I feel like George Bailey from the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life (apologies to Jimmy Stewart for the picture). I swear I’m one of the luckiest men on Earth now, for two reasons: one, because I’m still alive after a car accident and, two, because the kindness I have been shown after I put out a call for help has been overwhelming.
Right after my accident, I cried because I was just lucky to be alive and unhurt. But it wasn’t long before I cried because of the willingness of others to help.
More than a few people said that they were willing to donate to help me get back on my feet because I had been a big help to them over the years as they read my blog or my tweets. They felt good giving something back for the value they got out of their relationship with me. I knew I needed to raise a chunk of cash quickly, or my family would be in big trouble. The words of these donors had given me an idea: I could do something that would be valuable and worth a donation. I didn’t want to sell something like a product at a fixed price.
I wanted to be clear this was me trying to pay it forward by giving others a chance to pay it forward. I would present a live blogging webinar on Ustream. That webinar is tonight, by the way, at 8pm Eastern time. You don’t have to donate to see it, but you can if you want to. I very much felt this had to be about giving and giving back, not buying and selling.
The Power of the Social Web
Well, word got out about this over Twitter and people even blogged about it. The help that poured in was unbelievable. Some people gave over $100, some gave a couple of bucks. The dollar amount didn’t matter as much as the “heart value” because I knew those small donations were all that could be given. Times are tight for many, after all. That made the small donations even more meaningful and precious.
This is a clear demonstration of the power of the social web, and how to live with it in your life: bring value to others and help others with no expectation of getting anything in return. I had no idea the response to my request would be this great. I only hoped I could get enough help to get through this. So far, I am, but it’s still very close.
You Can Change the World
Margaret Mead said:
Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
But I say that it really all begins with one person. How does a group create change without one single person making a decision and taking action? And what is social media but a hyperconnected group?
Being Good to People Matters
I doubt very much that any of this would have happened if I had been a selfish jerk to people. But because I try help others and provide value, people who know me have enough room in their hearts to have helped when I really needed it. And yet… I absolutely have no right to feel that I deserve this or that I could have just expected it to happen this way. These notions are paradoxically both true, and I think there’s a lesson here for everyone about how to be in the world.
You Can Still Make a Difference
There is still time to either help me because you want to, or to get a really great how-to-blog webinar for a price of your own choosing, depending on how you want to look at it. If you want to learn more about the situation before today, learn more about the webinar, or see a picture of my crashed Jeep, check out: How I Totaled My Car and You Get a Blogging Webinar.
Link for the Webinar
The live show will be on Ustream.tv at 8pm Eastern: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/remarkablogger-live