How to Change the World

Let's face it, the world's a hot mess these days.  Bombings and killing's in France, Turkey, Belgium and Iraq.  Unarmed citizens being shot by the police and even the police are under fire in Dallas.  Add on the fact that the country gets to choose from two of the most unpopular Presidential candidates in history, and life's looking pretty bleak.


My Facebook feed is abuzz this morning with Monday morning quarterback's on how to change the world.  I've seen suggestions that range from the rational to the insane and everything in between.  Maybe they're right, maybe they're not.  I don't think I'm qualified to solve the world's problems as I am pretty sure the general Facebook user is not.  Oh, and one other thing to my Facebook philosophers:  If you can't take the time to spell out an entire word (ppl), are afraid people are loosing (yea that was intentional on my part) there (also intentional) minds or just simply cannot spell on a fourth grade level, I find it hard to take your advice seriously.


That's not my point here though.  Throughout all these Monday morning quarterback's there is one in common.  While everyone seems to have a solution, nobody can tell you what the root cause of the problem is.  The problem is we're filled with too much negativity and hate and we're always looking to blame others for what's going on.  Want to change the world?  Try changing your own first.


I ride my bike a lot these days.  Sometimes this takes me onto my local bike path.  The same bike path I used to run, when I was really a runner.  When I did run the bike path, I remember cyclists passing me without even an acknowledgement of my presence.  I always wondered if they truly were that miserable, in a pissy mood, or just rude.  I don't have an answer for that, but maybe they were just in the zone or worried about their own ride.  So when I realized my running days were behind me, I took to cycling.  So when I'm that cyclist now, even if I'm in that zone, even if I'm wrapped up in how my ride is progressing, I try to say "Good morning" or "Hi" to everyone I pass.  It's not hard, a quick smile and a hello.  Maybe that brightens that walker or runner's day. Maybe that's just enough of a lift to give them that push to finish out that last mile or so.


To me, that's the easiest way to be positive and that's what it's all about.  If I try to stay positive in my life, and you try to stay positive in yours and that inspires someone else to stay positive in theirs, then eventually won't everyone be positive?  If you're saying "You're nuts, that's impossible", guess what?  You're not being positive!


A friend of mine, and a fellow Eagle posted about being positive this morning because everything that was going on had her down.  Team RWB is all about positivity and I have to admit, some of the most positive people I have ever knows are my fellow Eagles.  It's refreshing to be surrounded by those kinds of people.


What happened the last couple days, in Louisiana, Minnesota, and in Dallas are tragic.  Who cares if it's a black life or a blue life or a violet life?  It's a life and it was taken too early. We worry too much about White, Black, Asian, Native American, straight, gay, or transgender.  We forget the one "label" we all have:  human.  So, if you're trying to prove that someone was a criminal or a racist or whatever, you're as much of the problem as anyone else. 


I'm not a religious person, but I do believe in treating others as you would like to be treated.  Guess what folks?  That's a positive thing to do!  Start with your world.  Treat others with respect and dignity.  If someone is different from you, that shouldn't make you want to withdrawal from them.  It should make you want to engage them and find out more about them.  That might start with a "Good morning" or a "Hi". 

How to Change the World

Let's face it, the world's a hot mess these days.  Bombings and killing's in France, Turkey, Belgium and Iraq.  Unarmed citizens being shot by the police and even the police are under fire in Dallas.  Add on the fact that the country gets to choose from two of the most unpopular Presidential candidates in history, and life's looking pretty bleak.


My Facebook feed is abuzz this morning with Monday morning quarterback's on how to change the world.  I've seen suggestions that range from the rational to the insane and everything in between.  Maybe they're right, maybe they're not.  I don't think I'm qualified to solve the world's problems as I am pretty sure the general Facebook user is not.  Oh, and one other thing to my Facebook philosophers:  If you can't take the time to spell out an entire word (ppl), are afraid people are loosing (yea that was intentional on my part) there (also intentional) minds or just simply cannot spell on a fourth grade level, I find it hard to take your advice seriously.


That's not my point here though.  Throughout all these Monday morning quarterback's there is one in common.  While everyone seems to have a solution, nobody can tell you what the root cause of the problem is.  The problem is we're filled with too much negativity and hate and we're always looking to blame others for what's going on.  Want to change the world?  Try changing your own first.


I ride my bike a lot these days.  Sometimes this takes me onto my local bike path.  The same bike path I used to run, when I was really a runner.  When I did run the bike path, I remember cyclists passing me without even an acknowledgement of my presence.  I always wondered if they truly were that miserable, in a pissy mood, or just rude.  I don't have an answer for that, but maybe they were just in the zone or worried about their own ride.  So when I realized my running days were behind me, I took to cycling.  So when I'm that cyclist now, even if I'm in that zone, even if I'm wrapped up in how my ride is progressing, I try to say "Good morning" or "Hi" to everyone I pass.  It's not hard, a quick smile and a hello.  Maybe that brightens that walker or runner's day. Maybe that's just enough of a lift to give them


To me, that's the easiest way to be positive and that's what it's all about.  If I try to stay positive in my life, and you try to stay positive in yours and that inspires someone else to stay positive in theirs, then eventually won't everyone be positive?  If you're saying "You're nuts, that's impossible", guess what?  You're not being positive!


