'A HAND UP' HELPS MAKE DREAM COME TRUE

If you ever get the chance to visit with someone directly involved with Habitat for Humanity, they are very adamant about the mission of the organization.

"We don't give hand outs," they'll say with poignant tone – almost unexpectedly defensive. Then they'll flash a huge smile and say with pure unsolicited confidence, "We offer a hand up."

I LOVE IT!

I got the opportunity to see this first-hand during a recent Habitat Build in Dallas.

Two weeks ago, e-Partners in Giving rallied six volunteers to help with a mid-week Build. (These individuals were true all-stars for sacrificing and giving back on a Wednesday morning and afternoon.) We helped frame the house, plywood the roof, install hurricane brackets, and anything else the foreman asked us to do.

Here are some photos (click here to see all the photos):

Exactly 10 days after we were on the job site, I got to return for the dedication of the house and see one family's life completely changed forever when they handed them the keys to their new house. 

It was awesome!

The new homeowner said, "This is a dream come true."

I wanted to share a couple pictures from the dedication, and a general bio on the family.

(click to enlarge)

Final thoughts: If you are looking for a non-profit that has the potential to tug at your heart strings every single time you volunteer – whether you are raising money or hammering a nail – this is a tremendous organization.

I feel blessed and humbled that I played a part in Semert's dream coming true.

NEVER STOP GIVING BACK!

BLOGGING ENDEAVOR GETTING DIFFICULT

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is post No. 6 in a week-long blogging initiative.

I’ve decided that small, easily digestible nuggets of thoughts and information would be the best way to blog heading down the stretch of this week-long experiment.

BTW: Blogging everyday is tough. I will definitely return to once a week – if not every other week – after the last post.

ONE MORE HOMEMADE GIFT
I can’t show you photos or even tell you exactly what my brother made for his homemade Christmas gift this year, but I can say this:

IT ROCKED THE HOUSE!

Hands down, he made the most elaborate gift in the history of our 10-year tradition. There was no “cry factor” involved, but there was a definite “kick-butt factor."

The reason why I can’t give you all the details –I’m trying to talk him into producing more and actually selling them. (His gift was that dang good!) I’m doing a little legwork for him right now to see if he can get this side business up and running.

I will share some of the “construction”

logistics with you:

• He said at least 40 hours of labor went into it;

• He said there were 18 trips to Home Depot.

We exchanged gifts with him and his wife Koleen just this week. Thanks to his remarkable gift, we definitely closed out the Christmas holidays with a BANG!

e-PARTNERS GETTING SOME INK
I recently received the most recent edition of “The Director,” the official publication of the National Funeral Directors Association.

This particular issue was a look back at the NFDA Convention in Orlando, and right on the cover – literally front and center – was a photo of the e-Partners in Giving staff.

The camera captured us attending the convention’s “Party with a Purpose,” which benefitted Habitat for Humanity.

The GREAT part of that exact same photo – it was used THREE other times inside the magazine.

We did receive some legitimate PR in the story about the convention’s Habitat build. Here are the excerpts:

“… Rounding out the NFDA team was the staff of e-Partners in Giving: Drew and Tanya Myers, Stefanie Lewis and Denise Martin.”

“When asked, team members quickly agreed that, if given the opportunity, they would be honored and eager to volunteer again for Habitat for Humanity. In fact, e-Partners in Giving has partnered with the Habitat chapter in Fort Worth, Texas, and is helping to raise the $56,000 needed to sponsor a build.”

“Drew Myers of e-Partners said, ‘I’m hooked on Habitat. It’s a tremendous was to give back in more than one way. There’s the financial aspect, but there’s also the rolling up your sleeve and breaking a sweat.’ Myers and his crew look forward to bringing their Orlando experience to the Fort Worth build.”

STARTING TO READ INTO IT
I just want to say thank you to all the people who have recently suggested books for me to read.

I am really in a rhythm right now – mixing in audio books in the car and flipping pages during meals and before I fall asleep.

I’m currently reading/listening to two tremendous books (both recommendations):

• “The 4-Hour Workweek” by
Timothy Ferriss is a funny, but poignant prose about taking control of your life and truly living.

I was just identified in the book – a person who “works just to work.” I’m starting to realize that’s not a good thing.

• “Hot, Flat, and Crowded” by Thomas Friedman takes a hard look
at the planet and how we’re
impacting it.

