Both a giver and taker be

My friend, Kevin Eikenberry, has written a lovely book full of life lessons. Consider buying yourself a copy of Vantagepoints on Learning and Life.

As I was reading it, finding all sorts of gems along the way, I found my attention pulled by something in his essay called “Smile.” It was this story:

A farmer took some of his corn to the State Fair and won the blue ribbon for the best corn. A reporter asked him what he was going to do with the prized ears of grain he was holding. He said he would share the seed with his neighbors. The reporter was visibly surprised and asked, “Why would you want to do that?” The farmer calmly answered that his corn was only as good as his neighbors’. “Why Sir, said the farmer, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corm, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”

There are two ways to read that story. One holds that the farmer's actions are driven by the fear that his corn will be tainted by the inferior corn grown by his neighbors. The other holds that the farmer wants to share because he knows that by helping others grow better corn, everyone grows better corn, and is more successful.

Which one do you see first? That answer will tell you a lot about how you see the world.

Here's what I see:

Each of us has a stake in the well being of the Virtual Assistance profession. Those doing inferior work, or whose practices aren’t solid, work to the detriment (unintentionally and unwittingly) of what others of us want to do: build sustainable businesses, and be part of a solid profession. It's a wonderful thing to be already doing well, living abundantly, knowing that there's more than enough of everything for everyone, and from that place offering to help others. When you help because when one wins we all win, it's beyond fantastic.

Bit O’Moxie: In this life there are givers and there are takers. Too few are both. Be both. Take what help you need to grow and develop your own business, and never hesitate to share with another. You don’t grow weaker by helping someone else; by giving someone else's wagon a push. Instead, your acting from abundance makes everyone that much stronger, and the profession that much more solid.

Comments

[Kim Murray]

Amen, Stacy! That's why the AssistU community is so wonderful (your sweet self included)!!!

Hugs and blessings,
Kim

[Debbie Lonergan]

What a beautiful post. It made my day, and made me want to share it with so many people. I believe in being both too. It's harder for me to receive than to give, but you've made a good point that giving and receiving will make everyone stronger.

Thanks for sharing this!

[Stacy Brice]

Kim and Debbie -- thanks for weighing in on this! I know you both embrace abundance...good on ya!

[Toni Jo Artz]

This is so true. Sharing - the "give" and the "take" - is so important to the balance of things. I don't mind helping (actually I love helping others) because along the way someone helped me. So let's go out there and share the wealth.