Happy Tuesday,
Lately I have been familiarizing myself with Franklin Covey’s Seven Habits and his philosophy about personal excellence and how it affects other areas of our lives. In the course of my philanthropic work with the Birmingham Change Fund (www.birminghamchangefund.org), we are giving to empower others in our communities.
I want to be sure that I am, that we are making time and room for what Covey calls, not-urgent, but important things like preparation/planning, prevention, values clarification, exercise, relationship-building, and true recreation/relaxation, just to name a few examples.
As we empower the community through grant giving in the areas of economic development, health care, and education, I’d like to challenge you to assess your own continuum of empowerment in these areas. Are we sharpening our saw? Let me give you an example:
Economic Development: Show me the money! If you’re like me, you want to have and continue to build wealth and pass on a legacy of good stewardship on to your families and your greater community. That’s what I say, but I have applied very little of all the information I have gleaned over the years from the multitude of seminars and workshops I’ve been privileged to attend. I could honestly say that had I applied the things I know in the immediate time frame of me coming into the knowledge, I would be on my second million or third million (stock crash/economy problems not withstanding). So I ask you BCF, as a group, how empowered are you in the area of economic development?
(Thanks Ed! This was his idea from a conversation we had)
Question: Do you have a will, living trust, legal, written arrangements for the handling of your assets once you transition from time into eternity? I don’t.
My challenge to the group: Can you, move towards empowerment in this area, and say, by years end, each person in BCF have a legally binding will in place?
Young people are leaving this place daily, one way or another. Transference of wealth is an area that AA’s miss out on key opportunities to prepare and plan for.
Other areas in economic development: budgeting and living on less of your income, getting rid of bad debt (credit cards, etc), and purchasing land/buildings.
Health Care: Question: When was the last time you visited the doctor for your annual check up? Have you gotten that pain in your chest checked out? Do you have a healthy diet, get exercise, are you fit? I don’t know about you, but there are several things I experience, like severe migraines and chest pain, that I could stand to get checked out. What about you?
My challenge to the group: Can you move towards empowerment in this area, and say, by years end, each person has gone to the doctor to find out what exactly is going on, will focus on living healthier, and doing what we need to do to be around to enjoy the lives we’ve all been promised?
Education: Question: Is there something you have wanted to learn/try? Is there another degree you’ve been eyeing? A certificate you want to add to your skills? If you’re like me, the answer is yes.
My challenge to the group: Can you move towards empowerment in this area, and say, by the end of the year, each person has completed at least 3 steps towards adding that education to our experience resume? Whether that’s getting a business license to begin that new business, taking that entrance exam to the graduate/professional school, taking an Excel or Access class to better manage your clients, reading Frederick Douglas’ narrative to learn about your people, going to a seminar within your field, whatever it is, take those steps to educating yourself. Spend time with people who know, so you can know too!
As agents of change, as those who are in the know, we must stay sharp ourselves, especially in the areas we want changed and improved in our community. Involve others as well. Start with yourself, and let it spread to your immediate family, your friends, and your circles, until we have the community covered.
Will you take the challenge?
Reply with “I’m with ya!” if you’re down and a “no time to sharpen the saw” if you’re not.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? Let me hear about it...
With all my love and reaching towards my tool belt, (I've got lotsa work to do)
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