Gratitude: 77 Things To Make You Smile

18 Jul

Recently, driving in the glorious Ohio countryside on a very hot, sparkly, sunshiny day, I started thinking about all the wonderful things there are to smile about.  Here are 77 to start with, and if you have more to add, please do!  The things that make us smile are limitless.  Next time something makes you smile, think about how amazing that is, and smile a second time.

77  Random Things to Smile About

  1. Sunshine
  2. That happy feeling of love
  3. Giggles
  4. Ice Cream cones
  5. Traveling somewhere you don’t speak the language and being able to communicate anyway with something akin to charades or Pictionary, proving we’re all human and love the same things
  6. Helping a nonprofit for a few minutes online with Sparked
  7. Cozy thunderstorms
  8. Uplifting quotes
  9. Smiling at a stranger and them smiling back
  10. Donating miles or rewards points with Kula Causes
  11. An elderly lady lovingly tending her garden
  12. Driving on a barren stretch of highway where you can see rolling hills for miles
  13. Old-fashioned town squares
  14. Funny road signs
  15. Fireworks
  16. Jumping into the deep end of a cold swimming pool – 30 seconds later
  17. Tofurkey. Just saying it.
  18. Cows
  19. Dollar store treasures
  20. Babies laughing
  21. Hawks gliding like kites in the air
  22. The smell of Play-Doh
  23. Bubbles. All manner of bubbles.
  24. Dogs who look like they’re smiling
  25. Bacon
  26. The impact a $25 microloan on Kiva makes in changing someone’s life
  27. Finding a four-leaf clover
  28. The first sip of ice-cold water on a scorching-hot day
  29. That pucker face you make when you bite a lemon (or maybe a pickle)
  30. Real hand-written letters in the mail
  31. The friends you make on Twitter
  32. That moment when you smell something that evokes some very pleasant memory, but you can’t quite place it, but then later you remember it fondly
  33. Doing something you thought was “impossible”
  34. Empathy
  35. Laughing fits that make your eyes water and your stomach muscles hurt
  36. Realizing how lucky you are
  37. Serendipity
  38. An America flag with the sun shining behind it so it’s almost glowing
  39. Rainbows
  40. The mesmerizing colors and flight of hummingbirds and dragonflies
  41. Stand-up comedy
  42. Getting lost and stumbling on an adventure
  43. Walking barefoot on grass, or soft sand
  44. Compassion
  45. Doing something good for the environment
  46. Being prepared for anything
  47. Describing to any 10-year-old that we didn’t have the internet, or even cell phones, when we were their age
  48. Family
  49. Running into someone you know in a big city you don’t live in
  50. 30 Rock
  51. Really cool bugs — as long as they’re not on you
  52. Picnics on a whim
  53. Frozen lemonade
  54. Trying to stay clean when it’s muddy, then finally getting a little muddy, then what the heck, just going for it and getting all mud-licious
  55. Smelling roses when they’re warm in the sun
  56. Venice Beach
  57. Curiosity
  58. Optimism
  59. The sound of rain hitting a tent or maybe a window if it’s really quiet
  60. Festivals
  61. Food items presented on sticks
  62. “Puffy clouds”
  63. Walking in the rain, splashing in puddles, and getting soaking wet even though you don’t have spare clothes
  64. Learning a new language so you can eavesdrop in cafes in other countries
  65. Wagging tails
  66. Any moment when you think, “Life is good.”
  67. Farmer’s markets
  68. Walking in the woods
  69. Hearing from a long-lost friend
  70. Quirky little factoids you never knew
  71. Whistling in a store, then hearing someone else start whistling, and knowing they’ll shortly wonder why they just started whistling
  72. Helping a nonprofit for a few months with Taproot or Catchafire
  73. Spotting unexpected wildlife
  74. Sparkly things, especially disco balls
  75. Smartphones
  76. People
  77. Adding your own  smile-inducing things to this list in the comments 😀

 

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Positive Belief Energy – The Inspiration of @LinkedIn’s Bryan Breckenridge

5 Jul

“There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.”

~ W. Clement Stone

Being around positive and optimistic people, in person or online, is something that inspires me on a regular basis.  People like Sean Gardner (@2morrowknight) with his Awesome Blog, Ann Tran (@AnnTran_) with her inspiring blog, and countless others.  One of those people is Bryan Breckenridge, whom I first came to know through his amazing social good work with LinkedIn as their “Nonprofit Success Enabler.”  LinkedIn has long been a favorite and often-used site for me, which you can learn more about here.

BeliefEnergy.com is all about positive energy, optimism, and uplifting ideas and stories.                          Photo by Amy Neumann.

Bryan (@BGBreck) spends a lot of time figuring out positive ways to make the world a better place, and shares it on his blog, BeliefEnergy.com, as well as on LinkedIn, where you can find helpful articles like Why Volunteering Is Good For Your Career.  I had a chance to talk with him in a little more detail about Belief Energy, how people can leverage LinkedIn for Good (and business), and how the two complement each other and provide continuous sources of ideas back and forth.

Bryan sees the world through an energetic enabler’s eyes.  In his career, Bryan has helped thousands of nonprofits operate better using online platforms.  Bryan is also helping people from all over the globe experience more optimal living.  In 2011, Bryan joined LinkedIn to launch their LinkedIn Nonprofit Solutions  program.  Bryan also launched his personal development think tank at that time, Belief Energy .  Belief Energy, LLC is committed to helping people experience more optimal living.  Thousands of people from around the world have joined the Belief Energy conversation on facebook.

