SylRenner.com

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves

syl — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:48:33 +0000

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves" - Just ran into this on a friend's email signature and it resonated with me. As you bring sunshine to others your life cannot stay gloomy!. Thanks R.L.!

Dream on - Keep the Dream Alive

syl — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:43:17 +0000

Here are a few tips from a fellow dreamer as you transition towards and work towards dream fulfillment:

1. Dream on. Keep the dream alive. Take time to feed your imagination. Keep fresh in your mind the reason why you started dreaming. Feed your spirit appropriate to your dream.

2. Be aware of dream-killers and people who will tell you "it's impossible" or "you are crazy". Ignore people who do not believe in you. Learn from comments and positive criticism.

3. Hug and hold close people who believe in your dream and encourage you. Value them.

4. Every now again - take a hard close look at yourself and evaluate progress. Be prepared to make adjustments and changes as you travel.

4. Develop yourself and prepare for dream fulfillment. What qualities and abilities will you need at dream fulfillment? Boy scout motto - "Be prepared"

5. Do your part and do what it takes. Find out what is required and exercise due diligence

6. Maintain momentum. Sometime progress is one step at a time. Remember - the Chinese proverb - the journey of a thousand miles begins (and continues) with one step.

7. Stay positive 100%. This will serve you well and help you roll easily over any bumps and hurdles on the way.

Dream on

Your thoughts - comments welcome....

Spread Sunshine and Love

syl — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:02:12 +0000

As I walked into work on Friday last week, as I walked past a couple co-workers, I warmly greeted them. One of them said to me: "Mr sunshine". That warmed my heart and helped make my day.

Each day we have a choice - to spread some sunshine or gloom. However - to continue to spread sunshine, you must have a source of strength - from the sun or rather the Son. Stay connected and receive strength daily. Not just the diluted stuff - but high octane, rich stuff that will boost your day and allow you to spread some sunshine around. You cannot give what you do not have. Be a river of living water!

Life is a risk - give it all you've got

syl — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:24:38 +0000

Just ran into this motivational video - Message - life is a risk - Give it the best you have. Don't stop when you fail - just learn from the failures and become better and stronger.

The best people out there failed, and failed and then became successful.

Learn the lessons - don't become bitter and move on

Each Day Brings New Strength and Grace

syl — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:12:42 +0000

Each day brings new strength grace and opportunities. Its fresh like the new morning - brimming with potential. A new opportunity to turn over to a new leaf, to become better, stronger, wiser. Its a "do over" opportunity. An opportunity to inch forward, to leap forward, to try again, to succeed, to win. The song writer says - "morning by morning, new mercies we see". A fresh opportunity to draw from God's grace and strength.

Drink in the sunshine and grace available today. Then go forward, step by step. Just make the progress that you can today and become a better, stronger and wiser YOU. So rise today and begin again!

"You have not lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you."

syl — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:25:44 +0000

Doing something for someone who cannot repay you - priceless!

Influence - The Capacity or Power of Persons or Things to be a Compelling Force

syl — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:14:07 +0000

The word "influence" has been a lot on my mind over the past few days. Influence as defined by Dictionary.com is the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others.

This has an on-going fascination for me. Being influential. Helping others. Making the world a better place. This warms my heart...

This photo above summarizes influence. It was taken at the CAPEC school in Cameroon. Donors on Globalgiving have been helping to support this school and causes worldwide. In these days of economic pressures, families in the developing world appreciate all the assistance they can get towards keeping their kids in school. Helping a child stay in school is influence. This means much more than you would realize...

Make a firm resolve to extend your influence. Then take action. Do it today. It will warm your heart.

Basic Computer Training – a Dream for The African Youth That is Getting Closer

syl — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 02:36:26 +0000

The computer may be an integral part in the homes, schools and companies of developed nations but for Africans it is a distant dream. This could also be one of the reasons why the youth in African countries are unable to compete in the global market. Those aspiring to get even basic computer training need to enroll and pay the computer schools which come at a predatory price. Add to this the economical and social barriers that put tremendous pressures on the youth and even this basic computer training becomes inaccessible especially considering the fact that almost ninety percent of the African population live on a hand to mouth existence.

Traditional schools and colleges in African nations have facilities of basic computer training but tragically these are outdated and not in a position to adequately prepare the graduates for competitive positions. Further nearly 50% of the population is teenagers under the age of 15, when it is the right time for them to be learning computers along with their other curriculum.

In this age of information, it is ironical that by the time the students graduate, many of them have never even used a computer let alone learning applications and programs. Inexperience and lack of basic computer training drastically narrows their job opportunities both at the home front as well as the international scene. Technology is the mainstay in private and public sector companies and jobs that pay decent salary demand computer proficiency. There are many job applications that accept electronic forms only but due to the lack of basic computer training as well as internet and email facilities, African youth are deprived of a decent chance even when it comes to entry level vacancies.

Government and some sections of the society have woken up to this fact and launched various computer educations program. One such is the IDCE – International Development of Computer Education program by KCG (Kyoto Computer Gakuin) through which they have donated over 2000 computers as well as instruction facilities in various nations of Africa. The donation is made through the respective governments who in turn have them distributed and maintained in various schools. Instructors are also arranged by this non-profit organization who selects teachers from the respective schools that have received the computers and train them basic computer training skills.

Another major step towards this has been the signing of MOU between South African Government and the International Computer Driving Licence of South Africa - ICDL SA. The DoC – Dept of Communications signed a MOU that would help deliver effective e-skill training, increasingly involve educational institutions as well as corporate partners to further IT development in Africa, and also encourage non-government institutions involved in basic computer training to provide training opportunities to the broader spectrum of youth.

In Nigeria, the Ministry of Education, in coordination with Intel, Microsoft and One laptop per child group are trying to provide basic computer training to 30 million school children including the rural areas. The rural areas of Africa where the mainstay of economy is agriculture is the hardest hit by the imbalance as they do not even have facilities for proper education let alone training in computers and technology.

This dream is indeed getting closer for African youth and children. You can also read more about the computer training Develop Africa is providing at the FAWE school.

References

Basic Computer Training – a Dream for The African Youth That is Getting Closer

syl — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 02:02:05 +0000

This dream is indeed getting closer for African youth and children. You can also read more about the computer training Develop Africa is providing at the FAWE school.

References

Top 7 Reasons NOT to Go On a Missions Trip

syl — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:34:49 +0000

Membership in an active church can present some incredible opportunities to travel outside the United States to faraway lands where your volunteer efforts can have a great impact upon the lives of local people. Many US churches do conduct active periodic mission trips to Third World nations in order to fulfill certain activities that without these volunteers would either be underdeveloped or nonexistent. However, even though this is a church activity, there are certain reasons why you should NOT participate including:

Do Not Go If You Believe You Are Taking Jesus With You
Some of the worst experiences I have seen people have when participating in an overseas missions trip is the naïve belief that the volunteers are taking Jesus to a place where there are people that God has either forgotten or abandoned. Keep in mind that God does not need you to take Him anywhere. God is already where you are traveling to. In fact, God may be taking you to places so you can see His work personally. You need to make sure if you’re going on a mission trip that you also expect to see God’s action around you as opposed to coming through you.

Do Not Use A Missions Trip As A ‘Group Building’ Experience
If the group in which you are traveling has not already been thoroughly “built,” thoroughly trained and already possesses its own identity, do not expect the activity during an overseas missions trip to create such identity because this particular goal will only distract from the actual mission goal offering some form of help to the people and the location to where you are traveling.

Do Not Use A Missions Trip To Make Kids Excited About Jesus
One of the biggest problems I’ve seen throughout the years is groups taking mission trips that bring the wrong kids with them. This does not necessarily mean kids who are sort of non-committal in their belief about serving God but have not really caught on yet to its beneficial reality, because these kids usually work out in the long run. The kids I am talking about are the ones that are more concerned with experiencing the adventure of a lifetime rather than serving Jesus Christ. Mission trips that bring children looking for adventure, usually wind up with challenges because these kids wind up finding that adventure in all the wrong places.

Don’t Go On A Mission Trip To Just Swing A Hammer
If you have as a goal in going on an overseas mission trip so you can swing a hammer, hang drywall, install plumbing or some kind of other “construction-like” activity, save all your expenses and stay home. You can always volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and not spend a lot of money traveling clear across the world to do the same thing you can do at home. The most important activity that can really have a great deal of impact on another person’s life during any cross-cultural mission trip is building a relationship with the people you serve. What a great blessing is people who want to invest relationship capital when it may not be comfortable to accomplish this. Typically, people who go on mission trips who hide their giving hearts behind saws and hammers are viewed as contractors that make local people feel poorly about themselves since they cannot afford to pay for the construction completed.

Don’t Use A Missions Trip To Expose Students To Poorly, Downtrodden Third World Populations
Too often, goals set by well-intentioned church leaders and parents are to expose their children to the hardship of life experienced in undeveloped countries. Going on a mission’s trip with this thought in mind usually only reinforces the same stereotypes that kids originally had before they embarked on a trip. Kids on a mission’s trip need to hear from real people that are passionately building God’s kingdom, loving Jesus and are exactly where the Lord wanted them to be. A missions trip plan should be guided by lots of prayers that the stereotypes held by your kids are never reinforced but are quickly crushed and shattered from their once held beliefs.

Do Not Use A Missions Trip If It Is Believed To Be Just Something To Do That Is Somewhere Other Than Home
As a Christian, taking upon a “mission” is a lifelong commitment and not something that is just done once a year. A group experiencing a mission trip with the belief that such activity comes from a consistent mission that we are all on for life will arrive in the field with the correct spirit and heart in order to serve God. If not, the trip may actually do more harm than good if the participant believes that they should separate the “mission” from their everyday life back home.

Practice At Home Before You Preach On The Road
This is a follow-up from the statement above insomuch that people involved in a missions trip should not be going into the field to practice their Christianity. Practicing your Christianity should always begin at home before taking to the field. I cannot emphasize this more strongly. Sometimes kids have such arrogance that they believe themselves superior to the people they are serving and whatever they are offering will be well accepted by the people they have come to serve. This attitude does not necessarily contribute to participants on a mission trip giving the “first fruits” of time, talent and, above all, love.

Always remember that the battle does not belong to you but to God. (2 Chronicles 20:15)

Article also published here - www.toddrhoades.com/top-7-reasons-not-to-go-on-a-missions-trip

Become as Happy As You Want to Be

syl — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 10:19:44 +0000

Being happy is one of those intangible and sometimes elusive goals we, as human beings, are constantly searching to find. No one sets out with a conscious goal toward becoming miserable. And, I know, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon’s education to realize that living a happy life can also lead toward living a healthy life. Living in the state of happiness actually wards off stress that has been medically proven to be the cause of serious illnesses such as heart disease, strokes and has a great impact toward being predisposed to cancer.

Change is a Dependable Fact of Life

I know I often make reference to familiar clichés but I also believe there’s no need to re-invent the wheel. Other people, a lot smarter than I am, have made observations that span the test of time such as the statement, “The only thing you find in life that remains the same is change.” Although change is inevitable, you can control it. Plus, there is comfort knowing that even those supposedly most unbearable moments of life will soon change. Sometimes the change comes about through your relationships with other people.

