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It was a bitterly cold snowy day when I arrived, and I was one of only four donors at the Red Cross Blood Services center.<\/b> \u201cI\u2019m so glad you came in\u00a0today,\u201d said Valerie, the phlebotomist who served me. “This weather has forced cancellation of a lot of blood drives, and we are really in emergency mode.\u201d What\u2019s this got to do with Happiness?\u00a0<\/span>
\nWe laughed and chatted as she went about the process of removing a pint of blood from my arm, focusing mostly on \u201chow can we get more people to do this?\u201d \u00a0<\/b>I reflected aloud on the reasons why I give: for me, this is a random act of kindness (I will never meet the person who receives this gift of life) as well as Gratitude practice, a way of giving thanks for my own health. \u00a0Valerie added a few more great reasons, and from there I made a commitment to share our list.
\nNine Bloody Good Reasons to Be a Donor<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\nFirst, if I inspire even one person to make a call or sign up for a blood drive, I know it will make a difference to someone in the world. \u00a0<\/b>
\nMaybe donating blood is not your thing. <\/b>\u00a0OK, so what is your thing? \u00a0Consider the ways in which you do volunteer your time, money, energy, creativity, or enthusiasm, and remember how great you feel when you do that.
\nRemember the many ways in which giving of yourself comes back to you: \u00a0<\/b>at the very least you feel good about yourself, you create happiness in others you help, you pay something forward, you probably (hopefully) get to hang out with others who support you, and you get to make a difference in your community\/the world \u2014 maybe you even have fun!
\nEvery one of those outcomes supports a happier world and a happier you and puts oxygen into your own tank. \u00a0\u00a0<\/b>
\n**Technical Notes: While there are substantial restrictions on who can donate blood, the majority of the population is eligible to give \u2014 yet only about 5% of those who can, do. \u00a0Many people\u2019s objections to donation fall into three buckets: the \u201cick\u201d factor (fear of needles, faint at blood, etc); the religious factor; and the time factor (takes too long). \u00a0I understand all of those, and shared some of them myself along the way.<\/em><\/span>
\nIf you want to manage the time factor, call 1-800-GIVELIFE and set up an appointment at a local donor center. \u00a0These facilities take you in and turn you around in one hour. \u00a0As for the fear\/ick factor, just remember it\u2019s all about the story you tell yourself. \u00a0OK, so maybe when you were 17 you fainted \u2014 you\u2019re not that fragile anymore, trust me!\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"