Welcome! Today’s podcast is part five in our five-part ARISE series. Links to the previous episodes can be found at the bottom of this page, and you can listen to the audio by clicking the “play” button above!
Today we’re focusing on the “E” in ARISE, which stands for “Expand.”
We’ve found that most people in our LearnDoBecome community want to serve in a bigger way. That doesn’t mean that everyone wants to start a non-profit or build a business or take on a huge project. But each of us wants to know that our life, our experience, and our efforts are having a positive effect on the world in some way.
Our goal in this podcast is to help you think bigger and open opportunities where you can leave a legacy that feels really good to you.
Here are a few principles we want to share today:
1. You can’t not have an influence. [7 Minutes]
I asked a group of people one time, “How many of you watch other people more than they know you’re watching them?” EVERYONE raised their hand. Then I asked, “How many of you think you are probably being watched more than you originally thought you were?” At first just a few people raised their hand, and then the class thought, “Oh wait, hang on.. if I’m watching other people, then other people must be watching me, too!”
Whether we’re doing a kind act for somebody, or just going about our regular interactions at work or the grocery store, we are setting examples in ways we may not even realize. All of our choices and actions DO have an impact. This realization may open our eyes to those little decisions we make throughout each day that shape the way we impact our communities.
2. There is often incredible power in “the simple things of life.” [9 Minutes]
Our mothers have both made an incredible impact in the world. For example, Eric’s mom is the “package queen.” She remembers birthdays, writes letters to people who are lonely or forgotten, and will often go out of her way to connect and have conversations with people. Our fathers have also been positive influences in our lives (listen to the podcast for some stories!). And though we recognize that every family has challenges and that families don’t always feel like a source of strength, we believe that there is good (or the potential for good) in every person.
We invite you to ask yourself, “What talents and abilities do I have that could be a part of my impact and legacy?”
Maybe you’re great at writing letters, giving gifts, listening, or servicing in another way. There are limitless possibilities for us as individuals to have an impact, and it truly can be in the simplest of ways.
3. There is a limitless number of creative ways that you can expand your influence in a way that feels fun. [13 Minutes]
We share examples here of individuals who we know that have had an impact in their own unique, creative ways (listen to the podcast for more details!):
- Erin Gruwell – The founder of Freedom Writers, and co-author of “The Freedom Writers Diary” (linked below).
- Kara Lubin – Another teacher we knew from Southern California who saw the need for more movement with her elementary-school students, so she started the 100-Mile Club.
- John Zickefoose (Mr. Z.) – Encouraged literacy in the public library through “Mr. Z’s Story Time”.
- Caroline Duran – A law professor who uses much of her spare time to work pro bono for Hispanic Immigration Services.
- Mother Theresa – Dedicated her life to humanitarian work in India.
- Caroline Girvan – An online fitness trainer and founder of the Epic Program.
The beauty of service is that is comes is all shapes and forms. You don’t necessarily have to go out of your way to find it, either. Most of these individuals simply took something that was already a part of their daily routine—and then found a way to expand it to more fully serve those around them.
Some Closing Thoughts [3 Minutes]
We hope that these three principles we’ve discussed here today provide you with some food for thought. There are opportunities every day to leave a positive impact on someone else’s life, and we hope that this conversation encourages you to think about how you too can EXPAND your influence in your daily life and communities.
LearnDoBecome Invitation: Take a moment to think about where your talents and natural abilities could shine. Write down some of those talents, abilities or gifts that you have, and resolve to do one thing this week that uses them to shape a situation you are in to leave a positive impact on somebody’s day. And if you find this moment to be a meaningful experience for you, please feel free to comment and share it below!
Related Links:
“Anchor” Podcast on LearnDoBecome Radio
“Replenish” Podcast on LearnDoBecome Radio
“Invest” Podcast on LearnDoBecome Radio
“Structure” Podcast on LearnDoBecome Radio
The Freedom Writers Diary (20th Anniversary Edition)
The ARISE Interest List/Personal Assessment Sign-Up
Connect with LearnDoBecome! (This is our page that links to all our resources….)
