. That’s all we can control.

And in the case of Fake-Olympia-Homelessman-Who-Swindles-Kids-and-Buys-Beer, I’m taking a cue from Zoe who after gifting the guy simply said “I feel good, that was a nice thing to do.”

That’s really all that matters.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all day. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it’s doubtless great for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft — can kill the mood in bedroom.

A great story about winning

This article was recently passed onto me by my best friend (my dad) and I thought it was simply terrific…A story of both challenge and victory; some of the most important characteristics of leadership–in my opinion–include passion (which includes strongly an element of a positive outlook) and perseverance. This story speaks beautifully to both.

Clemson coach Swinney’s life has been full of turnaround stories, success

CLEMSON — To understand how Dabo Swinney was able to turn the fortunes of the Clemson football program around after it appeared everything was spiraling out of control in mid-October, you first have to understand who Dabo Swinney really is and where he comes from.

“When he was about four years old, I saw that there was something different and real special about him,” Swinney’s mother Carol McIntosh said.

Though she did not know it at the time, it was Swinney’s upbeat and positive outlook on life that helped her and her family through some of the most difficult times in their lives.

Click here to read the full article.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doc. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all date. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it’s doubtless great for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft — can kill the mood in bedroom.

A pretty big day

Yesterday was a big day. Really big. Not JUST for Univera and its associates, but for people across North America who need some form of physical, financial, or cultural renewal.

If you missed it, listen to the replay: 512-703-6112 option 7

January 1st will be an even bigger day when we announce our “Playing to Win” plan for 2009.

At a time when many companies are “hunkering down” and “playing defense” and forging forward with “layoffs”, “commission reductions” and “product de-hancements”, we’re instead taking the alternative approach.

We’re going on offense.

We’re getting more aggressive.

And we’re playing to win.

January 1st at 9am PST will unveil the “Playing to Win” plan via a video launched on www.univera.com, followed by a live field call (for anybody and everybody) to kick off the new year at 10am PST. Yesterday’s announcements were just a few examples of how we’re taking the current market scenario and moving aggressively to provide solutions and opportunities to those who need it the most.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all period. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it’s doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft — can kill the mood in bedroom.

Reflections from Hilltop Gardens

richreganI’ve been on the road a lot the past two months. Singapore for the WFDSA, Australia for preliminary assessment, Road Tour, Super Regionals, among other activities and events. One that many of you might not be aware of is a recent trip to Lyford, Texas, where all the ECONET management participated in a three-year planning workshop at the Historical Home of Aloe.

On the way home I wrote an e-mail to a select group of leadership within the Company, and I felt compelled now to share these thoughts with the larger community of those embedded in our mission, purpose, and business together.
aloe

It was a brief three-day weekend but consisted of some serious business planning in addition to some great team-building and team-engaging activities.

racnashjulnashlynn

Bill’s home on the property is gorgeous; it’s very comfortable, and while it’s not lavish, it’s exceptionally well-designed and decorated. The architectural dimensions are stunning; it’s a Spanish-style home and we enjoyed an impressive tour. From the entrance to Hilltop Gardens, to Bill’s home and all the gardens around it, the venue has a great energy and feeling to it. I’m really not sure how to describe it beyond simply feeling good. It’s like when you walk into someone’s home and you just feel comfortable, relaxed yet energized. It was that feeling for me, and I know many others.

balcony

Aloecorp CEO KS Yoon and COO Joseph Kim were fantastic hosts for the whole event, while Aloecorp CSO gave a willing supply of endless tours of the labs and countless stories of the amazing benefits of Aloe. Beyond learning more about Aloecorp and experiencing that part of the business firsthand — which makes this so much different than any other company or product provided to the marketplace, we also generated some great progress for our three-year plan.

workers

More on the plan later, another day. For now, I’ll conclude by sharing my thoughts captured in an e-mail on the flight home from Hilltop Gardens. As I mentioned earlier, while the original audience was to the Blue Diamond and FLC leaders, it is also something that I feel can be shared with each of you as leaders as well; regardless of your rank it is through each of you and your impact that we will make a difference in each others lives, and the world.

Dear Blue Diamond and FLC Leaders, I write this email to each of you on my flight home from Lyford, Texas, where we conducted an ECONET-wide leadership retreat over the past three days at Hilltop Gardens, the Historical Farm of Aloe. It really is an email that could also be addressed to each of our Diamond leaders as well. Yet, in my heart right now, and for whatever reason, I am writing this to specifically to each of you Blue Diamonds and FLC leaders.

