How to Be Kinder in 2010
The holiday season is behind us now. It's a time of year where we look forward to food, vacations, shopping, food, decorating, giving, food, presents, food, sharing, food, family, friends and food. Did I mention food? It's also a time of year where we endeavor to do the best we can for our friends and family. Wouldn't it be great if we could harness our holiday spirit so we can access it 24/7 and touch lives well beyond our own immediate network.
In Idanics, I call it "Kind-Errific." In other words, imagine a fantastic red velvet cupcake where the red velvet cake represents random Kindness and the absolutely delicious white cream cheese frosting represent Terrific, together they blend to make "Kind-Errific": a chance to make life better for someone else. The idea behind "Kind-Errific" came to me a few months ago.
I attended the funeral of my brother-in-law's father. He was a great man, father, husband, grandparent, co-worker, colleague and friend. At the end of the funeral service, his wife called me to the side.
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"Idan, I wanted to thank you," she said as she wrapped her arms around me.
"You don't have to thank me, "I said.
"Rain, snow, sleet, hurricane, blizzard, tornado, I was not going to miss this," I added.
She smiled. "I wanted to thank you for what you did, the tickets to the Masters."
A couple years ago her husband had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease: a crippling and debilitating disease that quickly consumes the body. It was always her husband's dream to attend the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. He loved golf. It was his passion. The Masters has become one of the most popular sporting events and certainly one of the hardest tickets to find. Fortunately my involvement with professional sports helped me locate a couple passes to the Masters for him and his wife.
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"Yes, I wanted to thank you so much for the passes to the Masters. It meant soooo much to us," she said.
"You are very welcome, I am so happy you were able to go," I said.
She grabbed my hand, "Idan, thank you for more than the passes, thank you for what you did."
I didn't understand.
"We walked to the Masters Pro Shop on the second day of the tournament. A Masters shirt caught his eye. He walked over to the aisle and unfolded the shirt. I saw him lift the price tag from the inside of the collar. He rested the shirt back on the stand. "Get it", I said to him. He thought it was just the coolest shirt, but he thought the $100 price tag was too expensive. I insisted he buy it. He looked at me. I insisted again. He picked up the shirt and walked over to the counter. The disease had begun to overtake his motor skills so he wasn't able to smile, but I knew he was sooo excited to have the shirt. To make a long story short Idan, I buried him in this shirt. Thank you for touching his life and bringing his dream closer to him."
I cried.
At that moment I realized we never ever know how we can affect someone's life.
Let's all be "Kind-Errific". It makes a difference. I promise.
Life,
Idan
In recent articles this year, The Wall Street Journal and Sports Illustrated referred to Idan Ravin as the "Hoops Whisperer" because of his unique ability to engage, inspire, and challenge the many NBA players he trains. Idan has worked with many of the NBA's elite, including Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets), Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Elton Brand (Philadelphia 76ers) Jason Richardson (Phoenix Suns), and Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies).
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