Giving. Its “me” down to a single word. In the fall of 2007, I read two books by Steve Farber, The Radical Leap and The Radical Edge. Both were required readings in a leadership class I was taking instructed by Timothy Johnson. In The Radical Edge, you’re challenged to list four or five aspects of yourself you feel strongly about. Then, like fine-tuning an analog radio dial, focus in on each frequency until you find the one that comes through to you in crystal-clear stereophonic joy!

I really struggled with this concept the entire semester. Some common themes occurred to me. In previous lives, I’ve been a Boy Scout, lifeguard, firefighter, and EMT-B. I adore comic book superheroes with a penchant for the Marvel brand (especially The Silver Surfer). I freely admit to having a hero complex. Words like “protector”, “hero”, and “leader” came to mind. But none of these felt right.

I continued to distill and ferment my themes over the next couple of months. I thought about past jobs - Which ones did I like? Which ones didn’t I like? Why? I thought about my heroes and mentors - Why did I admire them? What about them inspires me to be like them?

Somewhere along the thought journey, “giving” popped into my head. I started to run it through the various filters of my life. It started to fit. All of my hero worship stuff , the jobs I enjoy the most, the people I admire, all of them can be linked back to “giving”. And, like the bell off of Santa’s sleigh, it continues to ring true for me.

This blog will be a collection of my thoughts and observations on all things “giving”. Its a wide open topic which could include things like money, time, ideas, inspiration, careers, or help. If you have a suggestion for a post, feel free to email me or leave a comment.

Excelsior!