Posted in Personal Development, Random Acts of Kindness, Stress Management, tagged butter bee happy, grateful journal. happiness journal, gratitude journal, Happy Tapper, Oprah Winfrey on June 7, 2011 | 4 Comments »
Funny. Over the past few weeks, I’ve not only happened upon several blog postings, but have also had a couple of conversations about gratitude journals. Perhaps it’s no coincidence; spring is, after all, a time of hope and renewal.
A Gratitude Journal (also called a Grateful Journal, and a Happiness Journal) came into popularity back in the mid-90s through Oprah Winfrey. The concept is simple: (more…)
Posted in Personal Development, Random Acts of Kindness, tagged gratitude on January 1, 2011 | 4 Comments »
“Week 52″ — Words I sometimes wondered if I’d ever type.
Truth be told, there were times when I questioned if we’d make it. The first came when I was overloaded with work and falling behind on blogging. I remember asking Nils (not so jokingly), “Would anyone notice if we changed to ‘26 Weeks of Impact’?” The other memorable time came when someone referred to us as “slacktivists.” Reacting like the child that I’m often capable of being, I wanted to throw in the towel. Thank goodness I didn’t. (more…)
Posted in Children, Personal Development, Sports, tagged supporting sports, World Cup 2010 on December 30, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Woo woo woo
I’m not much of a sports fan — neither as a participant nor a spectator — but every four years, my “inner jock-ette” rises to the surface, has been known to don a b*tt-ugly team t-shirt and cheer, yell and emit war cries at the television set along with the best of them. It’s only FIFA World Cup (also known as Soccer World Cup or simply World Cup) that will awaken this creature within.
This year was certainly no different, and the fact that Nils’ and my current love and future home, South Africa, hosted this year’s event made it all that much more significant (not to mention that we had good friends from the States visiting during the summer finals and we got them hooked too).
Pre-World Cup, South Africa, the first African nation to host the World Cup finals, was scrutinized and dissected in its preparation. (more…)
Posted in Arts and Culture, Education, Personal Development, tagged creativity, passion in writing, Reaping the Fruits of Passion in Your Writing, The Muse Online Writers Conference, writers workshop, writing on October 25, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Despite the flu and an average of 14-hour days at the computer, Week 41 ranks with some of my most personally fulfilling of the year — though I suppose there have been many. My Impact Effort was to lead a five-day writers’ workshop on “Reaping the Fruits of Passion in Your Writing” at the annual Muse Online Writers’ Conference. While the majority of participants were from the U.S., there were representatives from every time zone around the globe. I, personally, “only” had participants that spanned from South Africa to Hawaii. In order to be as responsive as I would want a workshop leader to be, very little sleep happened that week. The flu I caught just prior made me thankful that the workshop was virtual — I sounded like a frog and resembled a zombie, but, nobody saw or heard. I could hide behind my monitor in my jammies.
“Passion” garnered several obvious passions of mine and a couple of talents to boot – writing, curriculum development and training not being the least of them. It was refreshing to combine all these skills. But, more than that, seeing the creative genius blossom was exhilarating. Many of the participants rose to my challenges and pushed themselves to the next level of excellence. Several times during that week, I caught myself leaning on both elbows, reading submissions with my nose nearly next to the monitor. My responses to many homework assignments were typed with fury and excitement. Often I’d review requested revisions and break into a smile, or feel a sting behind my eyes. My heart leapt to discover what some of them were capable of producing. What a reward to work with such talented and inspiring writers.
“Reaping the Fruits of Passion in Your Writing” is a workshop that I developed to help writers to define what “passion” means to each of them, to describe what passion is from all sensory points of view, and to develop their voice to convey it in their writing, their settings and their characters. I was over the moon to find out that the workshop had not only helped them develop in their writing, but also “changed some of (their) outlooks on life by helping (them) see (their) passions in an understandable light.”
I will gladly give this workshop again next year, if invited to do so (so check Muse’s website). And, I’m considering how I might turn it into a “life passion” workshop.
I’m so excited to have helped fellow and sister writers get their groove back!
Yes, another example how using our talents and passions can make for fulfilling and meaningful Impact. Maybe writing’s not your thing, but you surely have other talents you can share to create Impact.
P.S. – Nils’ Impact? Week 41, he was the man behind the woman. In addition to all the cooking done the prior week from our organic market trip, Nils made and froze additional dishes and snacks to make sure that I ate healthfully during the conference week. He knows me too well; when I get immersed in a passion, I tend to forget all — even my passion for eating.
Posted in Personal Development, Random Acts of Kindness on September 14, 2010 | 4 Comments »
Uh oh, got me-self into a pickle.
The last blog posting I wrote was titled, “Sharing your talents, it’s that simple.” The “simple” part referred to the belief that using our talents (as opposed to abilities that don’t come naturally) makes for effortless Impact. I did not anticipate the response.
I thank those who wrote to let me know that recognizing and admitting to talents that create Impact is NOT so simple. I double thank those who have been willing to dialog on the subject. I’ve certainly learned a lot.
One result of this unexpected response: my personal Impact this week was different than planned. Following the theme of Ovarian Cancer Awareness, I was going to use my writing ability to develop another article for publication on the early symptoms of O.C.
Instead, I spent time online with some friends and followers posing questions to help find their answers, reveal their talents and elicit new ideas. I believe that this is one of my talents. To put a name to the Impact I had this week is a little more difficult, but I hope I made some positive difference. Each of us has our own special talents, even if we don’t allow ourselves to see them.
Nils’ talents and resulting Impact are much easier to identify. One of Nils’ most conspicuous talents is his problem-solving (mostly analytical) abilities. He often sees clearly through fog of fear, stress, or chaos. His clear-headedness can then create greater calm for others.
This past week, was extremely stressful for Nils at work, but that didn’t stop him from making Impact. In two separate incidents, he helped others circumnavigate uncomfortable situations. In one, he counseled a colleague’s “car repair shop panicked” girlfriend (Impacting not only the girlfriend, but also helping his colleague bypass potential “traumatized girlfriend syndrome”); in the other, he advised an angst-filled co-worker (also in a pickle) in how to best communicate with his boss, avoiding a sticky situation.
Additionally, Nils coached a nervous colleague for his upcoming annual review, and provided a friend with a new business idea. He also mentioned having fixed someone’s umbrella on a very rainy day — I suppose we could consider that he put his mechanical-engineering talents to work, but I think that’s a bit of a stretch.
None of the above efforts we could have anticipated. Then again, that goes along with what I often say about chances to make a positive Impact always presenting themselves — somehow, somewhere.
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Posted in Animal Conservation & Welfare, Friends, Personal Development, volunteering, tagged personal talents, Talents, using talent for impact, volunteer work on September 9, 2010 | 2 Comments »
My ex-husband was (and likely still is) a very talented fellow. My oldest friend still reminds me that he could make milk Doritos come out of his nose. (Added Sept 11, 2010: Sorry, I’ve been corrected by my friend, it was Doritos, not milk)
But, (fortunately) he’s just one of many talented people I know. I’d like to share a few more …
A close friend with an eye for all things beautiful, has designed and produced miniature books, created cards with rare and unusual papers, designed handbags from wood, silk cording and beads, is now learning to make jewelry. Recently she began delighting in and delighting others with her talent for writing — and doing a bit of it to benefit charities.
Vicky, a primary school friend, born with a paintbrush in hand, recently designed and created a cow scene mural on a shuttle bus in the community of Crested Butte, Colorado. Imagine seeing that bus pass in the morning — impossible to be in a bad mood. I’m tempted to go to Colorado just for the pleasure of riding it. She’s now using her talents on a project painting scenery for a musical production.Having little talent in crafts or visual, musical or dramatic arts myself, I am in awe of those who do. The joy I imagine they get in creating and the Impact they have is so very obvious to me.
Others I know have different types of talents.
Amazing talents, amazing people. All who are making an Impact. And this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the talents I know, have seen, and experienced. (apologies to all the many other people I know who are not included here for lack of space)
Each of us has talents, gifts and abilities that are uniquely ours. Do you know what yours are? Do you find opportunities to share your talents to make an Impact on others? If so, please share them with us. Don’t be shy.
This week Nils and I will be seeking ways to create Impact by using our personal talents. We’ll report in later in the week.
p.s. – if you know of a children’s hospital that might be interested in a clowning guy who does tricks with corn snacksdairy, please let me know.
Posted in Monthly Impact Challenges (MIC), Personal Development, Random Acts of Kindness on July 5, 2010 |
If you heard a dull, hollow “thonking” noise yesterday, I confess that was me. Between the hours of about 2 – 4 p.m., I was whacking my forehead with the the heel of my hand repeatedly and firmly, crying, “stupid, stupid, stupid!” What foolishness made me believe that Nils and could easily sort through friend and follower Happy Thoughts and present a short list for voting? If we had really been “fair”, our short list would number in the hundreds. Each Thought was a gem, ranging from touching to moving, odd to ROFL funny, and many made us pause, think and appreciate.