Your vibrant energy and passion for positive change also extends to your personal life.  Can you talk about your site Belief Energy and how your work at LinkedIn and your personal mission intertwine?

Yes, I bring all of myself to work.  It’s not work for me, it’s a calling.  I intentionally integrate my professional and personal life.  It improves both in my experience.  Especially if I follow a surge and rest approach.  Nobody can go 110% all-out in all categories forever.

Belief Energy, LLC is a personal development think tank that I created in March 2011 after reaching a personal plateau in my personal and professional life.  I knew I could live a more optimal life and roll a significant career upgrade into it, as well.  I’d done it before.  Here’s a video I created for more context on Belief Energy and my quick personal and professional reflection on 2011:

I would not have written the LinkedIn Nonprofit Solutions program business plan if Belief Energy didn’t exist.  I knew what I did next in my career had to enable the enablers.  I knew what I did had to tap into my inner and outer life (my soul/belief and action/energy selves).  When I interviewed with executives at LinkedIn at the beginning of last year I could have sworn many of them were reading entries from the Belief Energy blog word for word.  I couldn’t believe it.  They let me pitch my passion infused business plan for nonprofits.  They loved it and have supported it from the start.  LinkedIn has been 100% supportive of my Belief Energy work, as well.  LinkedIn supports personal and professional transformation more than any company I’ve ever been a part of.  In fact, I plan to host a global Belief Energy workshop in LinkedIn’s global meeting rooms this year.

LinkedIn is a great place to share your volunteering and giving passion. Photo courtesy of Nan Palmero (Flickr).

Your passion for helping your community professionally started in the mid-90s and led to helping nonprofits on one of the world’s largest social networks:  LinkedIn.  Last  year you helped launch the new “Volunteer Experiences & Causes” profile feature.  Do you have a couple tips on how individuals can leverage this?

The “Volunteer Experience & Causes” profile section was one of our most requested Profile enhancements.  It became available to all our members in September 2011.  Everyone knows that volunteerism is good for the world. But according to a recent LinkedIn survey, we now know that volunteer experience also can make candidates more employable. Intrigued?  Consider this:

·           41%* of professionals surveyed state that when evaluating candidates, they consider volunteer work equally as valuable as paid experience.

·           20%* of hiring managers say they have made a hiring decision based on a candidate’s volunteer work experience.

·           *Based on a U.S. audience.

What you can do to help spread the word?

1.       For starters, please complete the Volunteer Experience and Causes section on your LinkedIn profile with past/current volunteer experience, causes you care about, and organizations you support.

2.       Share the new section with your network and encourage your connections to update their profiles too. You can also point them to our blog post for more information.

3.       Finally, ask the nonprofits you support or work for to encourage their support base to do the same.  Some organizations like Green Peace, The Nature Conservancy, Samaritan’s Purse and may more are asking their LinkedIn Followers to populate the section and highlight their organizations.

What resources are available for individuals and nonprofits who want to make the most of LinkedIn?

Two excellent resources:  Our nonprofit YouTube channel and a group I’d invite everyone to join called, “Nonprofits In Success.”

To learn more about how LinkedIn can help your nonprofit or cause here are 7 short videos about using LinkedIn for Non-Profits.

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Bryan Breckenridge

You can learn more about Bryan at BeliefEnergy.com or on LinkedIn, and follow him on Twitter @BGBreck.

“The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world’s joy.”

~ Henry Ward Beecher

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19 Ways To Be More Optimistic

30 Jun

This adapted post originally appears in The Huffington Post.

19 Ways to be More Optimistic

Have you ever wondered how some people always seem to see the sunny side of things? How missed flights can turn into adventures, bad directions can deliver them to exciting new locales, lost opportunities lead them to new learning, and unexpected changes in plans leave them feeling more spontaneous than flustered? How does that work, exactly?

Perhaps it’s like Henry David Thoreau once said:

“It’s not what you look at that matters,
it’s what you see.” ~ H.D. Thoreau

The same people tend to see the glass as half full.

Photo from Selin Jessa

Many things in life are open to interpretation. Luckily, we each have 100% control of our own attitude about something, regardless of how much or little control we have over that something itself. With that in mind, here are a few tips to make the bright side shine a little more often in any situation.

Count your blessings Make a written (or mental) list of things you are thankful for, from very small to very big and anywhere in between.  To really boost your spirits, set a number (like 100) and then just keep jotting everything down til you reach it.  It’s amazing what the mind remembers when focused!

Notice little unexpected things Pay special attention to things you don’t normally “see,” like the expression on kids’ faces when they’re playing, the sound birds are making in the background, or a little breeze.

Your mind maps your path; keep it sunny! Photo by Amy Neumann

Be grateful for the good  Being thankful for what we already have is a tried and true way to feel better.  Sometimes we get caught up thinking of what else is out there, when we have so many big and small things to be grateful for at any given moment.

Help someone else Helping others takes the focus off our own ego and needs, and helps channel our energy into creating a better world for others.  Studies show that helping others has multiple surprising benefits to our health and well-being.  Here are 10 online tools to get you started finding a great volunteer opportunity.

Decide to be happy today  This one is easy.  Change your lense.  Make a conscious decision to see the positive, to be kind to others, to be grateful, and to be nice to yourself.

Smile at a stranger (and make two people happy) Smiling is another time-tested way to feel more optimistic.  Even if you “fake it til you make it,” and smile when you don’t *really* feel like it, your brain thinks you feel better.  People who see others smiling also feel more positive .  Win, win!

Turn a perceived negative into a positive Also know as “finding the silver lining.”  Trip cancelled?  Now there’s time to do that home project you’ve been wanting to do. Raining on picnic day?  Find a creative picnic spot indoors, preferably with candles.  Challenge yourself by filling in this blank:  “One good thing about this situation is __________.”

Read positive news  Proactively look for positive stories and news sources that highlight all the good in the world, like these 15 uplifting, positive sites.

Read uplifting quotes and stories  Social media is great for this.  Facebook and Pinterest are full of fun pictures; Twitter has a never-ending stream of positive #quotes.  Download an uplifting eBook, or borrow one from the library.

Set a small goal, then do it Try something easy, quick, and ideally a bit fun.  Even small chores work.  Make a little list, check them off as you do them, and feel the accomplishment endorphins kick in!

Hang out with positive people  Being around optimistic people helps you see what they see.  Like negativity, positivity feeds on itself, creating more positivity and bolstering that worldview.  Surround yourself with optimism!

Remember that ultimately, almost everything is a choice You can choose your viewpoint, what you focus on, you reaction to a situation, your attitude toward people and events, and almost anything else.  While bigger changes may require more planning and deliberation, they also are choices; you control your destiny.

Laugh The best medicine!  Get a little comedy in your diet.  Here are 8 ways laughter helps with a positive and optimistic outlook.

Move Exercise can be structured, but it’s also great to just grab a quick walk.  Anything to get the blood flowing and more air into the lungs works.  Many people report feeling inspired and even more creative while exercising.

Absorb nature Getting out and about in nature – or even focusing more deeply on everyday things you see outdoors – helps remind us that we’re all in this journey together.  Seeing the amazing intricacies in even the tiniest creatures can help refocus appreciation.

“There are always flowers for those who wish to see them.” ~ Henri Matisse 

Remember simple things  Friends, family, free activities.  Sometimes simpler is better.  The things money can’t buy are often what we remember best.  In addition to doing them, reminiscing through pictures, scrapbooks, or journals keeps happy memories on tap.

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” ~ Robert Brault

Dive into a passion Let your creative inner child out to play.  Somewhere in your mind is that artist, adventurer, writer, dreamer, explorer, poet, sports star, singer, comic, teacher, actor, do-it-yourselfer.  Find out what they have in mind and give it a whirl!

Write down dreams and goals, and how you think achieving them feels Visualizing positive outcomes conjures up positive feelings, almost as well as actually achieving the goals.  Your mind feels the win, creating a feeling of optimism and hope.  Things like vision boards, writing down concrete goals, and keeping a journal can also contribute to this visionary process and sense of optimism.

“For myself, I am an optimist – it does not seem much use being anything else.” ~ Winston Churchill

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Rainy day, or best puddle ever? Photo courtesy of Amy Neumann

Amy Neumann is a social entrepreneur, writer, speaker and consultant on social good marketing. Check out her Charity Ideas Blog and follow her on Twitter @CharityIdeas.

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How To Become a Creative Warrior

12 Jun
This post originally appears in The Huffington Post.
Amy Neumann

Writer, Speaker; Social Media Consultant

Becoming a Creative Warrior

Posted: 06/09/2012 7:00 am

This post was co-authored by Eliza Wing.

You must do the thing you think you cannot do. — Eleanor Roosevelt

So many of us who wish to find a more creative approach to our lives struggle with motivation, self-criticism and doubt. We wonder: How can we produce high-quality work? How can we manifest the creative impulse we feel? Too often a creative drive that we experience can spark but then fizzle out because of our lack of confidence.

We worry. How can what I produce be valuable when there is so much that is beautiful and intelligent around me? We want to know. How can I, as an artist, writer, business leader, develop a productive, meaningful path to creativity?

Chogyam Trungpa‘s seminal book, Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, describes a potential path for those interested in spiritual development, including meditative and loving-kindness practices. His words are also apt inspiration for those of us exploring our creative dimension.

Trungpa advises us to “feel that you are not special, but ordinary, extra-ordinary.” His advice seems contradictory, especially when we apply it to the creative urge. We’ve been trained by history and society to believe that the “true” creative must be special, different, even elevated. But living with the ordinary as Trongpa suggests helps us see that this is not so. Instead, we can begin our journey by adopting some of these “ordinary” tenets inspired by his teachings:

Notice that goodness is all around us. Begin to notice the brief, beautiful moments that your interaction with the world brings you. The sound of a bird’s wings as it moves from branch to branch, the flash of sun coming from behind a cloud, your child’s hug (no matter how quick and rare). This appreciation allows you to see just how lovely the ordinary is. In the words of acclaimed painting instructor Charles Hawthorne: “Anything under the sun is beautiful if you have the vision — it is the seeing of the thing that makes it so.”

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The beauty of a moment captured – photo courtesy of Steve-H on Flickr
Acknowledge that you are fearful. Let’s face it. Creating is daunting. Living is difficult. How much of your day do you spend masking the fear (which can manifest in all sorts of ways) — are you neglecting writing that book, starting a painting, crafting a business idea? Are you instead tweeting (too much), checking email, having a little more wine than is useful for clear creative expression? All distractions. If you can stay with your fear, letting yourself experience rather than avoid it, you may find other feelings within the fear. There might be sadness, anger or anxiety. Or all three! In any case, your goal here is to be gentle with yourself. Now is not the time to add to the fear by piling on criticism. Be tender with yourself. Forgive yourself for perceived lapses and inadequacies. You will find yourself much more able to free up your creative flow.

Be simple. The most effective works get the basic stuff right. Whether it is composition, narrative structure or the moving crescendo of a speech, remember the essentials and get them right. How easy it is to over-complicate things and to stray from our core idea! If you can capture what it is that inspired you to begin your project in the first place and keep referring back to it as you move along, you will help yourself immensely. This is not to say that things don’t evolve as you develop them. It is merely that we can fall through one rabbit hole after another until we are past the point of no return.

“Before you can think out of the box, you have to start with a box.” — Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life

Chaos. It’s everywhere. And there’s nothing wrong with letting it nudge you out of complacency. So, while you keep it simple, you play at the edges. Think of any practice that you are working to perfect. It isn’t static. Instead, once you have mastered one element, you realize that there is more to learn. In Trongpa’s tradition, the closest corollary is coming back to the breath in meditation. We sit and our mind wanders. And we bring it back, acknowledging that our mind has strayed and appreciating that we can return again and again to our foundation, our idea.

As long as I tell the truth, I feel that nobody can touch me. — Henry Rollins

Be true to yourself. At base, Trongpa’s message is to be truthful and kind — advice that applies directly to our creative selves. It is not about the labels you give yourself or your work, no matter what your work may be. It is, in the end, you and an ordinary white canvas, a blank page, an expectant audience. If you can gaze at the empty space and connect with your common, ordinary human impulse you will see that you are no more special than the rest of humanity. And that is okay. As you connect to your work and your audience with humility and honesty, the impact of your desire to connect will feed you and will inspire others.

It is you, extra-ordinary in your ordinary approach to what inspires, that will produce the most truthful, moving work.

Eliza Wing, the former president and CEO of Cleveland.com and president of Sideways, now runs Wing Consulting. Wing, who is also a writer and a painter, brings extensive online editorial and digital expertise to her clients. She strives to integrate creativity and creative thought into all that she does.

Amy Neumann is a social entrepreneur, writer, speaker and consultant on social good marketing. Check out her CharityIdeasBlog and follow her on Twitter @CharityIdeas.

For more by Amy Neumann, click here.

For more on mindfulness, click here.

Follow Amy Neumann on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CharityIdeas

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Social Media for Social Good :: Your Nonprofit Tech Checklist – @NonProfitOrgs #socialgood

7 Jun

I ran across this post and just had to share it!  The original post can be found here, on the NonProfitOrgs blog. Follow them @NonprofitOrgs for more fantastic tips and ideas!

Original article:

February 8, 2012

At the end of the Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits is a nine-page “Nonprofit Tech Checklist” which I have copied and pasted below. Each item on the list is discussed in the book and some items won’t make sense unless you have read the book, but most will. I hope you find it useful. That was my number one priority when writing the book… to create a comprehensive, useful social and mobile media how-to guide for nonprofits. Oh, and the book tour thus far has raised more than $14,000 for nonprofits. The IRS is still trying to wrap it’s head around that one… a book tour fundraiser. :)

Getting Started: Organization and Planning

  • Subscribe to, like, and follow large organizations with a mission that is similar to yours.
  • Subscribe to social media and mobile technology blogs.
  • Define your goals and objectives.
  • Get the necessary training (HTML, digital photography, video, social media, and mobile technology).
  • Create a master login sheet.
  • Define metrics of measurement and create a social media ROI spreadsheet.
  • Create a Google account.
  • Sign up for Google Alerts.
  • Experiment with social media dashboards.
  • Write social media and mobile technology policies.
  • Hire a graphic designer to design a square avatar(s).
  • Purchase a smartphone and/or tablet.
  • Purchase a digital camera.
  • Purchase a pocket camcorder.
  • Create an e-mail signature that includes your website, blog, and social networking links.

Read the rest of the original article to get the whole checklist HERE!

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HuffPost: 7 Steps to Increase Your Creative Output | w @ElizaWing @AnnTran_ @2morrowknight #creativity

28 Apr
Amy Neumann

Writer, Speaker; Social Good Consultant

7 Steps to Take Now to Increase Your Creative Output

Posted: 04/27/2012 10:00 pm

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” — Scott Adams

This post is co-authored by Eliza Wing.

We would all like, no matter our discipline, to increase the quality and quantity of our work. Some artists, writers and business leaders have established routines that help them to get into a creative mode daily. Perhaps the artist shows up at the studio every morning at 8 a.m. and doesn’t leave until lunch, or the CEO takes several afternoons away from the office to write up a strategic plan. But what lies beneath the commitment to create? How can we position ourselves in ways that elevate our work?

What follows are useful qualities anyone can develop to help them along a creative path.

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What do you see? Photo courtesy of Amy Neumann.

Question Authority

Who knows what is right? The Creative will not accept what is; he will look at a situation or an image and work to make it his own. Consider one child carefully coloring within the lines of coloring book and then another, blank paper laid out and an array of colored pencils, spread before her like so many pick up sticks.

Many creatives would rather the call of the blank page then the thought of painstakingly filling in someone else’s blanks. Wouldn’t you?

Don’t Act Your Age

Some people report that as they grow older they still feel 8, 13, or 11 years old inside. No matter your “real” age, the ability to connect with all that is wonderful about youth is key to enlivening your creative work. “The young know less, which is why they often invent more,” Jonah Lehrer tells us in his new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works. A child radiates energy, wonderment in the face of something new, or perhaps rebellion — add your own words here. What quality do you wish you could retrieve from your childhood?

Perhaps take back the elasticity of time; remember how endless some days felt then. Delve into a project (whether it is written, visual or business-related) and lose sense of time. It is in those moments when connecting with the process of creating, not watching the clock, making to-do lists or other responsible “grown-up” things one “should” be doing, that we often create the best work.

