Doing "Simple Good"

Note: This post is a little off topic, but I think the Holidays are a time where being OFF TOPIC is ok, so long as the article has value for every reader  - Eric
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I spent a good portion of my weekend preparing. I spent the day putting Christmas lights on our house and going with my family to pick up our Christmas tree.  This year we bought it from the Boy Scout Troop at our church.  What an awesome tree it is too, and for a great value! (75 bucks for a 9 foot Frazier fur that was cut three days ago!?!)

Everything I don't like about the holidays was exhibited Thanksgiving weekend. Shopping, shopping, shopping.   Black Friday, Cyber Monday,  Express parcel cut off dates, peak season, hub capacity, holiday pick up scheduling at work.  Ugh!  This is the engine of commerce at full throttle in America.

Everything I love about the holidays started this past weekend.    Mostly it is preparing for my favorite time of the entire year.  I travel a lot.  Up to 150 days a year.  That is a lot of time away from home.   Don't get me wrong, I really love my work.  I also love the fact that I can run around New York, LA, Miami, Phoenix and a host of other places with the same familiarity as I can in Atlanta.   I have great business colleagues and customers in all these places.   Home time in the month of December however,  is "extra valuable" to me.

Usually, it's about now that I start thinking about how my last 12 months has gone. What did I do that I'm proud of?   What did I do that I wish I had done better?  What did I fail to do that I should have done?  What did I do that really mattered beyond my work?

That last one always gets me.   I have a wonderful friend whom I think of as a mentor.   When he does something, I tend to watch carefully.   We had dinner a couple of weeks ago and he offhandedly mentioned something he does that I found to be so simple that it amazed me.  I am definitely doing this too, starting with my next business trip. 

My friend, like me, has a history as a road warrior.   He spends many nights in hotels.   What he does is very simple. I call it doing "simple good". Rather than use the complimentary soaps, shampoos and amenities that many hotels offer in rooms, he saves them.   He takes that collection and after a box is filled, gives it to the local homeless shelter.   So simple and yet so easy. These items are already built into the cost of the hotel room and paid for when one pays for the room.

This is good because it helps those who are in need. It is simple because it took little effort beyond being thoughtful.  A humble gesture with great value.

Even more importantly, my friend donates his time. His personal caring and involvement with those whose life path is different can be a great influence to both the giver and the receiver.

I have found myself at a point in life where doing simple things for other people is deeply rewarding.   If it feeds my fellow man, it also feeds me.  The real key is it puts virtually everything else in my life in priority order.   These small yet valuable contributions are what make us human. 

None of this stuff is clever, but for at least 150 days a year, when I collect these things,  I will have done something very small for the benefit of someone else.  If I can do that for 365 days a year, then I suspect my thoughts about what really matters beyond my work will take care of itself. 

Character is defined as doing the right thing, even when no one else is looking. In a world where companies now actively enforce "codes of conduct", doing "right by each other" seems obvious. These things represent good stewardship. Something that if we did as part of our daily work lives might prevent there ever being an "Enron" or a subprime mortgage crisis.  Habits are a result of daily activity.  Doing "simple good" daily surely would have positive value.

Check out these 10 "Simple Good" things that we can all do.

1. Visit someone who is elderly
2. Do something concrete to help the poor
3. Make a gesture of reconciliation with someone from whom you are alienated
4. Do something kind for someone who does not like you.
5. Listen to someone you would otherwise pass by.
6. Do something extraordinarily kind to someone who would never expect it.
7. Volunteer in a shelter, a soup kitchen or a tutorial center.
8. Clean up someone else's mess.
9. Console someone who is grieving.
10. Send a thank you note to someone whom you owe a debt of gratitude.

My 2008 goal is simple.   Do Simple Good.  Simple works do not attract attention.  They are exhaust of what we should do ordinarily.  However it is in doing these basic things that we grow. I think the rest will take care of itself.

Eric

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Comments

[Richard Palarea, COO]

Amen and another amen to that. Enjoy the family time, Eric. You certainly deserve it! Best to you in '08!

[Eric]

Thanks Bryan. I actually think this article is about business. It addresses key character traits and servant leadership opportunities that serve us well in dealing with the complexities of todays business environment.

Quality of life is as important as quantity.

Eric

[Bryan]

Eric,
Great article even though not about business. I always love to see others in our industry reflecting on what we are really doing all this work for and how we are using our time to influence the world around us in a positive way.