In a tribute to Jerry Lewis during the Academy Awards television broadcast, Mr. Lewis recited the following quote in a voice over:
"I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again."
This is a fairly famous quote and likely familiar to many of you, but this was the first time I'd heard it. While there are a number of variations with a word changed here and there, this version seems to be most commonly accepted and it is credited to a French Quaker missionary from the 1800's named Stephan Grellet.
Those words have really stuck with me since I first heard them and today, in honor of Seth Godin's 3000th blog post (in which he asked that fellow bloggers post something really interesting today), I thought I'd share them with you.
This also happens to be the day when my company is donating a significant amount of equipment and services to a benefit for the Portland Schools Foundation to help raise much needed money for the Portland school system.
We have always done some pro bono work each year and this year it feels even more important. From a business and marketing perspective, it's a great way to get our name out there, especially when traditional marketing budgets are being tightened. But equally important (and perhaps more so) is that there are so many great organizations out there desperately in need of raising money, and trying to do so during the worst financial environment of our time. So as a company that has the means to be of assistance, this feels like one of the most important times to heed the words of Monsieur Grellet.
And while I have a long way to go to match Mr. Godin's 3000 posts, I'd like to thank him for the inspiration to do good in business and in life.
