Why do we feel so busy? All these sections of our life (Relationships, work, hobbies, travel, celebrations, rest time) must somehow come together to create a balanced and fulfilled life. Problem is, we are not all process engineers, and life does not come with step-by-step directions. Too many random variables, too much emotion.
This lack of clarity led to me talking about ideas more than executing ideas. Questions like how can I balance time with my family, friends, have time to myself, travel the world, start a business and volunteer 8 hours a week to help my community? So, I broke it down. My weekdays are filled with a 40 hour day job, two weekday nights are absorbed by martial arts, at least one evening a week to grow my relationship and enjoy time with my girlfriend, household chores are there each week (Groceries, laundry, misc.), weekends include travel for adventure and travel to visit family and friends. Where is the time? The most concise answer is, it is there, but it comes at a price. What are you willing to sacrifice or give up? Time is not created out of thin air, it is consciously decided upon. At this point in my life, the activities described above are too important for me to give up. I decided to optimize my time so that more activities can fit into these tight windows. Necessity evokes creativity.
Giving back to homeless individuals or those struggling with finances, food, water or shelter is one activity that I have not prioritized enough. When I was in college, I had time plenty of free time to donate and little money to donate. There was no excuse for me not donating more time to just causes. I was on and off a bit with Habitat for Humanity but certainly did not make a noticeable impact. Short explanation, I chose not to sacrifice my free time. Lack of personal maturity and lack of empathy for others were the root causes for this period of inaction. In my present state, the free time has reduced significantly but the funds available to donate have risen. Now it is time to get creative. There are narrow windows in everybody’s schedule that can be filled with meaningful, impactful and efficient activities. My Girlfriend and I were tired of driving by homeless individuals in Metro Detroit near the freeways holding signs asking for help and not doing anything about it. We decided to set up a project and get these people some help. Reference our below project scope and limitations.
Scope and limitations
- Max monthly spend $50 between us two
- Max time commitment per month = 4 hrs per person, 8 hrs total
- Help the people we see on the spot, ensure that our resources go directly to their health and well-being
- Do the activity or preparation for the activity together (Grow relationship)
- Maximize impact
The above scope and limitations led us to the Loaded Gallon Bag idea. If you look it up on the internet, this is not our original idea. However, we tailored it to our specific needs and limitations. My girlfriend has a Costco membership, therefore we could bulk buy materials: Gallon plastic bags, bottled water, granola bars, snack bags, fruit cups, tampons / pads, socks, etc. And, everyone has access to Amazon.com, which ended up being the best source to bulk buy toothbrushes, toothpaste, and wet wipes. From a Purchasing efficiency standpoint we were set. Now, from a production standpoint, our engineering and automotive backgrounds served as the ideal foundation. We could lay out our materials and create a two-person assembly line to deliver all of our materials into each Loaded Gallon Bag. It only took us about a half hour from start to cleanup to complete 15 bags. After we produced the bags, each of us would store about five bags in our respective cars to enable seamless delivery to any individual in need that we came across. The process we built was affordable, sustainable and meaningful.
Michigan is a very seasonal state, with temperatures anywhere from 90 degrees Fahrenheit to (-15) degrees Fahrenheit, therefore we had to make sure we bought appropriate food that could stay fresh in any range of temperatures.
Small actions combine to make a large difference
It is easy to be deterred by the magnitude of social and economic issues. It begs the question, do the small actions actually make a difference? Yes. They do. Setting an example that inspires others to follow suit or create their own impactful initiatives makes a difference. Feeding one person in need makes a difference. Try this mindset instead, if no one takes action, then we will 100% not make any difference; and the issue at hand will remain or grow undeterred and unchallenged.
Glimmers of hope in Humanity
There is a human touch that delivering the bags personally allowed us to appreciate. It is a nuanced point, but i believe it makes a large difference. Each time we handed a bag to an individual they knew that we personally prepared it for them and that there was no incentive for us to do so besides helping another human. We were not volunteering for a company. We were not in uniform. We do not work for the government. It sends a message to people that hope, kindness and empathy are alive. That a stranger cares about their well-being. That even if you are in your worst moment, have caught a tough break, or made a bad decision; there are still people that care about you and want you to succeed in life. If nothing else, I hope that these random acts of kindness instill hope to those who may have none or to those that may have given up. The snowball effect is powerful. Maybe that one bag of food and water will give them the energy to begin moving forward and eventually thrive.
Lose as one or win as one
Our potential is boundless, I believe in humans. It takes conscious effort to assume the best out of people. Our country could use more of that. It is a unifying force. The best teams always believe that they can win, no matter the deficit or barriers to victory. Our country is a team of people trying to live the most peaceful, fulfilling, and enjoyable life possible. We must see the best in ALL of each other to make this ideal a reality. In the context of this article, each time you drive or walk by a homeless person, realize that you could also be in that situation. Realize that each person has different circumstances that they grew up with or that evolved over the course of their life. For fortunate individuals, it may take a series of several unfortunate events for you to become homeless. For less fortunate individuals, it may only take missing one paycheck, one medical bill, or one speeding ticket to become homeless. Do not assume you know others situations, just treat them the way you would want to be treated in their situation.
Action Request:
Action over conversation. Collaborate and plan to make things happen. For the Loaded Gallon Bags, we made it happen with a few prudent decisions: Split the cost by working together, reduce the cost by buying wholesale, reduce the prep time by assembling bags together, and reduce delivery time and transportation costs by passing out bags as we see individuals on the street. Use some of your free time to provide a meaningful benefit to anyone in need. Start small, solve a problem that you are passionate about, and scale up when the time is right.