I’ve made it! A whole Year of Doing Good Deeds!
On 16th April 2013 I began reading A Year Of Doing Good by Judith O’Reilly, from the very first few pages I decided to see if I too, could do at least one Good Deed a day. A year sounded an awfully long time, and I was half way through the 2013 A to Z Challenge, so I kept quiet and challenged myself to make it to the end of April. I would then assess how I had done and how hard it might be to carry on. I made it to the end of the month and decided to write posts about my deeds, that way I was a little more committed to following through with the challenge. Weekends were slow for blog views, so I decided to post a weekly round-up on a Sunday. I was amazed that within a couple of weeks I had people following my deeds and also being inspired to do their own challenge. I’ve made a great friend in Harula at Words that serve, she lives way up in Scotland, but each week we look forward to reading each others posts and we’ve built up a great supportive relationship.
Let me ask you a question or two;
What are you doing with your time here on earth?
Why are you here?
Recently I’ve read Saving our Pennys Roy Dimond and Jeff Leitch. There’s a little scene in the book during a lesson that I’d like you to think about. You could be lucky enough to have 36500 days of life if you live to be 100. So how many of those have you lived so far? And what have you done with the days that you have has so far that have made you proud? If, like me, you had a little shock as to the number of days that have already gone by, then I urge you to think about what you’ll do with the days that you have left (An unknown number for most of us, I assume) Use your days, be sincere, be genuine, take nothing for granted, treat others well, treat yourself well, BE GREAT.
I couldn’t agree more with the following lines;
Slow down, make choices, have a purpose in life.
Ask not “What are you going to do for me?” But “What can I do for you?” It’s much more rewarding to ask the second question.
It took me 322 days of this 365 day journey to find out why I was doing this. The answer came in Roy and Jeff’s book.
Judith O’Reilly said of her own experiment to do a “Year of Good Deeds”, that it didn’t work. BUT IT DID! It inspired me and others like me, and every single deed she did had a ripple effect in the universe, caring is all it takes, caring and deciding to make a difference.
So what did I achieve in my year?
This year I have reached out and touched so many lives, I have read and reviewed books, promoted authors and writers, provided guest interviews. I’ve picked up litter, baked cakes, sent letters, given flowers. I’ve donated books and clothes to charity and I have given my money to many good causes. I’ve made visits and helped people, I’ve made time for others, I’ve invited people into my home and I’ve provided food, peace and a listening ear.
So what will I do now?
Well……. I’m going to keep on doing it all! And I’ll continue to record my Good deeds because for every person I reach out to, I make a connection and cause a ripple effect.
I need to write down my deeds to keep me going, I am not a saint I am still a child of the Universe and I make mistakes, I stumble and fall, I have my days when I need to off load, I find myself moaning, but if I have learnt to be aware of the words that come out of my mouth, and if I am reminded by my cause, then I can choose to change and keep making a difference. I will be on that rollercoaster of life because I interact with society, I have a family and a job, and I, inevitably, will succumb to the speeding ride of life. But I know where the brake is and I know I can choose to pull that brake and step off the ride, slow down and live in the moment. I have the potential to keep making a difference.
Will I have your support for the rest of my journey? Have you been inspired by this post or by any of my weekly posts during my challenge? Do you think I should carry on? Do you think I’m making a difference to the world?
Rosie Amber 