How Did I Contribute?

This is the sixth in a series of 13 questions designed to help you capture the best from the past year. To learn more about this project and to download a tool to help you with your process for completing this year and starting next year more successfully, check out this post.

Here's today's question:

In what ways did I contribute?

My goal with this post isn't to brag or boast about the ways that I contributed in the past year. Though you won't likely be answering this question in a public forum like I am (but if you are a blogger reading this, I'd love for you to join this series in some way!), your goal isn't to be boastful or self absorbed either.

We all can contribute in many ways - we can give of our time, talents, thoughts, and treasures - any and all of these gifts can contribute to the lives of others in meaningful ways. I encourage you to think about this question from the different areas of your life, remembering the contributions large and small that you have made over the past year.

One way that I, my family and The Kevin Eikenberry Group contributed this year was to provide 2700 "I am Remarkable!" wristbands to elementary and middle school kids in Indianapolis public schools this fall. These were distributed in backpacks for these kids by the great folks at Jireh Sports during their Back to School Blast.

It is our hope that these bands serve as a reminder, and perhaps, for some a realization, that they truly are remarkable.

Asking yourself today's question is critical to giving yourself a more balanced view of your efforts and results in the past year. Perhaps this question will be easy for you to answer, or perhaps it is among the harder ones I have posed to you so far - either way, your list is impoortnat, and the relative ease in answering might give you a sense of your focus in the past.

If you found this hard to answer, consider how to be of service in new and different ways in the coming year (or even yet today).

Today along with the core question of your contribution, consider the following corollary:

"What was the impact of my contribution?"

Your answers to these questions will help you get out of yourself and into a perspective of service. This perspective will serve you as a leader, member of any community, or in any part of your life.

Labels: contribution, questions, reflection

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