Raise Your Standards

Happy New Year! As promised, 2016 brings with it a pivot in the direction of this blog where we will be exploring the positive thoughts and actions of others in how they raise their standards and in doing so inspire those around them to do the same. While I have been blessed to serve others in a diverse set of contexts, it is with great humility, excitement and admiration that I share with you a snapshot of how the positive thoughts of others are sparking positive action locally and across the globe.

This month I sat down with my good friend and former manager Andrea McFaddin. As a veteran leader at a prominent higher education consulting company she is familiar with a busy schedule managing client expectations and employees in an effort to serve thousands of students across the country to persist, graduate and ultimately succeed in life. Despite her competing priorities Andrea has carved out time to volunteer with the Partnership for a Hunger Free Oregon (PHFO) where she currently serves as a chair for the organization’s volunteer leadership program.   

Describing why people should serve, Andrea mentioned “I feel everyone has something to contribute, whether it is time, money, or some other type of resource. When I see people who may have fewer resources than me (time, money, etc.) who still give, it makes me realize I can stretch and give more of myself. It makes you reflect on the necessities in your life and think how you can give back”. Digging more into the question of why she chooses to serve at PHFO Andrea is open in discussing her personal connection to the cause. Looking back at her childhood she realized her own family suffered from the effects of food insecurity and began noticing how common it is in our communities; this sparked her to act. What impressed me the most about my time interviewing Andrea was the reoccurring theme she brought up of including the hands on element of serving in what she does. Whether it be serving a meal at the Transitions Project in downtown Portland, or being patient and understanding with an elderly man using his SNAP card for the first time at a Safeway, the personal connection is critical in her call to serve. She put it best by saying “you need the hands on piece to remind you of who you are serving…it keeps the reason in sight of why you are doing it in the first place”.

During a time of New Year’s resolutions many of us have created goals and plans for 2016, which may include ways we want to give back, or be more involved in our communities. I encourage you to borrow the wisdom I gained in this interview when looking at your own goals and intentions for 2016. What is your personal connection to a cause? Are you including a hands on aspect to your service experience?

Raise Your Standards, 

Miles

 Fun Questions

• How would you say you have raised your standards in your life?
  • “I have grown by learning how to manage a group of volunteers versus a group of employees. It is very different yet as a leader you still have objectives to meet. It has given me a chance to really show my commitment to a cause for the long term. As you know, in volunteer organizations volunteer participation can waver and deadlines can be “soft”…it is a good experience in keeping high standards personally and doing your best with what you have control over.”
     
•  What do you want to be when you grow up?
  • “I’m not sure. I want to see what opportunities present themselves and take the path based on the opportunity in front of me. This has worked out for me in the past. I believe in taking risks, being open and following what my gut says; let the chips fall where they will.”

• What is your response when you hear “New Year’s Resolution”
  • “I don’t really make resolutions, but I do make intentions. My intention this year is to be present, whether it is with others, or with myself. I do believe in making goals and think they should be in someone’s ability to control. For instance, instead of saying “I want to lose 10 pounds”, it may be more effective to say “I will run 10 miles a week and/or follow a certain diet” and the result will be losing weight. It is important to be mindful of our intentions and check-in on them regularly.”

Curious to know more about the Partnership for a Hunger Free Oregon? Check them out here and keep your calendars open for their annual Gala event on May 12^th, 2016.

 

Guard Your Heart

Recently I had the privilege to visit China on a business trip. From the countless memorable experiences was our visit to the Great Wall of China. On an unusually clear day in Beijing I followed

the wall with my eyes as it crawled and curved as far as the eye could see. I reflected: “what is the purpose of a wall?”. Constructed over many centuries and by different dynasties, the wall had cost immense amounts of time, resources and human life (large sections of the wall were built by forced labor). At the most basic level, walls serve to protect and separate us from other people, or things. No doubt this is useful when one thinks of this particular wall protecting the Chinese from Mongol invaders, or as simple as the walls providing the privacy and protection we enjoy in our homes. However, I took this a step further and thought a wall loses much of its value if you do not guard it.

I will expand this by looking at the examples already mentioned. While the wall provided Chinese protection from attackers, it was not impenetrable; traders and friendly parties still needed to pass at times. In addition, if a wall was not guarded it could easily deteriorate, or be breached if not monitored on a regular basis. In our homes we need holes in our walls for things like guests, fresh air and to interact with the world; these “holes in the wall” are often called windows and doors J. How does this random thought on a windy day in China relate to us during this holiday season? Stick with me, I will explain.

In this season of giving thanks, giving gifts and celebrating the end of the year we are confronted with many feelings. Feelings we want to let in and feelings we want to keep out. I want you to envision your heart as a great kingdom with many great cities and lands surrounded by yes, a great wall. While our hearts may be imperfect, they have the inclination to be good and full of love while pushing out the waste of evil and sin roaming the darker fringes of our “heart kingdoms” if you will. The walls of our hearts need guards to allow this love to pour out as well as expel this waste to be removed (without polluting others of course J). At the same time we need guards to keep eyes on the horizon for enemy advances while discerning who may not be a threat. My question for us is how well are we guarding our hearts? Is the internal greed of “shopping until we drop” consuming us (literally and figuratively) that it drowns out the simplicity of spending time with family? Are the arrows of anxiety finding their mark, or do we have our shield up? In a season of joy traditionally accompanied by an uptick in suicide, are we being overrun by the armies of depression and addiction?

For me being gone from family and friends for months brings skirmishes of loneliness. This is reinforced into a larger battle as I approach another Christmas single (28 and unmarried was not in my game plan). However, this attack is pushed back by the great joy and closeness to God one can grow in through being single and for that I am thankful. In the end though I know there are future attacks and I need to be on guard. What about you, what are you on guard for?  

With a quick shout out to Coach Wilson (R.I.P.) here are a few “words of wisdom” to leave you with:

Nourish the good within and allow it to be amplified by the goodness from the outside.

Root out the evil from within and defend against the evil that bangs at your door.

Pray to know the difference and at all times guard your heart.

Positive Thought Sparks Positive Action,

Miles.

***JANUARY SNEAK PEEK***

With the new year brings a new approach to this blog. While the focus will still be on the power of positive thought, I will be broadening the view on how this is lived out beyond providing micro loans through Zidisha.org. In particular I will highlight individuals whose positive thoughts have sparked positive action and lead to meaningful positive impact. Be ready to be inspired and to raise your standards J.

Care More Than You Criticize

I struggled to figure out what to write about for November, but after the events in Paris it was obvious what to focus on. I found out about the attacks as they were unfolding with friends in London at a concert. As the music blared and lights cut across the arena to the delight of the fans a friend of mine held his phone up to me to show the news of the attacks including the death toll updates. It is an eerie feeling going from having a good time with laughter and smiling to suddenly be yanked down to reality with the sobering news of a tragedy. I felt the same way entering a classroom in high school on the morning of 9/11, stuck in Portland traffic when the Clackamas Town Center shooting was unfolding in 2012 and seeing the news about the Roseburg shooting a few months ago while I checked my morning email. Then and now the same initial feelings came rushing through me including shock, anger, sadness and for you who have had intimate connections with a tragedy perhaps empathy. After that then what happens? In my opinion there is an incredible outpouring of two things: caring and criticism. However, it seems for every post of solidarity regarding such tragedies it is matched, or overshadowed by posts and rants on ideologies, politics, and policy.

The tragedy in Paris is no different in this regards. There have been comments criticizing the fact there is more care and concern for what happened in Paris compared to other tragic events in the world. Out of curiosity I did a quick Google news search of “tragedy and death” within the past week and the results? A suspected self-inflicted death in New Zealand (9 year old girl), toxic mine collapse in Brazil (9 dead, 19 missing) and a landslide in China killing 26. Why don’t we feel the same about these situations? I feel it is natural to feel more connected to events that we are more closely related to, but that does not make you a bad person. However, it is this same fact that needs to drive us to be more intentional of being aware of the suffering experienced by our fellow human being we share this earth with. Understanding our common sufferings can build a strong bridge of empathy and perspective to remind us we are all connected when you zoom out.

While we may have different relationships with different people (e.g. I love my mom different than my brother and so on), we do not have a finite ability to care as humans; it is a well that runs deep. Whether it be lending a micro-loan to someone in need, reading a newspaper from another country, or as simple as saying good morning to someone you regularly disagree with, it is important to use this time as a reminder to care intentionally toward those it is not as easy to care for. At the same time we need not feel ashamed of the deep natural compassion one may have for a loved one we share a closer bond with.

Sure, good things can come out of criticism as has been seen throughout history from the earliest stages of America gaining our independence to racist laws being overturned during the civil rights movement. Criticism comes from a place of wanting a situation to be different because a person cares enough to speak up and speak out. I am a strong believer in God and at the same time I believe the devil exists and I feel strongly something good can quickly be twisted by the devil for evil purposes (e.g. some citizens wanted to make George Washington a King, which could have undermined democracy in America and some fighting for civil rights committed extremely violent acts as a means to an end). Care should not spur on so much criticism that the two disconnect and criticism is left standing alone without an anchor point of sincere righteousness. At that point criticism is so much removed from the initial feelings of caring that its original fuel source of love has been replaced by bitterness and hate.

Should you care about what happened in Paris? Yes.

Should you care about tragedies in other parts of the world? Yes.

Is this my own personal rant to add to the pile? Yes J

Should you care more than you criticize? Oh God Yes!

Positive thought sparks positive action,

Miles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeBv9r92VQ0