Give Generously (To Yourself AND Others)

You must take care of yourself first; your health, your sleep, and your psyche should all be nourished. You can ignore all of the above, but you truly cannot operate in a deficit for long. Give yourself space to create, a place where you can dictate the rules. J.K. Rowling wrote in cafes because she knew her baby would fall asleep the way there — it was ensured “quiet” time. Know what you need in order to create and do not relinquish the parameters you have set.

Once you have created an environment and a schedule that works for your circumstances, whatever that looks like, you can and should turn to others. Even though you will find yourself with seemingly less time, the more you expose yourself to others and what they offer in terms of idea exchange and experience, the more you open yourself to the world. This isn’t to say that you should say yes to everything. Take your temperature before agreeing to something. If you are the sort of person who agrees to things and then resents the commitment, go back to the beginning. Perhaps you haven’t given to yourself enough.

“Creativity originates from several basic life elements, one of which is generosity and a heart curved outwards toward the world. Giving time and attention to others, listening intently to them, and taking in all the beautiful, interesting aspects of life – these set the stage for the birth of creative ideas.” — Ann Tran, @AnnTran_

Respect the Practice

Consider the phrase “the force of habit.” We can position ourselves to think and act creatively, hoping that inspiration comes like a crack of lightning and a song, as Carole King says in describing “You’ve got a friend” to Fresh Air’s Terry Gross. “That song, pure and simple, came through me,” she says. “I sat at the piano; the song came…” The key? She sat at the piano, just as a writer must sit at her desk day in, day out. The only way to create a habit is to start doing something habitually. As writer of the best-selling Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott says, “discipline is the path to freedom.” Setting expectations for yourself, forcing yourself to show up regularly and articulate what was just a wisp of a thought at the edge of your mind is what gives you a lift over your hopeful brethren — you know the ones — who are left wondering why they can’t ever write more than the first chapter of that novel they know they have in them.

Be Truthful

There is no point in creating something if it doesn’t ring true to you. Of course, truth is relative and personal. No two people will describe a scene or experience in the same way. This is not a case of finding consensus. The real Creative is always observing and questioning and testing the perceived reality. A fine copy of an artwork is just that — a copy. Under the first layer of our output is another, more subtle line that emerges. That is where the truth of your work resides. It should make you uncomfortable and excited. It should make you look over your shoulder to see if anyone has noticed that sentence you just wrote. You should be a little worried. Maybe even very worried. Keep digging and sorting through those uncomfortable thoughts. Shakespeare was right of course. The truth will come out.

Pay Attention

Twyla Tharp, in her book The Creative Habit , tells of a friend who goes out every day looking for a face to draw. He doesn’t come home until he has found the face and adequately captured it. Think of all the faces you pass by and don’t see. Can you describe what your neighbor was wearing when they took out the trash this morning? You may have waved to them but did you really take note? Details and response to your environment are what make your work sing. This is true for any creative project, it is the attention and understanding of the world around you that lifts your work above the rest.

Be a Dreamer

With all the talk of habits (good and bad) and practice you must also leave room for staring meaninglessly into space, for stopping in the middle of your walk and watching the trees move with the wind. You should grab a nap and let your mind drift in and out of consciousness. Let your mind come and go and notice what it does at the edges of your dreams. If you can’t imagine it, how will you do it?

“Surround yourself with great people, be visionary and determined about your future, and always do your best … and then some! Life is too short to not give it all you’ve got. Let the world see the amazing person you aim to become.” — Sean Gardner, @2morrowknight

Eliza Wing, the former president and CEO of Cleveland.com and president of Sideways, now runs Wing Consulting. Wing, who is also a writer and a painter, brings extensive online editorial and digital expertise to her clients. She strives to integrate creativity and creative thought into all that she does.

Amy Neumann is a social entrepreneur, writer, speaker and consultant on social good marketing. Check out her CharityIdeasBlog and follow her on Twitter @CharityIdeas.

For more by Amy Neumann, click here.

For more on mindfulness, click here.

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10 Ways You Can Help to Stop Bullying | #stopbullying via @WakingUpCourage

27 Apr

10 Ways You Can Help To Stop Bullying

Apr 20 2012

by Rick Phillips, Executive Director of Community Matters

This article originally appears on  Community-Matters.org.

How many times has an incident or a tragic event stirred your emotions leaving you feeling shocked, saddened or angry? For many of us in today’s 24-hour news and media blitz, this is a fairly common occurrence. The question is this; what do we do when we are emotionally triggered by a disturbing incident or event?

We have a choice. We can be overwhelmed by the size and scope of the issue and do nothing, or we can wake up our courage and do something that contributes to making things better.

Bully, the recently released documentary film provides us with a powerful opportunity to take action and raise our collective voices. Let us choose to stand up and speak up, and be agents of change.

10 Ways You Can Help To Stop Bullying

1. Build healthy relationships with the people around you: your children, children in your community, classmates, co-workers, neighbors, parents, players on your team, etc.

2. Educate yourself.  Know that bullying today is more relational and cyber than it is physical. Read more, go on-line, dialogue with others, etc. Bullying is just one form of mistreatment. Know what’s not OK, what hurts others (physically or emotionally).

3. Sharpen your communication skills so you can connect with others, understand them; keep the channels of communication open.

4. Walk the talk – don’t bully others. Be kind. Use your influence with care and compassion.

5. Be observant and notice what others say and do, and don’t ignore mistreatment.

6. Intervene. Stand up and speak up to mistreatment. Voice your concern or objection. Suggest an alternative or get help if it’s bigger than you are.