A friend of mine, and a fellow Eagle posted about being positive this morning because everything that was going on had her down.  Team RWB is all about positivity and I have to admit, some of the most positive people I have ever knows are my fellow Eagles.  It's refreshing to be surrounded by those kinds of people.


What happened the last couple days, in Louisiana, Minnesota, and in Dallas are tragic.  Who cares if it's a black life or a blue life or a violet life?  It's a life and it was taken too early. We worry too much about White, Black, Asian, Native American, straight, gay, or transgender.  We forget the one "label" we all have:  human.  So, if you're trying to prove that someone was a criminal or a racist or whatever, you're as much of the problem as anyone else. 


I'm not a religious person, but I do believe in treating others as you would like to be treated.  Guess what folks?  That's a positive thing to do!  Start with your world.  Treat others with respect and dignity.  If someone is different from you, that shouldn't make you want to withdrawal from them.  It should make you want to engage them and find out more about them.  That might start with a "Good morning" or a "Hi". 

The Five Stages of Starting a Community

These are my five stages of starting a Team RWB Community:

1.  Excitement- You just started a new community!  You are so excited to get things going!  You search for a leadership team, lay awake at night thinking of all the great events you want to do and cannot contain your enthusiasm!  So much so, your family is sick of you after the first week! Your first event is a success and although only a few people turned out you know it’s going to be great!
    
2. Confusion-Your second event was the same people.  Your weekly events are just you or maybe one other.  What’s going on?  What am I doing wrong?  I know, let me change it up!  Paddleboarding, squash, yoga, running, OCR, rock climbing, biking, we should offer something for everyone!  Let’s do it all!
    
3. Frustration-Why are there not more people coming to our events?  Why was I the only one out running last week?  Why can’t I get the leadership team to communicate better?  Why is it always the same people who show up to everything?  We’re such failures!!  We’re the worse RWB community out there, I know it!
    
4. Hopefulness-Hey…who’s that new person?  Wait..three new people?  Holy $#%* we had 40 at our last event!  Is this finally working??  Are we doing things right? 
    
5. Acceptance-So we only get 12 per event?  Remember when it was only two of us?  I can live with 12, especially when I hear how much RWB has helped them.  Let’s plan on two weekly events now and stick to those events. 
    

This was a little tongue in cheek, but there’s some truth to it.  When you first start off, you want to do everything!  You plan event after event after event. You go to every one of them only to find out that in most cases, you’re the only one.  You change events for one or two people only to find out they don’t end up showing. 

What’s the key?  Opinions vary, and there's really no right answer, but here are some tips for those of you who are starting out or in your infancy:  

1.  Consistency:  This is the most common and I believe the most effective. YOU HAVE TO BE CONSISTENT! Do consistent events and ensure that at least one member of your leadership team is at every event and it will pick up. 

2.  Commitment:  If you are a volunteer leader, you made a commitment.  In any volunteer work it is too easy to blow off an event when something "better" comes up.  Stay committed.  If you plan an event, put that on your calendar and if anything else "comes up", your answer should be "Sorry, I'm already busy.

3.  Do what you want: Another piece of advice is plan events that you (as in the team) want to do.  This way if you’re the only ones who show up you’re at least having fun doing it! 

4.  Basics:  Stick to the basics, one or two weekly events a week and your numbers will improve. 

5.  Don't base success on numbers:  Sure you love seeing lots of people come out to your events but in reality, the norm is 10%, so if you have that amount coming out to planned events you’re doing well.  But don't get hung up on the numbers.  I live in a small state, so having 40 people come out to an event is huge!  However, if you lived in NYC or LA, 40 may be a slow day. 

The bottom line is who you are helping.  I would rather have five people at an event and 2 or 3 of those state how grateful they were that an organization like RWB is around and how it's helping them.  Enriching veterans lives is our business.  Whether that's 1 or 100, if you're making a difference in a veterans life, you're being successful.

Motivated!!

This weekend I was lucky enough to go to Philly and attend the Northeast Regional Leadership Summit.  This summit bring leaders (mostly Chapter Captains) from around the Northeast region to discuss our challenges, our successes and our way forward.  It's great to put names to faces and to re-connect with those you know.


I wish we could do these summits with everyone in a leadership position.  Not only is it great to bounce ideas off of others, to hear what works for them and to learn of the failures, but it really helps you understand what Team RWB is all about. 


There are hundreds of VSO's out there today.  I won't mention them by name, but I think we all know the bigger organizations.  So what is it that sets Team RWB apart?  I've pondered that so many times trying to put a finger on it.  All cater to veterans.  All are about bettering veterans lives in one way or another.  That's about where it stops.  Most are exclusive.  If you are not a veteran, you cannot join. In some cases, if you did not participate in a particular campaign you can't even join!  If you've never served?  Well, you can join the Auxiliary in some groups. Others you can't even do that. 


Then there's the question of money.  I am a member of another VSO and when I talk to them about Team RWB the first question I get is "What are the dues?".  I pay dues to be a member of this organization and I know there are plenty of others that do also.  When I tell them it's free, they look at me like I'm nuts. 


If I had to put my finger on a particular reason that Team RWB stands out from other VSO's, I would say it's the connections but I don't think that's even entirely accurate.  You forge relationships wherever you go.  As a member of another group, you can forge relationships.  But there's something special about the relationships you forge in Team RWB that are special.  I have no idea what it is, but it works. 


The picture above represents most of the 32 people that were at the summit.  Seven of those I knew prior. I left that weekend considering all 32 of them a comrade, a friend, a shipmate etc..  If any of those 32 needed anything from me, I would be there in a heartbeat and I know they would do the same for me. 


What sets Team RWB apart?  The simplicity.  It's the basic human connection.  That's all it is.  We're people, plain and simple.  No gimmicks or no catches, just positive people connecting to each other.  Positivity.  Try it and see how refreshing it is.

How We Help Others

One or more people in this picture are veterans.  One or more of these people suffer from PTSD.  All of these people want to help.  All of these statements are true.  One or more of these people pictured had anxiety when it came to doing things with large groups.  On their own they wouldn't venture out to do a 5K or even go to a large social gathering.  As a team, they can do it though.

That was my experience this weekend.  I was approached by a Team RWB member via email a while back explaining they haven't done anything because of this anxiety.  I told them that they are always welcome with us and when they were ready they could come out and do a race with us.  I mentioned a particular race, as it was smaller, and they agreed to come.  Not only did they come but they had a smile on their face and at the end of the festivities said what a great time they had and they would be back for future events!

That's what Team RWB is all about.  It's not about how much money we can raise (although money does help us do things) or how many people we can recruit.  Honestly, from a state level, I'd be fine with 50 members as long as I knew it was doing them good.  That is what we're all about.  Quality counts more than quantity.  If you've ever wondered how to make a difference, this is the way to do it.  I have been involved with multiple non-profits and other groups over the years and quite honestly, I cannot say I felt that I made a direct difference like I have with Team RWB. 

Our Unsung Heroes

As a veteran I get thanked for my service quite frequently.  Every day you turn on the news or listen to the radio and hear about our military heroes.  While I'm not trying to take away anything from them, we tend to forget other heroes in our midst.

Team RWB's mission is to enrich the lives of America's veterans.  To help them stay connected to their community through physical and social activity.  What's surprising is how much of our membership are people who have never served.

As veterans we tend to feel a responsibility to helping other veterans.  It's ingrained in us from day 1.  One reason I got involved with Team RWB was I wanted to give back to my fellow veterans.  Those that do not serve, in my opinion, don't have that obligation.  In the day of an all volunteer force, they can go about their lives and take their freedoms for granted. But these individuals don't.  They don't look the other way.  They don't think "it's not my problem, I never served" or "let the military take care of their own".  For whatever reason, and they are varied, they decide they must get involved.  Thankfully they do, because it's hard to connect veterans to their community without the community.

So I think we should take time out of our day to thank these individuals.  Thank them for becoming involved in something that they could have easily ignored.  Thank them for serving too.  Because that's what they're doing. They're serving our veterans just as our veterans served them.  For my civilian teammates:  Thank you.  Thank you for caring when you didn't have to.  Thank you for appreciating the sacrifices our veterans have made.  Thank you for YOUR service!

Sad News

Today started off with sad news:  My brother's dog, Orion, died this morning.  We aren't sure exactly how old he was.  Probably close to 12 years old is the assumption.  He followed one of my brother's friends (who was walking) over to my brother's house and then wouldn't leave.  Although he tried getting him to leave, he eventually gave in and took this flat coated retriever mix in. I often wonder if Orion knew what a great life he was given?  He seemed too the way he loved and adored my brother.

Pets, particularly dogs are such good companions in the home and out.  I love how they get you active to do things and these days can go just about anywhere with you.  While mine are not the best to run with (the random squirrel can be particularly dangerous if you aren't paying attention), I walk them every single day.  For some of us, that's the best way to get started on that healthy lifestyle again.  A walk with our four legged best friend.  They enjoy it, it's good for you and it's a great way to get that vitamin D! 

So I hope if you do have a dog, you're out being active with them.  If you don't have one, maybe that's a good reason to get one.