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.      

Kaleidoscope Dreams

Howdy and welcome to my blog!

   My name is Suzanne and I'm enthused that you took a moment to stop by and look around.  This is my own personal blog about life, love, and aspirations.  As the title suggests, dreams are colorful parts of our imaginations that can feel both near and far at times.  If we examine them closely though, we can see that all things are possible.  I know that I have a lot of dreams.  In fact, sometimes I worry that I want too much.  But then I remind myself that I only have one life to live so why not live it entirely?  Who says that I have to pick and choose what I get?  Why can't I have it all?  It's all about balance.  I don't believe it's selfish to want to fully be alive and love every moment of this adventure.  I'm not asking for a million dollars after all.  My mission in life is to help as many of those that need it as possible and in as many ways as possible.  I also want a thoughtful, romantic, and funny husband and 2-3 kids, preferably twins.  I don't need a white picket fence house but I do want to raise my kids in a much more secure and stable environment than I had growing up.  Therefore, I need to be financially secure.  I also want to be surrounded by trustworthy, reliable and caring friends, preferably those that love to have fun as much as I do.  And I don't mean let's party and get wasted all the time fun; I'm much more of a let's go skydiving kinda gal.  I'd like to remain close to the good Lord above as He made this life possible for me.  I also have this uncontrollable urge to go traveling all around the world.  Europe is at the top of my list, specifically Paris, Rome, England, and Ireland.  I'd also like to visit all of the 50 states.  As you probably figured from the skydiving comment, I'm kinda an adrenaline junkie.  Therefore, knocking things like zip-lining and bungee jumping off my bucket list is important to me too.  Finally, my first true love was music so I need to be involved with him in some way for the rest of my life.  I'll talk more about each of these later because now it's your turn.  Tell me, what are your dreams?