In the end, we managed to cull to 21 items. I can’t say Nils and I were in total agreement, and we’ve no doubt removed what would have been others’ favorites. But for the sake of our marriage 
, we present the list below. We love each and every thought!
Please help us decide the top Happy Thoughts winners and VOTE for your top three (3) favorites (give the corresponding letter/number combination). Deadline for voting is: Thursday, 8 July 2010 5:00 PM EST. Submit your favorites as a comment below. And, please enjoy reading!
| 1a | Fresh ginger sizzling in a wok. | 1b | Laughter, so much laughter. | 1c | Not hearing vuvuzela’s! | ||
| 2a | The shredder! Loves to eat old to do lists, feels so satisfying!! | 2b | The unexpected scent of honeysuckle in the air. | 2c | Looking for exquisite new stationery to write letters. Inspirational. | ||
| 3a | My parents’ anniversary, 62 years and still doing the tango. This thought is worth all 5 of today’s happy slots. | 3b | I am truly grateful that I can really talk to my hubby about anything. He is really my best friend. Ever. | 3c | The amazing outpouring of help, hope, love, links and all good things from my online friends, and their friends, and even total strangers …” | ||
| 4a | I’ve documented 150 happy thoughts this month (and had many more) | 4b | Glad I don’t live in a time when I have to dress for dinner. | 4c | Shared hilarious politically incorrect moment with daughter (oh, oops). | ||
| 5a | The most perfect dawn: unencumbered clear skies. | 5b | The sound of ginger ale being poured over ice on a hot day. | 5c | Standing on the beach with my feet sinking into the sand. | ||
| 6a | I am so grateful and happy it rained – after we got home. | 6b | Had a long cuddle with my kitty because she was in the mood. | 6c | A walk along deserted beach with dogs and husband. | ||
| 7a | Chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. | 7b | Being married to a kind, gentle man. | 7c | Sunbeams on a plain white wall. |
Posted in Monthly Impact Challenges (MIC), Personal Development, Random Acts of Kindness, tagged gratitude journal, happiness, happiness challenge on July 3, 2010 |
The entire month of June was marked by serendipity. Opportunities to connect with friends, family and strangers just seemed to fall into our laps. While sadly, not all needs for connection were happy ones, the combined efforts made for a most fulfilling month.
June’s Monthly Impact Challenge was a Happiness Challenge and all about appreciating and acknowledging the “little things in life” and the big and little people who can make such a difference.
Nils and I are in the process of culling through all the Happiness Challenge submissions and will post our short-list of favorites for voting. We hope to have the list up some time next week.
In the meantime, we’d like to share a lovely little video that illustrates what an incredible impact we can have on those around us. I read somewhere that researchers have found that emotions of anger, fear, anxiety, happiness and depression can spread like viruses and can influence at “three degrees of influence”.* In other words, my mood can influence not only my friend, but my friend’s friend. If I’m going to have that much Impact, I’d prefer I spread around joy!
* Note: haven’t yet been able to find corroboration on this, but it’s a nice concept.
Posted in Monthly Impact Challenges (MIC), Personal Development, Random Acts of Kindness, tagged gratitude journal, happiness on June 17, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Our Monthly Impact “Happiness Challenge” is chugging along nicely. As always, we wish there were more people participating, but we send our thanks to all who are getting involved.
We thought we’d share a few tidbits and samples of what some friends and followers have posted, sent to us, added to their Butter Be Happy account, or posted on their own blogs. They certainly put me in a good mood to read. (more…)
Posted in Personal Development, tagged butter be happy, gratitude journals, happy makes happy, happy thoughts on June 7, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Last week’s Impact Effort (see Week 22: Pollinating Happiness) was so much fun and got such great response from those friends and followers who participated, we’ve decided to turn it into a month-long event. So, “5 happy thoughts a day” and “pollinating happiness” are the June Monthly Impact Challenge.
We hope everyone will “play.” As Nils (who was rather skeptical) discovered when he shared his happy thoughts with a colleague, “You know, it really works!” We don’t stop often enough to think about the things that make us happy and grateful. When we do, the Impact can be great — upon ourselves and others. (more…)
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