Start Something That Matters

Have you heard of TOMS shoes?  They are cute and very comfortable, coming in several styles and lots of colors and patterns.  Check out my latest pair – math shoes!

What I like best about TOMS, however, is that for every pair of shoes you buy today, TOMS donates a pair of shoes tomorrow to a child who needs them.  (The company name comes from TOMorrow’s Shoes = TOMS.)  Children in developing countries can contract diseases through cuts in their feet when they have to go barefoot, and so a simple pair of shoes can keep a child healthy.  TOMS isn’t in it just for the profit; they are socially responsible at the same time.  What a great business model!

I started buying TOMS several years ago when I read about them in Heifer International’s magazine.  Last month when I wanted to buy some more TOMS, they were having a special promotion.  With a minimum purchase, you could get a free copy of Start Something That Matters (SSTM).  In this book, entrepreneur and TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie explains how he started the company and encourages the rest of us to start something that matters, whether it’s a business or other endeavor.  It sounded like this would be the perfect inspiration as I kick off A Year of Centuries.  I was right!

SSTM focuses on businesses, but it also emphasizes that all of us can do good things.  I’m becoming more and more aware that we can incorporate service and giving into all aspects of our lives, even hobbies.  I love riding my bicycle; how much better that I have figured out a way to help others at the same time.  It doesn’t even have to be that big.  If you need to buy yourself a pair of shoes anyway, why not help a child at the same time?  Or if you’re going through the checkout at the grocery store and they are collecting for the Special Olympics, why not donate a dollar or two?  The opportunities abound.  My challenge to you is to look for ways to give of yourself every day, maybe by just slightly reshaping something you’re already doing.