I'd rather be outside…
Every now and then I get a call from my cell phone provider thanking me for being such a great customer and offering me something in return for my loyalty.
It always includes me giving them more money.
Late last year I received an email from them with the same “thanks for your loyalty” message offering me a credit card.
What I never get from them is a call saying “There’s a better plan for you given your usage patterns. Let us save you some money…”
In the past few days the one of the lighter news stories has been the story of Chris, the stray Australian sheep.
He was discovered roaming free in the wilds of Australia, in desperate need of a shearing. When he was finally brought in and given the long overdue haircut, he produced 89 pounds of wool, a new world record for one shearing. (The average is about 11 pounds.) However due to its condition, the wool has no commercial value.
Chris could barely walk and his life was clearly endangered. He likely wouldn’t have survived the year without the shearing.
This story got me thinking about what happens when we don’t give the world what we are gifted and able to give it. We all have something to offer, but if we keep it to ourselves we became bloated and unhealthy. Things we can offer today, because the time is right, if we hold onto them, become useless. We lose and the world loses.