Self-help @ MindSay 
love
So, when your dad is a very highly recommended therapist and your mom is a Big Whig writer and she’s got a zillion of her self-help books lying around it’s hard not to feel a little bit inadequate. I know they probably don’t mean to be so damn good at what they do in their business lives but me being me, knowing that they help so many people everyday, it just makes me feel a little bit less that par in this family. Is there something more I could do? Maybe I should actually pick up one of my mom’s books. Nah, I don’t think so.
Despite the fact I won’t fall for any of their therapeutic bullshit, I do recall mom always saying that everyone has a story to tell and that if the world were perfect everyone would write a book and tell his or her story, but you know what? I can’t imagine that really being true. I mean, I do believe that everyone could tell a story, they could make it up if they were creative enough or write a help book if they were smart enough, but who would really want to read someone’s pitiful true life story? Maybe if Harriet Tubman wrote a book or Anne Frank or someone really important, than I could see people reading their story, but what about my pastor? What about the homeless man down the street? Or the lady who works at McDonalds? Even better, would anyone really want to read about me? Who with a sensible mind or a Bachelors degree would want to spend any amount of time reading about some spoiled Floridian boy? It would be a waste of time and brain cells. Hell, everyone else probably has a similar story. How would that make mine original? And worst of all, would anyone actually care to read my story? Would I be worth remembering? Nah. It probably wouldn’t be very good book anyhow.
So mom in all her infinite wisdom was right. Everyone has a story. Wow mom, lets all just give you a round of applause for spending years upon years in school to figure that out. The only problem is that just because everyone has a story doesn’t mean that every story is going to have a reader. Who wants to read about the homeless man or the McDonalds lady? Who really wants to read about the brat in Florida? Not me. And if you were smart, you wouldn’t want to either. I’m sure you have better things to do with your time.
Forward Momentum
The great thing about forward momentum is that it doesn’t have to involve your whole life. It can begin with something simple that might appear irrelevant to the big picture but ultimately isn’t. I began by giving to charity every chance I had. Every time I go to McDonalds now I give my change to the Ronald McDonald House. Last year when I went to renew my drivers license they asked me if I wanted to give a dollar to the Second Chance Fund. I did. It’s hard to find a restaurant that doesn’t have a jar for some poor girl with cancer or some other charity. In some other way I made it a point a few months back to buy myself a pair of jumper cables. I did this for myself, which I count as forward momentum, but I also did it for the stranger in need of help. Eventually I was ready to quit smoking crack, which I did, even though I continued to drink and use other drugs. My life got better. The important thing is that I keep moving in the right direction, not that I do everything perfect right away. Someday, I hope to quit drinking too. If I keep doing what I’m doing I just might get there. I was never able to make Alcoholics Anonymous work. The reason is that AA demanded too much of me all at once. Forward Momentum only requires that I make a permanent commitment to improve my life and better myself.
| I wanted to put this in my Blog today so folks can read about this absolutely amazing young Canadian man. I have just finished his book "Me to We" (Turning the Self-Help Movement on It's Head). It is a brillant book written by Craig and his brother Marc, both who have acheived more in their young lifetimes than some of the most powerful people in the world. This is a young man that at the age of 12, YES 12, saw a problem half a world away from his safe, good life, and decided to make a difference. One has to wonder which "old soul" inhabits this young person. I give thanks that I am blessed to live on the earth at the same time as him.
For those of you with some teens in middle school, I introduced this information to some teachers and they now have grade 7 & 8's do projects on this young man, his life's work, and also come up with ideas of how they might take on small and big projects that make differences to our world. What they come up with is fascinating, the minds of youth can be beautiful things when chanelled. My daughter's class did clean up projects on beaches locally and they raised enough money in returnable bottles to use to buy school supplies for a classroom in Africa. Some local Staple's stores kicked in matching funds and products, a trucking company offered transport and off went a truckload. They were very proud at what the achieved with some hard work and a good idea.
Of course it doesn't have to be this big. Some of the smallest things make the biggest differences, a kind word, helping someone that needs bags carried, a small donation. If you read the book you will read of a young man that became an philanthropist with $20.00.
This week, through meditation and prayer I found my way through the challenges I have been struggling with recently. I realized I had to do 2 things. First, increase my daily self care, and second increase my compassion and positive energy and give more out. I started this yesterday by taking time to take care of a nagging sinus infection. Then to fulfill the second part i commited to tell at least one client a day something positive I see in them. In my program there are about 50-100 people a day here for various education sessions, therapy groups, acupunture treatments, workshops, or indiviual sessions. It is easy to pick someone out and just say something positive about them, even if it is that they always remember my name, or that they are looking rested today, or that they have a kind way about them. Since I started to do it, just a day ago, a shift started. This shift is not just in me, but I noticed that a few others are also doing this. There is a kind of "pass it on" energy happening. I plan to keep it up and watch it grow and see what happens with the rest of the challenges.
Please read the article below and if you Google "Free the Children" you will find this young mans website.
Have a great weekend all!! |
Craig Kielburger
At first I was just going to flick through to the cartoon strips, but I happened to see a headline on the front page about a 12-year-old child worker who had been killed,' says Craig, who is now 22.
“At first, everything that happened to Iqbal seemed unreal to me. I had never heard of child labour or debt slavery, and I got really upset.
I asked my parents if it was really true. ‘Read up on it’, they answered. I went to the library and contacted different organizations that work for human rights, and soon I had found out more.'
Free The Children
“After a week, I asked my teacher if I could tell the class something. ‘Go ahead’, he answered. Then I told them about child labour and about Iqbal. After school I called my classmates. Twenty of us met at my house. We held an exhibition, and decided to start Free The Children. We held a garage sale and sold juice and other things to raise money for the fight against child labour. That was how it all started.
One of the people I had contacted to find out more said that if I really wanted to know more about the lives of these children, I had to visit them.'
Children set free
During his trip, Craig met a boy who had been seriously injured by an explosion in a firework factory, where he carried out dangerous work without protection. He also met a little girl who worked breaking up old syringes without any protection. She climbed over them with bare feet. “She had no idea about AIDS or that the syringes could spread disease.'
Text©: Magnus Bergmar, magnus.bergmar@childrensworld.org
Photos©: FTC, Tom Hanson/Canapress, J.M. Carisse & Anders Kristensson
Craig Kielburger is being nominated for the WCPRC 2006 because he has fought for ten years to free children from poverty and other violations of the rights of the child. But he also wants to empower children to feel that they can contribute to a better world for children. Craig founded Free The Children (FTC) in 1995, when he was 12. Since then, FTC has built more than 400 schools for 35,000 pupils in 21 countries, and sent 200,000 packages with materials for healthcare and schools, as well as medical equipment worth 9 million US dollars. FTC has given gifts of cows, goats, sewing machines or land to 20,000 women, so that they can earn money and their children don’t have to work. FTC has also provided 123,000 people with clean water. The children themselves have paid for most of this. Over 500,000 children and young people in 23 countries have learned, through FTC, to help other children, and that they have the right and the power to demand that the rights of the child are respected.
There's probably something special about today - about right now
I often get that feeling
that now is such a powerful moment
and when I get that feeling I work at reminding myself - what matters is now
And now I am inspired to consider the process of "living as if"... right now
I can't just write about it - that's only half the job
I seem to have to roll in it - the fodder for the hog!
Living as if...
okay, this is the exercise my spirit seems to say
it has a lot to do with how I approach my days
and living as if
is the key to this adventure, the stick the stirs the pot
it is taking stock of my day and regretting not a spot
and living as if
I have all the plans worked out each day, while knowing
plans are there to be changed and seeds are there for sowing
and living as if
means i can love surprise and the joys these things do bring me
it means my pockets are giant sized and dreams are to tease me!
And, living as if;
this day
is a welcomed gift!
c2006 luckydragon
(note: "Living as if" is a concept I've heard used in a few references;
Living as if; "the god in all things matters."
Living as if; "my life is perfect"
Living as if; "I'm okay, You're okay"
It's not at all uncommon. It is a tool in self development fields for overcoming old programming.)
A few years ago I was smoking crack every day. I was lying, stealing, and hustling to get a hit and I hated myself because I wasn't that kind of person. I hated the people I was around and I hated myself for being around them. Last year was a transitional year for me. I got rid of almost every bad influence I had and was left with just a few drug dealers but no drug addicts. This was better than it had been before. I got high once or twice a month instead of everyday and I spent less money. There was no reason to be involved in any crimes and I wasn't. I met a guy who was in to powder. I quit smoking crack and starting snorting. I found I could get high all night off twenty to forty dollers, where as I was spending my whole pay check before. The last time I smoked crack was new years eve. I had a drug dealer that I had to get rid of. She had a daughter who I always found attractive. My plan was to ask her out and watch things not work out. New years eve was to be our first date. I showed up a few hours early. She left to get some drugs and I waited with her family. The story repeated itself 3 or 4 times, long enough for me to piss everyone off because I got drunk. I was told I wasn't allowed back! My plan worked perfectly! I haven't smoked crack since and don't desire to. I realize it's only been two months but so far as I'm concerned it's in my past. I still drink and get high but I don't smoke crack. I have money to eat and buy cigarettes. I've become obsessed with my "Forward Momentum" plan. It's working. My life is getting better. I'm getting better. I want to and I know I can help others! It doesn't take big steps to get started. Small steps will get you there so long as keep taking them...
Gary O 36
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