By Soren Gordhammer, Wisdom 2.0

Some time back, I was visiting colleges with my son, and just about every building had a name on it. 

It was never just, “The Engineering Building,” it was “The John and Jane Smith Engineering Building.” Except for the bathrooms, names were everywhere!

There is some part of us that seeks recognition and wants to be acknowledged for what we do.

I joked with my son that if I ever came into a lot of money, I would fund:

THE SOREN GORDHAMER CENTER FOR HUMILITY AND SELFLESS ACTS.

I mean, why not?

Shouldn’t I let people know how selfless and humble I am? 

Why do something selfless and humble if no one knows you did it, right?

We can want recognition for many things, even for being “selfless”!

OUR GIVING

Most of us do not have the means to sponsor buildings, but we can explore what is motivating us in any action, be it cooking someone dinner, giving a friend a ride, or something else. 

Where does our giving come from? 

We might say to someone: “I did this for you from the bottom of my heart with no expectation in return, and I cannot believe that you did not even thank me for it.”

Hmmm.

We all have “buildings in our mind,” sponsored by us, and it helps to inquire, “What is our need for credit?” 

And if we want credit or thanks, can we say to someone, “I am doing this with the understanding you will thank me for it afterward. Do we have a deal?”

So at least there is a clear understanding.

In the end, the most impactful giving is from the heart … we do it not because it looks good on a resume or makes a cool social media post, or we get to have our name on a building … we do it because our heart calls us to do so.

OUR NAME

After all, our name is just a series of sounds, and we tend to think, “That series of sounds is ME!”

No, we are so much more!

And even the biggest, most impressive building we sponsor at a college or build in our mind disintegrates over time. None of us are remembered very long.

However, knowing in our heart what motivated us … that stays with us.

In the end, that is what matters.

Blessings,

SOREN