365 Days of Goodness

It’s hard to believe that today is the last day of 2009.  Is it me or did the year seem to just zip on by?!  I know for me, it’s been quite a year.  A year ago at this time, I was working on my first 365 blog post from a Monterey hotel room.  From that moment on, I approached this year with new goals and aspirations and enjoyed many lessons and adventures along the way.

As Matt and I drove through through the beautiful country of Costa Rica today, my mind was a flurry–thinking about all the memories that have made up the past 365 days: Helping inspire the children of Ms. Good’s 2nd grade class with “The Good Deed Project.” Being able to help others and our planet with “The Recycling Program.” Visiting and volunteering at animal and homeless shelters. Running down the aisle of the 99 cent store and grabbing items for local shelters.  Bringing toys to the Children’s Hospital. Givin’ out hugs at The Hug Deli. Loaning a woman in Peru money to start her business (through Kiva.org). Spending quality time, helping out friends and family.  And of course jumping on a plane and heading out to Latin America with Matt to volunteer and experience life overseas.

As I sat there, my eyes locked on the colorfulß scenery, thinking about all these “good” times, I wondered, “What do all these memories have in common?  And, is there a grand revelation I can take away today?”  I asked myself whether or not I truly affected people in a more positive way this year.  “I think I have… I hope I have,” I thought.  And then it hit me.  It wasn’t about the question I was asking, but the answer that arose from deep down within… It’s about everyone else.  The greatest gift I have received from these 365 days is the affect that everyone else has had on me.  Okay, so I know that may sound cheesy.  But bare with me for a second.

All these memories and adventures are made up of inspiring moments, unbelievable acts of kindness, and insightful words of wisdom that have come from everyone else in these memories. On this trip alone, I met people who did things for Matt and I that just astounded us.   People who barely knew us,  went above the call of duty and gave and shared of themselves unconditionally–in a way we had never experienced before.  It is other people’s kind actions that have helped me grow more this year than ever before.  So I share with you this thought: Let the goodness of others affect you.  Let this goodness be the example. And let it lead you to do good.  As one of Ms. Good’s students said to me, “doing acts of goodness is like a ripple” –it may start and one point, but then continues on long after.

As I put closure on today, the grand number “365,” I feel grateful for everyone else’s inspiration and support in helping me complete this journey I set out to do.  I say “complete” because I have made it through what I originally set out to do on January 1st, 2009–inject more goodness into the world around me and blog about it for an entire year.  However, after completing this year, I am filled with an even greater desire to do more good.  It’s the end of a chapter, but the start of a new one.

As I mentioned earlier this week, I had a little epiphany on this trip. I want to build a non-profit.  One that centers  on bringing goodness programs to schools across the world; teaching, sharing and creating ripples everywhere.  So this is my goal for the next 365 days–to start planting the seeds and building this non-profit.  It’s a bit of a scary goal for me, as all I really know about starting a non-profit is that it can be a tough, long process to get it off the ground.  But I will keep all of you in the loop here at 365 and we’ll see where we are at in another 365 days.

From 365 Days of Goodness please help continue that “ripple.”

Thanks to all of you for your love and support.  It has been quite the journey already, but I know it’s just the beginning. Have a happy and healthy New Year, and I’ll check in with you all in 2010!

Matt & I enjoying the beautiful beaches of Costa Rica!

When I first started this blog on January 1st, 2009, I didn’t really know what it was going to be. I just hoped if I started it and kept the posts coming, it may evolve into something special, but there really was no “grand expectation.” However, over the course of the year, I have to admit there were many times when I set out to complete an act of goodness with higher hopes than the results that eventually transpired. For example, I remember going to homeless shelters with the thought of feeding hundreds of families in need and ended up only helping the few people who were there. This is not to say that this isn’t an act of goodness. By all means it is, and I’m sure they appreciated the help. But, I was perhaps, selfishly, hoping to make a bigger impact. This type of thing happened many times throughout my year of “goodness,” as my goal has always been to be as helpful, thoughtful, and present as I can when volunteering, donating, or helping others.

