Sending what I like to call “helping hand cards” gives a way to exercise one of the noblest deeds we are capable of as human beings – providing assistance, encouragement, and support for each other. It is here that we witness humanity at its best! Just think about the heroic deeds that are performed in the face of a natural disaster where complete strangers roll up their sleeves and do what is necessary to help their fellow human beings.
However, it doesn’t take a natural disaster to render this kind of assistance. There are opportunities everyday, all around us to reach out and touch someone by offering them support and enouragement via “helping hand greeting cards”! Following is just a sampling of everyday situations where assistance can be offered, encouragement can be given, and support for a fellow human being can be rendered
Dealing with overwhelm
We all get ourselves into situations where we’re overwhelmed whether it be starting up a home business, taking on a project at work that proves to be “bigger than life”, trying to deal with the intricacies of raising and managing a family, or enrolling in a class that is more involved and complex than anticipated.
At these times the best assistance you can provide is to help the other person get focused. We get overwhelmed because we’re trying to do it all at once.
The most helpful advice you can give a person in the situation of overwhelm is to help them focus on taking just one step at a time; focus on just one thing and master that then move on to the next thing.
At times when I’ve been trying to help someone deal with overwhelm, I’ll often send them a greeting card which reinforces the focus on which they decided both via pictures and the message inside. I chose this card for the quote on the front:
“Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more.” – Louis Amour
Dealing with failure
One of the most difficult times in our lives is when we fail at something we were trying to do. The range of emotions generally runs the gamut from blaming others, to anger or depression, to putting oneself down, to making excuses, to just giving up. This is a delicate and difficult time to try to provide help, because often the other person just wants to be left alone.
One of the keys to providing genuine assistance in this situation is to help the other person gain some perspective and distance on the situation beyond all of the intense emotions connected with the failure.
The first thing I’ll usually do is send a greeting card letting the person know “I’m here for you!” and suggest that we get together to talk. Often what we need at this time is simply the support and encouragement of another person.
The message on the front of this card says:
“Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.”
Learning a new skill
In today’s rapidly changing world continually developing new “skill sets” is no longer an option – it’s become a necessity, especially in the world of business. For me developing internet sales and marketing skills was one area where I needed lots of help.
What helped me the most was to try something on my own then have someone who had mastered the skills I was trying to acquire critique what I had done and then “model” for me how to make corrections.
The particular mentor I’m talking about spent 30 minutes with me on the phone having me talk through what I had done and helping me see adjustments I could make that would get me better results.
He then followed up our phone call with a series of 7 e-mail where he reinforced the advice he had given and provided additional information.
As I reflected on this much later in my home business career I saw how I could “model” his “modeling” with a twist; instead of an e-mail series I now send greeting cards to reinforce my advice and provide additional information. I know that receiving a card in the mail will have a much greater impact on the other person than an e-mail which could easily be ignored, deleted, or end up in their “junk” e-mail folder.
Starting a new project
There is probably no time when we need to know that support and help is available than when we launch a new project. We’ll often find ourselves in over our heads. At this time it is critical that we find someone we can just “bounce some ideas off of”.
This little card which I included on the home page says it all. Inside the card I’ll include some kind of message that first of all congratulates the other person on starting the project and let’s them know that I know they can do it!
Secondly I make sure they understand that I’m available to help them in any way when and if they need it.
A few weeks into the project I’ve often set another card asking “How’s it going?” This card never fails to prompt a phone call where we have a chance to talk about the project. It helps the other person know they’re not alone!
There are tons of other situations where people need help, encouragement, and support. Just open your eyes and ears and you’ll find them all around you every day.
Test drive the iCare Cards system HERE! Find out how you can use it to help, encourage, and support people in both your professional and personal life.
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