Social Networks Are Essential To Happiness

Unless your life plan is self-subsistence on a one-person island somewhere on the globe, you are bound to run into a few people during this life. In fact, human beings have been social animals from the very start and, unlike other species on the planet, rely on one another from an early age on. As life moves on it becomes extremely important to accept unfamiliar people for just who they are because when personalities clash, arguments ensue and tempers flare, stress appears causing mental and physical impacts upon a person’s life. Sure, it is easy to sing “Don’t worry, be happy,” but there has to be some type of guide that will help you “choose” to be happy including:

Adopt a Grateful Attitude
There is a great deal found in this life for which you can be thankful. Try to remember to be thankful for the little things like saying thank you to your waiter or waitress when dining out, expressing your gratitude toward the people who take care of your landscaping, or simply just a grateful nod of the head to a person who opens the door for you on your way into a building. You can also thank your mailman, your local policeman for keeping you safe and don’t forget to thank God for being alive.

Read Less News.
I know all you “keeping up with current events junkies” are going to be horrified with the notion of not starting your day off with a satisfying dose of daily news. Unfortunately, the world being what it is, most of the news that is brought to you quickly is of a negative nature that conveys something that is altogether bad. Try starting your day off with reading some kind of inspirational message or quote that can put you in a better mood before the realities of life are approached.
Find Some Spiritual Connection.
You are reading this piece because you’re looking for ways to be happy and, in my opinion, becoming part of the spiritual, or religious group, involving yourself with all its wealth of activities such as group study, music, prayer, participating in sacramental rituals, chanting and other involvement is a great way toward creating inner happiness.

Time Management.
This is one of most invaluable commodities we have in life and one that is far too often wasted. You can manage your time by viewing it as a set of rules that includes such things as creating lists of things to do and prioritizing them, making short- and long-term plans, setting personal goals and creating schedules. Once understanding the core basics of time management, you should be able to develop a set of skills that will effectively make better use of the moments you have in your life.

Find A Way To Laugh Every Day.
Granted, there are those instantaneous and improvisational moments when chuckles cannot be avoided. However, take it upon yourself to learn a joke every day and tell it to your coworkers, family and friends. Remember, you can insert in here once again an old cliché stating, “Laughter is the best medicine.”

Express Your Feelings. If you want people to be nice to you, be nice to them. If you want people to hug you, hug them. If you want people to love you, love them. Human beings typically reciprocate the actions shown to them by other people. Additionally, human beings also are subject to adverse emotions such as anger and frustration. Discover different ways to express these adverse emotions so that it never causes an injury to yourself or others. Some people jog or run, some people punch a pillow. It is important to relieve the stress, but do it in a non-destructive way. In other words, make sure your pillow opponent can take a shot.

Work Effectively At What You Do. Some people claim that hard work is a path toward creating happiness in life. This may not necessarily be true. However, I have found that working effectively by working passionately at whatever task you choose will provide you with a great deal of satisfaction, ergo, happiness. Hopefully, you remember the point just above this one when you see somebody accomplishing something you will express an “attaboy” (“attagirl”) that you may also receive when you’ve accomplished something special.
Learning Leads To Happiness. Discovering new things, new places, new ideas and more is one of life’s most joyful activities. Therefore, you should consciously learn something new every day. When I was a young student, I was tasked by my teacher to learn a new vocabulary word every day and use it several times throughout that day. This was a fun activity that actually became a lifelong quest seeking the words of expression to get my point across.

Be Active. Take to walking, jogging, cycling, running, swimming or even tree climbing. The human body was made for moving and moving reminds the human body that it is alive. Active is a good thing that leads to increased happiness.

“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” - Anonymous

Why Giving Money is Usually Better than Donating Stuff

syl — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 02:59:04 +0000

You’ll have to excuse me but I am about to drag my bully pulpit in front of me and let go with a sermon about donating cash instead of used clothing, canned food, house wares and the like. When the subject about charitable giving comes up, I hear a lot of people who claim they do not want to donate just money because they have a great desire to do much more.

Helping Locally Works

There’s absolutely nothing wrong helping out with needed items like clothing and food when, for example, a local family has been displaced by a home fire. There is a specific face for the needy recipient and often the goods come from people who donate extra cans from the pantry or that trunk of clothes that was destined for Goodwill but has not made that trip yet. Usually friends, family members or a local church spearheads such efforts to immediately place in the hands of a needy family the necessities of life to keep them going.

Large Disaster Relief Efforts Hampered by Donations

Large international service organizations involved with disaster relief do not want your goods donations. Think about it. Even if your organization has 10,000 cans of something, your attempted donation may just be refused. And, the best intentioned donations from corporations that involve food, clothing and even medical items are more than likely going to be turned down. Why you ask? The simple answer comes down to relief efforts should be influenced by need and not what things people have at the ready to donate. Humanitarian aid should never do any harm, but unwanted items can do harm such as unneeded food items sitting in rotting piles at seaports and airports while necessary items like bulk bought blankets and medicines are being stopped because there’s no room at the holding area.

The Charitable Organization Is Not In The Trucking Business

Charitable organizations typically do not own their own trucks or airplanes. They have to rely on paying for commercial ground and air freight just like anybody else does. Furthermore, transportation costs keep escalating and are one of the most expensive aspects involved with major international disaster relief. Large organizations such as the Red Cross purchase huge supplies of blankets and Jerry cans (fuel) that are stored throughout the world in areas where disasters typically take place. This makes it faster and cheaper to get necessary supplies to impacted areas. Additionally, once these supplies are exhausted more are purchased either in that country that is being affected by a disaster or from one of its neighbors. This is particularly true when it comes to items such as food and soap. Also, medicine is an item that is typically purchased rather than attempt logistics for transporting it from long distances away in developed countries where donations are usually started. Furthermore, cash purchases of local items will suit local taste and, in effect, can give a boost to the local economy while ensuring that transportation costs are reduced. The experienced savings are then used to buy more relief aid items.

