Motivation Mondays: COMMUNITY #mondaymotivation

“Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.” Anthony J. D’Angelo

Motivation Mondays: COMMUNITY #mondaymotivation

We must become bigger than we have been: more courageous, greater in spirit, larger in outlook. We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations but to our fellow-men within the human community. Haile Selassie

What does Community mean to you?  From the moment we are born, we become members of the community of our immediate and extended family, our socioeconomic connections, our neighborhood and religious extensions, and maybe a Virtual community or two. As we grow, we join school communities and other related groups that help us develop our skills and hobbies; all of these community connections continue to expand and contract throughout our lifetime. Without community, our lives become barren and isolated. Frankly, without some aspect of community in our lives, we perish. Why? Because no woman/man is an island that can survive alone. We need to be able to communicate and interact with others in order to nurture our minds and bodies, accomplish our goals, and build lifelong relationships.

By the same token, we need the support and encouragement of family, friends, and mentors to help us stay motivated and focused on our goals. While they can’t do the heavy lifting for us, they can spur us on with good cheer, tough love, and the occasional push to get us past our comfort zone. Beyond our family ties, our sense of Community helps shape and sustain our planet; without the presence of global and government entities, volunteer and socially responsible groups, and our individual effort, we would live in sheer anarchy. We do need everyone’s wisdom and contribution to survive, but it doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes, we join fractious communities with poor leadership and a lack of equanimity. The best thing to do is speak up and, if issues remain unresolved, either adjust your expectations or leave them and move on. In the long run, we are better off joining communities where folks are reasonable, supportive and fair.

A Story: The Wise Man
Word spread across the countryside about the Wise Man who lived in a small house atop the mountain. A man from the village decided to make the long and difficult journey to visit him. When he arrived at the house, he saw an old servant inside who greeted him at the door. “I would like to see the Wise Man,” he said to the servant. The servant smiled and led him inside. As they walked through the house, the man from the village looked eagerly around the house, anticipating his encounter with the Wise Man. Before he knew it, he had been led to the back door and escorted outside. He stopped and turned to the servant, “But I want to see the Wise Man!”
“You already have,” said the old man. “Everyone you may meet in life, even if they appear plain and insignificant… see each of them as a Wise Man. If you do this, then whatever problem you brought here today will be solved.” Zen Stories via Read.Goodweb

“Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It’s important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It’s the way in which we ourselves grow and develop.” Dorothy Height

Motivation Mondays: COMMUNITY #mondaymotivation

This October 24th, millions of volunteers across the nation will unite with a common mission – to improve the lives of others. In its 24th year, Make A Difference Day is a USA TODAY initiative, backed by the Gannett Company and TEGNA Inc. In collaboration with Points of Light, it is the largest national day of community service. Make A Difference Day Brochure

How else do we build community?  Are you familiar with UN Day and Make a Difference Day? Two upcoming events provided the impetus for this post: UN Day and Make a Difference Day; both of which fall on October 24th. What drew me to both is that their fundamental message is about SERVICE; offering service through building community and connections on a global, national and local scale. When we become focused on providing service to mankind and letting go of petty hatreds and divisiveness, we open doors to experience how the power and effort of the collective can create change. Regardless of where we think we fit in, our role in any community is to maintain the standards and expectations of the group, to serve/help others within and outside the group, and to keep it growing. When we move away from our original community, we take the skills we learned and use them to build new relationships in other communities. This chain of connections is also global because nations make connections with other nations/cultures to foster friendships, treaties and peace agreements. It is imperative that we learn to care about “our fellow-men within the human community.” How does this fit in your sense of community?

A Story: Serving Others
A Sufi teaching story tells of a man who prayed continually for the awareness to succeed in life. Then one night he dreamed of going into the forest to attain understanding. The next morning he went into the woods and wandered for several hours looking for some sign that would provide answers. When he finally stopped to rest, he saw a fox with no legs lying between two rocks in a cool place. Curious as to how a legless fox could survive, he waited until the sunset when he observed a lion come and lay meat before the fox. “Ah, I understand,” the man thought. “The secret to success in life is to trust that Creation will take care of all my needs. I don’t need to provide for myself. All I have to do is totally surrender to my all-sustaining Creator.” Two weeks later, weakened and starving, the man had another dream. In it, he heard a voice say, “Fool. Be like the lion, not like the fox.” Zen Stories via Read.Goodweb

The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for September and October are:

09/07 – LABOR & LITERACY
09/14 – POSITIVE THINKING
09/21 – PEACE/INTERNATIONAL PEACE
09/28 – GOOD NEIGHBORS/GOODWILL

10/05 – SMILE – World Smile Day
10/12 – DISCOVER – Columbus Day
10/19 – COMMUNITY – UN Day & Make A Difference Day
10/26 – FEAR – Halloween Day

More Below!