Although I had experienced my share of “goodness” letdowns here and there, I never dealt with anything close to the end result of our Latin America volunteering experience. Before we left on this journey, I didn’t have high hopes, I had huuuge hopes. For months, I pictured myself working with these children in Peru and Costa Rica–children who really needed some extra love and attention. I saw their laughter and their love. I envisioned some good, healthy transformation (for them and for me). The only sadness I pictured, was when I would have to say goodbye to them. I couldn’t wait to go and be part of this experience. I asked my husband to take a leave of absence from his job and join me on the journey. Together we moved out of our home, put everything in storage, and took off on the adventure. And then… as you all now know… I was pretty let down when we got to Peru (because of the disorganization of the project there) and then was devastated in Costa Rica when we found that there wasn’t even a project to volunteer with! But, over the past few days, as I’ve been thinking about all the special insights and “take aways” from this year of goodness, it really hit me that there is a very big lesson here. Well, there are many, but the one that stands above all the rest is the fact that I can’t control the outcome–only how I react to the outcome.

It may be healthy to have high hopes, grand dreams and large expectations, but what happens when we don’t achieve them? For me, the answer hasn’t always been clear. However, I’ve realized that when it comes to acts of goodness, you can not rely on the result as the motivating factor. Me wanting to help tons of people may be a nice thought, but it may also be a bit selfish. Some of that “selfishness” is good. It feels good to help others. It adds happiness and balance to our lives. It’s healthy. But it becomes unhealthy when our emotions get caught up in the results. Especially because… we don’t control the results! So what can we control? SHOWING UP. Yep, that’s it. That’s where our focus and intention has to be. If you choose to show up (albeit with money or time), then do it. Show up. Show up present. Show up committed. And release the need for personal satisfaction. This is obviously something I’m now learning and still working on, but it’s definitely a key revelation that has helped me move out of the past and into the present. It’s even a bit empowering when you really think about it.

So there you go class, the lesson for today is to take your focus off the results and onto showing up. You’ll be surprised what you can learn simply by being present.

For those of you who are still hungry for more goodness, here is a little story from today to wet your palate…Enjoy!

Today Matt and I visited Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica. It’s a beautiful park with jungle trails that lead to beautiful beaches. It’s one of the most popular destinations here in Costa Rica, so much so that thousands of people visit the park each day. Due to the rules of the National Park, only 700 (or so) people are allowed to be on the park grounds at any given time. They also charge a fee to enter the park to help keep the park in “good working order” for all the tourists who travel from all over the world to see it. Well, we had to wait in line to get into the park, as when we arrived, they were already at maximum capacity. It was hot, the line was long, but it eventually moved. Once we got inside the park’s gates, we had to wait in another line to pay for our entrance fee. One thing that we have realized whilst traveling in Latin America, is that credit cards are not as widely accepted as they are in the States. SO, we have learned (sometimes the hard way) to always carry cash in instances like these. The people behind us, however, didn’t realize that the park accepted cash only. Matt and I overheard them discussing what to do, and we really felt for them. They had arrived to the park on a local bus, had waited in line for at least 30 minutes, only to then get back on the local bus, and then try to find an ATM (which is no easy task in Manuel Antonio) so that they could then come back and wait all over again? Because we understood how things can go awry while traveling, we piped in and told them that we could loan them the cash they needed to get in. We didn’t know these people at all. Not even their names, but if we’d have been in similar situation, (and we’ve had a few on this trip) we would have been so grateful if someone came to our aid like that. They were very appreciative at our offer, but asked how to pay us back. We suggested that they could bring the money by our hotel later. They hesitated, as they have no car here, and no transportation in Manuel Antonio can be a little troublesome. SO, we told them not to worry, enjoy the day in the park, and we would stop by their hotel later to pick up the money. I think they thought we were a godsend as they thanked us and then went into the park to enjoy their day!

