Be sure to give yourself a break. Just as your body needs its rest every night, your mental stamina will also go through normal ups and downs.

But there’s also some tricks and techniques to regenerating your energy when you need to. Try some of these out to see what works for you.

Read more on my Workbloom blog»

The truly exceptional ones have treated me with honesty and respect, supported me in tough times, cared about me as a unique individual, and given me challenging and valuable work.

Read more on my WorkBloom blog»

The fabric of society is falling apart.  Politics bring important decisions to a standstill.  Global climate change.  Terrorism.

OK, folks, enough.  Cut yourself some slack.

First, try to make a key distinction:  Of everything that’s broken in the world, it’s important that somebody worries about it.  That somebody doesn’t have to be you.  That doesn’t mean you’re unaware of the need, but if you don’t have the means to do something useful, why is it you that needs to be the worrier?

Worry about the things where you can be a help, where you’ll actually do something.

Be aware of what’s going on in the world, and let other people take on the emotional burden.

Second, realize that negative energy shrinks you, and positive energy grows you.  When I use positive energy – encouragement, lightness, humor, passion – I attract others who want to help.  I increase the scope of my impact, and have more energy doing it.

When I use my negative energy – complaining, debating, accusing, berating – I drive away people who might be able to help.  Those who remain are the type of people who are combative and self-serving, which reduces my impact.  Energy is wasted internally, not getting useful things done.

Third, concentration and focus gives you a greater depth of impact.  If I worry about the shortage of clean water in the world, it’s incredibly difficult for me to make a difference.  If I focus on water in my community, I can now work with a few people who can influence important decisions.

Let me leave you with a thought to ponder:  Giving positive energy to others is one of the greatest free gifts you have to offer.  And when you do that, they will give positive energy back to you in abundance.

Kind of like sharing your love, really.

Ah, but you do get something.

Read more on my WorkBloom blog>>

In general, people like to be helpful.  I suppose part of it is an expectation of getting something in return, but that’s not the core.

The fact is, you get a rush just from knowing you’ve done good.  It actually physically feels good to you, and in many cases that may be enough reward in itself.

Of course, we get rather cynical about all this.  Many charitable organizations prey on our need to be loved and to feel like we’re making a difference.  After a while we get the sense that maybe we’re not actually making the difference that we’d hoped, and that some of the unscrupulous types might be taking advantage of us.

That’s why Peter’s example is so powerful.  It’s about making a difference to someone here and now, in a way that makes a difference that you can actually see.

Here’s what we learn about giving:

• Let people see the difference they’re making, in as immediate a way as possible, and in the way that person values.
• Entering payment into the equation introduces a whole different dynamic – it becomes about the money rather than about the value delivered.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  People like helping.

As I said before, the act of giving has great value.  Remember that in your own life, and those of people who you work with.

Here’s a core principle of human behavior, so simple:  When people receive something they value, they’re more inclined to give back in return.  Pretty obvious, right?  But it’s absolutely true, and is one of the reasons why those charities send you small gifts in the mail.  They’re hoping you’ll find some value in them, and give back in return.

But suppose you’re the one trying to sell something:  You have a great idea, you want a job, or you want to have influence over other people.  You can use the above principle in several ways:

People need to know what you have to offer.  A great way to do this is to show it in action, not just tell people about it.  Do you know how to do something interesting or valuable?  Show them.  Do you have a product you’re trying to sell?  Show it doing something useful and interesting.  Trying to sell an idea?  Show a mock-up, an analogy, or how the idea has already worked in other situations.

People need a reason to prefer you over the competition.  You’ll be thought of as more valuable if you’ve already demonstrated an inclination to give value.  Are you after a particular job?  Look for ways to help the employer solve real problems, whether by volunteering or even what value you give during the interview.

Let’s say you’re trying to have influence over a decision.  If you have demonstrated an ability to understand the bigger picture – that of the decision-maker – you’ll have more credibility.  If people in power have seen you exercise skill and expertise, they’ll be more likely to listen to what you have to say.

Here’s the bottom line:  Don’t be stingy with your skill, knowledge, time, and resources.  When people see you giving freely, they’ll be inclined to help you in return.

But remember:  What you give has to have value in the recipient’s eyes.  Otherwise, it’s just a useless trinket.

I’ve run into a number of people who are so protective of their time and relationships that they make the investment only if they see a clear and immediate benefit.  I give you some advice, and you return the favor fairly quickly through payment, recommendations to others, or some other form of service.

This is based upon a view of the world as limited and finite.  If I give you something, then that’s something that I’ve given up.  Therefore, to replace my lost, I need something from you in return.  It’s only fair, right?

The problem is that only physical goods behave that way.  If I give you my apple, I don’t have it any more.  But if I give you my love, (in my world view) I haven’t lost any love, and in fact I’ve gained some.  Or at least I’ve gained the virtue of generosity and compassion.  If I give you my support, I haven’t lost my capacity to support others.

But here’s the rub:  In our culture, we view time as a critical resource, to be spent wisely or foolishly.  The problem is that it’s not an accurate view.  Time expires (at an amazingly consistent rate!) whether we want it to, but it also arrives (at exactly the same rate!) as well.  All you really have any control over is where you choose to place your effort and attention, but only in the here and now.

And that’s a very malleable thing.  You can apply lots of attention or a little, as well as effort.

Let’s bring it back to investing in helping others.  In an abundant universe, where time is always arriving and most of the important resources (like love, relationships and support) can be replicated at little cost, it makes sense to give these abundant resources away freely.  By doing so, you’ve increased the odds that others will respond in kind and help you.

Call it karma, call it your divine mission on earth, whatever.  The fact is that we all need help from each other, so giving help is the oil that keeps things moving.

Here’s what we’re struggling with right now.  This Schola has been in existence since 2005, yet we struggle to maintain a loyal membership of half a dozen.  We’ve tried approaching people in a number of ways, mostly using 1-on-1 contact, but the total seems to be flat or slowly declining.  I’m a little worried that we may dip below critical mass (har har) on any particular Sunday.

I’d like to get your thoughts on another couple of matters, things I’m working on over the summer.  First, we’ve never been able to attract any women to our little Schola – they appear to be intimidated by the thought of being the first woman in a bunch of men.  And I don’t think many women have ever heard the glorious polyphony that we could do with a wider range of voices.

I was thinking of just putting together a single “special occasion” – where we could invite men and women from various places to just have a few practices to sing at a Mass next fall.  No permanent obligation, just a chance to try something new.  New to them, I mean.

Your thoughts?  How do you think I can make this more attractive?

The other thing I’d like to put together is a cross-parish activity, where we can chant with the other two scholas in town.  Maybe we could do one Mass at each of the three parishes?  It could be challenging because two would be Ordinary Form and the other Extraordinary Form, but probably quite rewarding if we could pull it off.

Your thoughts and observations?  I’m including those of you who don’t profess to be Chant Geeks also, because maybe some other points of view might help us to explore new avenues.