When people hear the word philanthropy the first thing that comes to mind is money—obscene Bill Gates kind of money. But it doesn’t take a fat stack of cash to be a philanthropist. All it takes is the willingness to say yes, yes to your neighbor, yes to your favorite nonprofit, yes to your local club, yes to your aging grandmother. Just saying yes, to everything and anything that won’t put you in a bad position. That’s what makes a philanthropist. You may be wondering what in the world this has to do with disabilities, but I’d argue that it has everything to do with disability and living a fulfilling life despite daily struggle.
Having any sort of a disability tends to leave a person focused on lack. What you can’t do, wish you could, don’t have, and wish you did. Focus on that lack and you will always feel lacking. We also have a propensity towards self-centeredness. It’s the nature of the beast. Missing the most basic control over one’s life tends to have you over compensating where you can. It leaves you hyper-vigilant over what you can control, hence the self-centeredness. Don’t get mad yet…we need to be that way. It’s functional. For some of us, our caregivers are our hands. We have to communicate our wants and needs, but sometimes, we can take it too far. Combine this need with nagging thoughts of lack and you get a nasty negative stew. The best way to combat this is to give.
Many people are of the mind that you can’t give what you don’t have. This mindset infects people with mental and physical disabilities as well. I imagine many wonder how they can give when they can’t even take care of themselves or how they can give when relegated to social security or something of the like. The truth is, we all have skills. We all have a bit of time or some extra coin in our pockets. The willingness to get involved and give what help we can offer to someone in need, or a cause we care about, is what makes the best philanthropists. The ones that help their aging neighbor get their groceries in. The ones that donate ten dollars a month or volunteer a few days a week. It’s those people that keep nonprofits going. Most nonprofits work towards the betterment of society and many will in turn, help you.
My favorite quote from Eckhart Tolle is “Suffering has a noble purpose, the evolution of consciousness and the burning up of ego.” If life keeps chucking lemons at your head, then start squeezing. You’re still here right? You’ve survived. Make something good come out of it all. Don’t let your suffering be for naught. Use it as fuel for positive change instead of an excuse for self absorption.
For me, giving of my time is even more important than money. It allows me to experience connection to my passionate about. It allows me to be in contact with, and immersed in, communities of like minded people working towards positive change. For me that is horses and equine therapies. Take your ikigai and use it to direct your philanthropic activities (For those of you who haven’t read my post about finding your ikigai, you can find it here). Marrying the two together will give you a powerhouse of positive change in your life. All that passion and joy will spark your willingness to give and the next thing you know you’ll be all “This little light of mine. I’m going to let it shine,” all over the place.
I started volunteering when I was asked to sit on the board of my local nonprofit therapeutic riding program, Rhythm of the Rein. A fabulous program filled with a core group of dedicated supporters. After seeing an article about me competing in my first show with my Dales Pony, Trotter, founder Dianne Lashoones gave me a call and asked if I would be willing to serve. It was one of the best things I could have done, not for the program, but for myself. That was the start of my involvement in volunteering.
At first I had nothing much to offer but my time. Over the years I have been able to recognize my strong points and develop skills needed to be of service whether it be through college classes or self learning. My involvement has branched out into a few different organizations since. I went from sitting on the board of Rhythm of the Rein to chairing it. There, with fellow board members, we have an active role in making sure organizational overhead costs stay low and client service stays high. With diligent work we became the first Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) certified therapeutic driving program in the state. A friend, and fellow driver, and I founded another nonprofit called Winning Spirits (Also inspired by the first article) which helps disabled drivers wishing to compete. Competing in combined driving is a costly venture for able-bodied drivers, that is even more so for those with disabilities on a fixed income. I have also gotten involved with my local riding club. I manage each program’s web page, organize clinics, secretary events, create newsletters, bake, give money when I have it, whatever is needed that I can manage.
I tell you this not to glorify my accomplishments, but show you that everyone has something to bring to the table. Everyone can be a philanthropist. Giving to those in need takes your attention off yourself and leads you to moments where you can feel gratitude for what you do have. What you can do. Your life becomes filled with greater purpose, and thoughts of lack become increasingly fleeting. The act of giving freely without thought of personal gain allows the giver to experience the same positive benefits as the receiver. It’s twofold and opens you up to attracting more positive experiences in your life. There is a great movie called The Moses Code that explains this perfectly.
Helping someone else is the very best way to dropkick yourself out of a funk. Think about it, it’s hard to be concerned with yourself when your knee deep in someone else’s figurative hole. Just imagine what the world would be like if we all helped a little more? If we stopped thinking of ourselves and started teaching the next generation to value giving, instead of the rampant materialism, we see now. It’s the willingness to say yes, to strive towards philanthropy, to the extent of your ability, that will keep your life rich in every manner of speaking, no matter what life chucks at you.
