"“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” ― John Holmes
As we live our lives, we get wrapped up in the everyday burden of just surviving sometimes. It is an effort to maintain a job and just keep the bills paid. Worse yet, it could be your effort to find a job after being laid off and keeping the bills paid.
We each have something in our lives to contend with.
Some of us have much more on our plate than others but it isn't about your struggles being greater than mine. All of this is about knowing each of us have our struggles. And this common bond comes with understanding we are not alone in those struggles.
By reaching out to others, the power of connection will pull us up.
Before you know it "... you'll be back in the saddle again. Out where a friend is a friend." The world will look more manageable from on top. And when we receive help from others, we are also giving back.
Together we will ride that dusty trail.
Together we'll make this a great life and a great journey.
What does being friendly or a friend to someone mean? There are ideas of what friendship are from many different people;
“True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island..to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.” - Baltasar Gracian
“A friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself.” - Jim Morrison
“A true friend is someone who is there for you, when he'd rather be anywhere else.” - Len Wein
“The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it's the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with his friend.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
There are also clinical definitions of friendship;
"Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behaviour between two or more humans." - Wikipedia
"Friendship, the state of being friends (or friendly)." - Wordnet
It is a simple word, it is derived from Old English and is related to the word free. Other forms of the word are; freond, "to love, to favor" and frijojanan "to love".
From the Encyclopedia of Psychology, "research has shown that people who have friends tend to have better physical health and report a better sense of psychological well-being than those with weak or no network of friends. Friends provide support in three main ways: emotional, cognitive guidance, and tangible help."
I define friendship as having an open ear to someone that wishes to tell you their story.
It is small acts of kindness such as an open ear or an encouraging heart. Friendship can be a short exchange between yourself and cashier at the grocery market. It can be a co-worker, your wife or one of those long standing people you have known for years.
Friendship is a way of life that you project to others.
Be a friend, let it be a part of your life. And stay inspired my friends.
“You will rise by lifting others.” - Robert G. Ingersoll
This day, Good Friday to Christians around the world, is a day in which one man gave his life for all of us. It was the ultimate sacrifice for others. I am not here to sway the religious or non-religious of this day or even Easter. I am writing to state that goodness can come from helping others. That a series or even single sacrifice can change the world.
Does that mean run out and die for all of mankind?
There is possibility in both the religious and philosophical view into why service to others is a good thing. From a religious perspective, we know that Jesus preached of love and the lifting of others. In the finite terms of our own human life, will not making life better for others make our own lives more fulfilling? Is there not something in that for both those whom believe and those that do not?
What then is the reason for our existence?
Whether you believe in creation, evolution or some combination of each; we have the ability to reason and wonder what purpose we are in being here. We can bring purpose to our existence, if only for the shortness of our natural existence. There are many that live a life of always taking, of never giving back, of constant hate or disregard for others. We can live of life of giving, of constant love and compassion for others. We can make life better. We can create purpose to our lives.
There can be purpose to your life.
For me, there is purpose to that man who died on a cross. For me, there is something beyond what exists here and now. But for me, I also believe that I can make a difference while I am here. That I can make life better for others and for those to come. That my children and their children will benefit from what I have done in this lifetime. I can create purpose for my life by helping others.
You can also have an impact on the lives of others, on your children, their children and humanity. It does not take being crucified, nor does it take the wealth of kings. All it takes is love and lifting others. You can create purpose to your life.
"The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn't matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark." -Barbara Hall
Reading the quote above, it makes me wonder why people lose this desire and positive outlook on their future? Is it when they do get lost and have to turn back, they lose the confidence to keep trying? Or do they encounters others that are negative and get dragged down to a more negative view of life?
Don't let it happen - fight it - work at keeping the desire.
Keeping yourself in a positive frame of mind is difficult. You have to work at maintaining your excitement. You also have to help others and keep yourself among others with great attitudes. Life will have its share of disappointment.
The goal is to keep moving towards that success.
Keep believing, remain positive, stay in the company of others that lift -- the above ideal can be maintained. Always remember that it does not matter which road you take, but that you do take a road. Movement causes change, embrace it and life will be great.
“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.”
-Oprah Winfrey
You just never know how far you will go until you get there. And the only way to get there is by placing yourself around others that will help lift you. That sounds like a no-brainer, but many times we surround ourselves with negative people.
It is those type of people that will only hold us down.
