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| Katrina and I at the Mayo Clinic Advocate Recharge Event |
Truth be told, I know and have the secret to happiness. Let me explain.
Several years ago, on April 2 (yes, I remember the exact date) I was leaving work and as I’m sure a lot of you may do this too, I noticed I was driving on fumes. I always tended to wait till the last moment or as close to my next paycheck as I possibly could before I filled up with gas again. I pulled into the gas station, filled up my gas tank, walked into the station, went right up to the counter, said pump #10 and smiled.
The cashier behind the counter looked at me with a spark in his eye and said “It’s paid for.” Just slightly confused, I said “Ah. You must have the wrong pump” I pointed at my car and said “It’s the car over there, pump # 10. I haven’t paid yet” The cashier smile got bigger and he said “Someone paid for it. It’s all taken care of”. I looked at him in shock and said “That was $37.56. Someone paid for that?” (grinning from ear to ear) The cashier said “Yep.”
I looked at him in shock and said bluntly “All of it?”
He laughed and said “Yep. All of it”
I then began to ask who was it, where is this person, is he super hot, etc. etc. I quick skimmed with my eyes all over the store and outside parking lot to see if I could figure out who this generous kind soul was. As I was doing this, I quickly stopped asking questions because I realized in that moment that this person, didn’t want me to know. They did this random act of kindness as a gesture pure and wholesome.
I walked out of that station with a new bill on life and different perspective. I swore to myself that I would not only pay that kind act forward, but honor that person by living my life in a way that could help others.
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. – William James
I just wasn’t sure on how I would do it. When I would do it and what I would do.
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In October of 2008, I stood on stage for the first time in years, not to sing or dance …in fact, I use to have a severe case of stage fright. I was willingly ready to put myself out there in the most vulnerable way possible and do stand up comedy…. My friends always told me I was funny and I believed them. :-p Wonder if they still feel the same way…..? haha.
What started out as just a “bucket list” item turned love affair of writing jokes and deploying them on stage, turned into something much bigger.
It all connects. Just wait.
Fast forward, Thursday, September 23, 2010. 32+ counties in Minnesota received threatening amounts of rainfull. Many were displaced and lost their homes, many in Olmsted County. I knew this was a moment where I couldn’t sit back. I recruited friends of mine, we went to Zumbro Falls and personally helped mucked out houses. The woman we helped, lost her home and I was going to go home to my place that was intact and she lost her home.
It was then that I remembered what that kind person who simply bought my gas, did for me and the impact it made on my life.
I walked away from that experience telling myself that I had to do more. And I would. And others would too. Through United Way, I continued to recruit friends and coworkers through mass texting, email and social media, sending them through the Volunteer process to go help muck houses. It didn’t stop there. United Way and my now vast network of entertainers, comedians, bands, singers, media, many, many volunteers and I pulled off an event of epic proportions to raise over $9000 for those affected by the flood.
It didn’t stop there either. :)
This story isn’t about me. It’s about the act of one kind stranger, who did something for someone else and that small act was an extraordinary act to that person and that person turned that act into another kind act.
It’s called the Dragonfly effect. Small acts create big change. Social Change.
That’s where the Be the 1 blog comes in. Dave Beal, VP of Communications and Advocacy through United Way of Olmsted County and I were sitting for a routine lunch to catch up and brainstorm about ways I can help, as well as inspire ways for others to help. I shared with Dave that several of my friends would tell me that they would love to join me on my volunteer endeavors and that I should write a blog about my volunteering. Right then and there, a blog was born. But it wasn’t going to just be about myself and what I was doing. Nope. It was going to be about you, and you, and you, and you.
Be the 1. What does that mean? It's simple. Be the 1 = to volunteer. Be the 1 = to lift a hand. Be the 1 = to make a difference. Be the 1 = to inspire.
A good friend of mine shared this in a Good Deed Story he submitted for the blog
Every day, when you get out of bed, you have three options:
Do nothing. Be inspired. Inspire.
Every week, on the Be the 1 blog, we post different stuff. It could be Quote of the Week, a good deed story that’s submitted by a reader or volunteer, volunteer opportunities, people who make a difference, the blog continues to evolve and making momentum. If you have a story or experience you’d like to share, you can go to the blog and submit it through the email listed there. Please feel free to advocate and share the blog on your facebook, twitter, google+, etc. etc. etc
Mayo Clinic United Way Advocates and Volunteers, today you are my inspiration. I stand before you in awe and gratitude for your work and work to come. I encourage you to read the blog weekly to see how your simple yet extraordinary acts impact the lives of other people.
A child goes to school wearing a backpack proudly , a young teenager is being mentored by a supportive adult instead of being distracted by the fake camaraderie of a gang, a single mother is able to feed her child a healthy wholesome meal, an elderly adult is able to be self-sufficient much longer with the support of an advocate, an entire family is able to stay warm this winter wearing coats donated.
The pledges raised here are not just monetary. They’re small acts that create big change.
You are that change.
Thanks for Being the 1, Mayo Clinic.
Oh. And the secret to happiness?
Becoming selfless. Because when you help others, you ultimately help yourself - and THAT, my friends is the ulitmate happiness.
:)
[Editor note: Found an old email I had sent out about the person that paid for my gas and clarified the pump # and date. Oops! I was close!]
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