Mile By Mile

In 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, habit #1 is to "Begin with the end in mind." Envision the "finish line," whether it be the actual finish line of RAAM, reaching your individual or team fundraising goal, or looking ahead to what you want to accomplish in the time you have left on earth.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to direct the start up of a high-end senior care community here in Sacramento. The vision of the owners was to create the very best in senior care in the entire industry. As the building was being built, my job (and my team) was to brand the name in the region and create an image of us being the "top-end" provider. How could we say such a thing? We didn't even have a sales trailer on the property! It was because of the vision and values of the company. We had seemingly impossible goals and dreams. We began with the end in mind. So here's what happened: The "competition" began to notice and squirm a bit. Some said what we were attempting could not be done, not in Sacramento. We were too expensive, too glitzy for Sacramento. There was nothing that could stop us, however. Why? We lived every day with the end in mind. We were proud of our "brand." But, underlying all of our efforts was a fundamental principle: "Nobody succeeds until we all do." In Team Donate Life, no one of us succeeds until we all do. That is why we call it TEAM Donate Life. Duh.

See the connection? You will succeed at fundraising, training and preparation for RAAM by doing it all TOGETHER. We (TDL) will not succeed until we all do. The cool thing about racing on a team in RAAM is that no matter how fast you ride, there is no success until your whole team reaches the finish line. Look at raising money in a similar vein. Keep you eye on the big, bold overall goal of fundraisiang. Think big, act big, be proud of our "brand."

It is really easy for me to represent and talk up Team Donate Life. Many are watching as the groundswell of Team Donate Life rumbles. Tell your story, your emotional tie to our mission. Talk with passion about why you have become insane enough to train for and compete in RAAM. There will be plenty of pundits out there who will say it can't be done. Others will stand on the side of the road and watch, some with skepticism, others with awe. But not you. You have chosen to jump in. You have taken a huge step of courage and vision to raise a abunch of money, ride thousands of miles, invest a ton of your time and make a host of other sacrifices to do this.

So, do you have the end in mind? Sure, you still have to ride, mile by mile. Envision raising money in a similar light. Ask people to support you financially, mile by mile. Challenge people to "buy" a Time Station so you can get to your destination. As you roll out your plan, send letters, make phone calls, meet folks for coffee, host a fundraising party, etc., allow the process to unfold. It will. Trust me, I did it. I lived for 15 years depending on the financial contributions of indviduals who believed in me and the mission for which I was living. If I can do it, so can you. It is all hard work...and tons of patience. I may sound whacky when I say, "trust the process."

The senior care community I directed was wildly successful. Why? We stayed with it. We were patient. Failure was not an option. We saw it through to what we envisioned it could be.

By the time you reach the finish line in RAAM, you will really "get it:" You succeeded, because you ALL did. You did it together, as a team. And the mission of thousands more organ donors will be accomplished.

Mulkman