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Life Changers: Nick Christian – To Help Other People At All Times
Nick Christian is a private career coach and currently serves as a Director of Career Services at a private university in Ohio. He is the husband to Stacy and father to two wonderful daughters. He is passionate about helping people succeed in their professional lives and helps them do so through coaching, corporate leadership training, and creating personal connections. You can follow Nick online through his blog at christiannick.com, LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/christiannick/) or Twitter (@nickchristian28).
Some of you who were in the Boy Scouts as a young man may recognize this statement from the Scout Oath. Not only was this phrase etched into my mind as a young scout, but it was also modeled to me throughout my life.
Growing up, my dad served as a volunteer firefighter. My mom was involved in many committees in our small town. Our family was always doing something.
I remember as a young child picking up a portable pump from the firehouse with my dad. After heavy rains, we would go to a couple houses to empty flooded basements. I am sure I was no help at all, but I had fun wearing the big fire boots and wading around in the water while dad set up the pump and hoses. It fascinated me watching the water level drop in the basement while water gushed out of the hose into the yard or gutter.
Mom was involved in raising funds for our school’s music program (which was at least as big, if not bigger, than athletics) and helping with other programs and events in our community. Many evenings I remember creating signs and menu boards for the cafeteria the band boosters ran during our county fair. Committee meetings around our dining room table were not an unusual site.
Whatever was needed, I watched my parents step up and help get it done. Putting up fences in the outfield, sewing outfits for a show, or preparing dinner for a neighbor in need. My parent’s helped out.
As I write these words, I realize that my parents would help in areas that aligned with their interests and skills. My dad grew up on a farm and knew his way around machinery and woodworking. My mom was a great project organizer and enjoyed sewing. The activities they were involved in used these skills.
I was never told to help other people.
It is an action that has simply been modeled to me from a young age. I enjoyed helping clean the fire trucks after a run or setting up tables and chairs for a meal or event. Today, I volunteer with our Chamber of Commerce in a variety of ways.
Helping other people is about making a difference.
It wasn’t about cleaning water out of a basement or being a volunteer firefighter. My dad’s service to our community was about protecting and loving our neighbors. The homes of our friends and neighbors and their lives were what was important.
For my mom, it wasn’t about having the biggest treasury of any organization, it was about providing the resources so a school with 300 students (and no football team) could compete in marching band competitions with schools with 300 band members.
I enjoy volunteering with our Chamber of Commerce because they are about building a strong community economically. My favorite activity is helping with our leadership development program. I can use the talents and skills I have been given to create a better community. This is how I enjoy making a difference.
I’m going through a process of really trying to narrow down what I want to accomplish – or better, to be remembered for some day. I keep landing on “helping others” – sounds like you have had a great example to that end.
Being remembered for helping others sure sounds a lot better than being remembered for a self-centered life. In fact, self centered people are often forgotten by others, even while they are present!