Negativity can be very infectious when it starts to invade your world. Their restricting vines will entwine you until one day you find yourself stuck. There is darkness that surrounds negativity. It restricts your view of what could be a greater life. It simply makes life very difficult to live within the bounds of negativity.
By placing yourself around people that lift and encourage can also be infectious.
Those that live a more upbeat and inspired life want to share that with you. The belief that dreams and visions can be achieved will be nurtured by these type of people. Your life will have a clearer vision of all the possibilities that exist and give you a path towards achieving those possibilities.
You may not end up performing acrobatic moves atop the Empire State Building, but then again you might. You see that's what is great about life, anything is possible.
"By a Carpenter mankind was made, and only by that Carpenter can mankind be remade." -Desiderius Erasmus
As I continue this "week of giving" there is so much that you can choose to do. My self-proclaimed week is meant to draw attention to areas in which you can enage and impact the lives of other people. Yes, you can impact other people just by engaging in a small act of giving.
Today the example is "Habitat for Humanity" and ways that you can be part of a wonderful story. This organization was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. Today, Habitat for Humanity is a world leader in addressing the issues of poverty housing. Over 500,000 homes and nearly 2 million people have shelter.
The interesting part is that homes are constructed by volunteers and professionals. They are also constructed using the sweat equity and time of the person/s that will be living in the home. "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for life" means so much in this process of building and restoring lives.
So what can you do?
There are lots of different ways you can become involved such as volunteering to help build a home in your community. You can donate monie to the organization that will help them meet its home building expenses. You can also help by donating your left over building materials and home goods. You can go in and purchase these same types of items from the hundreds of stores called Habitat for Humanity ReStore (click to find a store near you).
These ReStore outlets focus on home improvement goods like furniture, home accessories, building materials and appliances. The purpose is to accept donated goods which are sold to the general public at a fraction of the retail price. The proceeds than go to help local Habitat affiliates fund the construction of Habitat homes within their communities.
What is important, not only to help promote this organization, is to just do something. Help any one of a hundred different organizations that help those in need. I think it is important in our lives to give back whenever we can. To help others lift themselves up is the correct and right thing to do in your life.
If you give back just a little extra during this Christmas season, the world will be just a little better because of you.
"He stands erect by bending over the fallen. He rises by lifting others." -Douglas Horton
During this current business trip that I am on, every morning and every evening I use the elevator. It either lowers me to the ground floor so that I may have my breakfast. At night it lifts me to my floor so I may sleep away the day's tiredness.
Most every one of these days I cross a threshold where the sliding doors open and close. A recorded voice warns me of both their opening and impending closing. The voice asks me to select my floor number and announces it when we arrive. It is an elevator that seems to take care in taking care of others.
Recently one morning, I happened to notice the name on the threshold. The name was Otis and for some reason I connected the name to the recorded voice. It was amusing to me as the voice of the elevator is a female voice. I thought to myself, her name is Otis; amusing only to me I would guess.
Every day, hour upon hour and minutes upon minutes, people walk over Otis. But never a complaint, never a worry or concern. Otis continues to serve the needs of others without a loss of voice or strength. Otis will lower you safely from the highest floors, placing your feet on solid ground. This fine elevator will also lift you up when you have had a hard day and need rest.
Each of us can be like Otis in our daily lives. We can help lower others to the solid safety of the ground. When others have gotten to the edge of destruction in their lives, we can offer a safe elevator to come back down and regather themselves.
We can also provide the extra lift in their lives when the day has gotten them down. They can rise in spirit and comfort as we ask them which floor they wish to get to. We then safely lift them and open the doors to a new and greater place.
Otis is simply an elevator, mechanical and pre-programmed. You are not. But you can help people down from the scariest of heights and lift them as well to wondrous new levels.
You have the ability to bring a human connection into the picture. You have the ability to be an elevator to others. So which floor would you like please?
"The truest help we can render an afflicted man is not to take his burden from him, but to call out his best energy, that he may be able to bear the burden." - Phillips Brooks
Every day we have two choices to make in dealing with other people. One, we can put them down and discourage them. Or two, we can encourage them and help lift them up. And in your own life, you have experienced both choices as people interact with you.
It is tough enough going through various circumstances in life without others beating you down. I have to stop and ask myself as well on many occassions if I'm lifting or pushing down others. So I won't claim to be an innocent in this part of life.
But I do work on it and believe if others thought more about their actions, each of our lives would be better. At the very least, we would have more encouragement to endure some of the trials we go through.
So think about your own actions towards others and try to lift them when possible. Soon enough, it may be you that requires some lifting as well. _
