Dreams Really Do Come True...To The Buried Life...This One's For You!

The great guys of The Buried Life (http://www.mtv.com/shows/buried_life/season_2/series.jhtml) played a huge role in my life by inspiring me to start the kindness movement.  In fact, one of the things that I wanted to do before I died was meet them.  Tonight I did.  Well, half of them...Ben was kind enough to sit down and listen as I briefly explained Project Change The World and our latest initiatives.  Duncan gave me a great, rocking bear hug and liked my colorful outfit!  What really amazed me the most though, was probably the fact that as I was sitting right next to Ben talking, I just looked at him and thought, "He's just an ordinary guy living out his dreams.  What a beautiful thing.  If he can do it, why can't I?"  Their message was one of inspiration and hope and I absolutely love these guys.  They get it.  They see that the world is ours and not something to be afraid of but rather something to go after and believe in.  I believe that anything is possible.  Tonight was evidence as I recall Ben's arm being wrapped around me for a photo moment and thinking to myself, "Is this really happening?"  It did.  It can for anyone.  You are only as limited as you allow yourself to be.  Go out and live life to the fullest.  Live it and love it.  Don't hold back.  Thank you The Buried Life for showing us all that.  You guys are something special.  Much love to you.

Cupcakes Don't Matter

I was looking through my old composition book the other night, from a year ago.  This is when it all began.  The dreams that I had scribbled out wishing upon for my upcoming birthday.  Things that I wanted to accomplish, not for myself, but for a world that needed love.  I wanted to make the world a better place.  That was all I wanted for my birthday.  If  only I could have imagined then, the doors that would soon open.  A year later, The World Changers have taken care items to the homeless, volunteered every week with Hands On Charlotte over the summer, collected donations for a family in need, attended annual walks, and most recently, threw our own "do good" day!  In the coming months, we plan to complete a food drive, sing Christmas Carols  to the homeless as well as taking them additional care packages, collect toys for kids that wouldn't ordinarily get anything during the holidays, attend the St. Jude Give Thanks Walk, help the Salvation Army, take a personal pledge to each get an Angel off the Angel Tree, and do anything else positive that we can come up with!  I am also in the process of shooting a documentary with footage from our wonderful fall festival among other things, as well as getting a space to be called, "The Inspiration Room."  This will be a special place for anyone that wants to make a positive impact on our world.  Here we will gather to hold meetings, individuals will come out to be inspired and work, we will make new  friends, and ultimately, learn, create, and collaborate to change our world!  The community room will have an open-door policy so everyone is welcome to come out and be inspired to make a difference.  If you would like to support us in this latest project, please consider donating whatever you are able on our home page at the bottom.  We cannot change the world alone.  You are as much of a part of this as we are.   Together, as one, please give me the greatest gift for my birthday of all: love.  Remember, not for me though.  Your support stands for so much more...

Stats call for action stat!

"I'm busy."  "It's my day to relax."  "I have work (but that's a lie)."  Or a simple, "I can't."  These are some of the common responses we hear everyday when we ask people to do something unnecessary.  But is it really unnecessary?  Let's take a factual journey together: 70 MILLION tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere everyday, in America alone about 112 women die everyday from breast cancer, 72 MILLION kids are out of school globally, there are 1 BILLION hungry and 1 BILLION that lack access to clean water.  Got it?  I don't think so.  There are thousands of endangered species, nearly HALF the world lives on less than $2.50 a DAY, about a BILLION people can't read or write, 640 MILLION kids live without adequate shelter globally, an estimated 40 MILLION live with HIV/AIDS, and child abuse is reported every 10 SECONDS.  Am I done?  Not even close.  Each year there are as many as 500 MILLION cases of Malaria, 1.8 MILLION children die every year from diarrhea, every 15 MINUTES someone in the US dies from suicide, each year drug abuse leads to 40 million serious illnesses or injuries in the US, a woman is raped every 17 SECONDS in South Africa, about 750,ooo people are homeless in the US, 1.6 BILLION live without electricity worldwide....The only time I will ever stop is when we fix all of these problems.  So is it necessary? 

