Years ago, I had an office in San Francisco. As was typical for a day at the office, at lunch time I decided to go down to the street and order a sandwich at the corner café. While sitting down to eat my deli-sized sandwich, a homeless man walked in front of me. I expected him to approach me, but he headed straight for the trash receptacle and started rummaging through the garbage. I tried to focus on my lunch, but the image of this homeless man only 10 feet from me would not leave my mind. At least two times, I attempted to grab my sandwich and start eating but the front and center image of this hungry man would not go away. I looked down at my sandwich and was about to take a bite and again stopped. I just couldn’t muster up the selfish will to eat in front of him. Finally, I made a decision and wrapped up my sandwich, walked over to him, and extended my arm to him with the sandwich in my hand. With his head still hanging over the receptacle, he looked up at me and then slowly extended his arm and hand to meet mine and took the sandwich. He thanked me and then left with sandwich in hand. I never ran into this man again but his look while accepting my small gift made an impression on me that day. I’ve stopped to help more people since that experience and the more I do it, the more I feel I’m not doing enough. People like this homeless man should never worry about where their next meal is going to come from. Every person deserves the chance to feel safe, have purpose and the motivation to be productive in life. Their day should not be focused on digging through garbage to find some sustenance. People like this man should feel supported by someone, whether it be family, friend, or even a stranger to have the opportunity for a better life. Like it or not, we were all put on this earth together and I believe for a reason to help each other.
Most of us are fortunate enough to never experience a life of being homeless. That gift alone should be something we value every day when we wake up knowing we won’t want food, shelter, or safety. I am not promoting the concept of entitlement, because I personally believe that a person being given everything without a means to become self-reliant will never be happy or have self-fulfillment. The more we are capable of helping ourselves, the more we will feel compelled to help others. What I do want to promote is the importance of giving with a purpose, but at the end of the day, when we see someone in need, we should just do the right thing and offer a helping hand.
I’ll share one quote from my book, The Power of Strategic Influence: “Have a go-giver attitude. When you arrive at a position of success and influence, make the conscious decision to transition from a go-getter to a “go-giver.” – Gary C. Laney
Please share a “Give Back” story!