PS. We picked up the money this evening and they left us the nicest note telling us that they “couldn’t thank us enough for what we did for them.” Awwww!

Hello again, friends o’ goodness!  I come to you tonight from Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, to share with you another wonderful “take away” from this year’s 365 journey.  Today’s focus is on the power of communication to spread goodness.  Over the course of the year, I’ve met so many people through this site;  people who are on similar journeys, people in need of help getting a message out about their organization,  people emailing me in just a show of support, the list goes on… Through it all, I’ve learned that in this age where everyone has a pulpit of sorts (albeit an email list, a facebook page, twitter account,  youtube account or even a blog of their own), we all have the power to communicate to a platform of people within seconds.  Most of the time we take this for granted, but I’ve become quite conscious and appreciative of this now more than ever.  Being able to send my message of goodness through this site, has enabled me to not only chronicle my journey, but to share and (hopefully) inspire goodness in others.  It is a proven fact (or so I’ve read in the book “The Tipping Point,”) that people are affected by the simple act of communication.  If someone you know (and trust) recommends something or is passionate about it (whether that be a hotel, a book, a restaurant or even a new website perhaps) you are more likely going to respond in a positive way (i.e. you are going to pick up that book for your next read or check out that raved about sushi joint or type in that web address).  What a concept, huh?

SO, the “take away” today my friends is this:  If you believe in it, if you love it, if you can relate to the idea…pass it on.  We all have the forum in this day and age to be able to do so.  Some people thought I was crazy to blog about my 365 experience,  some thought I would never complete it, and some were just in awe of the challenge.  But you know what?  I just started.  I reached out with a message.  One little person who wanted to add good to her own life and journal the process.  And you know what?  People responded!  As I have mentioned before, 365 started out as a personal journey, but became so much more than that.  I realized that you can literally affect millions (hopefully in a positive way) from the comfort of your own computer, blackberry or iphone.

SO, get out there and share what ya got.  You never know the impact it will have!

And in honor of today’s takeaway, I’m going to share with you a social movement that someone who stumbled upon 365, emailed me about and asked for some help in spreading the good word.  I’ve checked it out and think it’s pretty swell and thus–here I am to share it with you! It’s called Twixtmas.You can learn more about Twixtmas and get involved by clicking here, but I will give you a quick rundown: The Twixtmas campaign is an idea from the Flexible Thinking Forum, a new not-for-profit social enterprise with a mission to get people thinking differently.

The Flexible Thinking Forum says that:  ”The period between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve presents an opportunity to do something for many people. It gives the chance to take stock, do things we don’t normally get time to do.”  They hope people will jump onboard the “Twixtmas” train and take advantage of an opportunity to help  make the world a better place in some way.

Here’s the simple way that Twixtmas works:

Starting today (Dec. 27th) and for the next 5 days until December 31st you do something to help someone in some way.  These don’t have to be grand gestures because as we all know “Every Little Bit Counts!”

Day 1: (12/27) Do something for yourself.  Yep you heard me right.  How can you help others if you can’t help yourself?  Enjoy an indulgence, have a good laugh, eat something good.  We can all do that, can’t we?  Today I snuggled with my Matty on one of the most beautiful  beaches I’ve ever been to.  We rented a couple of lounge chairs, relaxed and witnessed  an unbelievable golden sunset.   Click here for more ideas.

Day 2: (12/28) So since we started off selfish, today your goal is to do something unselfish. Help a neighbor, do a random act of kindness (I think I know of a website where you can get some inspiration for that ) Click here for more ideas.

Day 3: (12/29) Today, do something for a friend. Get in touch with an old friend, go out of your way for your pal, or even make a new friend today! For more ideas, click here.

Day 4: (12/30) Today do something for our planet. Support life by planting something or saving an insect! (Guilty, as I usually just squish ‘em) You can recycle or turn the heat down. For more ideas click here, and remember to love thy mother!

