By Denae Jones – 

I was sitting on the back deck with my laptop the other day, working on an article. My six year old walked over and sat on my lap, so I started scratching her back and typing at the same time. She said, “How do your hands do so many things at once?” Then she started listing the things she has seen my hands do. She said, “They always hold my hand. They color with me. They drive the four-wheeler. They toss ball with us. They hold me in church. They pray with me at night. They fix my hair….” As her list got longer, my eyes got teary. My little girl was observing all of the ways my hands had touched her heart. Nowhere in her list did she mention that my hands did practical things like cleaning the house, or pulling weeds, or mowing the grass. Not the things I had to do. She noticed the things I chose to do. The things that will make a difference many years from now.
As her list kept growing, it got me thinking about how many different hats most of us wear. We all have different networks of colleagues, acquaintances, community, family and friends. It’s really nice when the stars align and the core values of each of those things have common ground. I’m fortunate that the people that I work with are my friends, and the businesses I work for (Community Savings Bank and Money Concepts) are great servants of the community. I know I’m in the right place when I can look around and see solid, humble evidence of where the hands of our bank have been. In the schools, churches, community picnics, parades, ball fields, festivals, marathons, scholarships, and quite literally getting their hands in the dirt at a horse farm they donated to serve our community. I see evidence that they’ve not just been doing the things they have to do, but going above and beyond to do the extra things that they have chosen to do to help others.
At a conference a few weeks ago, Denis Walsh, CEO of Money Concepts, spoke about authentic leadership. He said there are four categorical truths. 1. Every child is deserving of love and respect. 2. We are all children of God, so every grown person still deserves love and respect. 3. Every engagement with another person can be a sacred event if we take time to recognize the divinity and integrity in one another. 4. We are here to add value to others.
He went on to say that we should be kind to ourselves, impeccable with our words, careful not to judge, and to be authentic as we love and serve other people. He was speaking of both business and of life. Money Concepts is one of America’s fastest growing private companies for a reason. Whether in business or outreach, they put others first. Their reps support charitable events across the country and the globe, not for recognition, but because it’s the right thing to do. There is evidence of their hands serving countless people. I am thankful for both of my workplaces for setting a great example for others to follow. Although they are in the business of finance, they know that a person’s self-worth is not based on their net-worth. Some things are just worth believing in.
The day that my daughter sat in my lap naming all of the good things my hands have done for her, I went to bed wondering if my networks of colleagues, acquaintances, community, family and friends could say I’ve done the same for them? Have I reached out to help before anyone had to ask? Used my hands to comfort, teach, praise, and labor? Have I used the gifts I have been given to serve others? Have I recognized the integrity in those I speak with? Is there evidence that my hands have chosen to go above and beyond? Have yours?
This week I challenge you to think about what you do now, or what you could do better to serve other people. What kind of list could others make of your hands reaching out? Not just the practical things. The things that will make a difference many years from now. The things that touch someone’s heart.
Have a blessed week, friends!