I swear the day goes by so ridiculously fast when you are working on things you love to do. The days I spend my time trying to help others and give back in meaningful ways literally fly by so fast that I’m always blown away to look at the clock and realize the day is nearly over.
What I love more than anything is doing things that help others to excel. And more than that, I love doing it alongside other people who love helping others as well.
Today I spent time learning about the great work Shelaine Maxfield is doing through the Younique Foundation https://www.youniquefoundation.org/ a charity she and her husband Derek founded which helps women who were sexually abused as children or adolescents to regain their self-worth and self-confidence through inspiring help and healing. Shelaine shared with me that 1 in 4 women are survivors of child sexual abuse – ONE in FOUR! That makes my heart hurt to hear. And women who’ve suffered abuse that don’t seek counseling and/or support end up struggling in many other aspects of life as a result. Shelaine’s desire is to help these women to excel in their lives because she realizes that for every one woman they can help they will really be helping that woman’s entire posterity…what an impact they are having!
Tomorrow I get to spend time with Mark Holden, another amazing person who is doing incredible things in the area of criminal justice reform. Mark has helped launch Safe Streets and Second Chances https://safestreetsandsecondchances.com/ , a foundation that combines academic research, policy reform, and evidence driven-programming to help prison inmates re-enter society with skills that allow them to go to become self-reliant, productive members of the community. Their goal is to safely reduce prison populations, crime, and recidivism rates, resulting in improvements in public safety and decreased spending. Another tremendously important work that has huge impact. Here’s an awesome quote from Mark that was cited in an article that exhibits his amazing character: “I fight for criminal justice reform because it is the right thing to do morally, fiscally, and constitutionally,” Holden added. “I also believe strongly in God’s word that all human beings, including those who make mistakes, are worthy of a meaningful second chance. Through the power of faith and restoration, we can make the world a safer place for families and communities and give people, especially the least fortunate among us, an opportunity to fulfill their God-given value and potential.”
Can you see why I love being around these caliber of people who are all doing such great and work?! It’s awesome! Now if I could only have more days in a week and more hours in each day to spend with every one of the incredible people out there who are doing great work! I LOVE IT!!
~Amy Rees Anderson (author of the book “What Awesome Looks Like: How To Excel in Business & Life” )
