It’s Monday now, but I’ve been thinking pretty heavily since Saturday. I do this from time to time–find myself returning to the same thought or struck by something so huge that it infects my day a bit. Sometimes the thought is negative, doubtful, destructive and actually causes trouble. Other times, it is hopeful or inspiring.
On Saturday I was inspired and now I’m hungry for something more.
I spent Friday and Saturday of last week in Michigan, keynoting the Key Club District Convention out there for about 500 students. I enjoy this audience as Key Club was a huge part of my own high school experience. I spent the previous weekend with some amazing students in Kentucky and had the chance to see them engage in some incredible service, making over a hundred blankets for children. I was inspired then.
On Saturday though, I was inspired in a whole new way.
I’ve been doing service projects for years. I hate to admit it, but recently I’ve found myself a bit bored by it at times. I know that isn’t what you are supposed to admit when you’re a motivational speaker, but I knew that my own fire for service was just burning the same tired candle. I hadn’t done anything special for quite some time and was just going through the motions.
On Saturday, that little flame received a new log.
The Michigan Key Club District spent 3 hours working on KIDS AGAINST HUNGER. The program was created about 20 years ago by a Minnesota businessman touched by the starvation he saw internationally. After a few failed attempts, he found an incredibly effective method to package and ship nutritional meals to starving communities around the world.
On Saturday I had the chance to work with 500 students who in 3 hours (1 hour shifts a piece) prepared over 27,000 meals. That isn’t a typo–I did type 27 THOUSAND. The number would have been higher, but we literally ran out of food and boxes.
On my flight home I just thought about the scope of what these students had accomplished and what more they were able to do. I then started thinking about the students I saw in Kentucky the week before and the service they did. I went to church on Sunday and heard about a program a guy at my church started to help troops in Iraq. His work has been so instrumental that he was actually invited to the White House to meet with President Bush.
I’m super excited about service again. I’m seeing its purpose again. My flame is fired up. I’m hungry for something more and I really want to change the world again. I believe we have the ability to do it.
If you have a cool program or nonprofit, please tell me about it.
I guess I’m going to go with Mr. Obama and say that I want that Audacity to Hope. I want to believe that we can do great things.
On Saturday, I saw 500 students who seemed to believe it too.