For the Good of Others
Weekly Presence Prompt
Marie Samuella Cromer Seigler, Founder the Girls’ Tomato Club
“I was born in the country and I know something of its lonesomeness and sleepy-spiritedness. It is because I love the country and its people that I want to do something for the young girls–to help them keep the thinking up when school is over.”
After hearing about the benefits of the Boys’ Corn Clubs of America in 1909, Marie Seigler wanted to do something for girls; she started the Aiken County Girls’ Tomato Club, which offered college scholarships for winning tomato gardens. By 1910 she was a special agent at the US Department of Agriculture and by 1913, 20,000 girls in southern states were participating in Tomato Clubs. She is credited with starting what became 4H Clubs.
What I love about Marie is that she started where she was, with her own values and desires to help other women in her rural community, and built upon her own experiences and skills to do good.
Marie Seigler’s intention,“to do something for the young girls,” is a high intention, as it is for the good of others.
This reminds me of the last conversation I had with our dear family friend, Charles Handy, the year before his death at age 92. When I asked what his advice was for his grandchildren, he said:
“Do what you do best.
To the best of your ability.
For the good of others.”
My clients often come in feeling stuck, not knowing what path is best, where to begin. I ask them to brainstorm all the things they are good at—everything from knitting to organizing. And then, all the things that give them joy—from tap dancing to collaborating. We look for the overlap between the two circles in this Venn diagram. Then, we add a third circle, “what the world needs.” Where these three overlap is the gold.
When we feel stuck, when we don’t know where to start as leaders and communicators, we can start small, start with what we know, what we’re good at, what we feel passionately about, and something that the world needs.
This week, we practice finding an intention that is for others and see how we feel. This may be the key to happiness!
#charleshandy #marieseigler #girlstomatoclub #highintention #intention #leadership
beautiful.