Storage Is Always A Challenge

Many necessary relief aid items are quite expendable including food and medicine. Storage space is usually at a premium with regards to almost every post-disaster setting encountered throughout the world. One of the great ironies in recent years was the fact that in Banda Aceh, Indonesia after the tsunami hit in December 2004, many health centers had to use patient rooms to store donated drugs that were inappropriate for local use. Sick people were turned away to store medicines that were sent into help sick people. Unfortunately, pharmaceuticals are sensitive items that are subject to being damaged by humidity, heat and light. If proper storage conditions are not used, some effectiveness may be lost at best or, at worst, the drug may become totally useless. There is no way of knowing if a particular container has been damaged because there is nothing visually to identify if it has lost any effectiveness. Furthermore, medicines that are not being recognized by local medical personnel might lead to fatal doses. Too often patients are faced with the challenge for arranging a variety of pills packaged in different boxes, labeled in a language they do not understand not specifying what amounts need to be taken. There is a very real chance that these donated drugs, although well-intentioned, might prove fatal in the end.

Streamlining Adds To Efficiency

Imagine the need to set up tents in a refugee camp to house 10,000 families. How would you handle this? I, for one, would opt to train a group of volunteers who would then set about training the people who will be living in these tents to set them up and use them. What did you do to accomplish this if every single tent was different from the other one? Now think about it. What if it was a water pump? Or possibly a dialysis machine or maybe an incubator? All of these items need to be standardized since if they are intended for short- or long-term use, not only one method of operating is necessary, but consider what is needed for maintenance and repair.

Summary: The best intentions that people have can be better met when it comes to charitable giving by making cash donations to large disaster relief funds or organizations like the Red Cross that will definitely put the money to more efficient use.

Your thoughts? Comments welcome.

7 Ways To Start Taking Control Of Your Life

syl — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 21:40:16 +0000

The practice of positive thinking compels people to concentrate on their accomplishments and strengths which, in turn, leads to an increase in motivation producing greater happiness. Positive thinkers spend a greater amount of time growing and less time feeling depressed and immobile. Here are some practical tips to follow that can be used to help develop more positive thinking including:

1. Looking Out For Number One
In order to think clearly and positively, you need to make sure that you are eating well, properly exercising on an established schedule as well as getting enough rest.

2. Be Forever Grateful
Whenever faced with the stressful challenges of life, take a moment to remind yourself that most in your life is correct. By setting aside just 60 seconds a day where you stop and appreciate the good things you have is going to make a huge difference toward constant positive thinking.

3. You Know What Happens When You Assume
Often when a person is not accepted by another person, an assumption is made that you know what people think of you. However, this particular paranoia is not reality. When you believe that a co-worker or friend is in a bad mood because you did something, or you believe that this other person is talking behind your back, the best thing to do is just ask them. Why spend a lot stressful moments worrying about something until you actually know there is something to worry about?

4. Never Say Never
Positive thinkers typically do not think and speak in absolutes like never or always. Haven’t you heard many times in your life such phrases as, “You ALWAYS do that,” or “You NEVER get that right!”? Stay away from these absolutes because use of them seems to make any situation worse than it really is and also tricks your brain into thinking that particular people are impossible for living up to what you hope they will.

5. Throw Off Those Negative Thoughts
Unfortunately, everyone has a tendency to make quick judgments about almost everything in life. Sometimes that reaction takes the form of a negative thought. However, positive thinkers will recognize when a negative thought creeps into the process and will toss it away never following it.

6. Squish Those ANTS
Check out the book Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness by Dr. Daniel G. Amen (affiliate link) where he speaks about “ANTS,” Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are those negative thoughts that pop into a person's head that are clearly immediate reactions to certain paranoias such as believing that something is wrong when you get an e-mail that your college professor needs to talk to you. Or, possibly you see your girlfriend talking to another guy and believe that a breakup is imminent. These are those ANTS Dr. Amen refers to his book that need to be crushed whenever they pop up in your life.

7. Practice Your Hugging Technique
This isn't your father's universe anymore, so you don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize the benefits from providing and receiving a good hug. Everybody experiences an instant “pick-me-up" when receiving a hug and knows any recipient of your hug feels likewise. Even in Waitressing 101, servers realize that touching the arm of a customer when handing a check leads to a higher tip than from diners who do not receive human contact.

Sure the business world has to act according to certain protocol, which is pretty much redefined as relationships are also redefined. However, positive thinkers know that effective interaction leads to a more productive life. Ultimately, it’s a person’s positive thinking coupled with effective human interaction that controls the path you take in life.

Olympic gold medalist, Lenny Krayzelburg, shares his insights on success and staying positive

syl — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 04:34:02 +0000

Definitely worth a listen / watch

Olympic gold medalist, Lenny Krayzelburg, shares his insights on success and staying positive.

Lenny Krayzelburg is a four-time Olympic gold medalist. He won his first three gold medals in every event in which he participated at the 2000 Olympic Games.

Despite knee and shoulder surgeries that kept him out of most competition during the three years following the 2000 Games, Krayzelburg came back to qualify for the 2004 Athens Olympics and won his fourth gold medal.

Giving Back Works Into the Curriculum and Life as a Whole

syl — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 02:25:37 +0000

Did you know that many college students are looking for much more than just leaving school with but a degree alone? I know it sounds a little crazy, but today's crop of college students are not really content with obtaining a learning experience that is simply geared toward either academic or professional goals. Something on the level of personal accomplishment is also necessary. Although the school system provides the apparatus in the form of career centers that focus on both professional and academic development, students are typically left on her own if they wish to infuse a great deal of personalization during their college years.

Many Ways to Become Engaged

Actually there are many ways to become engaged in the community that surrounds any person, especially students experiencing campus life. Yes, there are a lot of social organizations and activities open to students residing on campus, but one activity emerging that is becoming fast-growing and quite popular for many students is volunteering. There is a report recently released by the Corporation for National and Community Service that indicates college students seeking volunteer opportunities has grown by more than 20 percent in the past three years. There are actually many service organizations existing today on college campuses throughout the country where students seeking volunteer opportunities can easily find them

Service Above Self

One of the best ways for students at any college or university to find a way to give back is participating in a service-based organization. Many college sororities and fraternities provide these opportunities and in actuality have sometimes adopted a specific cause or non-profit organization that they sponsor. There are many students attending college today who have developed a feeling that they would like to get involved in something that is greater than themselves. Actually, fraternities and sororities have been the vehicle for getting back to the community for quite some time. Some of these groups are strictly service-oriented while others incorporate aspects of cultural, social, academic and professional concepts.

Organizations Help Channel Efforts

Yes, I know, it is an old cliché but, "Why go about re-inventing the wheel?" Sororities and fraternities are great places for helping students fulfill their desire to give back to the community since they can help channel individual efforts into one large group activity that can have a great deal of impact. Sometimes, that drive to volunteer time is deeply rooted in personal choice. For example, students may be the southern daughter of a breast cancer survivor. This drives the passion to help an organization such as the American Cancer Society in its search for a cure. Some service-oriented college organizations are involved in the annual Relay For Life that is designed as a fundraiser and a vehicle for educating the public about breast cancer. Some very ambitious students take upon themselves the task for forming their own organizations aimed at attracting people to a specific cause. If this is the route that a student wishes to take, I believe success is dependent upon creating an intentional and well thought-out operating plan. I do not believe that a student can simply open up a Facebook page and expect to attract other students on the campus to come together in a unified effort. People exploring digital implementation should consider the following aspects of participation in an established service organization:

Develop Life Skills - Service projects sponsored by sororities and fraternities offer great opportunities for teaching participants valuable life lessons while building welcomed and transferable skills that enable students to give back confidently

Exposure To Real-World Situations -Participants managing complicated and complex projects, discovering different ways to contribute, working with volunteers or high-level donors or coming in contact with people from a variety of different backgrounds will be exposed to many real-world situations for which they will develop valuable skills that will be quite usable upon graduation. Potential employers see student volunteer activity as a form of job preparation that gives the participant the ability to connect with teams, accept and welcome new challenges while being an excellent representative of the company

Lifelong Connections - Membership and service organizations typically help students develop lifelong associations and are the beginnings of effective networking that will be of great benefit to participants for the rest of their lives.

So, for students who are seeking more than just a diploma, participation in service-based organizations during the college career will expose individuals to many new concepts, develop many new skills and discover many new paths in order to fulfill the desire to give back to the community. Volunteering helps individuals develop incredible friendships while receiving the opportunity to acquire life and leadership skills that are not necessarily taught in the classroom. The benefits are life-transforming and out of this world!

Cross Post: Tips on Choosing a Web Designer or Web Developer

syl — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 05:28:06 +0000

With the number of web design firms springing up, as a customer it would be difficult for you to choose the right one. After all web presence is everything now for business folks. So here is a guide for the web design company shopper:

Determine what your website needs:
Is your website down or not working properly? Are you having problems with the email on your site?

Not all problems of the website can be dealt by your website designer. The hosting operations of the website are generally outsourced by the Web site design firms. You need to ascertain this before beginning with your project. If the hosting operations have been outsourced and the site is not loading up properly you will need to take it up with the hosting company and not the design firm. There are also those that provide both the designing and the hosting service giving the client a cost effective solution. So you might want to be clear on these issues before commencing. Check if the firm you choose provides for all the service in-house or outsource and if it is outsourced would there be problems if you had to change your site frequently? Would there be delays in responses and postings?

Clientele of the firm:

As they say reputation precedes the person, here the company. Before you sign up with any firm check what type of clients they have designed for. Also check their online portfolio and see some examples. You will then know if they can handle your project or not and if they fit your requirement. Sometimes some companies get limited by working for particular type of clients and though they may be having years of experience it may not be pertaining to your field. This need not be the limiting factor for a creative mind but this could give you invaluable information about the company.

Business years:

There are many fly-by-night operators as far as web designing is concerned. Hence make sure the one you choose just did not pop up overnight on the Google ranking by chance but has actually earned their way there through numerous years of experience.

Web Designing Costs:

Unless you want a site that’s only for namesakes, you should be ready to make good investments in web designing. There are many who would be ready to work for as low as $500 for the whole project but once launched you may be left in the lurch due to poor quality work. Good web designing costs run in thousands of dollars. This is mainly because there is advanced programming and graphic designing involved in building professional websites, not to mention the numerous sittings you will need to do to get what you want. Working with a realistic budget will help you get what you want.

The above criteria should help you narrow down on the web designing firm you want to hire because the sea of designers available out there could be mind boggling.

Original article: http://www.itrdonline.com/blog/how-choose-web-designer-or-web-development-company

Thank You For Giving - Reflections From a Song

syl — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:55:14 +0000

Songs are so very powerful. It’s no wonder that every culture uses songs in one way or another – to soothe babies, to teach toddlers new words and numbers, to express emotion and love, to share solidarity and oneness, to help focus on work and ignore tiredness … and the list goes on and on.

On my commute to work several mornings ago, the words of an old song came on – on my car mp3 player. The song was a Christian song called “Thank You for Giving to the Lord”. It brought back so many memories as I reflected on the first time (and several times) that I had listened to (and watched a video of) this song. The song, in summary, is about the author’s dream of him being in heaven and people saying “Thank You” to him for his service and financial support.

As the waves of the song washed over me, the words gave fresh fuel and encouragement to my spirit. Here are some thoughts related to the song:

Some of the people that you and I touch and help, we may never meet in person, here on earth.
Is it better to help people who will not feel obligated to us or try to “repay” us? Our giving will then be selfless and have no strings attached.
The good that we do will reap a harvest - as long as the universal law of sowing and reaping is in effect. Good never dies.
The people who sowed into our lives sometime did so at great sacrifice.
We have all been helped along in life by people at some time or the other. Probably more than we realize it. With this in mind, let’s continue to “give back” and keep good in motion, together making the world a better place.
If you believe in heaven and the dream narrated in the song, in heaven, you will be thanked by the people who you have helped in one way or the other.

It’s so fruitful to stop and reflect on the reason why we do what we do. As you reflect, I hope these thoughts will encourage you and lift you up as they did me. As you selflessly help others in one way or the other, may the wind be always at your back.

Lyrics of song and youtube video available here

Trivia: In case you are curious, I listened to the song using the Soundfly SD WMA/MP3 Player Car Fm Transmitter (powered from the car cigarette lighter, sound piped in through my radio. It’s a simple, nice system that supports a range of audio file types on an SD card or a USB drive. This is convenient because I can easily add songs and also move this from one car to the other – Purchased from Amazon – affiliate link).

7 Tips For Volunteering Wisely

syl — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 00:26:34 +0000

Many people are seeking opportunities to volunteer either in their community through some non-profit organization or possibly through their church. Although volunteering is quite an altruistic endeavor, there are certain tips you should follow in order to make the experience as productive and pleasurable as possible including:

1. Do A Little Research About Issues And Causes That Are Important To You

Like almost any activity in life, if you lack a certain amount of passion about the subject matter or issue, you may not be as productive as possible when giving of a great deal of your time. You may already be associated with an organization where you already donate money. I believe this may be a good place to start your physical volunteering. In the event you cannot find a group or organization, why not consider starting one yourself? It could be as simple as getting a group of people together and contacting your local road department about cleaning up a section of a specific street in your own town. Or, perhaps you can get together a group that can adopt as a project an elderly person in the neighborhood for whom you can do chores and help maintain their house and property. You can form some type of advocacy group that can address a particular issue in your neighborhood that your efforts can highlight bringing the issue to the attention of local authorities soliciting some sort of resolving action.

2. Do A Self Skills Assessment

If you're the kind of person that has a knack for teaching, or you just like being with people, look for volunteer opportunities that can incorporate your own personality traits sharing your knowledge with others. This could be as simple as volunteering to help young students learn to read or, maybe, getting involved in an adult literacy program. Sometimes there are volunteer positions requiring people to have specific skills such as being computer literate. Take a look at possible opportunities to actually do something similar to what you do during your own daily employment. Maybe something you are involved in as a hobby can also be an idea for volunteering your time. If you look for volunteer activities that already incorporate the education and skills you've already acquired, there will be little preparation needed for you to successfully complete such an assignment.

3. Learning Something New.

Sometimes accepting a volunteer opportunity allows an individual to gain new skills and learn new things about different situations. Therefore, if you have an adventurous soul, like I do, you may want to look for an opportunity that will either teach you something or add to your existing skill sets. For example, you might want to volunteer for a non-profit organization where you will be reading, writing and editing copy for a periodic newsletter. This will help develop your grammar and writing skills. Another opportunity might present itself for you to learn about something new, for example, taking on the assignment of being a tour guide for a local museum. Obviously, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the exhibits before you can actually explain them to the visitors. There are quite a few non-profit organizations that offer top-notch training programs that prepare their volunteers to take on assignments where they are learning something new.

4. Be A Little Selfish.

Volunteering can also be about you. Consider combining your own life goals with that of the organization for which you wish to volunteer. A good example might be if you are seeking to shed some unwanted pounds, pick some type of active opportunity such as helping the elderly person described above maintain their home and property. Working with children typically requires a person to be active most of the time, making this a good choice as well. Other ideas include possibly working at a kitchen ministry where you may learn how to improve your cooking skills.

5. Schedule Your Commitment Comfortably.

One area that typically kills the volunteer spirit in individuals is when a person over-commits their time to a specific cause or organization. I've seen this happen time and time again. What appears to be a selfless attempt to help out as much as possible turns out to be nothing but frustration for loved ones seeking your time while you possibly overextend yourself both physically and mentally becoming exhausted. Eventually this does nothing but short change the group that you're trying to help or make you possibly neglect your own employment duties. I think it is always a great idea to start out with a limited amount of time commitment as a short-term “look and see” to determine if this amount fits into your hectic life, or you may find you possibly are in a position to donate some more hours. I believe it's always better to begin slowly rather than take upon a commitment of time that you cannot realistically fulfill.

6. You May Have To Interview For The Position

Although there are many charitable organizations that are eager to locate qualified volunteer assistance, all have to be quite careful about screening any individuals wishing to donate their time to the group. Therefore, you may be asked to fill out what is typically like a job application and submit to a personal interview. Many groups are required by law to do extensive background checks, especially organizations that deliver services to children. They are not only doing this type of check for safety purposes, but they want to find the correct volunteers that have interests matching that of the organization. Be prepared to experience some personal scrutiny, because the group is just trying to make sure a specific volunteer is the correct fit.

7. Make It A Family Affair

Consider involving your entire family in a volunteer opportunity that suits all members. This is an incredible way to introduce children to the act of "giving." Not only will parents benefit from exposing children to sharing with others, but volunteering together can bring the family closer. In addition to teaching young children the value of giving of their own time and effort, volunteering can also help develop welcome life skills and create cherished memories that they will carry with them all their lives.

When you bring your personality, sense of humor and loving heart to a volunteer activity that you combine with enthusiastic passion, what you actually give will be returned to you immeasurably. Many volunteer opportunities can be found on www.volunteermatch.org. Opportunities specific to Develop Africa can be found here - http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/org58532.jsp.

Creating a Positive Mental Attitude

syl — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:03:33 +0000

There are two ways of seeing a half filled glass – half full or half empty. It is up to you to decide how you would like to see it – positive way or the negative way. Same is the case for everything in life. There is a positive side to everything, every one and every situation. It would be a different, a rather unique way of seeing the world - finding the positive side. For some this may come naturally, but most people will have to try harder.

Initially trying to find the positive side in a bad situation may be difficult, but if you keep digging at it, it will show up. And when you do this for every situation that comes up or every person you meet, then this will start coming automatically to you and eventually you will see only the good side and undermine the negative side.

