Philanthropy on a Shoesting

Have you heard about Marc Gold? He has been traveling around the world, particularly in Asia handing out money to people who need it. His donations change lives, often for less than a dollar. For Marc a very large donation is $500!

That is quite different from most philanthropic organizations. Marc has seen a single US dollar literally save a life and so is very aware of the power of small amounts placed in the right hands.

An inspiring story just in time for the holidays!

He encourages others to follow in his footsteps. You can read stories of other Americans who have been inspired by Marc-- visit Parade.com/shoestring

Fun, Friends and Coincidences

Had a great couple days visiting with some friends I hadn't seen in a while.

We talked about all sorts of things from business to Law of Attraction to just plain fun. The four of us could have visited and shared ideas for an entire week...the visit was much too short. I recently placed an order for a series of books and DVDs on LOA...had hoped they would arrive in time for the visit...they didn't but we certainly didn't run out of things to do or wonderful topics of conversation. What a great, positive, group of people...the energy was fantastic.

Then today I heard from a neighbor who has joined a LOA group...and it turns out that one of the organizers of the group is a former co-worker of mine! Do you think this is a coincidence? I don't!

"Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you."

- Richard Bach

To all the wonderful people in my life now as well as in the past and future--thanks for being a part of a great ride!

Musing on LOA and Social Media

Have you been participating in the Web 2.0 world of social media other than blogs?

I was introduced to Twitter almost a year ago and reluctantly got involved...there are things I really like about it, things that drive me nuts (if I choose to let them!) and things that I find down right amusing!

One of the things that strikes me as funny is the number of LOA "experts" there are on Twitter...some of them seem to be real--and offer wonderful advice and thoughtful comments. Others are well-known and you rarely hear from them, but you can follow just about all the teachers from the Secret, for example.

Then there are those people who claim to follow LOA and that they can teach you all sorts of things about it...and really all they are doing is sending out junk trying to get you to buy from them. One of my favorites is when they say they can teach you how to use LOA to attract "thousands of followers" (a follower on Twitter is someone who chooses to receive your messages aks Tweets.) It seems that whenever I get a message like this, the person who sent it out has very few followers. Hmmm...what is wrong with that picture?

Anyway...not an earth-shattering thought...but it is interesting that the people who seem to raise their hands as the "expert" rarely demonstrate it.

What does that say? About experts? About us? About people in general?

I think there are lots of great people to learn from--and you don't necessarily have to be an "expert", as in well-known, to be a great teacher...but if you are going to say you can teach me how to attract followers, shouldn't you have a lot of followers?

Or are they really demonstrating Law of Attraction principles? By stating they know how to attract thousands of followers maybe they will.

Interesting thoughts to ponder. ...What do you think?

Are they living the Law of Attraction? Are they in the process of attracting what they want? Are they sending out lots of positive vibrations and taking the actions necessary to create the life they desire?

Or are they just trying to capitalize on the New Thought / Affirmation rally that is happening around the world?

Seems to me WE can choose to experience them either way. We can be bothered by them or we can learn from them. Interesting that when I started writing this I was leaning towards the annoyed...mostly amused, but I admit to being slightly annoyed...and now that I've pondered it, I'm actually grateful to them.

By causing me to pause and think, I have been able to get more clear about what I want in my life--the type of people with whom I want to associate, to learn from...how I want to act and be perceived by others. It is really true that by (briefly) looking at what we DON'T want we get clear on what we DO want! (Thanks to Michael Losier for first teaching me this concept!)

With that, I'm going to end with joy and love in my heart. Thanks!

Passionate Giving

There are so many opportunities to give back to the world...sometimes it can seem like too many choices. How on earth can we help everyone?

The answer is for us to act upon the thing that moves us...gets our juices flowing!

I was reminded about this idea of passionate giving this weekend by a couple of great, giving guys. Two men on opposite sides of the country who are both going to be traveling great distances to help causes they believe super strongly in.

My brother-in-law is hopping on a bicycle next weekend. He is starting in San Francisco and riding to Los Angeles to raise awareness and money to help those with AIDS and find cures and preventions so others are not struck down by this dis-ease.

