What Type Of BOSS Are YOU..?!?

If your first inclination upon reading the title of today's post is that you are not “The Boss’ of your company, that is COMPLETELY OK!  Because I have thrown a little twist into the meaning for the propose of today's message.  By BOSS, I am referring to:

BEING
OF
SPIRITUAL
SERVICE

And the great news is that given this acronym, EVERYONE can be not only their OWN BOSS, but a BOSS for the whole WORLD!!  How does that sound?!?  Pretty damn sweet to me!!

I recently learned of a group of High School students who live in various terribly impoverished and toughest areas of the upper North East and Midwest of the US.  The crime rates are through the roof, and the drop out rates of the students are nearly as high.  But through a program called BUILD ON, which celebrates its 25th anniversary today, students are learning the power of PURPOSE through service!  And the aspect that I love about the program is that the students themselves, many of whom are currently living in severe poverty have the opportunity to pick the type of service that interests them the most!  The program's goal; to show how being of service actually has just a big of an impact on the person BEING of service as it does the people they are assisting.  Now THAT is a slogan I can get behind(HINT HINT politicians!)

The Build ON teens have spread their individual passions and talents across a cacophony of areas including the elderly, Aids patients, and working with the homeless veterans.  In fact, the teens have spread their hard work and dedication overseas, helping build schools in poor areas and developing countries.  Listen to this.  In the past 25 years they have built over 1,000 schools for the poor and impoverished Souls that now service over 2 million students who would otherwise have absolutely no outlet for the education that has the opportunity to change and enrich their lives!  

This statistic is absolutely astounding.  In most of the cities where there are BUILD ON programs, the rate of students who graduate and go on to college is less than 35%.  For a nation trying to rebuild its sense of stature to compete with the global economy this statistic is HORRIFYING.   YET, students who participate in the program have a 97% rate of college attendance!  If proof is the in the pudding, YES PLEASE!!  LOL

While this program points a True North star towards the POWER OF PURPOSE, it also exemplifies the importance and impact we can ALL have through becoming a BOSS- BEING OF SPIRITUAL SERVICE)!  And it doesn't take as much effort or time as you may think.  Here are some ways I have gathered that anyone can be a BOSS during this Holiday Season:

1.  Volunteer at a food bank
2.  Give old clothes to Good Will
3.  Visit the elderly who have no family at nursing homes.
4.  Volunteer one day a week at animal shelters.
5.  Give your time at clothing shelters who give out much needed clothes and toys to families in need.

These are just a very few of the ways that anyone can be of PURPOSE and be of spiritual service in their own community this Holiday Season.  But even an act as simple as calling a friend you know is hurting or suffering and letting them know you are thinking about them is a marvelous way of being a BOSS that anyone would want in their corner of consciousness. And for those of you with children, be not only a BOSS but a shining LIGHT and example for them during their two week recess from school.  Show them how valuable it is to be of service to others and watch their inner Heart Song sing songs they never knew the words too!!

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez