Community
1. Get involved as a volunteer
There are lots of volunteering opportunities out there. Look for things that appeal to you, things you have done before, things you are good at or things you’d like to try. It could even be the start of a new career path for you.
2. Support local businesses
Local businesses are an important part of local communities that are always under pressure from bigger national and multi-national competitors.
The best ways to support local businesses is to spend money with them, but there are other ways to help:
3. Tidy up
Small things like litter picking and gardening can help to make your local area a nicer place to live for everyone.
Keep Britain Tidy help connect #LitterHeroes to organise clean-ups in their communities, but there’s nothing to stop you organising your own using real life contacts or social media.
If you spot bigger issues in your community - like graffiti, fly-tipping, fly-posting, potholes or abandoned cars – you can use Love Clean Streets to report it to your local authority and get it sorted out.
Family
Admit mistakes. It would be foolish for me to claim my parents have been perfect. They aren’t. But when they make a mistake, they humbly admit it. And work to fix it.
Appreciate teachers. My mom worked a number of jobs while I was growing up ― including being a teacher. From her, I learned to appreciate the time, energy, commitment, and care that teachers show every day.
Assist your neighbor whenever possible. Everywhere I’ve lived, my parents knew our neighbors. More importantly, they recognized their needs and assisted when possible.
Attend church. Worship has always been important to my family. Then and now.
Be a good friend to find a good friend. Healthy friends cultivate healthy friendships. And my parents taught and modeled what it means to be a good friend to others.
Be content with little. There were numerous times growing up when money was tight. Nevertheless, my parents were content in it.
Be content with much. There were also times when the bank accounts were healthy. Even more impressive, my parents were content then as well.
Be humble. We have nothing to prove. But we have everything to offer.
Be open to criticism. We never stop learning, growing, and changing. My mother and father were always open to being challenged in new ways.
Be quick to help. If a need in the community was articulated, my parents were among the first to be there. They set a healthy example from the very beginning that life is not all about getting… it’s about giving.
Care about the right things. Our lives and resources are finite. And you just can’t care about everything. Seek to care about the right things.
Care for the fatherless. My parents provide, protect, and care for the orphan and the fatherless. And if there is a greater compliment to be given, I’m not sure what it is.
Celebrate holidays with family. Even when we lived far away from extended family, I always remember making it home for the holidays as a kid. And as an adult, I still do.
Choose the narrow path. Many will choose the broad, well-trodden path. My parents never did. Their values always dictated their decisions even when they were unpopular.
Come home for lunch. I distinctly remember my dad coming home from work each day for lunch―usually for a hot dog on bread with chips. Let me repeat that, I always remember my dad coming home from work for lunch.
Commit to your spouse. My parents have remained faithful to each other in every possible way for 40 years. I can’t thank them enough.
Compete but remain fair. Competition runs deep in our family. But so does fairness. And I’d hate to have the first without the second.
