What’s in your bucket?
That’s a question I sometimes ask my audience when I’m speaking, depending on the event and topic I’ve chosen to speak on. When I’m talking about buckets, it’s usually followed by an hour presentation in which I share my story and challenge those who hear it to think about how they choose to live their lives. I had the opportunity to challenge the group at the Oswald Company when I spoke to them last week. The feedback that I received was that my message was quite effective.
Another bucket and challenge, that’s also been quite effective, especially in recent weeks, is the Ice Bucket Challenge. By now, I’m sure most people have heard of it, a lot probably having also partaken in their own challenge. Basically, it involves having a bucket of ice water dumped over you in order to support a charitable cause. Lately, that cause has been to support ALS. Dousing oneself in freezing water might seem silly to some, but it’s been rather quite effective, raising over $53 million this year compared to $2 million during the same timeframe a year ago.
The recent wave of support for ALS has been attributed to a movement that was started to support Pete Frates, a former Boston College student. I’d encourage you to watch the ESPN interview, which recently aired, highlighting the challenge both he and his wife, and the thousands of others living with the deadly disease, have been forced to confront.
I’m happy to see that this challenge has also generated monetary support for research and not just a bunch of entertaining videos (some of which are very funny, by the way). Eventually, the ice bucket craze will fade away, but hopefully the support for ALS research and awareness will continue to be at the forefront of people’s minds. One can only hope.
The same can be said for spinal cord injuries, cancer, heart disease, lupus, and the many conditions and diseases the plague so many people. Imagine if we could sustain the momentum of financial support needed to provide the research, which could improve the quality of life for those who have been impacted in some way or another.
If you haven’t done so yet, I’d encourage you to support some charitable cause, regardless of what that might be. And you don’t even have to dump ice over your head to do so. But if you do want some inspiration, you can check out the recent Ice Bucket Challenge which I accepted.
My sincerest thanks to everyone for the continued support!
Stand Strong!
Scott