One review on Amazon.com captured it perfectly: “Friedman writes on world population, the increase of the global middle class, and the growing energy crisis. All of this has contributed to a world that is in desperate need of an energy solution. The thing I like about Friedman's approach is he's optimistic and he's practical.”

I’m currently reading a chapter about “energy poverty” in Africa and Asia. Very interesting and eye-opening.

Please keep the recommendations coming. (Reminder: I have 843 days to read 189 books.)

BACK IN THE BLOGGING SADDLE

Advice: Don’t get behind in your blogging.

It’s been several weeks since I sat down and penned a post. (If it weren’t for a couple extensive airplane trips, it probably would have been a lot longer.)

The reason why I encourage you not to fall behind – it’s borderline painful when you start again. It’s a lot like running. You can be burning up the pavement for 20 miles a week, but if you take significant time off (three or four weeks), a 3-mile run seems like cruel punishment.

The underlying question – in both instances: Where do I start?

I’ve decided that small, easily digestible nuggets of thoughts and information are the best ways to ease back into this new-found hobby (when is comes to running…a lot of walking tends to help):

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

We continue to move forward with our start-up process. We are finalizing our web site and have already started developing partnerships within the death-care industry.

Reminder: We want to make memorial giving as easy as possible.

We attended the National Funeral Directors Association meeting in Orlando and had a VERY positive response in regards to what we’re trying to accomplish.

Besides developing partnerships, we continue product development and have started doing research on securing additional capital.

I recently had an initial sit-down with the Small Business Development Center in Tarrant County. I probably should have had that meeting months ago, but I’m still excited about working with its advisors.

MARKING THINGS OFF MY LIST

I have marked several things off my “Attacking Life” list of 101 things in 1001 days. (I’ve also tried to document each “accomplishment” with a photo.)

Here are some of the items that I have been able to cross off (to see the entire list click here):

• No. 29 (Help build Habitat
  Humanity House)
  
• No. 43 (Participate in “Yoga Flow in the Japanese Garden”)
  
• No. 49 (Vote in a Presidential Election)
  
• No. 94 (Watch a football game at the “Horseshoe”)

Here are some 

of the items that I’ve started:

• No. 27 (Accumulate 1,000 volunteer hours). I have already posted 82 hours in 96 days – that puts me just a tad behind schedule
  
• No. 45 (Participate in regular Bible Study). I’m in the middle of a men’s fellowship at my church. The course is entitled, “Winning at Work and Home.”
  
• No. 93 (Read 200 books). I have read/listened to seven books to date. I’m currently reading “Hot, Flat, and Crowded” by Thomas Friedman and starting to listen to "Art of War" by Sun Tzu. (Are audiobooks cheating?)
  

Here are some of the items that I see coming down the tracks (I’m anticipating them to be crossed off before the end of 2008):

• No. 7 (Attend a Bikram Yoga class)
  
• No. 36 (Make Christmas cookies for my neighbors)
  
• No. 74 (Start customer service blog)
  

‘CHANGE HAS COME’

I was amazed at the Facebook Wall Posts after Obama was officially projected the 44th President of the United States. What amazed me more than anything was the significant discord and anger amongst my “friends.”

Words of disgust and hate overshadowed an historic day in the United States of America.

I made only one Post: “Drew hopes this
election inspires change. One man was elected president – WE must be the change, though.”

I don’t pretend to know if Barack Obama is going to be a good president, but I will say that America is paying attention right now.

As I was sitting in the Philadelphia airport, our new President-elect was holding his first news conference since the election. I won’t say everyone in the terminal was reading the closed captions on the TV monitors, but there were a significant number of people glued to that television.

Ironically enough, as I was scanning the crowd – wondering how many people would be paying attention if George W. Bush was holding a news conference – I saw a teenage girl walk by wearing her trendy Obama T-shirt.

As I watched his election-day speech from Grant Park, I said this to my wife, “I can only pray that he is able to build on this excitement that he is generating in this country. Right now, he has tremendous momentum working in his favor.”

ARE YOU WONDERFULLY GREAT?
I was checking in at the Pittsburgh airport recently, I heard a conversation between a customer and a ticket agent that stopped me cold.

The customer was a middle-aged gentleman with a mental disability. When the gate agent asked how he was doing, he responded in the most genuine tone you can imagine. “Wonderfully great,” he said with a smile. (It was almost like he was thrilled she actually inquired.)

I couldn’t help but smile, too.

When the ticket agent was assisting me, we briefly discussed the dialogue between her and the gentleman. We both agreed that if anyone asked either one of us the rest of the day, we’d both be “wonderfully great.”

