Volunteering's Ripple Effect Volume XV

Dreams Come True

All breakthroughs start with a vision, a dream

(continued from Volunteering's Ripple Effect Volume XIV, Issue 864 September 21, 2021...)

I was now in my third year of volunteering as a Sunday Speaker for the Michigan Council on Alcohol Problems, in churches across southeastern Michigan. I was serving on the Board of Directors of John Wesley College in Owosso, MI and volunteered to conduct a weeklong "How to Sell the Sales Course" training program in London, Ontario for Dale Carnegie careerists. Participants came from all over the country, Hawaii, Wisconsin, Alaska, Illinois.

In July of 1974, our family moved into our Village of Beverly Hills dream home. The house included drapes that cost almost as much as our first house! Headwaters of the Rouge River ran through the back of our three acres. There was a quarter acre of roses, twenty fruit trees, and an in-ground swimming pool for the boys. We kept pinching ourselves to be sure we were awake. With our bedroom windows open, we could hear water tumbling over the wonderful waterfall on our river. We loved the fireplaces in the master bedroom, living room, and basement recreation room.

We'd been settled in for less than six months, when our Regional Manager from New York sat in our living room and told us the New York corporate office wanted me to take over the franchise in Rockford, IL. It was an "about time" surprise. Of course, I had wanted my own territory, but Rockford? I'd never even heard of Rockford, IL. This was a big decision. We prayed about it, talked about it, asked Ralph Nichols and other trusted confidants for their input. Finally, I said, "If that's what Dorothy Carnegie wants us to do, we'll do it!"

I hit the ground running. This put in motion, new places for me to volunteer. I began by conducting free refresher training programs for the Dale Carnegie graduates, even before we established our office.

Our "dream home" was back on the market, and we were looking for a new house in Rockford.

The lesson I learned from this experience is people who influence my future path are watching, even when I least expect it. They are evaluating my potential, my character, and the future contribution I can make.

The action I call you to take is to give your absolute best in everything you do. Play full out. Don't hold back until it really matters. Know that you are always practicing for the future and a bigger, better job for tomorrow.

I promise you, others will come to you and open the doors that need to be opened wide for you to step through into your ever-expanding career.