By: Noelle Lambert
New Year, New Me Mindset.
It’s officially 2019! If you’re reading this right now, think about all you have to be grateful for: eyes to see, education to read, knowledge to interpret, the gift of free time to do what you please (which happens to be reading this article, thank you!) and the blessing of seeing another year begin.
It’s not uncommon this time of year to hear people speak of New Year’s Resolutions and what way they want to “better themselves” in the New Year. Society has almost groomed us to believe we need to partake in coming up with a way to improve ourselves with the start of each New Year.
My question is: why do we feel the need to start each New Year thinking about ourselves? Don’t we do enough of that already? Just think, on an average day we pick out an outfit for ourselves in the morning, eat meals throughout the day that we enjoy, partake in habits we created, work a job that we applied for and connect with friends that we chose. The last thing we need to do is to start each New Year by thinking of more ways to make life about us.
I hope we can all see the beauty in helping others. It just so happens that when we lose ourselves in serving others, we actually find ourselves in the midst of it. The more we give, the more we receive! I believe the biggest misunderstanding that anyone can have is to believe their life is theirs to do whatever they please with. Living with that type of mindset can lead you into an egotistical lifestyle and it easily distracts you from what your calling really is, because we all are here for a purpose.
I do believe we should be mindful of our habits, our lifestyles and ourselves, always bettering ourselves to make the world a better place. However, I believe we should get in a habit of thinking more of others and less of ourselves.
This New Year, instead of thinking of how much weight you want to lose, how many countries you want to travel to, what job promotion you want to achieve or what you want others to think of you, try changing your mindset to think of how you can help others. Maybe your New Year’s Resolution can be to volunteer once a week at a local non-profit, donate all your unwanted clothes instead of throwing them in the garbage, giving your recyclables to a homeless individual so they can get the money for them instead of you getting the money for yourself or simply cooking a meal for a needy friend every so often. Think of how much more we can do for those around us and even those around the world!
One thing I have felt called to do in my life is to help those in need in Africa. I don’t know why specifically there, but it’s been a calling I have had for most of my life. I’ve sponsored a child in Kenya, got involved with another organization that helps people in need in Africa, and since I specifically feel called to help those in Africa suffering from a lack of clean water, I recently decided to start a fundraiser through an organization to raise money to bless people in need in sub-Saharan Africa with fresh water.
After plenty of research, the organization I started my fundraiser through is The Water Project. The Water Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that unlocks human potential by providing reliable water projects to communities in sub-Saharan Africa, which suffer from a lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation.
My fundraising goal is $12,000, which if reached will fully fund a water project in a needy community in sub-Saharan Africa, allowing them to receive a fresh water well and learn proper sanitation skills. If I do not reach my fundraising goal, the organization will take all that I raised and put it towards helping as many people as possible in sub- Saharan Africa receive fresh water.
I simply cannot imagine lacking access to clean water and it breaks my heart knowing that is a reality for some people.
If you feel called to get involved with this fundraiser, please join me in helping others and donate to my fundraiser online at www.TheWaterProject.org/community/profile/noellescfw. Any donation will help and I thank you in advance!
If you don’t feel called to do so, that is okay! I really hope you search your heart to find where you are led to serve and then in response to that, serve in that area! May this New Year and all our years to come be filled with gratitude, selfless acts and true happiness!
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