As I walked away from the ticket counter, I wondered why everyone can’t always choose to be “wonderfully great.”

STOP THE 'OBNOXIOUS SHAM'...BE YOURSELF

I’ve always been told that I would be a good salesman. I’m not exactly sure why … I think it has to do with the fact that I am 100 percent certified in the art of BS.

The more I think about it, though … I guess I have successfully “sold” things in my lifetime.

• As a recruiter for the TCU football team, I “sold” a tremendous school, the chance to get a great education, a winning head coach, and a quality program.

• When I was dating, I had to “sell” myself. (Thank goodness Tanya purchased all of that stock, because the quality “selling points” were somewhat subjective.)

• When I worked in the newspaper industry, I constantly had to “sell” a story idea and/or designs to my editors.

With that experience – plus my certification in bull sh** – I never would have imagined the anxiety and apprehension that was waiting for me when it was time to start selling for e-Partners in Giving.

I think it had to do a lot with this statement:

“I don’t want to screw it up.”

So, I put a lot of pressure on myself.

I bought books on selling techniques.

I Googled “selling tips.”

I wrote out detailed dialogue for conversations.

EXAMPLE:
(Note: You have to read it with the most stereotypical robot voice you can muster to get the full effect.)

“Hi. My name is Drew Myers.
(pause)
I am the president and CEO of e-Partners in Giving.
(pause)
We are a brand new company…blah, blah, blah.”

I would wake up in the middle of the night – constantly thinking, “It has to be perfect.”

I wouldn’t eat, because I was too busy pacing around the office/house “practicing.”

I was a mess.

Then I received some of the best advice of my life.

It came from our Director of Giving, Stefanie.

I had asked if we could meet over lunch so she could hear my speech, and I don’t know if it was the robot voice or the apprehension spilling out of my eyes, but she said the most profound statement in the world at that moment.

STEFANIE:

“What are you so worried about?

Just be yourself – be Drew!”

It was like she gave me my life back with two simple words that I’ve known and tried to live by for 99.9 percent of my life: “BE DREW!”

Now, I simply remind myself every morning to simply be myself and attack the day.

Stefanie’s advice has become a lot more relevant lately, because I’ve seen this statement on more than one occasion: “You need to be branding yourself.”

I guess the market saturation of blogs, social networking sites, and online professional networks has made “Brand U” a hot topic.

Here is my brand: What you see is what you get! (You can brand a cliché, right?)

I feel like it’s more important to be authentic than something or someone you're not. (That includes posting pictures of myself with my mouth wide open – that’s how I’ve taken pictures since junior high. That’s me. That’s me “being Drew.”)

This is an excerpt from one of my favorite books. (The page has been “dog-eared” for years): “Be natural! The only way to be somebody is to be yourself. Trying to wear another’s personality is as unnatural as trying to wear his teeth, and just as nauseating. A comical, obnoxious sham!”

What’s ironic about that statement: I’ve been called obnoxious MANY times in my life.

Just think how obnoxious I would have been if I wasn’t being myself.

OTHER NUGGETS

THE LIST: WORKING ON No. 34
(No. 34 Serve on the board – or as an advisor – for a non-profit organization)

I am discussing this potential opportunity with the executive director of Frog House, which is TCU’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity.

e-Partners in Giving has submitted a proposal to Frog House in order to take part in its efforts for the 2008-09 school year. We have a meeting later this week to finalize the partnership, which includes a possible advisory position for me with their fundraising team.

I sat in on an orientation Saturday, and I was blown away by Habitat for Humanity as an organization and the TCU students in charge of the project.

A representative from Habitat came to the meeting and reinforced that “Habitat for Humanity is NOT a ‘hand out’ to these families. It’s a hand up.”

I love that!

OTHERS GIVING BACK
I’ve had several “blog readers” share how they are giving back – through donations or volunteering. I want to keep hearing about ALL these efforts.
Not only does it warm my heart, I firmly believe that sharing these stories helps motivate others to give back.

• Donna Biasatti, a friend who works at TCU, is volunteering at Cook Children’s Medical Center.

• My sister, Susan, told me this weekend that she wants to be a part of our Habitat for Humanity Build build.

• Coach Gary Patterson and his wife Kelsey donated 150 brand new

T-shirts to Presbyterian Nigh Shelter through Coach Patterson’s foundation.

QUOTEBOOK

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson