Positive Thought of the Week

I will take time each day to keep myself in balance. I will use Quiet Time to create a positive daily path. I will use Love & Forgiveness to keep me balanced and Gratitude to keep me living in the now and allowing me to see the good that always surrounds me.

Business Thought of the Week

I never let pressure at work effect the quality of the relationships I have with my people. I will be ruled by my positive values and not negative emotions. I will use Service to keep my focus on others. I will focus on helping my people become more successful and then my own success is assured.

Although final Congressional action is still many months away, several House and Senate committees this week are holding hearings on health care reform - and the costs associated with it. The nation spent $2.4 trillion on health care in 2008, and yet 46 million Americans have no health coverage at all.

This is the short and sweet message I sent along with my vote:

America needs health care reform and universal access because:

1. Many of those who are already covered are already paying HIGH premiums, deductibles and copays.
2. There are many self employed, small businesses, retirees, underemployed and unemployed who cannot get affordable healthcare.
3. Uninsured care cases are already driving up the costs of insurance and provider fees.
4. Access to health care is a right not a privilege.

Sincerely,
Sandra Sims

Vote at Congress.org and send a message to your senators, congressional representatives and President Obama

Legislative Timeline: Health Care a look back at this issue over the years

Thanks Dad, for the Mustang, and the link to this video! (BTW, the car I bought with that loan - a Ford Tempo. Not quite as glamorous!)

On CauseBlogger America’s Week Blog Roundup: MLK Day and Inauguration Week

Over on Step by Step Fundraising I posted a couple of articles with videos (from YouTube/news sources) In Honor of Martin Luther King, We Must Work and Inauguration Day Celebration for Everyone

Now I’m getting ready for a relaxing weekend.  Will be unplugged at least til Sunday afternoon!

I caught an interview with Shepard recently on The Colbert Report.  He also talked about one of his earlier projects called OBEY.  Here’s how he described it:

My concept with this was that people actually follow the path of least resistance and frequently are not actually happy with thier lives. But if they are confronted with the idea of having to make the choice to whether obey or disobey,

I think frequently they will at least have an inner dialogue and maybe make a choice to do things the way they think they should be done, rather than the way they are being told to do them.

From an interview on The Colbert Report, January 15, 2009

The idea of thinking and critiquing ourselves and society is a continuing process.  It doesn’t stop when you reach a milestone birthday or when something in particular happens.  We must reevaluate again and again. Same is true with society.  Critique, thinking and questioning must continue into Obama’s presidency.  No matter who is in office in this country, or any other, keeping them accountable and doing what we can to make change, are key.

Be happy. Start your day with exercise

One of the things that I did drop off completely in the last few months was working out and yoga. Thinking I didn’t have time for it. Wrong. Even if I’m not training for an event regular workouts are great for combating stress. It helps clear the mind and restore the body. So these are activities that have to start being a priority again.

To combat overwhelm I also need to learn to use these two words more often: NO and HELP! Just saying no from the get-go if I cannot commit fully to a project. Then being able to ask for help from other people more often.

This week I did well on eating healthy, but didn’t get any exercise in.  Raking the leaves this afternoon was as close as I’ve come. There are two gyms in town that I would like to check out.  At one I know the yoga teacher so that will be a good de-stressing activity.

I have already resigned from a committee that I’ve been on for a few years.  It will be good to take a break.  I’m also working with several colleagues to plan ways that we can work together on some projects.  Saying “help” when it’s needed is not just a sanity saver. As I experienced with the recent release of the book I co-authored with Sandy Rees, the finished product can be even better than originally imagined by working with other talented people.

Franken defeated Sen. Coleman in MN. Somewhere in the US, a suicide hotline volunteer is trying to talk Bill O’Reilly down from a ledge.

Dennis Metzcher, @dmetzcher

Here are a few professional and personal highlights from 2009…

1. Hired Jim Berigan as editor and feature writer for Top School Fundraisers blog, January
2. Reflected on Fundraising & Philanthropy Trends Around the World, February
3. Published the Fundraising Myths Series, April
4. Got included in Alltop.com, April
5. Participated in Wichita County Democratic Convention, March 29
6. Step by Step Fundraising featured in USA Weekend, April 27
7. Completed a certification course in Nonprofit Management, May
8. Started a new blog, Cause Blogger, registered the domain last year, finally started posting in May
9. Attended BPW/TX State convention with friends from Wichita Falls BPW
10. Said goodbye to our good friend Mr. Kitty, June
11. Trip to Montreal to visit eFundraising, July 7-9
12. Hired several freelancers to write for the Charity Mile Blog, August (who are still doing an amazing job!)
13. Collected 20 Free Grant Writing Resources for Non-Profits, August 13
14. Vacation in Colorado Springs, August 16-21
15. Moved into a new office, September 1
16. Presented Online Fundraising session at Dallas Fundraising Conference, October 29
17. Announced a grant sponsored by Top School Fundraisers, September 19
18. Enjoyed keynotes, expo and sessions and met cool people at Blog World in Las Vegas, September 19-22
19. Celebrated the election: Quotes from Barack Obama’s Speech and 33 Links to Wrap Up Election Season
20. Step by Step Fundraising listed in Top 10 Fundraising Blogs, November
21. Published a new book, the 7 Essential Steps to Raising Money by Mail with Sandy Rees, December 4
22. Hosted a teleseminar Fundraising Teleseminar with Sandy and Marc, December 10
23. Loved (almost) every minute of Doctor Who Series 4; anxiously awaiting Christmas special
24. At some point registered and got active on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter
25. Now celebrating Christmas with friends and family. Christmas door ringers, Acts of Kindness and Oprah

What a busy year it has been!