Our STEP Introductory Training, “How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles”
Hi April & Eric! Thank you for doing all this! You are so encouraging! I want to thank my husband Terell for all he does. He was happy to have lots of kids. Lots of fun! Now Ben & Deb & 5 kids share our home. Lots of give & take. God brought each of our kids their marriage partner. Our newest grandbaby Hadassa is 4 months now! I am preparing to sew her a little blanket.
Keep up the good work! Marilyn & Terell Bowdoin
So proud of you, Marilyn! Sounds like you have lots of great things going on! We’re thrilled you’re here with us!
Oh MY GOSH! I absolutely loved that movie Freedom Writers and all the real life that led up to it! The other sophomore English teacher and I loved it so much that we fought for it to be one of the books we taught in our high school! It continued to inspire students through our studies! Watching the movie at the end of the journaling unit was a rare treat! I can’t believe you were there and knew her when it happened! Wow! It is a small world!
Kathie, I am so excited to hear that you have been doing such great work sharing the message of this book! It sounds like you are an incredibly engaged and encouraging teacher, as well! Sending a huge hug!!
And I put a photo on our FB page, if you want to check it out:
https://www.facebook.com/1563820340569604/posts/2960829687535322/?d=n
Thank you for this. Very encouraging.
Thanks so much for spreading a great impact!
I paid for the course. Is there a cost to the podcast? BTW I used questioning from this movie when working with the juveniles and young adults in jail detention. I used to ask them how many people they had seen killed, both in front of them or the bodies dumped. It was shocking to hear the results of that trauma. One that stands out was a young man that said he walked through a field where they would dump bodies on his way to get to school. Eye-opening just like she found in the story!
Hi Mary! I’m so glad you’re in our STEP program! The podcasts are extras here on the website and are open to the public for free! 🙂 I’m so glad to hear about the work you are doing to help others. The world needs people with compassion and understanding. Thank you for being here with us!
I was telling a story to the littlest members of our church, the story of the widow and the oil, an amazing story in the Bible (2 Kings 4) about a woman whose God-fearing husband died leaving them swamped with debt, and with creditors threatening to take her two boys as slaves if she didn’t pay. When she talks to the prophet Elisha about her situation, he asks her what she has in her house, and she tells him she has nothing – nothing but a bottle of oil.
I was thinking about this story as you were talking about Talents, Abilities, and Gifts. Sometimes what we have to offer can seem really small, not even worth mentioning. I so appreciate your encouragement in reaching out and expanding, even with the smallest abilities – writing letters, listening when people need to talk, remembering birthdays, seeking to help a small group of people surmount a struggle you’ve had yourself. That made me think of the widow, collecting all the big empty jars from the neighbors (maybe like the enormous needs of people, communities, or the world), and pouring from her small jar, having faith that God can multiply our smallest efforts into good for our communities, and that “you and your sons can live off the rest.” The blessings of reaching out are blessings to ourselves as well.
Thank you for your thoughtful content. It enriches my life everyday.
thank you for sharing this, Lea! We are so grateful for the goodness YOU are doing in the world, and we’re thrilled you’re here with us at LearnDoBecome!
I loved the story about Eric’s mom filling the box with goodies and decorating the outside with stickers and tape. I know she must get a lot of joy out of giving like that. It reminds me of the time I gave a housewarming gift of paper towels and sanitizer wipes by filling a box and decorating it with gift wrap paper and washi tape to edge all the sides. It was a work of art, but, with all the contortions in making it, it also should have been a video submitted to AFV. My husband said the gift was THE BOX.
Nanci, I love that!! Any chance you have a photo of it you could email to [email protected]?
Oh, sorry, it was years ago that I made the box. But I promise that the next time I make one I will email you a picture.
No worries! I just loved that story and thought it would be fun to see a picture. 😀 Have a great day!!