Wednesday, April 30, 2014

How These 6 Busy Leaders Find Time To Give Back

Between work, family and financial obligations, busyness has become a full-blown epidemic, leaving scores of men and women feeling stressed out, dissatisfied with their lives and utterly zapped of energy.



The antidote? Giving, it turns out.



"Research has proven that compassion and giving are a short cut to happiness," HuffPost President and Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington explained at The Huffington Post's Thrive conference last week. "If you give people an opportunity to be generous, their happiness increases."



But finding that time isn't always easy.



We asked several of the panelists at the Thrive event -- very busy people in their own right -- for their take on how people can find time to give back to their communities in a meaningful way. Here's some of their best advice.



We all find time to do the things we love. So rather than trying to do something charitable for the sake of being charitable, find what you love and are good at, and share it with other people. That's the best kind of charity.

--Andy Puddicombe, Headspace co-founder



Think of something that feels frictionless. Don't say "I'm going to go build a community garden," when you have no idea how to do that and your mornings are busy with kids. My first love was to go to the gym and jump on an exercise bike, so I got involved with Cycle for Survival. Be authentic to yourself and give the gifts you have in abundance. And if it ain't cash, don't worry about it. You've got other stuff to give.

--Lucy Danziger, former editor-in-chief, SELF magazine; well-being lifestyle expert



The role of business is not to make as much money as possible; it's to give back. Every business has a role to play in that, and if your company isn't giving back, if they're not playing a role in the community in a way that is meaningful for you, then maybe it's not the right place to work.

--Dr. David Agus, M.D., professor, USC Keck School of Medicine and Viterbi School of Engineering; CBS News contributor



Try and pick one thing you can really stand for, especially because it seems like the busier you are, the more people want from you, and it can get hard to say "yes" to all your friends, and all their causes. I've found that when I started standing for one main thing that I give back to, it became so much easier to know what to say "yes" and "no" to.

--Randi Zuckerberg, founder and CEO, Zuckerberg Media; editor-in-chief, Dot Complicated



Busy people can easily give back by making introductions. A well-done introduction can be life changing for the people who receive it.

--Adam Grant, author and professor, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania



You're never too busy to find one hour a week that you dedicate to giving back.
--Maysoon Zayid, actress, professional standup comedian and writer



These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity and length.





from Healthy Living - The Huffington Post http://ift.tt/1iJIV7W

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