365 Days of Goodness » Recommendation Wednesdays

RECOMMENDATION WEDNESDAYS: BUILDING SELF ESTEEM

allidseigel — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:22:09 +0000

Today for Recommendation Wednesdays, I am recommending any products by Dove. Why, you ask? Well, Dove is doing some really wonderful and inspirational things for young women across the globe. For every Dove product purchased, Dove will donate $1 to self esteem programs for young women (such as Girls Inc., The Girl Scouts, and The Boys and Girls Club of America.) Lack of self esteem due to body image is one of the number one issues facing young girls today. Although the media is mostly to blame for this, Dove is utilizing the media in a positive way with their “Campaign for Real Beauty.”

On the Dove.com website they share statistics about the real truth about girls and their self esteem:

Seven in ten girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members

62% of all girls feel insecure or not sure of themselves

71% of girls with low self-esteem feel their appearance does not measure up, including not feeling pretty enough, thin enough or stylish or trendy enough

78% of girls with low self-esteem admit that it is hard to feel good in school when you do not feel good about how you look

A girl’s self-esteem is more strongly related to how she views her own body shape and body weight, than how much she actually weighs

The Dove mission is to make women feel more beautiful every day by challenging today’s stereotypical view of beauty and inspiring women to take great care of themselves. You can do your part to help young women around the globe by buying Dove products (including beauty bars, body washes, face care, anti-perspirant/deodorants, body mists, hair care and styling products.) Enter your Dove UPC code by clicking HERE and know that you are helping support programs that help young women see themselves as they really are; beautiful!

RECOMMENDATION WEDNESDAYS–ONE HOPE, MANY CAUSES

allidseigel — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:23:58 +0000

I got a wonderful gift from my good friend Anna yesterday, and I thought it would be a great gift idea to share with all of you on this here “Recommendation Wednesday!” She brought me a bottle of Chardonnay, from ONE HOPE Wine. ONE HOPE Wine donates 50%, that’s right 5-0 percent, to several different charities with each bottle purchased. For example The Chardonnay that Anna got me supports the fight against Breast Cancer. Now who wouldn’t drink to that?!

And that’s not all. ONE HOPE wines also offers a Merlot that supports AIDS research, a Sauvignon Blanc that supports our planet with the American Forest Foundation, a Zinfandel that supports our American Troops overseas, and a Cabernet Sauvignon that supports Autism research.

These wines are great to give as “just because” gifts as my friend Anna did yesterday, or great to bring to a dinner party or have around the house. A bottle costs about $19 a piece, but remember that 50% is going to charity. How many times have you spent at least $19 on a bottle of wine for just wine? With ONE HOPE Wine you get an award winning wine, and you help contribute to the greater good.

Where to purchase this fine wine you ask? Well currently ONE HOPE wines are available in 14 states, (CA being one of them) but they are quickly expanding. They have a fabulous online store so no matter where you reside, ONE HOPE Wine is just a few clicks away. Click HERE to find where ONE HOPE wines are being sold near you. ONE HOPE, MANY CAUSES. Cheers!

RECOMMENDATION WEDNESDAYS – SOUL SERIES

allidseigel — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 06:22:22 +0000

So as you all know, I’m a big fan of Oprah. Her ability to teach, share and spread goodness is truly inspiring. I’m sure many, if not all of you, watch her show and read her magazine, but my guess is that some of you may not be as tuned into her Soul Series podcasts. Several months ago I came across them and indulge in them every chance I get.

Soul Series is a free, audio & video podcast that is uplifting, enlightening and truly powerful. Oprah’s Soul Series is “the most exciting thing that ever could have happened,” Oprah says. Each week, Oprah (or a guest host) sits down with leading spiritual thinkers, teachers and authors to talk about matters of the soul.

I personally have learned about so many things and found so many wonderful books through this series. There have been a few that have stood out for me:

Kathy Freston and her discussion with Oprah on quantum wellness. This talk is about Kathy’s belief that our greatest potential for overall health can be reached by making small, focused changes in the way we eat, work, and interact with the rest of the world.

Daniel Pink and his discussion about his book ” A Whole New Mind.” This talk turned me onto reading this very interesting book about a new paradigm taking place in which “right brain” qualities (inventiveness, empathy, and meaning) are taking more and more prominence in our world.

And I could keep going, from Wayne Dyer to Eckhart Tolle there are tons of wonderful, simple, informative and inspiring talks. They are completely free and I can’t recommend them enough. You can check them out here at Oprah.com or on iTunes. Enjoy!

REDUCE RE-USE RECYCLE

allidseigel — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:25:08 +0000

So as my first installment of “Recommendation Wednesdays,” we’ll start simple. That’s right, what I’m about to recommend most of you probably already do, but for those of you who don’t it’s time to jump on the band wagon.

I’m talking about reusable bags. They are readily available almost everywhere, and are very inexpensive. For example, right now at Ralph’s Market, you can buy one for 99 cents, and get one free! Such a deal! If you aren’t near a Ralph’s market, don’t fret, as you can find reusable bags at almost every market (Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Vons to name a few) and they are usually no more than a buck each. Sometimes at places such as Whole Foods, they even donate the proceeds of the reusable bag sales to organizations that are working firsthand to save our environment!

My trick? I keep all my reusable bags in the trunk of my car, that way I have no excuse not to use them when I go to the market, CVS, the 99 Cent Store, Target, even the mall. That’s right, don’t forget reusable bags can be used virtually anywhere you would use a plastic or paper bag. The word on the street is that markets like Trader Joes are going to stop producing plastic bags (Whole Foods has already stopped that) and soon they will be charging you a nickel a bag if you don’t bring your own.

A perk? Well besides helping save our precious environment, bringing your own reusable bags can put money back in your own pocket. True thing! At Trader Joes, every time you bring your own reusable bags, you qualify to enter into a drawing that they have each week that may win you some free groceries. At Ralph’s for every reusable bag you bring in, you get 5 Reward points on your Ralph’s Reward Card. (At the end of each quarter, Ralph’s sends you great coupons and money back dependent on how many “points” you have.) And there are many other stores that give reusable bag perks as well.

So, just a friendly reminder on this “Recommendation Wednesday,” do your part for our environment and use those reusable bags instead of that planet killing plastic! Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle!

RECOMMENDATION WEDNEDAYS

allidseigel — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:24:45 +0000

So I have started a new section of this here blog. As you can see I am calling it “Recommendation Wednesdays”. That’s right, I will be givin’ you a little extra “pump” for the “hump.” What I mean is, this will be a section where every “hump day” (explanation for my Mom: that’s Wednesday because it’s the “hump” that marks midweek…get it?) I will give you ideas, suggestions, and… “recommendations” (duh) of different things you can do to help better yourself, others, our planet, animals, strangers, the world… you get it.

I figure I am on Day 259 of 365 and it was time to spice things up a bit and I knew you all would be up for it. After all, my initial hope with this here blog was to document my personal journey as I spent an entire year immersing myself and others in warm and fuzzy “goodness,” so I might as well recommend some things from time to time as well!

On this “goodness” journey I have learned many important lessons that will stick with me for the rest of my life, and I am using this forum to share it with you all. So welcome to “Recommendation Wednesdays,” hope you enjoy it!

Oh, and feel free to add your recommendations as well…21,385 heads (how many hits I have had on 365 as of today) are better than 1!