I ask in a recent post, “Do You Care”? If you read that post you know that my question was in relation to caring about another’s life while we are on our cell phones on the road.

However, this got me thinking about a few friends who have been out of work recently. Two have been lucky enough to find new jobs. The other two are still searching. Furthermore, I have a few acquaintances who are dealing with difficult life struggles and just need a caring ear. I pray for each of them regularly because they are in my “Network of Care.”

If Facebook or LinkedIn were any true indication, we all have pretty large “networks” of people with whom we are connected.

Most of these people are interested in what we have going on to a greater or lesser degree. However, pressed into action we typically have a much smaller group who actually care enough to get involved in any practical way.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not calling foul on those who don’t. I mean, if we could get even half of the people we are “networked” with to be truly engaged in each other’s lives can you imagine what could be accomplished? However, how reasonable would that be? I mean, between the two that is hundreds of people for each of us, typically.

No, if we can engage five to ten people in those times of our lives when we truly need others care we are doing good.

Again, not calling foul on anyone. The crush of life just keeps us all too busy to be that involved in that many lives. Because if I call for half to be involved in my life I must be willing to be involved in at least half of those lives as well. Hundreds of lives to touch on a regular basis.

That becomes daunting.

Now, the flip side of that is that not all of those people are having life events that require our regular involvement. No, at any given time maybe 10% are in some form of need. So that narrows the “Network of Care” down to, depending on your network, say 50 people or less.

That’s more manageable. Now if we then narrow that down to the ones who are not under some form of needed medical care or other professional care need, we are probably down to about half of that number.

So, now I have 25 people who people who could use some personal involvement from me directly. I can probably further half that number by considering that half of them are either not in a proximity for me to be of much value, other than providing moral support, or they have a situation I have no ability to provide support.

That leaves me with 12.5 people who I could directly impact from my network of say 500 people.

That’s a pretty reasonable number of people within my “Network of Care” who I can, possibly, impact directly if I will but take a little time out of my busy life for each.

12.5 people who really need a touch from me and a helping hand. Be that help in getting in contact with others who can be of assistance, provide mentoring, help them with a physical need or provide some support when others are not available to be there.

I think about how this manifest itself in both my personal and business life. Of course it is far easier for us to dedicate time to people in our personal lives, but far more often I come across people in my business life that need this form of care.

People who just need to know that someone truly cares for them and is willing to take time to hear them out, to help them out.

A good friend called this “being their advocate”, and I like that. Far too often in my life I have felt I had not advocate (apart from God).

Thus, I am working to expand my Network of Care as the need arises and be there for others who are truly in need of an advocate in this life.