If this speaks to you, you can donate to his ride

On the other side of the country, Tellman Knudson is passionate about ending teenage homelessness in the USA. Tellman is currently training to run across the country--barefoot! He plans to start his run on September 1. Learn more about Tellman's run at http://RunTellmanRun.com and you can donate to his cause through Virgin Unite, Richard Branson's non-profit.

These are both wonderful causes...and if you have another that speaks to you, then follow your heart. I'm pointing these two out because these fine men are following through on their passions and spending their time, energy and money to help others--not because they "should" but because it is in their hearts.

I know I have a lot to learn from both of them! Maybe we all can't ride 500 miles or run across the country, but we can all do something...so let's do what we can for the cause of our hearts, and we will truly leave the world a better place.

Remember, it only takes small actions by lots of people to make an impact on the world!

Something Bigger Out There?

Is there something bigger out there? I believe there is. Some people call it Source or God or the Universe...

No matter what you call it, there is definitely something that is bigger than each individual. And we all can feel it if we are open to it.

Listen to 2 or more people exchange ideas--and if they are open to it--the ideas build one upon another and get better and better. Bigger and better than anything they would have come up with on their own.

That is why teams are so wonderful. The group energy is greater than the sum of the parts! Call it synergy, call it collaboration, whatever. The label really isn't important.

This group energy exists even when we are not part of a team. Doctors have studied the powerful effect had upon patients who are being prayed for--by people hundreds and thousands of miles away. People who don't even know the patient.

Joseph Campbell talked about the Collective Unconscious. This unseem bond that we have with one another.

Whether it is "the matrix", Source Energy, the Universe, Angels or God...there is SOMETHING that is linking humanity. And if we choose to be open to that link, to tap into that energy, then all things are possible--because we will think of them, believe they are possible and attract the right events and people into our lives and act upon our inspirational ideas.

That, my friends, is the Law of Attraction Put Into Action

How to Get Your Vibe Back Up

I have a couple books that I just love for getting my vibe back up. One of my favorites is Esther and Jerry Hicks' book "Ask and It is Given". They offer various tips (or "processes") that work to help you raise your vibration no matter where you are right now.

One of the points that I was reminded of the other day was that you may not be able to make huge leaps in vibe level. Just focus on feeling better.

Sometimes that is enough!

Being Open to Abundance

To me, abundance is not merely financial. It refers to an attitude that spills over to everything that we do. By being open to abundance, I am open to time, energy, joy, love, beauty, simplicity and whatever else I decide I want to experience in my life.

I had to file some documents for one of my businesses with the Secretary of State's office, and have been putting it off (and off and off!) I had this memory that while it was easy to submit the documents online, there were lots of attachments and supporting docs that I had to prepare.

I think I was practicing abundance as in "having lots to do" in regards to this.

This morning, I was reading in Ask and It Is Given, a process to help raise my vibration about this task, so that I was open to the abundance of the universe, rather than creating resistance with my dread. I chose the "Focus Wheel Process". Being very aware of what I did not want (a difficult, long, tedious, stressful process) I then proceeded to write what I did want. I wrote things like how simple it is to file online, how nice it is that the SOS sends reminders that these docs need to be filed, so I don't have to worry about missing deadlines, I don't have to do it all in one sitting...on and on I went around the wheel and by the end I was feeling really good about submitting my docs.

So, a few hours later, I'm at my computer ready to start the process and I review my wheel, and I start to read the SOS info. Instead of what I remembered to be the case, it was a very straight-forward form and I was easily done in less than 10 minutes!

I am so grateful that I was open to the teachings of Abraham, this morning in particular. I am so grateful that I chose to delay filing the forms from yesterday, because by doing so I was able to raise my vibration and be open to the ease of the process.

Did the filing procedure actually change from when I last looked? Or was I misremembering/misreading the information? Or was I over complicating things? I do not know, and I do not care! The simple fact is that it was easy and I have completed a task that was looming overhead. I now have that paperwork filed away and one less thing to do!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!