A few weeks ago, I received an email from my friend, George, who teaches entrepreneurship at University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business:

“I’m currently out of the country, but if I wasn’t, I would be attending an awesome event called the Unreasonable Scrimmage, this Saturday. I know they are looking for more fabulous skilled individuals to get involved, and I immediately thought of you.”

George went on to describe how social entrepreneneurs from around the world compete for 25 spots.  Twenty-five “Fellows” come to Boulder, CO to be part of The Unreasonable Institute’s six-week accelerator program–mentored by seasoned entrepreneurs, learning from each other, and culminating in a five-minute pitch in front of hundreds of investors.  The Scrimmage was an opportunity for passionate community members to get involved and play a part in scaling world-changing businesses successfully. As George said, “It’s like a Startup Weekend or hackathon, but only one full-day.”

I like George. We recently had coffee where he told me about the volunteer work he was doing, with places like the Unreasonable Institute.  He was having a ball.

And yet, I was skeptical that this was for me. Give up an entire Saturday?  What if I didn’t like it?  I’d been focusing on re-building my coaching business and wary of getting side-tracked or “giving too much” to the point of getting burned out again.  I wasn’t even sure how I could help.

The day before the Scrimmage, I decided to go.  A little voice inside of me said, “Go. You’ll meet creative people. And if you don’t like it, you can go home early.”

So I went…and I had a blast.

So much so, that I decided to help further, after the Scrimmage.  I figure I’ve donated 20 hours of my time at this point. I’m hooked.

I’ve been working with 28-year old Sri Lankan cheese maker, Samanthi, who is a brilliant entrepreneur and CEO of LiLi Dairy.  I’m helping her articulate and present her story–getting her ready to stand on the stage of Macky Auditorium on July 21, at the Unreasonable Climax event.  She has five minutes to show how creating more dairy farmers will lift entire villages out of poverty, while supplying cheese for the pizza-eating tourist trade.

Guess what? I think I’m getting more from this than she is.  Because this kind of giving is more like receiving–it fills my heart with gratitude, inspiration, and love.  Now I know what George was talking about.

Join me this Saturday, July 21 at the Unreasonable Climax event. Use the discount code, letsbeunreasonable to get $5 off the ticket. Not sure?  Watch this 4-minute video.

 

 

Be unreasonable. Be inspired.