Day 12 -- Am I Doing Enough?

I'm acquainted with a beautiful, courageous woman who started a charity a few years ago. She's mentioned it many times in the group we both belong to but I did not know what a big deal it was until I saw her in a magazine photo, hosting a fundraiser and surrounded by celebrity friends. I read about her in the magazine, how she was suddenly moved to be of service in this big, passionate way and quit her job to start the charity. I had a twinge of embarrassment because I had mentioned to the group a few weeks ago about my "Thirty Days of Nice" plan and she smiled along with every one else as someone mentioned what a "cute" idea it was.

After I learned about her charity work: she raises money for women in an African country and just built a school there for girls, I felt my "cute" idea was pretty pathetic compared to what she's doing for the world. I got that old feeling of "you're not doing enough" which I think has been a stumbling block for me my whole life. I think because I don't do humanitarian work on a large scale, I'm not really doing anything. I wanted to stop my 30-day plan because, after all, I'm not making a difference, not like she is.

But I will continue because I do believe what Mother Teresa said: If you can't feed the world, feed one person. That really resonated with me. And I am coming to believe that my small acts of kindness are just as important as the big ones. Sure, I'd LOVE to be a philanthropist. I think I'd be great at giving away huge amounts of money. Perhaps someday, an opportunity will present itself in which I can be of service on a larger scale and I can contribute more money to more organizations. But for right now, I am going to continue with my plan and do some small, NICE each day.