7. Refuse to join in. If all else fails and it doesn’t feel safe to intervene, walk away and report it when appropriate.

8. Offer support to the person(s) being targeted. Show that you care.

9. Advocate. Be a voice for constructive change in priorities, policies, and practices, in schools and other organizations. Make “positive social-emotional climate” a top priority.

10. Know that individual action matters and starts a chain reaction of positive change.

When we take action and speak up, we are initiating change.  Together our actions can go a long way to creating a more just and more peaceful world.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
– John Quincy Adams

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Together We Can End Bullying | by @2morrowknight @AnnTran_ @CharityIdeas | #endbullying

30 Mar
This article originally appears in The Huffington Post.

Together We Can End Bullying

Posted: 03/29/2012 6:44 pm

“Safety and security don’t just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.”– Nelson Mandela

Bullying has become a huge issue these days, both online and off. Not just for individuals, but also for families and communities. It’s a mentally, emotionally trying experience. With the release of the movie, Bully in theaters March 30, the spotlight is shining even brighter on the tragic consequences bullying can have.

The good news is, there are ways to find, prevent, and remove bullying from classrooms and computers (and workplaces and life). Many organizations, celebrities, and passionate people are focused on the issue. Lady Gaga recently launched her Born This Way Foundation, Ellen DeGeneres has been an outspoken advocate to #endbullying, supporting organizations like GLSEN, The Trevor Project, and The National Center for Bullying Prevention, and what once seemed like “someone else’s problem” is becoming much more visible to us all. And along with more mainstream visibility comes more compassion, as well as more solutions. Part of solving any problem is education.

Here are some alarming figures from anti-bullying nonprofit Community Matters:

  • 25,000 students are targets of attacks, shakedowns, robberies in secondary schools every day (National School Safety Center)
  • 46% of high school students report seeing a serious fight at least once a month at school (USA Today). Research shows that 1/3 of the brain shuts down for as much as 72 hours after seeing that type of violence
  • 260 teachers are physically assaulted and 6250 teachers are threatened with bodily injury every day (National Education Association)
  • Approximately 75% of students say they have been bullied at school (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention)
  • Every day, 160,000 students stay home from school due to fear of attack or intimidation (National Association of School Psychologists)

Photo by Jose Kevo (Flickr).

Although these statistics seem intimidating, concrete steps can be taken to protect your child. The first step is awareness. CNN has an article, “How to Spot a Bullied Child and What to Do,” that highlights a few signs you may see from a bullied child:

  • Inexplicable fits of rage: Does your child blow up at the least provocation?
  • Overreaction to normal, daily frustrations: Does your child overreact to people and situations that never would have bothered him or her before?
  • Faking illness to avoid going to school, or even making themselves sick.
  • Impaired immune system and frequent illness: The constant stress and sadness associated with severe bullying can weaken your child’s immune system. This, coupled with a child’s wishing he or she were sick to get out of school can be a powerful combination.

2012-03-27-BullyFreeZoneEddieSFlickr.jpg
Image courtesy of Eddie-S (Flickr).

Here are a few things The National Bullying Prevention Center suggests you can do to help prevent bullying:

  • Sign a Petition–Unite with others and add your voice to an online petition or hold a petition signing event at your school or in your community.
  • Share Stories–Upload a video, story, poem, artwork, or audio clip expressing how you feel about bullying, how you think it affects students and schools, what you have done to prevent bullying, or what others can do to prevent bullying.
  • National Bullying Prevention Month–Participate in activities, education and awareness building in October.
  • Community Events–Hold a special event to show your school or organization cares about this important issue. The event can include music, giveaways, special speakers, petition signings and more, as people unite to join the movement against bullying.
  • Run, Walk, Roll Against Bullying–Raise awareness of bullying prevention in your community with a live event. Find a location, gather sponsors, invite participants and hold the event. Consider planning activities for after the race, such as speakers, drawings and more.
  • Donate–Donating to the cause is a great way to share you care. Your contribution can mean one less student being bullied, one more student speaking out, or one more student knowing that someone cares.

And don’t forget to share your passion to help with your social networks. With more understanding and awareness of the problem, the chances of creating long-term change greatly increase. Like most things, the more we work together to listen, learn, and help, the faster things will get better. Because everyone deserves to feel and be safe and happy.

Follow Amy Neumann on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CharityIdeas

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An Amazing All-In-One #NPTECH Resource Page from @SocialBrite

16 Mar

This is an incredible set of resources from the one and only SocialBrite.org – one of my personal favorite sites for all things social media, nonprofit, and technology.  Thanks Team SocialBrite!

Visit them often!

Sharing Center

A free learning hub for nonprofits & change-makers:
Power guides, tools, tutorials, reports, resources & more

2nd Life

Power guides

Twitter icon by Matt Know

Twitter Guide

Facebook

Facebook

metrics

Metrics

social media policies

Social media policies

Video: Open Media Foundation

Video & media

  • Creating media: resources, tutorials on effective use of video, multimedia, audio, podcasting & more.
  • Strategy: Step-by-step guide to creating a media strategy.
  • Video skills: Guide to shooting better online video.
  • Video guide: Elements of a video project

mobile

Mobile

Gov 2.0

Cause organizations

  • A deep, timely directory of cause organizations making a difference in the social change & nonprofit worlds, with reviews

All of these guides, directories and tutorials live on the Socialbrite site except where noted. Please contribute your own resource listings! We share everything here under Creative Commons licenses.

