Philinspire…Now I’ve done it. I’ve made up a word! “But Sheryl, what the heck does it mean?”, you ask.
You want me to make up a definition too? Just kidding. When I was searching to name my speaking business… nay, my way of life… nay, my movement, I wanted to find a way to incorporate the concept of philanthropy as a way to improve your life. I wanted to find a way to explain how our actions and our words can inspire others to improve the world. Naked and screaming, Philinspire was born into the world. I want you to be inspired by philanthropy. I want you to be inspired to do philanthropy, and I want you to inspire others.
Did you just read the word “philanthropy” and shake your head thinking, “I’m not Warren Buffett, or Bill Gate, I have to look out for my own family.”? That’s probably true. The Warren Buffetts and Bill Gates of the world are donating on their scale. Let’s stop thinking about a philanthropist as someone who donates billions of dollars (although they are important too), and let’s start thinking of a philanthropist as anyone who donates his or her time, money, energy, and purchasing power (I will explain that later) on his or her scale. Does that seem a little bit more manageable?
I’ve been doing quite a bit of research on people who are changing the world. My favorites (so far) are Adam Braun, who started Pencils of Promise and Scott Harrison, founder of Charity Water. They are regular people like you and me. They identified a problem, shared that knowledge with anyone who would listen, enlisted the help of like-minded friends and family, reached out and made the new friends that could help them design a solution, and did it. To date, one has built over 400 schools for children in disadvantaged countries, and the other has brought clean water to over 4 million people. Not too shabby for regular folks.
This is not to suggest that you need to run out and start a non-profit (though if you do, that’s amazing), it’s just to show you that ordinary people can create change. While you may only be able to donate or volunteer on a small scale, your actions create ripples, ripples that turn into tidal waves, tidal waves that turn into tsunamis of world changing awesomeness!
This blog is designed to inspire you to want to change the world , and then to show you how (and make your life a whole lot better in the process). So buckle up, take some notes, and get ready to be Philinspired!
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