Thursday Thoughts: Reciprocity

Thursday Thoughts, Motivation, Inspiration for Women Entrepreneurs, Females in Sports

Here’s a simple question: How often do you reciprocate a gift, service, time, or aid after receiving something?

When I was in need of experiencing the sport of field hockey, the Keuka College Women’s Field Hockey team stepped up to the plate and offered me and any of my members to join them one Saturday morning to learn and try the sport. We were taught by the college girls themselves on an early morning after their season had ended, and when I am sure they wished they were sleeping. We gave the team a donation for their time to use in the future.

But with a strong inspirational head coach who believed in my mission of trying every sport once, and a sophomore on the team connected to a member in my organization, these amazing female athletes woke up, instructed and played with us, and then afterward over pizza we answered their business and networking questions.

Earlier this summer, I took one of them with me to Governor Kathy Hochul’s Executive Mansion in Albany to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, which eventually led to the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. I told Kristin, my field hockey student, to make sure to tell Coach Erika I said hello and I planned to come to watch the team in a game.

To my surprise, a few days ago I received a donation from the field hockey team led by Coach Erika for my Boston Half Marathon fundraiser going to the Dana Farber Cancer Center. After thanking Coach in an email she said, “We are so rooting for you and you are so welcome. This is what we put some of our fundraising towards each year, we love donating to great causes like the Dana Farber Foundation!”

But with a strong inspirational head coach who believed in my mission of trying every sport once and a sophomore on the team connected to a member in my organization, these fantastic female athletes woke up, instructed, and played with us, and then afterward over pizza we answered their business and networking questions.

This Wednesday I will travel to cheer on this amazing team in one of their first games of the season to once again reciprocate their rooting for me. There typically isn’t a cost for reciprocity just a lasting bond of gratitude that goes way farther than a bank account. I’ll wear my Keuka College Field Hockey gifted to me after our November event to cheer on my “wolfpack.”

Try to do more, give back more, and reciprocate more to widen your circle of friends and love.