Credits

Image credits for the rotating slide show for the Sharing Center navigation of Socialbrite.org (all photos are Creative Commons Attribution):

• Only Hope by royryap
• Andy at the Getty by Kevin Dooley
• torraera (camels) by bachmont
• Beautiful old lady from Darap (Sikkim) village by Sukanto Debnath
• Muchilottu Bhagavathy Theyyam ceremonial mask by freebird (bobinson)
• Blue (underwater statue) by John Carleton
• One gear in a Clock by G & M
• Untitled (flower) by josef.stuefer

Image credits for the rotating slide show for the Resources navigation of Socialmedia.biz (all photos are Creative Commons Attribution):

• The oyster in the shell by on1stsite(comp broken and in need of eyesurgery)
• Light Painting by Steve Jurvetson
• look downstairs into stairwell whirl by quapan
• Sarah Austin by JD Lasica
• Time by John Morgan
• Q-Park by Wolfgang Staudt

On this page:
Power guides image by Cambodia4kids; Monitoring photo by CaronNYC; Partners photo by Jemingway

With huge thanks to Click on the SocialBrite logo for the original page!

You can follow Team SocialBrite here:

And to get the latest and greatest updates in real time, here are several fantastic #nptech experts on Twitter SocialBrite recommends (and I do too!)

Twitter bird
Tweet-roll

@kanter
@WiserEarth
@care2frogloop
@ClaireD
@amanda
@pistachio
@cfnoble
@sloane
@amyrsward
@Philanthropy
@CauseGlobal
@fdncenter
@idealist
@TakePart
@scottyhendo
@Public_Citizen
@HandsOnNetwork

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12 Great Online Fundraising Platforms for Donors and NonProfits

3 Mar

This article originally appeared on Mashable.

Thanks to the social web, each of us has the unprecedented ability to offer not only monetary support but also the reach of our own online networks in support of a cause. Non-profits can also tap into a myriad of sites enhanced by social media to turbo-charge fundraising campaigns and galvanize supporters.

Picking up where last year’s list left off, here are some of the best funding sites that leverage social networks and online crowds to help you do some (social) good. If there are others that you find worthwhile, please share them in the comments.

1. Causes

causes imageFully integrated into the world’s largest social network, Causes lets Facebook users launch and participate in online campaigns for collective action, like fundraising, signing petitions and garnering attention for a cause or organization.

For Donors: The Causes application prompts individuals to create grassroots communities or “causes” in support of specific issues or non-profit organizations and then invite their Facebook friends to join them in their efforts.

For Non-profits: Non-profits can use Causes to build communities of supporters, run fundraising campaigns, distribute petitions and build a volunteer base for free. In order to accept donations through Causes, a non-profit must be a 501(c)3 that is also registered with GuideStar. Non-profits still must pay the 4.75% processing fee via Network for Good.

2. Crowdrise

crowdrise imageCrowdrise offers online tools for personal fundraising, event fundraising, special occasion fundraising, team fundraising and sponsored volunteerism. Star power from co-founder Edward Norton and social media-powered, high-profile fundraisers have helped set this crowdfunding tool apart from others.

For Donors: In addition to starting a fundraising campaign, giving to one, volunteering or interacting within Crowdrise, you can accumulate points for your activities. You’ll earn 10 points for every dollar raised or donated and double points for giving to a featured charity. Top point winners get prizes such as electronics, clothing and giftcards.

For Non-profits: Non-profits can benefit from Crowdrise’s turn-key solution meant to complement their existing fundraising and volunteer activities. Basic accounts are free, and there is a $299/year cost for a Featured Account. Crowdrise deducts 5% on donations made through their site with a $1 transaction fee for donations under $25 or a $2.50 transaction fee for donations of $25 and up.

3. DonateNow/Network for Good

donatenow imageThis site provides a secure donation system that powers the online fundraising efforts of many non-profits. It also has a Volunteer Network to connect individuals across the country with more than 200,000 virtual, local and global volunteer opportunities.

For Donors: Some people may not ever come into direct contact with Network for Good until they make an online contribution to a non-profit that uses DonateNow behind the scenes. But you can go to the Network for Good site and make donations and manage your giving history directly. You can also set up automated monthly giving, buy a charity gift card, or download a badge for your favorite charity to add to your website or blog.

For Non-profits: Using the DonateNow service, you can select from three plans: “Lite,” for a 5% fee per donation; “Main,” with a one-time account setup fee of $199.00 and a monthly fee of $49.95; and “DonateNow Deluxe” for $99 per month. The latter two plans have a 3% donation fee. They also offer a service called EventsNow powered by givezooks with transaction fees of 5.5% and $0.99 per ticket or donation and a fee-based e-mail service powered by Emma.

4. DonorsChoose

donorschoose imageThis site vets every classroom project request submitted by teachers and processes donor transactions. They then purchase all related classroom materials, ship the items directly to the schools and notify the principal of the pending shipments. They close the loop by providing photos of each project taking place with teacher and student letters and a cost report showing how donations were spent.

For Donors: You can donate to the classroom project of your choice and then invite your social network friends, fans and followers to join your efforts.

For Non-profits: Teachers are encouraged to submit classroom projects to the site and to use social media to garner support. Projects less than $400 have the best chance of being funded.

5. FirstGiving

firstgiving imageThis site empowers individuals to raise money for causes easily and provides non-profits with fundraising campaign management tools.

For Donors: The site provides individuals with the tools to raise money or donate to a cause. Donors can choose to cover the fees that are normally passed on as a transaction fee to the non-profit.

For Non-Profits: FirstGiving partners with non-profit organizations so they can plan, execute and measure their online fundraising campaigns. Non-profits can sign up for an account and receive donations weekly, less a 5% fee. Non-profits can also let their supporters know that anyone can create fundraising pages on behalf of the organization.