Here are three steps towards creating a positive mental attitude that should help you:

Whatever the situation, however big or small it is try to keep your cool. Examine the situation as coolly as possible. Turn it in all possible ways – upside down, downside up, inside out and outside in
Then think of how worse the situation could have gotten. This will automatically tell you that the situation you are in is much better and it could have actually been worse.
The good side will just appear to you – this could happen in a flash or could happen gradually depending on how well you are able to train your mind. Eventually you will learn to see the positive in everything and everyone.

For instance failure in something can be taken as failure only and never try this again or can be taken as a chance for a new opportunity, as a stepping stone to success or better still, a way to learn how you cannot succeed (at least for now) with that path and learn from that experience.

You will notice that rich people get loans more easily compared to poor people – that is "money begets money". Similarly happiness begets happiness, as Theodore Roethke the great American poet said: "The right things happen to the happy man".

Being happy and having a positive attitude has definite benefits and a sure harvest!

Optimism and Success Nuggets Part 1

syl — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 08:22:43 +0000

Here are a few nuggets that I have found useful in my journey in life. I hope they will be a blessing and encouragement to you. Your best days are not behind you but ahead of you. So dig deep and keep pressing on!

Ordinary people become remarkable once they think, “I can do it, I believe in myself,” this is really the secret to success. After all successful people don’t do different things, they do things differently.
History proves, before becoming successful, successful people too had numerous failures.
All successful people have these things in common – self confidence, perseverance and a “can do” attitude. Failure is a stepping stone to success and cannot and should not be avoided
To be successful, know your goal and keep at it, don’t give up.
Face the real world, set your objectives and priorities and make your best efforts to meet them. Don’t let delays and failures discourage you. The key to success is discipline.
Learn from every experience.
Enthusiasm begets opportunities. The world will not bring any opportunity to your door step, you need to walk out and search it out.
To be successful, learn to think outside the box. And remember only positive thinking will get you to your goal.

A Starter Guide Toward Building Self Esteem

syl — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 07:55:14 +0000

Envious of people you know who always stay composed calm maintaining self esteem during incredibly trying times? Imagine yourself as bowling alley pins where everyone and everything around you may become bowling balls knocking down your self esteem. Don’t let these bowling balls get the best of you – knocking you down for good. Like the traditional bowling pin, you can get back up and hopefully avoid getting hit by those bowling balls again. Watch out! Here they come and hopefully you can handle:

Bowling Ball #1 – The Negative Work Place

You must become aware of the typical work place atmosphere that promotes a “killer takes all” attitude. Everyone will do anything to get ahead and succeed. This is where people never have their efforts appreciated despite sacrifices and efforts made. Most of the time a person’s good efforts are only rewarded by more work with no help. Try to avoid this situation. Yes, competition exists in all work environments, so be prepared to compete but only in a healthy work place.

Bowling Ball #2 – Avoid Bad Other People Behavior

Be on the lookout for patronizers, complainers, naggers, control freaks, snipers, backstabbers, whiners, gossip mongers, brown nosers and bull dozers…all these types will stop short of nothing to destroy your self esteem and any self-improvement scheme you attempt to execute.

Bowling Ball #3 – Change Is a Coming

You can’t continue to be a red bowling pin in a field of beige choices. Change will challenge any pattern we attempt to adopt because it wants to test our ability to be flexible and adapt. Yes, change does make living life difficult, especially when having met change successfully, and we begin to settle into an adopted routine only to once again be faced with change. I suspect it exists to allow human beings different ways to find improvement.

Bowling Ball #4 – Your Own Past Painful Experiences

Everyone yells some sort of “Ouch” when experiencing pain. The trick here is never allowing pain to transform itself to fear. Let a painful experience become a lesson learned that you carry forward and not a debilitating emotion that keeps you immobile cause if it shows again, it might be hurtful.

Bowling Ball #5 – Block Out World Negatives

Do not let any world negativity control your forward life movement. Part of the success building self-esteem is to make the best of bad situations that will be challenging but not overwhelming.

Bowling Ball # 6 – You are Your Own Product

Science points to the fact human beings are the end product of combined impact from inherited traits and environmental influences such as family upbringing, school, church and other social settings. You will own your own identity. Plus, despite the fact your great-grandfather was a notorious thief doesn’t mean you will end up behind bars. Do learn from the experience of others so you can possibly avoid the mistakes they made.

Bowling Ball # 7 – Becoming Positive is a Choice

Many people think that certain people are just born positive thinkers and leaders. This is false. I know that becoming a positive thinker is a choice. Building self-esteem and developing guidelines for constant self improvement is also a choice. It is not a built-in talent and no one has enacted it as a steadfast rule.

Do not wait for God to show up giving you permission to build your self esteem and improve your life.

Random Thoughts on Success - Stepping Stones on The Path to Destiny

syl — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:57:47 +0000

Ever felt that you are not making the desired progress in life? I have personally been there many times in the past. Here are a few thoughts that I have run into over the years that have helped me in my journey in life. I hope they will be a source of encouragement to you and stepping stones on the path to destiny.

Towards a fulfilled and radiant you...

Ordinary people become remarkable once they think, “I can do it, I believe in myself,” this is really the secret to success. After all successful people don’t do different things, they do things differently.
History proves, before becoming successful, successful people too had numerous failures.
All successful people have these things in common – self confidence, perseverance and a “can do” attitude. Failure is a stepping stone to success and cannot and should not be avoided
To be successful, know your goal and keep at it, don’t give up.
Face the real world, set your objectives and priorities and make your best efforts to meet them. Don’t let delays and failures discourage you. The key to success is discipline.
To be successful, learn to think outside the box. And remember …. positive thinking will get you to your goal.
Whatever you do, maintain momentum. Keep moving. Keep on keeping on...

Got others you would like to add / share?

Learning From Every Opportunity in The School of Life

syl — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 04:00:09 +0000

Moments of illumination: Have you ever had an unplanned moment of deep reflection? A moment where you are face up with a life lesson? A moment where a lesson is vividly illustrated and acted out in real life? I had one, vivid such moment recently. In May this year, I had the opportunity to go on a field trip to Freetown, Sierra Leone with a good friend Phillip Sholes. During the trip, I met with many of the beneficiaries that Develop Africa is working with - through a number of programs. It was so fulfilling to talk with them and to hear of how the support that Develop Africa is providing is making a difference in their lives. For instance, through the sewing machines that have been provided, they are learning how to sew and become independent. Mosquito nets and vitamins are helping to keep them well. After school coaching programs, books, uniforms, scholarships, teaching and school supplies etc. are contributing to the development of fine young minds.

Back to School - Learning From Every Opportunity: As we interacted with them, I observed their determination, courage, focus, energy and contentment. Their circumstances and opportunities appeared to be "limited" - at least from the natural perspective. Nonetheless, They were cheerful, determined and worked very hard. It seemed obvious that they had some "challenges", but they faithfully forged ahead with smiles on their faces. They approached life with energy, faith and a firm belief that tomorrow would be better than today.

As we worked together and rubbed shoulders, something rubbed off on me. I caught something... I re-learned the essence of appreciating what you have and making the best use of whatever you have. I learned again the importance of pressing on in the face of almost unsurmountable odds and not giving up. I learned how to appreciate the simple things of life and to be thankful for whatever you have.

That day, I counted by blessings, naming them one by one, as the hymn that I learnt and sang many, many moons ago in the UMC church. It was refreshing. I had a moment of illumination! The light came on. It was a moment of transition. It was a wake up call to go "back to the basics". I saw the world anew from an additional lens. A new perspective dawned. I gratefully received the call and welcomed the opportunity to be back in school (as the words on the sheet of paper that I held in the above picture reads).

Such experiences have a way of "denting" you and lingering. It has 5 weeks since and today as I reflect, I continue to learn from this encounter.... I am wiser. I will never be the same again...

I hope you are wiser too after reading this post? Have you had any such "illuminating" experiences?

Interview of Sylvester Renner By Greenmarketing.tv - Provide a Hand Up and Develop People

syl — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:51:30 +0000

I recently had the opportunity to be interviewed by Greenmarketing.tv. In the article I address several issues such as social entrepreneurship, the importance of a website, Develop Africa's vision and other issues related to development. I also discuss the importance of girl's education and microfinance in the development. Well worth a read - recommended. See interview on Greenmarketing.tv.

Hello World! Roadmap - My first, Official Blog Post

syl — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:08:03 +0000

I have been thinking about setting up a blog for a long time. I had a couple false starts (like everybody else). J Finding the time in my “busy” schedule to set up a site seemed to be impossible… One thing after the other kept me from launching this.

It was just a matter of time before a true launch took place and I am convinced that this is it! So today, July 1, (the start of the 2^nd half of the calendar year) marks the unveiling of my blog and start of a new season in my online life.

Reasons Why People Do Not Blog: There are several reasons why people do not blog. Two of them that I had to resolve are the following:

Will I be able to keep this updated?
What if people do not like my blog or the opinions I express?

Here are my thoughts / plans with regard to the above:

Post Frequency: I hope to add a post at least once a week. This should be “doable”. Start easy, Sylvester and build…. You can do this…. I hope the posts will be more frequent than once a week. J Fortunately, I can schedule future posts.
Opinions of People: I resolved this by getting to the point where I concluded that whatever you do, you cannot please all of the people, all of the time. There will unfortunately always be “nay sayers”, peeps who find it easier to criticize, than to do the same task themselves. These days, it appears that “judging” and taking apart the work and lives of others is becoming a sport and a “game”. 2 thumbs down to this! This blog is not for people in this category. I will not be making the futile and impossible attempt to please everybody. We all need to lighten up and see the 1% or more that is good in all of us.

Thanks Friends: I made a post on Facebook about a week ago (declaring my intention to start a blog) and I received support and encouragement from a number of my friends. Your encouragement meant a lot to me. It helped me stay up late and wake up early to finish this. Thanks to each of you for helping make this blog a reality. This blog is dedicated to you and all people who are working for good, supporting others and helping to make the world a better place. May you receive a harvest for the seeds you continue to sow...

Content Focus: I hope to make the focus of my blog positive, inspirational, informative and (as with most blogs) sometime relating to my world. Yes, there may be topics you may not care to read about. Hey – this is reality – with all blogs. I will strive to ensure that any criticism offered will be positive.

The posts could be simply a random, profound, amusing or inspiring quote, a positive affirmation, something I have been thinking over, a wild thought that came to my mind, a commentary on a news article, a photo or two, a technology recommendation, a request for support in an activity I am involved in etc. If you have any such material, feel free to forward to me through the website.

I hope to provide posts that will hopefully support, encourage, build and help make the world a better place. Posts that will accentuate the good, celebrate the worthy, uphold hands, provide a light, inspire, encourage and uplift.

You are welcome to join me in this online adventure. My posts will be added to my Facebook profile and you are most welcome to comment on my website. You can also sign up for email and RSS notifications from my website – www.sylrenner.com or http://feeds.feedburner.com/sylrenner

Finally, special thanks to by special blogging friends who have led me by example - Phillip S. (who has repeatedly told me the much-needed words: “get over it”) and to George L. (whose humor and insight thrills me). This post is also for you....

To all – “may the wind be always at your back” (part of an old Irish Blessing).

Welcome

syl — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:51:54 +0000

Welcome to SylRenner.com. Here - you can read blog posts, leave comments, find out a bit about me, see photos (coming soon) and ... read about my interests. Feel free to leave a comment, connect with me or send me a message. You are warmly welcome...