55/555 List | Original 101 List
On January 24, I decided to “adopt” six people and help them mark something off their life lists. I simply wanted to give back in a new and different way, writing about the experience along the way. (Original post)
Well, I’ve chosen six people AND I’ve identified something on their lists that I feel like I can help them accomplish.
Some of these people had a Bucket List (big-ticket items they want to accomplish before they die), while others had a list of life’s simple pleasures they wanted to embrace sooner than later.
It didn’t matter to me – I just wanted to help them accomplish something that was significant to them.
NOTE: It was important to me that “helping” didn’t revolve around monetary support.
Example:
LIST MAKER: “Buy a new house”
ME: “Here is a check for $300,000”
I wanted to focus on the skill sets that I could bring to the table, my connections and/or my ability to take their excuses and flush ’em down the metaphorical toilet. (Besides, I’m unemployed and poor.)
It has taken me almost a month to take the next step, because I’m being extremely deliberate in mapping out the process. I want to be able to re-create this over and over and over again.
Why?
Because I firmly believe this could turn into a global movement – encouraging people to temporarily take the emphasis off themselves and help someone else. Like I mentioned before, I feel like this is a completely unique way of giving back.
I’ll explain…..
Feeding the homeless at the shelter and mentoring at-risk kids is important, but so is putting an emphasis on someone else’s hopes and dreams.
While people sleeping on the streets is tragic, so is seeing people going through the motions and not truly living life. While it’s heartbreaking to realize there are hungry and sick people in the world, it’s just as sad to see people living in a haze of complacency and excuses.
My goal for this project is four-fold:
• Help pull people out of their ruts (before they end up in a ditch);
• Inspire others to live boldly;
• Reinforce the importance of taking the emphasis off yourself and helping others,
• And motivate people to pay it forward.
I will accomplish all of this by putting God front and center (yeah, I said it).
• • •
When I created my 101 List, I decided to dedicate it to God. I wanted to treat it like a gigantic thank you note to Him for allowing me to truly live an adventurous and amazing life.
This “adoption” project is another chapter in that thank you note. It’s about making my faith come to life.
In a recent sermon at church, the pastor stressed the importance of not just “talking at people about Jesus and the promise of God.” He encouraged members of the congregation to let their actions do the talking.
The sermon notes stated: “The way we live will show others that what we believe has life.”
Through this project, I want to inspire others to adopt this same mentality: A gigantic thank you note to God and a road map to truly live an adventurous and amazing life.
It all revolves around love and gratitude – the two things that have the power to change the world.
So….GAME ON!
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