Giving Your Best Life

Episode 113: Giving Opportunity: Unlocking Potential and Growth

• Stephanie L. Jones, Giving Gal

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Have you ever wondered how delegating responsibilities can transform not just your leadership but also the lives of those around you? On Episode 113 of Giving Your Best Life, I share a heartfelt personal story about missing a cherished annual event and the surprising growth that came from letting a volunteer step up in my absence. Learn how this decision not only provided the volunteer with invaluable experience but also underscored the critical need for preparation and support when entrusting others with new roles. We’ll also explore the fine line between beneficial opportunities and mere distractions, and how being open to new possibilities can elevate your leadership game.


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Speaker 1:

Hey friends, it's Stephanie here with Giving your Best Life podcast, with episode number 113. And today I want to talk about giving others opportunity. I don't know about you, but if I'm being very honest, sometimes I can be a control freak and especially when it relates to my business, my books, speaking, etc. That I just want to do everything myself. Sometimes I'm like it's just easier. And if you listen to episode number 111, when I talked about distractions and people, it's like sometimes too, I am the one that has the vision and it's so hard to communicate that vision to other people.

Speaker 1:

Um, and so there's an event that I do every year for a school district. I've been doing it probably two or three years. It's been so rewarding. It's one of my favorite things to do, um, except this year because of the, uh, solar eclipse. Is that what it was? The solar eclipse? Solar, anyways, the eclipse.

Speaker 1:

There was some scheduling issues that came up with the school and they had to move the day of the event and when the day of the event, it just didn't work in my schedule. Um, and so I was very bummed. I still wanted to do it, but there, um, there's an intern or not necessarily an intern, but like a volunteer that had been doing some work with us. Um, that's related to the project that I always go and talk about to the kiddos and I thought, why not give her the opportunity? So I talked to the school and I said, hey, I can't do it, but are you okay if someone else comes and does it? And for me it was like I hate missing opportunities to speak and to get in front of kids and to share, because it's not only like talking about another organization and kind of a mission that I've been involved in, but it's also I talk about the giving challenge and I get to read my children's book, giving Gal, and you know, it just is like this whole great day and I'm all day, so I'm doing like I think it's third graders, fourth graders, fifth graders, all of them, and so I just love it. But it was like give somebody else the opportunity. And so first of all, I asked the school if they'd be okay. They say yes, because they're really just you know, not necessarily about me, it's about the message that the kiddos get. And then I reached out to this person, positioned it as hey, this is an opportunity. They were so excited they said yes. So I think sometimes, but it was very outside of their comfort zone, what they're used to doing, what they've done in the past.

Speaker 1:

And so I want to say this also from the standpoint of if someone is giving you the opportunity, be prayerful in it, but really think about is this an opportunity? Is this a door open, god, is this something that you're wanting me to do? And don't immediately close the door to an opportunity. Uh, be prayerful about it, and I always pray like God, you know. Close open that door, um and and so I think too, as opportunities come up to us, don't just immediately like say no to them.

Speaker 1:

But also I had the distraction series is sometimes it can be a distraction too. Opportunities can be a distraction, which it kind of sounds like counterintuitive, because the word opportunity is always taken as like a good thing. It's like, oh, that's a great opportunity, but sometimes opportunities can be a distraction. So just make sure that that's kind of a side note. But anyways is, think about people that you can give opportunities to, that you don't have to be doing everything yourself, especially if you're in a leadership role. A lot of times this is delegation. We don't like to delegate things. It can just be easier to do it ourselves. I always say is start to delegate stuff that is repeatable, so that you're going to have to be doing it more than once, so that upfront time of training somebody or passing somebody off or giving somebody that opportunity is like going to be worth it in the long run, but also is making sure you're preparing that person. So when this person said yes is I just didn't say okay, there you go, have fun. You know like go figure it out yourself. Is I updated the slides so they were current that I've used in the past and I always update them every year. I sent them to her. We had a phone call to review it.

Speaker 1:

Like, really make sure is if you're giving people opportunities especially maybe if it's something you're used to doing and you're passing the torch is that you're preparing them, you're setting them up for success, you're giving some of your time to invest in what they're doing so they have just as much success as you've had, especially if you've been successful in this area, and then give them the opportunity to change it and make it their own. You know is don't be so rigid, as like this is how it has to be as. No, give them the opportunity to make it their own and do it. How is best that they're going to be comfortable in what they are doing? Also, make sure you know part of giving your best life is gratitude showing gratitude to the person that you're giving the opportunity to, because a lot of times when we give opportunities is they are helping us out, and I know for me this was greatly helping me out, helping the school out, and so make sure you're showing gratitude.

Speaker 1:

Take a moment today, no matter what situation that you're in. You know I have an intern that helps me with TikTok. It's an opportunity. She was a senior in high school and, and I gave her that opportunity, everybody said, hey, you need to be on TikTok, I don't want to be on TikTok, but high schoolers and college kids, they know what they're doing on TikTok. It doesn't take them a lot of time, and so I was able to give her an opportunity to come work and see behind the scenes and be a part of my business here at Giving Gal.

Speaker 1:

And so think about take some time today, as you're listening to. This is, you know, evaluate. Maybe it's in your home life. I have a friend that has given an opportunity to another mom to come into her home and to help her out in some areas, and so this other mom gets to make some money, but it also gets to help my friends. So it can be in various different areas of your life is think about are there things that maybe you need to offload or to expand, or maybe it's just not suited for you anymore, but you want to keep something continuing and then think about and pray is there somebody that this would be an opportunity for, that you could present and you could go and you could give it to them?

Speaker 1:

So, friends, I just wanted to put that out, you know, because life is always changing and sometimes we tend to hold on to things so tightly, you know, like we're the only ones that can do this, but we have to be okay with change. And also this is how God opens more time for us. A lot of times, if we're just holding on to the things that we've always done we're the only person that can do it then it doesn't one open the opportunity for someone else to use their gifts and talents that God has given them, but it also doesn't open up the time for you to be able to step into something new that God might be calling you to do. So I hope this episode just helped you out a little bit as you think about, maybe, ways that you can give opportunities to others, or how you consider opportunities that are giving to you Friends, as always, I would love if you could leave a review, share this podcast. Just another way to get to giving your best life.