changing the world one cup at a time
February, 2010 Another Side of Love: Acting for the Good of Others It’s February and everyone is talking about love. I thought I’d write about a love as an action for the good of others without regard for reward – also known as altruism. I grabbed my old psychology textbooks to see what researchers say about why people are altruistic and how people could act more often for others’ benefit. I thought I’d let my inner nerd and my inner artist come out, play together and share some thoughts about altruism. Based on research, we are most likely to be altruistic when: We have just observed someone else being helpful. – Think of when you see someone else put some change into the Salvation Army’s bucket. Aren’t you more likely to do so as well? Alternatively, if one of your friends is trying to get you involved their favorite cause, their appeal is more potent than a stranger’s. We are not in a hurry. – Living a fast-paced lifestyle is harmful in so many ways – our health and our family are two big ones. Turns out our face-paced lifestyle can also make us less likely to help others. The victim appears to need and deserve help. – We aren’t very likely to help a person claiming to be homeless but who’s dressed in a suit and tie we could never afford. The victim is in some way similar to us. – Prejudices are hard to get over and shape when we are altruistic. We are feeling guilty. – I’ve seen charities use guilt as a tactic for gaining support. It may work but I doubt it is good for long-term sustainability. We are focused on others and not preoccupied. – How much do we think about anyone other than ourselves? Not very often. An event has to shake us out of our regular thinking to get our attention. We are in a good mood. – That happy people are helpful people is one of the most consistent findings in all of psychology. Something should be said for having fun! So, as an organization that is trying to inspire altruism, what should Overflow do? Maybe you’re trying to be a more selfless person, how could you help motivate yourself? Here are 10 ideas I came up with for helping others more in 2010: 1. Find other altruistic people and hang out with them. Become their friends. 2. If you already have a friend who’s been trying to get you to join their cause, find some time to help them out with their altruistic passion. 3. Get to know people who need and deserve help. Become their friends. 4. Use part of your tax return to do something for the good of someone else. 5. Change one thing that can make a big difference for the environment. By doing so you’re being altruistic toward the rest of the people on the planet and for the generations to come. 6. Surprise someone at work who’s been having a hard time with an anonymous care package or card. 7. Shovel the sidewalk for someone else. 8. Think about how your purchases affect others. Try to find an organic or fair labor product to buy instead of your usual item. 9. Slow down. Don’t feel like helping others means you need to add more to your calendar. It can actually mean you need to take some things off the calendar so that you can see the needs and the opportunities to act for the good of those around you. 10. Invest in your own personal happiness. If you give a lot make sure you’re receiving something too!
Love is in the air! Go and love someone today! (more on the next page)
Overflow Coffee Connection – February, 2010
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Overflow Coffee Subscriptions: New Options! We’ve got more options for you to get freshly roasted coffee delivered to your home! Never tasted our coffee? We can send you a sample pack of our Guatemalan coffee. These sample packs are perfect for making 10 to 12 cups of coffee in your regular coffee maker. Just open and pour it into your filter. We suggest a $5 donation* per sample pack to pay for shipping and handling. Just email us at info@overflowcoffeebar.org and say you’d like a sample. Want a smaller quantity? We now have ¾ pound bags for a suggested donation* of $15. Just complete the online subscription registration form at http://bit.ly/4VUzIg and we’ll be in touch with payment instructions. Want a larger quantity? If you’d like to see about getting your office or place of worship to switch to Overflow’s coffee, send us an estimate of how much you use and we’ll send you back an estimate of how much it would be to switch to Overflow. We try to match what you’re already paying so give us a try! Need the details again? Essentially, you set the terms by completing our online form at http://bit.ly/4VUzIg. We send you payment instructions. Then, you’ll start to receive some of the best coffee in the world. We ship on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month. We suggest a donation* of $20 for each pound you order. Does this sound like a lot? Consider the following: (1) After we buy the beans and pay for the shipping, the balance goes to our Set Up Shop Campaign to help open the doors of Overflow Coffee Bar. (2) The farmers who grew these coffees were paid 25% MORE than the fair trade rate. Coffees available include: Guatemalan – This coffee is full-bodied and smooth with chocolate overtones and a slight nutty flavor. There is a mild acidity noted by a gentle touch of orange citrus tones. This coffee saturates your taste buds with well-rounded flavor, full body and light acidity. It is a "Cup of Excellence" award-winning coffee! Honduras – This coffee is bright and citrusy. Grapefruit and floral tones dominate the cup. It is offered as a light roast, which retains more of the natural caffeine content. The coffee is grown at Rancho Ebenezer in Honduras where coffee is grown and sold to help sustain a children's home that exists on the ranch. Decaf Tanzanian – This premium Arabica is categorized as a Tanzanian AA. It is offered as a Full City (Medium/Dark) Roast. Espresso Blend - This Central American blend contains coffees that are roasted to different degrees of depth. Our blend ratios create an extremely well-balanced, full, yet light dance on the tongue when pulled as an espresso shot. To enroll, fill out the online enrollment form now at http://bit.ly/4VUzIg.
The mission of Overflow Coffee Bar is to give South Loop residents, students and workers the opportunity to change the world. Overflow’s next event is on March 20, 2010 at 6:30pm at South Loop Wine Cellar. For details visit: http://www.facebook.com/overflowcoffeebar. Questions? Have ideas? Contact Amanda at amanda@overflowcoffeebar.org or 773-919-6960. Also check out www.overflowcoffeebar.org and facebook.com/overflowcoffeebar. *Currently donations are not tax exempt. When Overflow Coffee Bar receives its tax exempt status from the IRS, all donations will become tax exempt. The status is retroactive. You can give a donation now and then it will become tax exempt once Overflow received its 501(c)3 paperwork. Please make checks payable to “Overflow Coffee Bar.”