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The Moment of Now

Seventy is the sum of our years,

or eighty, if we are strong;

Most of them are toil and sorrow;

they pass quickly, and we are gone.

Psalm 90:10

 When was the last time you were motivated to do something and actually followed through?

I’m sure your intentions were sincere, but if you weren’t able to fulfill that task, what kept you? If you’re like most people, LIFE got in the way and you simply lost track of time and your desire in the moment to make it happen. As stewards of Christ and his teachings, you want to give back to the Lord in proportion to how he has blessed you. Sometimes that means slowing down. Other times we must quicken our pace. But it’s in that moment we make our decision.

In the past month I have adopted my wife’s 12-year old daughter, Brooke, and we welcomed a son, Josiah, now two weeks young. Time is more important than ever in my life. I’m making it a priority to slow down and value the time with my family. This is where I’m at today. Will life get in the way and take some of that precious family time away? I don’t anticipate that. I only plan to maximize NOW!

NOW is the time we gather at the dinner table and discuss our day.

NOW is the time I pray and play with my daughter.

NOW  is the time I hold Josiah during those late night feedings and form that father-son bond, and don’t complain about being tired. 🙂

Make NOW your time to do what you’ve been putting off. Make NOW your time to give back to your church, community, and family. Time is all we have. What does time mean to you?

With enthusiasm!

Jeremy, CAP®

Good, Better, Best…

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “Am I giving life the best I’ve got?” Giving back and living your best life with enthusiasm is what Spirit of Stewardship is all about. It’s meant to motivate, educate, and maximize your life from a charitable perspective. Your thoughts, words, and actions do make a difference. Each issue will contain succinct, pertinent information to help you get more out of life, live healthy and positively, and motivate yourself to give back to others. Life is cyclical. Get up. Get ready. Get the kids ready. Go to work. Come home.Share a meal…maybe! Participate in family activities. Watch some tv. Go to bed so you can get up and do it all over again. Throw in some vacation time each year and there’s your life summary. Naturally this daily routine doesn’t apply to everyone, but whatever one’s routine, we’re left asking ourselves, “Is this it?”

I’m here to share with you that life is so much more when you give back based on how you’ve been blessed. Maybe your talent is making money, or your people skills allow you to excel at making friends and networking. Perhaps your strength is parenting, or you’re a good listener. Are you able to do best what you enjoy most? It doesn’t matter what you’re paid, your title, or your employer, if you don’t like what you do, then that makes life tough to get up for day in and day out. But if you do enjoy what you do and those other entitlements are important to you, then I believe through hard work, networking, and following the golden rule, opportunity will find you…which some people call luck!

Sometimes it’s helpful to reflect on how we got to where we are today to appreciate all that we have. Who among us can imagine spending 69 days underground like the Chilean miners? Have you thought about all the time you put into educating yourself? How has that been of value to you and those you now serve and educate? Maybe you had a parent, grandparent, or mentor who has given you some “pearls of wisdom” to steer you in the right direction. Perhaps now you’re in that position where you’re giving back to help someone or something. Those who give get so much more back in return. Do you believe this? Have you ever experienced the satisfaction of helping someone who can’t help you? If not, give it a try and see how that makes you feel.

I look forward to providing you with practical information that will make a difference for you and in the lives of those you touch. How do you get more out of life? Do good. Be better. Give your best. Good, better, best; never rest until your good is better and your better, best!sig

Step Up and Help Out

“A big part of my responsibility from the success we’ve had is to share the story so students can be inspired. You don’t have to separate giving from business, or your job from your passion.”  – Blake Mycoskie, founder and CEO of TOMS Shoes, a company that gives a new pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold.

 

“When you are kind to someone, that person is more likely to be kind to someone else. When you are cruel to someone, that person is more likely to be cruel to someone else. You can make those decisions every day. I am not saying they are always easy, but they are important to make.” – Harvey McKinnon, The Power of Giving: How Giving Back Enriches Us All

Think Young, Stay Healthy

In a Yale study, younger adults who had the most negative views on aging were almost twice as likely to later have a heart attack or other cardio problems as those with positive attitudes. To break out of stereotyped thinking, consider the lively older people you know or see on TV – Betty White on Hot in Cleveland, for example – and ask yourself if they fit the image you have of older folks.

Modest Giving Still Adds Up

According to studies by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, People who make less than $50,000 donate more as a percentage of their income (an average of 4.2 percent in 2004) than do those making more than $100,000 (who contribute 2.2 percent). Exceptional donors also tend to be less materialistic. Paul K. Piff, a doctoral candidate in social psychology at the University of California at Berkeley, says people who have less are more likely to give and help others. In a series of experiments detailed in a recent article in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Mr. Piff and his co-authors found that poor people were more likely to share money with others, or provide helpful information to a stranger, than wealthier people. But if wealthier people were primed to think about poverty by being exposed to a short video showing scenes of poor children, they exhibited greater generosity.

One Donor’s Philosophy on Giving

Fariborz Maseeh, found and principal of Picoso, an investment firm in Newport Beach, California, recently gave $24-million to MIT to accommodate more undergraduates. The gift came through Mr. Maseeh’s foundation. He offers his philosophy on giving.

“We’re looking for causes that will have a broad public benefit. We’re looking for transformational activities—that our gift actually does something that could not be accomplished. We are also looking for good management, because once we give, it’s really on the shoulder of the organization to carry out the gift itself.” – Fariborz Maseeh

Stating the Obvious

FEAR: How can I give to charity if I can’t even pay my own bills?

FACT: Charitable giving is a part of an overall strategy for taking control of your cash flow. If you start giving at the same time that you start building assets, your assets will still grow because you’ve chosen to adopt a fiscally responsible path for yourself.

FREEDOM: Instead of risking your financial freedom, giving will enhance it.

“The only question with wealth is what you do with it.” – John D. Rockefeller