Why do you act on your compassion?

Our complexity is awe inspiring. We can be full of rage one moment and engage in selfless sacrifice the next. Let's camp out on the latter extreme for a moment.

What motivates you to act on behalf of another who has experienced misfortune?

Was it the example of Mom and Dad caring for those in the neighborhood? Mom set an extra spot at the dinner table because your friend's parents were going through a nasty divorce. Mom knew a bit of normalcy was needed to help your friend to get through the night. Dad fixed the air conditioning unit for the widow down the street and saved her the repair costs.

Have you been on the receiving end of compassion and looking to pay it forward. The teacher noticed your struggle and stayed late each night for the entire semester, to ensure you passed. The stranger that didn't hesitate to cover your grocery bill when you were a couple of bucks short.

Do your holy scriptures promise eternal gains for the compassionate effort? You recognize the immeasurable grace that has been received, and out of this overflow, you look to care for those you encounter. In light of this truth, the action is natural.

Are you counting on the boomerang of good karma to someday return? The idea of what comes around goes around holds out the promise that the compassionate investment today will yield the gifts at just the right moment. This cumulative effect will protect you from the falling piano or deliver the helpful tow truck driver that "just happened" to be driving by when you punctured a tire.

Not listed above?

What is your reason?

Compassion doesn't come free; it requires an investment of your resources. Just as we consult with our investment advisor before shifting our retirement nest egg, consider why you are investing your other resources. The good news is that investing in compassion will pay a substantial yield beyond dollars and cents.

Going Further: How many motives can you identify in your compassionate acts this year? How have your reasons changed since youth? What motivations did you pick up from others? What motive brings the most happiness? What compassionate actions deliver big results you can immediately see?

What have you sacrificed for your ambition?

sac·ri·fice. noun
An act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy.

What is it that you are giving up? When the perfect partner came into your life,  was it the time with the fellas at the bar or girls night out? Did the newborn beat out all other competition? The latest job includes intense pressure to produce and requires more hours at the office and family time is set aside?

Frank discussion is the intention, not guilt.

I ran a handyman business on the side for seven years. Family discussions about late evenings or entire weekends away to make extra bucks were difficult.

I tried to make the most of the opportunity by bringing my son along to spend time with him, teach a trade and work ethic, and the need for another set of hands. Recently, he was reflecting on the experience and stated it would have been nice to take a weekend off each month vice working every weekend carrying drywall or solving plumbing issues.

Weekends at home were rare. Driving through neighborhoods, I would witness dads throwing a ball with their sons in the backyard on a lazy Saturday afternoon and would long for the same opportunity.

Anything of great value includes a sacrifice, and the fruits of our ambition demand nothing less.

What is the downside of your ambition? Clueless about the latest TV shows and movies? Is the beer belly shrinking due to less time at the local watering hole? Missed birthdays or weddings? Carrying bags under your eyes from a sleep deficit?

In hindsight, some are easier to justify than others. No one ever said changing the world is easy or painless.

Going Deeper: What ambition proved to be worth the sacrifice? What is your process for making the determination to give yourself wholly to your idea? What did you learn from an ambition that didn't turn out as desired? How does this experience inform your future

How does your ambition make a generous connection?

Who benefits from the fulfillment of your ambition?

Your generosity and willingness to make a connection vice a mere transaction will pay huge dividends, eventually. This mindset forces a change in primary metrics. Gone is the need to check for likes every 30 minutes.

I struggle with this shift. I am a product of now and addicted to the quick dopamine fix delivered by the positive affirmation.

Now the discussion turns to questioning how did my ambition help others. The focus is looking outward. What is the surprise and delight factor vice total dollars spent? How can we serve the need today and build trust for tomorrow?

Bridge cables work in unison and through multiple connection points to create a useful imposing structure that adds value. Multiple strands combine to make one cable and one connection. Each customer or fan interaction strengthens or weakens this connection by another strand.

The bridge requires every connection to keep your travel safe. You and I have a choice to pursue this same consistency or not.

How does the investment of your time on this project ensure connections are established? 

What resources do you apply to reading?

Before Amazon came along, I spent a lot of time and money in the bookstore. After Amazon came along, I would buy a cup of coffee at the bookstore and a lot of money at Amazon. Jeff Bezos's master plan flawlessly worked on me.

No matter the gift card stash, books cost money, and are an investment in your future self, and it is important. The thought that you could glean several years of life, instruction, enjoyment,and inspiration reading the words on a simple page, is enticing.

The time it takes to find the book can be merely a moment with a "1-click buy" on Amazon or a more detailed search of the local used bookstore. I have put out-of-print books on my Amazon wish list and waited several years for delivery.

The hard-earned cash that you spend with a quick swipe of your card or dropped on the counter openly proclaims what is important to you. Voting with the money you earned by trading your life for cash, to buy this book, loudly proclaims this collection of authors written words is a priority.

The moment of truth arrives as you open the cover and peruse the book, How we spend our time and the things we devote our attention to are a reflection of the person we have become. You get one life, and you have chosen to spend it with this collection of dead trees with some ink spread across the page.

As the back cover is closed and the first read is complete, a decision must be made; must you keep the book? Just as a grocery store only has room for a specific number of products, your library can only hold so many versions of the written world. My office bookcase is proof that I would rather error on the side of adding to the library vice giving away the resource.

The logical question to answer becomes, is it worth trading your money and precious life to read this author's words? I am grateful and humbled that you have made it this far in the post.

Going Further: What did you learn from these books? How did it meet your expectation? Will you read more from this author? How did the author surprise and delight you? 

How does your dream provide service?

I know you want food on the table, kids in college and a little bling on the finger, but how does fulfillment of your dream serve others? Does realizing your dream primarily build the empire for you or does it have a primary mission to provide service to others and fulfill your dream along the way?

This inquiry surfaced when Tim Ferriss discussed life lessons with Shep Gordon, an influential manager to many in the entertainment and celebrity chef worlds. He has been near to the famous and those that have lost their way during the last half century.

Shep sees his life as a manager, as a way to serve his clients and fulfill the vision they have for their career. He has resisted the temptation to make his career primarily about his success, but recognized serving was the way to make the greatest impact.

You pour creativity and innovative energy into the vision you have that will change your world. The blood, sweat and tears, late nights, and missing the kid's sports games to turn this dream into a tangible asset you can hold in your hands. The sacrifice is real, as you juggle the responsibilities of life with those you love and the lives you seek to impact the lives at the other end of the Internet.

The time spent in penthouses and fancy cars is no doubt fun, but the opportunity to significantly impact another life is an awesome privilege. If you are reading this, you qualify as one that can impact lives through love, care, empathy, and service.

In your pursuit of making a positive impact in the lives of those around you, you will be taken advantage of, and you will be wronged. This doesn't mean it is not worth the risk. The privilege that comes with the opportunity to pursue and realize our dreams is great and must be used for good.

Going Further: Is service part of your dream? How can service be realized while pursuing the dream? How do you intend to provide service to others through realizing your dream? What is the worst and best outcome on others when your dream is realized? How will you tip the scales for the best outcome? What question was missed?