Young entrepreneur Danielle Woodard shares a story about how she moves to Seattle and increases her business by giving the Gift.

Life Lesson #1

Random Acts of Kindness
(SELFLESS)

This seems like a perfect place to start a book for my daughters. Be nice to people. But more important than that, be nice to people without expecting anything in return, that’s the tricky part. Especially in today’s society. Everyone is dialed into W.I.F.M. “What’s In It For Me?.” It seems like everyone is keeping score…whether it is an actual scoreboard, or a mental checklist, tit for tat of who did what for who last…it just goes on and on and on.

I learned a powerful lesson that I will share with you now. I hope a fraction of that power touches you.

I was a Combat Medic in Operation Desert Storm. I was in Iraq at the time of this story. We were operating just behind the front lines, and there were several POW’s (Prisoners Of War). That were injured, sick, and hungry. There were a lot of POW’s that were not in the Iraqi army officially. They were civilians and had families just like you and I. They were handed a weapon and ordered out of their homes, without food, or water to walk about and “defend” Iraq.

There was one Iraqi civilian “solidier” in our care, that had gangrene on both of his feet. He had wounds on his feet from having no shoes, cuts from shrapnel, and the sand infecting the wounds etc. He sat upright in a chair. No one wanted to deal with him. He was NASTY. He spit at us. He hollered. He glared. He was scary. I made Kool-aid, and tried to give it to him, he threw it at me. Over several days, there wasn’t anything we could do to make him happy.

We went about our business, dressed his wounds etc. I had a friend that collected war trophies (gas masks, boots, etc.) Early one morning I heard that Mr. Nasty was being transported I went to my friend and asked if he had any boots. HE DID! So I ran to Mr. Nasty and knelt down grabbed his foot all gauzed up to hold it up to the boot to size it up just to see if it was it the ball park….it WAS! IN THAT MOMENT, when I lifted up his foot to see if his foot would fit the boot and he realized what I was doing there was an instant transformation to gratitude towards me as he immediately started crying. He was bawling. Not a tear, I am talking full out, bawling…shaking, pulling out his wallet, showing me his kids pictures.

Then just a moment of silence. He grabbed both of my hands and held them both in his. And I cannot describe how that moment of gratitude felt. I know that I want you to feel it someday. And I want you to make someone else feel that way too.

I know I will never forget the look in his eyes. I know in my heart he remembers that day too. From that day on, I learned how important it is to do random acts of kindness no matter how big or small. Remember that.

Be selfless.

Stacy L. Rosas

Who could not smile sharing a perfect day in Hawaii with others?

I live/work across the pond from Seattle – in Kitsap County. My business mission statement requires structured giving, and I personally do my my best to always pay-it-forward. The fruits of giving do come back… forever surpising me – sometimes in truly amazing ways.

Since starting my travel business from zero in 2006, unanticipated fruits of giving have literally sustained me and my business… often falling from the sky when visible support for the path ahead was looking very shaky at best. I attest: “giving truly is magical”.

My challenge is receiving. I have slowly gotten better with this concept, but my difficultly receiving has held me back from attaining a hoped for level of happiness and success. I have been able to see and touch that place, but not yet fully grasp it.

I have been following CNP for a while now, and in reviewing the stories and blogs in relation to the upcoming “Gift” event – it suddenly donned upon me that what I lack is an active like-thinking/being support group – in both my life and business.

I have been doing my gig remotely for years from my home-based business here in “the wilderness” of Hansville. Although I get out locally to professionally interface with others weekly, I have slowly become a professional virtual hermit.

I perceive this event as an opportunity for me to re-connect, pick-up some good energy, work on my receiving issue, and hopefully give back in kind. Thank you each for investing the time and energy to create this opportunity for myself and others to meet and mesh. My attending will be a significant “receiving” event in/of itself – from which I am certain my giving will be further energized.

I look forward to meeting the four of you and the many others in attendance. It has been a long time away.

Neal

Thach shares a story about giving The Gift for 8 years. And the joy of now having the opportunity to work with someone he’s developed a relationship with year after year!

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Excerpted from a post on The Contribution Networking Party (CNP) site by Deborah Drake on March 10, 2010

Today I saw an email from Thach announcing the forthcoming event in Seattle as well as a request for Success Stories on the Law of Contribution. And I am compelled to share, for especially in this current economy with unemployment rates published at about 9-10% in Washington (meaning the reality is more likely double says one Business Advisor friend of mine), to hear of someone gaining employment and an ideal situation at that, feels good to report. This is VERY TRUE Story:

Our characters are:

Me: who is naturally inclined to be helpful and loves the CNP community for its very existence and stated goals.
Julia: newly unemployed and interestingly, by choice, wondering what now: more school or new work?
Anand: a new acquaintance whom I am cultivating a business alliance with
Raj: a business acquaintance of Anand’s whose a seasoned entrepreneur
Paul: Raj’s right hand man in Operations
And last but not least Tyler: a peer of mine in a class we were both attending

In January I was about to complete one course I was taking with Tyler and about to commence a new class that would include Julia, whom I had also registered for the course itself. Tyler provided generously all his classmates with tickets to a VIP party that was happening the night before the big Seattle Boat Show began. And I was excited to attend and invited my friend Anand to accompany, hoping to introduce him to those I might meet that I already knew were coming.

Julia had shared with me as we were registering her for her upcoming class, that she had recently left the PR firm she had been with for over 18 months to re-evaluate exactly what she wanted to do next and for whom. I offered to her that I would pass along her resume should I hear of a suitable fit. And most importantly I asked her what she wanted most or what she knew she didn’t want. She did a great job of identifying both and that was a key ingredient as well.

The night of the VIP party, I recall joking to my guest, I bet I meet someone I know in the first 30 minutes, for this was often the case for me. After 10 years of being friendly in Seattle, I feel like I know and know of a lot of people. Well this night it was my guest who ran into an acquaintance of his in the first five minutes of our perusing the glorious yachts and boats at the show. And so I was introduced to Raj and Paul and cards all around were exchanged after a very pleasant conversation.

A week later I was having coffee with Paul and it came up in conversation they needed to hire a person who sounded just like Julia…so I made a simple introduction on February 4th. And to make a long story a little bit shorter, she called me Thursday last to inform me she had been offered the job and it fit her wish list just right and she was starting Monday. And last report from her and Paul was that day #1 went great and there was much to look forward to.

I shared this with Tyler when I saw him last night as well and told him his role was equally important and it all began with his generosity. I hope I get to make connections that result in concrete goodness for many more people this year.

We just never know what our little introductions and additions to people’s lives will produce do we?

May we all make a grand connection for someone today that is but the first ripple in the pond.