6. Givezooks!

givezooks imageGivezooks! is geared toward non-profits and provides them with tools to manage fundraising efforts. Fundraisers on givezooks! can be promoted using e-mail, widgets and through social media channels.

For Donors: While not specifically geared toward the individual donor, givezooks! provides a grassroots fundraising tool for non-profits. In turn, non-profits can encourage people like you to create grassroots fundraising campaigns on their behalf and individuals can tap into their own personal social networks for additional support.

For Non-profits: To get started, non-profits pick a plan, create a custom givezooks! fundraiser: a campaign, event or wish list. Organizations also select their payment gateway: Sage, PayPal, CyberSource, Authorize.net or AmazonPayments. The givezooks! Social Fundraising platform starts at $129 per month. Their Events product is priced separately based on a transaction fee starting at 2%.

7. Help Attack!

helpattack imageHelpAttack! wants to make it easy and fun for anyone to “turn social actions into social good.” Anyone can pledge any amount of money for each action they take online (currently on Twitter and Facebook) and give it to their favorite non-profits. There’s a gaming and discovery component so users can unlock coins and learn about new non-profits and causes to support.

For Donors: Sign in to HelpAttack! with your Twitter or Facebook ID, choose a non-profit from the site’s database to support and pledge a specific amount per action for a 30-day period. Then simply go about your tweeting, commenting, uploading photos to Facebook, and engaging with your friends online. At the end of 30 days, the site tallies your social activities, and you can return to the site to make good on your promise.

For Non-profits: Any 501(c)(3) can be included in the site’s database and cultivate philanthropists from their fans and followers. The fee for non-profits is 4.75% via Network For Good. HelpAttack! has a freemium model with the paid upgrade costing $25 at sign up and an additional 4% from the donation stream.

8. Jumo

jumo imageJumo, a registered 501(c)(3) organization, considers itself a social network that connects individuals and organizations. Created by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, its functionality is linked closely with Facebook.

For Donors: You must have a Facebook account to sign up and use. As a donor, you can find issues and projects to support, follow related news and support those causes. In some cases, you donate to an organization through a donate button on their Jumo page.

For Non-profits: Jumo is open to all organizations or groups with a charitable mission. Non-profits can add their organizations or projects by clicking on “Add a Project” at the bottom of every site page. In some cases, a page may already be set up in an organization’s name, and they can click “Become the administrator” on the page to claim it. To receive donations through Jumo, non-profits must provide their organization’s EIN. Donations on Jumo are processed via Network for Good so there is a 4.75% fee per transaction.

9. JustGive

justgive imageFounded 11 years ago, JustGive was created to help individuals find charities to support. The JustGive Guide narrows a database of over 1.5 million charities (from Guidestar) down to the 1,000 organizations that meet stringent requirements and then groups them into 19 categories. The site also offers various ways individuals can support their causes, such as charity gift cards, charity wedding registrations and charity gift collections.

For Donors: The minimum donation through the site is $10 and payments can be made via American Express, Discover, MasterCard, or Visa. You can also set up recurring donations to process on a monthly basis. Track the donations you make through your giving history, which helps at tax time.

For Non-profits: To create or correct their listing on JustGive, a non-profit needs to first register with Guidestar. Organizations can set up a JustGive donation page and download a “Donate Now” button to put on their website or blog and lead donors to JustGive to process donations. JustGive provides a record of donations downloadable as a CSV or PDF file. There are no setup costs but there is a 3% fee per donation.

10. Razoo

razoo imageRazoo provides tools to search for and donate to charities, create an online fundraiser with no setup fees or monthly subscriptions and collaborate through social media.

For Donors: You can find and support your favorite cause or non-profit or set up your own fundraiser. You can also organize a team or join someone else’s to raise money including races and mission trips.

For Non-profits: With Razoo, non-profits can accept online donations and create fundraising campaigns for specific projects or start a fundraiser for a good cause. You can also claim access to your organization’s listing (based on the IRS Business Master File) to share your stories for free on your fundraising page and use the DonateAnywhere widget to accept donations through Razoo. Razoo’s per donation transaction fee is 2.9% with an additional 2.0% for team fundraising tools.

11. SocialVibe

socialvibe imageSocialVibe is part of the social offerings from branding agency Svnetwork. The company refers to SocialVibe as a “social media utility” that connects people with brands in support of causes.

For Donors: By interacting with brands who have set up campaigns on SocialVibe, you can contribute to non-profit organizations partnered with the site. Each time you share branded content on your social media channels and blogs, you earn points that translate into micro-donations for the cause of your choice. The more social media accounts you connect to SocialVibe, the greater your impact. You can also add the SocialVibe app to your Facebook profile.

For Non-profits: SocialVibe is limited in how it works specifically with non-profits. It is currently affiliated with 40 charitable partners in the areas of education, environment, heath, hunger and poverty, animals, arts and culture, and peace and human rights.

12. Sparked

sparked imageSparked is an online-only volunteer network that incorporates crowdsourcing principles to bring talented individuals together in support of non-profits.

For Donors: Instead of donating money, you’re giving time and in-kind contributions. And if you have a spare moment, Sparked will help you fill it. You provide the site with your specific skills, such as copywriting or graphic design. Specify what types of causes interest you such as environmental or health. You’ll then start receiving requests from the site to help non-profits on relevant projects such as developing copy and designing a new direct mail piece for a conversation project.

For Non-profits: Any non-profit can create a profile specifying their sector and needs. They can then post challenges that are distributed to the vast volunteer network. Note that this site does not provide fundraising tools.

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