Day 5: (12/31) Do something for your future. Write a list of 10 things you will do during 2010 or count your blessings and ask how you can share your blessings for the year ahead. No one’s perfect and we can all do “little things” to help ourselves be better people. For more ideas, click here.

SO, there you have it. A little simple goodness to share. Jump on board, grab a spoon, and dive into the goodness. Finish off 2009 with a bang and start 2010 a better, happier, healthier, person Until next time… Cheers!

The sunset on the beach of Manuel Antonio. Just lovely!

Well this is just getting ridiculous! We have really learned to roll with the punches here in Latin America, and we have learned that even though a place we are staying at says they have “internet and wifi,” doesn’t necessarily mean that they have access to it. We have gotten spotty connections the last week or so, and I have felt really bad that I haven’t been able to update here more frequently. But alas, we have learned that things just don’t work the same way in Latin America as they do at home, and we are doing our best to embrace the last couple weeks of our adventure down South.

We still haven’t gotten over the disappointment of the Creative Corners experience. I still can’t believe that we got scammed the way we did. If you didn’t read the last couple updates..to make a long story very short; once we got to Costa Rica ready to volunteer, with much lowered expectations (due to our Peru volunteer experience) it was obvious that this program was even more disorganized than the one in Peru. So disorganized in fact, that there was no real program to volunteer at. We were ready to work with children in a creative environment, but there were no children and no program. I am disappointed that this volunteer experience was taken from me, as I have been looking forward to it for months. I am livid, that an organization who calls themselves a “charity,” can take a large sum of money that was fundraised (through this website and the “Raffle of Goodness”) and not actually give that money to the charities it promises, but keeps it for “overhead.” But again, trying to go with the “roll with the punches” mentality, we are doing our best to not let this negative experience ruin our trip. We are still trying to get money back from Creative Corners so that we can donate it ourselves to a real charity that helps children. As well, we are working on finding the silver lining and learning from the multitude of lessons that this volunteer experience (or lack thereof) has given us. I’ll tell you one thing–I know that I am now, more than ever before, inspired to create a beautiful non-profit organization myself–one that is built from the ground up with honesty, integrity and transparency. I will keep you updated on this situation with Creative Corners as well as my own lessons, epiphanies, and clarity that are coming to light here in Latin America.

SO, today is December 26th… In just a few days it will be 2010, and my “challenge” of doing 365 acts of goodness in 365 days is almost up. What a year it has been! As I am updating here, I realize that I could fill in the gaps of all the good that we have been doing since the last time I wrote, but I think I am going to do something different. I’m sure you all have had your fill of the different ways we have helped feed people and animals on the street, how we went that extra mile for a stranger, and all the thoughtful gestures we have done for friends and family. So instead, I am going to focus my last few posts here in 2009 on some lessons–my “take-aways” if you will– from this year’s journey.

Today I’ll share with you one of the biggest “take-aways” from this year. After almost a year of dedicating myself to the “goodness” mentality, the one thing that stands above all else is…”EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS.” I know I’ve said it many times before. It’s kind of a motto around these parts, but it’s the truth. Every little bit of it. Sure there are big, bold ways we can all set out to make a difference, but there are little ways that can pack quite the punch as well. Think about it. If all of us did just a little bit, it would add up to…a lot a bit. You don’t need to be a mathematician to figure that one out. SO, my hope is that I have inspired you this year–even in the smallest of ways to show you that you don’t have to be a celebrity with millions of dollars to make a difference. You just have to have the heart and the willingness to go that extra mile. You know what, it doesn’t even have to be an extra mile. Just an extra step will do the trick.

Last year my New Year’s resolution was “goodness,” and although I still have plenty of room to grow, I think I have been able to be more conscious of those around me. More conscious of those in need, and more conscious of what I can do to help. Again, if we all as a human race started to think like that, I guarantee we would see a huge shift in humanity for the “good.” So today, just spend a little moment–even if it’s less than a minute– and focus on that shift. That shift to do just a little more good for yourself, for those around you, and for the greater world as we know it.