There is no I in teamwork!

However, "I" will be putting together a team in the Charlotte, NC area called the "World Changers."  We will meet together on several occasions to plan and discuss ways in which we can make not only our community better, but this world better too!  In doing so, we will have a variety of styles of meetings, some with food, some with themes, some with guest speakers, some with demonstrations, and so forth.  There will not, however, be a boring meeting!  Sorry to disappoint...Nonetheless, in our meetings, we will come together as a group to put our heads together so that we can make an impact on the community.  Then, we will take our ideas and make them happen in the community and/or world.  This could be anything from helping with volunteer opportunities to throwing our own fundraising parties.  There is no limit to doing good!  If you live in this area and are interested, please let me know!  Otherwise, have an extraordinary day!

Here's a cute video, as well:

MAYhem

http://www.flickr.com/photos/forestwander-nature-pictures/

The month of May may have just been the best month of 2011 yet.  Why?  Few reasons:

A. I successfully finished Student Teaching somehow    
B. I graduated college (WooHoo!)
C. I met with a wonderful family that I babysitted for (and will continue to) for the first time
               *Added bonus: It's good money
D. It will be the grand finale, a.k.a. last full month, of my time at the elementary school with my favorite 2nd graders in the world (both sad and worth celebrating) And yes, I still go there on my own...not a requirement
E.  PCW (Project Change the World) has gone into overdrive with my full blown initiation ceremony
        *But no worries, the good shall continue as it must ;)
F. I've met some really incredible volunteers and people wanting to make a positive impact on our world
G. It's the start of my summer
H. I got a new computer!


I also have welcomed the guitar playing back into my life, have had my happiness boosted from the feel good-ness of doing good, I've reconnected with old friends, I've started a blog, I've organized my chaotic desk finally, I started reading an amazing book called, "The Happiness Project," I've done my first major volunteer services, and I've faced my fears of immediately engaging strangers.
The moral of the story...err...post, is that I have a lot to be grateful for.  To some this month might seem full of MAYhem as everything is exploding at once, but to me, it's just the way I like it: exciting!

Voila Videoettes

So, on my quest to expand my blogworld, I stumbled upon a YouTube video which inspired me to hit up YouTube for a snack...video break.  But I thought it would be greedy not to share these treats, so please enjoy!

*Warning:  These videos could be highly entertaining and make you wander aimlessly around YouTube wasting valuable time

Wants Vs. Nothing

I often fail to do what I really want.  Sometimes this is due to fear of failure itself and other times this is due to the concern of what others might think, otherwise known as rejection.  For example, I have wanted to start a blog but I was worried that other people might think that I'm self-absorbed by talking about myself and my life over the internet.  I also would like to gather the guts to perform self-composed songs in front of huge quantities of people but that can be a scary thought.  I want to find the courage to talk openly about  my feelings and my past without choking up.  I want to be brave enough to speak in front of a large audience about something important, like my movement.  I want a million dollars; ok kidding on that one (kind of).  I want to travel the world and inspire people.  I also want to do something that I'm afraid to even put on here...about how I really feel about someone.  Most of those things I have yet to accomplish (singing, revealing my secrets, public-speaking, traveling, and laying my heart on the line), but many I have done (starting a blog, moving, going to my top college, getting my bachelor's, living on my own).  But perhaps, the most important thing that I've done and that I really have wanted to is to create "Project Change the World," a movement aimed to bring people together in support of all acts of kindness to make the world better.  I can honestly say that I haven't been this happy in a long time.  Could it be because I've done what I really wanted or because I am doing something that is making a difference?  I think the answer is both.  I am doing what I want to do and making the world a better place at the same time.  What could be better then that?  The moral of the story here is do what you want with your life and don't let anything stop you, especially if you're not only benefitting from it, but others are positively too.