“The United Nations is needed more than ever at this time of multiple crises. […] At this critical moment, let us reaffirm our commitment to empowering the marginalized and vulnerable. On United Nations Day, I call on Governments and individuals to work in common cause for the common good.” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Motivation Mondays: COMMUNITY #mondaymotivation

UN Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations officially came into being. 24 October has been celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948. In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly recommended that the day be observed by Member States as a public holiday. UN Day

How does community building fit with developing motivation? Motivation doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Every effort we make towards achieving a goal requires some input from others. Whether we are aiming for a job promotion, a new home, increased earnings, new opportunities or even weight loss, we need the support and blessing of others in our community. When we commit to volunteering somewhere, we are making a commitment to help others build connections with us. When the UN Leadership gathers to discuss pressing world affairs and reach a consensus, they are building connections within nations and motivating us all to do same. When we work with each other, we become one global community working for the common good.

Since all our actions have a ripple effect, our peers, supporters and even detractors play a role throughout our journey; they can help us achieve or fail at our goals. When we are faced with enervating situations within a community, the best perspective is to see it for what it is … a molehill. We must speak up and address it, and if it remains unresolved, we must move on. We must stay mindful about our interactions and our time, and use them wisely. Because of the ease of travel and exposure to people of other cultures, we have access to a ton of resources that can be found within our local and global communities. Don’t limit your vision to just one tiny community. Expand your reach and connect with others outside of your own community. Forming new alliances helps us build connects with people of similar interests and temperaments while exposing us to a wider community base. I hope that throughout this week, you will make time to explore this topic and make it your own. As Paul Bloom said: “We are constituted so that simple acts of kindness, such as giving to charity or expressing gratitude, have a positive effect on our long-term moods. The key to the happy life, it seems, is the good life: a life with sustained relationships, challenging work, and connections to community.” Have a productive and motivated week!

A Story: The Boat of Life
The boat is coming to take me home because I have failed in my studies here at the monastery,” said the boy to his teacher. “What can I say to my family?” “Say that you did your best and that is as much as anyone can do,” answered the teacher.
“But I wanted to be a famous monk and teach others.”
“You can.”
“How?” asked the sad boy.
“Live from your heart. I will show you. Do you see that boat making its way across the lake with the sun setting behind it?”
“Yes.”
“Do you see its wake spreading across the lake? See how the boat looks like the apex of a golden triangle as the wake fans out from its bow.”
“Sort of.”
“Squint,” said the teacher. “That boat is you as you leave the monastery. The lake is your life. The wake is the effect that you will have on the world. Each ripple triggers another ripple, which triggers another. By constantly striving to live as wise and loving of a
life as you can, you can teach the path of love to everyone you meet simply by being yourself; a few of these people will pass on your good example to others. Thus the expanding golden wake of good works begets other good works. Most important, notice how each ripple catches the sun and bounces its light back to heaven…” “Would you come home with me and explain all of this to my father?” asked the boy. Zen Stories via Read.Goodweb

Positive Motivation Tip: Building a community is essential to living a full life. We owe it to ourselves and to everyone around us.

Motivation Mondays is open to anyone who wishes to share a motivational quote, photo, personal challenge or a post that encourages others to start the week on an upbeat note.
Basic Instructions: Each week, I will have a motivation word to help us create a response. (See listed words for the months above/below)
Email address: You may email or share your post as a comment and I will add it to the round-up of related posts. email it to: contact(@)mirthandmotivation(.)com
Category tag: – Share your post using Motivation Mondays
Twitter hashtag: – Use this on Twitter #MotvnM
Dedicated Page: There is a dedicated page for Motivation Mondays. It has the same instructions and will include other helpful tools and a link to the round-up
Facebook Page: MotivationOnMondays Join our page and add your post and/or any motivational piece you think will be helpful to others.
Facebook Community: We have a Facebook community forum to compliment the page. It serves as another way to share uplifting posts and thoughts. Please join in and add your voice.

Badge: – I created a fun badge using PicMonkey’s free photo editing tools. You can create your own, use WordPress’ integrated tool on your blog or you are welcome to use mine. (see dedicated page)
Tag: – Motivation Mondays
Hashtag: – #MotvnM

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PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS:  Zen Stories via Read.Goodweb  All Photos: UN Flag, Titan,  Wojniakowski Meeting in the park, Levittown, Street of Manila, Digging for tua tuas on Ohope Beach, Nuns clamming, Gathering of the Manna.jpg, Clerck Israelites gathering, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo via Wikipedia and/or from my Personal Collection.

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet