Have you ever wondered how you could make a difference in someone’s life? Have you ever had the desire to be a better person, to ‘pay it forward’? Has someone, perhaps a complete stranger, made a difference in your life with a simple act of kindness? We have decided to highlight a man who we have absolutely no connection with, but who has demonstrated first hand these qualities. We thought you would be inspired by him, as we were. Perhaps, you might decide too, to take his approach on doing good deeds. What a difference he has made, and wouldn’t it be a blessing for us to continue in this quest.
Bryan Douglas
On April 3, 2009 Bryan Douglas decided to make a difference. He placed an ad on Craigs List (of all places) asking if anyone needed help. Can you imagine? He had several responses, and after some planning, Bryan set out on a weekend trip to help others. It is as simple as that. He got in his car in Pittsburg, and headed for Chicago, with a list of “to do’s”. Actually, others’ to do’s for which he had volunteered his time. This list varied from the purchase of a battery, to providing a ride, to some sweat labor.
Take a couple of minutes to watch Bryan’s video, it is a rough documentary of his trip, well worth watching! What an incredible example of Keeping It Personal……random acts of kindness!
We challenge you to pay it forward. What can you do, something as simple as providing a ride, or helping with some lawn work…. to make a difference in another’s life? Will you share with us your stories? Maybe how your life was impacted by another’s kindness, or how you have paid it forward? We would like to make this a regular reminder for our fans- as I know I am inspired when I see how a simple action can make such a big difference!
To learn more about Bryan’s mission, to see and hear more about how he’s impacting lives, check out his websites: PghPeopleHelpingPeople.com ~ GiveWithoutRemembering.com ~ twitter.com/Bryan_Douglas_ ~ DoingGoodWorks.org
You may also be interested in reading the book he has written titled, “Doing Good Works”. Here he gives people practical ideas of how to think and act to change the world.
THANK YOU Bryan for taking action with those lingering thoughts; NOT ignoring them. You are an inspiration. You are truly keeping it personal.
I am not a big ‘forward’ person when it comes to emails. In fact, I have to admit am guilty of ignoring an occasional forward. This one sat in my inbox for a few days before I finally got around to opening it. I loved it! I’ve given thought to how I want to live my life as of late, changes I’d like to make- and many of these simple daily suggestions seemed obvious yet a welcome reminder. You know, one of those lists worth printing and hanging on my bathroom mirror. I thought I would pass them along, in hopes to hold myself accountable to them. Maybe one of you will be inspired to simplify your lives by following some or all of these words of wisdom. Many of them remind me of a daily KIP! Let me know what you think.
(By the way, I would site them, but don’t know where this email originated. I’ve also taken the liberty to edit slightly.)
1. Pray.
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won’t fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others. (Including husband and children!)
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places. (This reminds me of my Grandpa Johnson, RIP!)
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don’t lump the hard things all together.
10. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it.
11. Live within your budget; don’t use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
12. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
13. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
14. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
15. Eat right.
16. Get organized so everything has its place.
17. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
18. Every day, find time to be alone.. REPEAT…every day, FIND time to be alone..
19. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don’t wait until it’s time to go to bed to try and pray.
20. Laugh.
21. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
22. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
23. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
24. Sit on your ego.
25. Talk less; listen more.
26. Slow down.
Daily KIP: Often times we will never know if or how the simple things we do are making an impact or helping others. “You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” John Wooden
I grew up in a rural farming town of about 1200 in central MN. Life was simple then. People took the time to stop each other on the street and visit. Have coffee. Make cookies. Life wasn’t as rushed as it is now. In my opinion, there was a lot more focus on relationship. Relationships with children, spouses, friends, neighbors, teachers, pastors, bankers… Kids weren’t running from this activity to that sporting event- or at least not as often as they are now. Families sat down and had dinner together at night. I suppose because the work day predictably ended at 5pm (at least it did in my parent’s home). There weren’t fast food restaurants to run to, or pizza delivery options to choose from.