This past weekend all the key ECONET leaders, including Univera management, participated in a retreat where we worked to forge our 2009-2011 plans, and to solidify our success for the future as a Team. Beyond being highly productive for strategic planning purposes, it also served as a worthy reminder of the value of resources, heritage, commitment, and Teamwork.

My desire to write to you drew from reflections over this weekend—some about our past, but mostly about our future. Together. As a Team.

Click here to read the full e-mail.

sunset

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doc. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all day. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it’s doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft — can kill the mood in bedroom.

533,000

unemploymentI doubt anybody missed this announcement, but I’ll include a link below to the front page story of the Wall Street Journal–also easiliy found on the website or cover of any other paper or news site today. The month of November represented the shedding of over 533,000 jobs–the highest monthly total we’ve seen in the past 34 years. And I think we all know the reality is that it’s not going to turn around anytime soon. And while people are clearly concerned about unnecessary expenses, one of the things that I think people will need to think more about is their health. If you’re worried about providing for yourself and your family, you also have to be thinking about the physical health you’re in. And I’m not trying to suggest that it’s just about taking AgelessXtra, or Aloe Gold, and RegeniCARE that will lead to better health. Clearly, there are all sorts of things we can do such as exercising, eating well, and eating less that will give us an edge. But I’m also certain that our products contribute towards the achievement of peak potential, and as a result should stay on the family budget way longer than some other perceived “must have” expenses. But beyond this, North Americans are going to have to get aggressive about seeking employment AND mitigating risk. There is little time to think about what to do, to wallow in frustration or disillusionment, or stay in a state of paralysis.

Which is where our Univera business opportunity will be a focal point for so many now and in the future–for some it’ll be enough income that they can easily pay for the product, for others it’ll be a a car payment and health insurance or possibly a mortgage, for some it’ll serve to fund vacations/trips/lifestyle that they thought would forever be out of reach, and yet for others still it’ll simply put food on the table for them and their families.

By finding a job this will mean exploring avenues or pursuits they haven’t considered before (including Relationship Marketing) as well as finding secondary or supplemental sources of income. Which is where our business opportunity comes into play–in stronger force and opportunity over the next year than what we’ve seen over the past three years combined.

U.S. Sheds Over Half Million Jobs
WASHINGTON — The U.S. recession deepened last month as U.S. companies shed jobs at the fastest rate since the early 1970s, pushing the unemployment rate to its highest level in 15 years.

The figures suggest the year-old recession will approach or even exceed the 1981-1982 downturn in severity and support expectations that Federal Reserve officials will soon lower interest rates to levels not seen in a half century.

Nonfarm payrolls, which are calculated by a survey of establishments, plunged a larger-than-expected 533,000 in November, the U.S. Labor Department said Friday, the 11th-straight decline and largest since December 1974.

Click here to read the full article.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all time. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good soundness, it’s doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft — can kill the mood in bedroom.

Depressed? Take a walk.

obamaThere’s some great information in the current news about health and exercise. But you have to look carefully, it’s buried deep beneath all the financial news that’s on the forefront.

From talk about Barack Obama’s disciplined and consistent six-day-a-week workouts (similar to George W. Bush as well) to some recent information about mental health–specifically depression–and exercise.

I used to discount the importance of emotional health in life, but I suppose after personal experiences and some years of learning and wisdom I have learned how important this is for physical success but also in other areas of our lives.
Like most people, I would like to feel and look great. Or, at least better. And, like many people, I can find a bunch of reasons why not to exercise consistently–especially when I’m traveling and going through a busy season.

bushBut these reasons are just excuses, and none of them are good. And the rational reasons to exercise continue to mound, the most recent one comes from columnist and nutritional expert Tara Parker-Pope.

Lack of Exercise Explains Depression-Heart Link
For years cardiologists and mental health experts have known that depression raises risk for heart attack by 50 percent or more.

But what hasn’t been clear is why depressed people have more heart problems. Does depression cause some biological change that increases risk? Does the inflammatory process that leads to heart disease also trigger depression?

The answer may be far simpler. A new study suggests that people who are depressed are simply less likely to exercise, a finding that explains their dramatically higher risk for heart problems.

Click here to read the full article.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doc. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all period. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it’s doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft — can kill the mood in bedroom.