All I Need Is A Really Cool Flag

A former student of mine posted this today on his Facebook Wall:

Happy Columbus Day! I think I'll celebrate by storming the neighbors house and claiming it for the good of the cul-de-sac. All I need is a really cool flag.

He made me laugh, and I noticed someone else wrote back that he would also need a horse and a small ship. Others added to the list and on a lazy Monday, it made me think of what we need to do to really make things happen.

One of the highest read pages on our website is, "Why Do I Have To Pay To Volunteer?" People read it because they truly do want to connect the dots on why they are volunteering their time and also paying a fee and in some cases paying for a visa and an then there's the airplane ticket and all the rest that goes with volunteering abroad. Others go to that page to see if there are any hints on fundraising, or maybe ideas on how to volunteer for free.

Everything I ever really wanted and could not have immediately, started with a photo. I literally will photograph what I want, or perhaps find a photo in a magazine or newspaper and rip it out and then I'll tape or tack it to a wall in my office...or in my bedroom where I'll see it when I turn out the light and see it when I get out of bed each morning. I take a photo of the photo and make it my wallpaper on my iPhone. My eyes see the photo of what I want all day and well into the night. My brain sees it too. After a time, it's mine.

*Disclaimer: Obviously there are limitations. It has never worked for me when I put a person's photo up. And if I see a photo of a hungry child my brain won't cure world hunger. But it might help me figure out a way to do my part.  I'm just sayin'...

I had a goal sometime ago to climb one of Colorado's "fourteeners."

1. I took a photo of Pikes Peak. It's in Colorado, and the summit is 14,110 feet (one of the smallest fourteeners in Colorado) and I looked at it everyday. ( You can take a look at one of my old Blog posts about hiking up Pikes Peak.)
2. I added to my photo by taking a walk or a hike several times a week and I tried to make my hike more difficult each week so I was getting in shape physically. Looking at the photo all the time was getting my mind in shape too.
3. Depending on the time of year you make the assent of your mountain, begin to purchase the gear and put it by the door you use to come in and out of your apartment or dorm room or house. Make a list of items you'll need and tape that up next to the photo. Check off each item when you get it, and the date. Add it to the pile. And so on.

Maybe you want to volunteer in Nepal or run a marathon. It really doesn't matter. See a photo of it everyday. Your mind will see it...even when your eyes are closed. And you'll literally make it happen. Your mind will find a way.

I'd love to see your comments below, telling me how this has worked for you. And sharing what you have taped up to the wall right now. A lot of people don't leave comments, but I hope you will. They don't all have to be about volunteering abroad.  (Sometimes it's nice to write outside my chosen genre.)

So I guess this forces me to share what I had up there until recently.  That's me, the old guy, standing in front of a building in Greenwich, CT.  102 Greenwich Ave. to be exact.  That is where I started doing this work over 30 years ago and I wanted to show my kids where I started.  I'm heading off to China in 3 days, and it's always emotional at my house when I take off for an extended trip.  2 of my 4 children are small, and young enough to miss Dad when he's gone awhile.  And so it was important after all this time to carve out time in a day when I could drive them to Greenwich and share those beginnings with them.

So put a photo up and even if you have to leave it up a long time...as long as you have it there, it's important to you and you'll make it happen. It might be just like a long hike to the summit of Pikes Peak. As long as you enjoy the journey, it's worth the wait.  And take a really cool flag with you!