I remember my mom getting together on a regular basis with other women and their children for ‘coffee’. This ‘coffee’ group I suspect, was really a group of amazing women getting together to talk about parenting, marriage, life experiences both good and bad. They shared each others joys and sorrows. They were a built in support group for each other and never hesitated to pray for one another. If my memory serves me correct, these were all stay at home moms, who in order to stay connected with each other, made an effort to get together in each other’s living rooms and talk. Even if it was about a new recipe they found, or a new quilting pattern they were going to try. In fact, this ‘coffee’ group continues to this day, in a more limited fashion. They are still getting together throwing bridal showers, baby showers and attending weddings for the children who were carted along to these coffee groups. (We enjoyed it by the way!)
For me, Keeping It Personal is about bringing to my life a deliberate effort to do just that. Keep it Personal. I don’t expect it to mirror my description above, as life is different now. In fact, I am sure it wasn’t as ‘simple’ as my memory would have me believe. But there are changes I can make, which I think will ultimately impact my children, my marriage, my relationship with God, and others. I was talking to Teri earlier tonight, and told her this. I have no real idea what this blog is going to turn into. Seriously, I don’t think I even knew what a blog was a year ago! I feel like we have a blank canvas in front of us. We have given much thought and prayer into KIP, and don’t feel like either of us has a clear picture of what this final work of art will look like. We want to take this opportunity to be real, to share from our own experiences, to learn from others’ experiences, and to inspire people to take it back a notch. Occasionally step out of the high tech, fast paced world we live in, and into the ‘living rooms’ of our friends both old and new…. and keep it personal. Kind of ironic that we chose a blog to carry out that message, right?
There is a bit of anxiety on my part about putting this blog out there for everyone to see. A vulnerability. I just pray that God-willing, we will encourage each other, and those who choose to follow us to keep it real, by keeping it personal.
Keeping it Personal: not as in keeping it to yourself. It’s not, NOT sharing with others or being in your own private thoughts and keeping IT……….what ever IT may be to yourself. Not ‘keeping it personal’ in the selfish sense of the phrase similar to a child who wants this to be “mine, mine, mine” or an adult who doesn’t want to share a good idea, thought, or compliment.
We’re keeping it personal – we’re about the relationship, sharing what’s real on a personal level. We’re taking the “impersonal” out of what society has made impersonal to speed up the process, to get going with the next thing. We want to inspire you to keep it personal in your daily interactions. Inspire you to look for the moments where you can impact the lives of others around you by sharing your experiences and your story. By freely giving compliments and encouraging words to others. We want to motivate you to reach out to others by keeping it personal, by using your special gifts and talents; by being real, honest, kind, genuine. We want to educate you and provide you with ideas that will impact your life, which in turn, you can share to impact the lives of others.
Keeping it personal is what customer service lacks. Keeping it Personal is what can turn an acquaintance into a life long friend. Keeping it Personal is what can give someone hope who is hopeless- because you were transparent and shared a story they could relate to. Keeping it Personal and sharing your passion could be the start of an organization to help a family in need or a homeless/runaway on the street. Keeping it Personal is dropping that personal handwritten card in the mail. Taking action with those lingering thoughts; NOT ignoring them. Keeping it Personal is taking the time to make a phone call to the person who’s been on your mind. The personal touch may be just what one person needs on a particular day to bring joy to their world.
Our mission is to be a daily reminder for people to keep it real by keeping it personal. Through sharing our experiences and our stories online, we hope to inspire you to keep it personal as you connect with your community and others around you.
Who are WE? We are simply two women, two mothers, two daughters, two friends, two aunties, two sisters-in-law, two wives, two children of God who have come to realize through our own past experiences on this journey of life, that keeping it personal is what keeps us grounded. We have not mastered this by any means or claim to be perfect, but are striving to keep it personal in all our affairs. We find joy and fulfillment by reaching out and sharing with others; and in return we grow and are inspired by what others share with us in their stories and experiences. Our hope is for others to find what we’ve come to realize.
Keeping it personal is a community of twos. We hope to attract and influence a community at large who share our vision of keeping it personal.
Teri and Leah
