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I ride my bike to fitness classes every week at 5:30am (until the snow blankets my town in the onslaught of winter). It’s only a few miles away, but I enjoy pedaling before the traffic steals the beauty from the morning.
Recently, a woman at the gym who witnessed my post-class helmeting routine, offhandedly commented, “I don’t understand why you ride your bike here when you don’t have to.” While the irony of her comment was not lost on me at a 6:00am fitness class that neither of us was required to attend, it did make me wonder… Why do I do anything that I don’t have to?
I discovered some answers when I stumbled upon an article by The Atlantic columnist Arthur C Brooks entitled, “To Get Happier, Make Yourself Smaller.” In the article, Brooks references research that concludes “fixating on our importance makes us miserable” – we are constantly worried about people judging us. As an alternative way to experience the world, Brooks recommends three ways to get happier:
Quiet Service is the heartbeat of mentoring! We intentionally contribute to someone’s aspirations without any hope, agenda, or expectation of reward or recognition. As I surrender to the inevitability of this holiday season, I’ve generated a list of ways I can quietly serve others:
Last week, CBS Sunday Morning featured the Thundergong festival, an annual benefit that provides prosthetic care to amputees. Since 2017, the fundraiser has paid for over 2,000 prosthetics! During the interview, festival founder and host Jason Sudeikis (of Ted Lasso fame) reflected, “To do something you love with people you love to make a difference for someone you may never meet. I wish that [experience] on all of you!” © 2025. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved. |