The Empowerment Plan

It started out as a project for a college class. Instructed to design and make something that would fill a need, Veronica Scott walked into a homeless shelter to go to a direct source. She spoke with homeless people and asked them what they needed most. Most became anger by the the question, however, a few sat down and tossed some ideas. And that was when Veronica went home to work in her basement and design a coat that would keep warmth, keep out rain, and be able to expand into a sleeping bag. While researching the company I found the creator had been invited to do a Ted Talk! And as you know I love Ted Talks! For such a young person she has been able to do so much.

Max's Story  how The Empowerment Plan succeeded in changing lives.Here is an article about a woman who was finally released from prison and how Veronica's project did more than just keep one person warm. Veronica's open heart has not only created a coat that is functional but has actually succeeded in giving people lives back. With a steady job, a person can have a place to live and food in their belly.

Most of us see a homeless person and the street and judge them for their actions that led them there. This judgement is leads nowhere. Not only does it keep people on the streets but it shows us who we really are, selfish and small minded. We can't see past our noses. Understandable that we all have issues as well, but hearing Veronica's Empowerment Plan and how it creates jobs as well as helps the homeless, I can't help but be in awe of her natural brain process. Of course if you watch the video that introduced me to this fantastic idea, you'll see that everything just happened by chance. Even so, the idea and the process fascinates me. My hope is one day to meet Veronica in person and help in some small way. After all a leader who can be so young and so selfless is someone I wish to be near.

The Empowerment Plan for more information, this is their direct site.

like them on Facebook


As always thank you for reading and I hope this motivated you to do something or create something for someone in need. If you know someone who could use a Empowerment Coat, please look up and see if it can be delivered to your area and I will pay for half of it. I love this idea and would like to spread this project worldwide.

Have a Sweeter Day than Yesterday 

Goals

So I'm lost. Not going to lie, I'm not sure where I should go from here. My last blog was about being stressed. This one is about understanding there are things you can't change and things you can. Back to being lost. I'm kinda in a rut with my so called career and sometimes I want something different, however, when it comes to sitting down and trying to find out what that something different is, I draw a blank. So what do you do when you're not sure what the big picture is, start small and set some goals!

Goals: the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result. 

synonyms:

objective, aim, end, target, design, intention, intent, plan, purpose

I sat down and tried to think of all the things I wanted to accomplish. I went so far as to write the ones I thought were impossible to see what they looked like on paper. Were they really that impossible? Was there something else on my list that might?

Goals in NO Specific Order:
1) Own a Bed and Breakfast or Event Center
2) Write on my blog once a week - consistently
3) Take Dance lessons with my husband; example Latin Dance
4) Take a Yoga Teaching Training Course
5) Take a Social Media Branding course
6) Start reading novels regularly again
7) Buy a house
8) Start a family
9) Become an enlightenment teacher
10) Be involved in church

So I must admit, I started this list back in November. In fact I started writing this blog posting back in November. Things have changed a little. Life has slowed a bit. For about two months I had 3 part time jobs. I juggled them all through Christmas, mostly for the money and also because I wasn't sure which job was for me. Finally making a decision I found a place that is near wear I live now and I love the people that I work with.

I even managed to reach a couple of my goals. Now in a small book club, I'm reading more and actually have people to talk about the books. I'm involved in a church and help with some of their social media outlets. My husband and I went dancing! I found a Salsa group that meets every 3rd Saturday. My husband actually had fun and we are going to try to go more often.

The more goals I reach the more want to reach my others. They will probably change. I may take some away and add others. But for now here's to moving forward. Trying to reach goals can be difficult. A lot of people get lost when trying to reach the big goals and forget about the little goals that can either lead to great opportunities or just even small victories. For help on goal reaching I found a couple of articles that may help.

6 Ways to Achieve Any Goal

How to Reach Your Goals 11 Steps

Top 10 Reasons Why People Don't Reach Their Goals

One of these tips is telling other people about your goals. Kind of like when trying to lose weight or starting a work out challenge. Having people hold you accountable for your goals and of course having others cheer you on. Hope this post motivates you to to start really thinking about what you want out of your life. I'd love to see your goals!

Thanks for reading. 

Have A Sweeter Day than Yesterday!

5k Color Vibe - Portland, ME

Again, getting out and doing stuff is great for you and your personal achievements! A new friend of mine drove all the way up from Massachusetts to do the 5k with me. She picked me up around 8 AM and we were over at Edward Payson Park in Portland, ME. Check out the Runner's Guide to see the course and merchandise.  

Location: Was awesome! The trail was beautiful and in a great part of town. Low traffic and the scenery was lovely for a park in the middle of a city. The water was low but still very beautiful. The track or trail was a semi-perfect circle which made it easy to navigate and wrapped around the entire body of water. I have been to other Color Runs and because of their available space they tend to zig zag up one street, down another in order to get the full distance in.     

Charity: The purpose of the Color Vibe is not only to have some color crazy fun but to help out local charities. This 5K helped raise money for the Wounded Heroes Program of Maine which is a non-profit organization to support wounded veterans who return home and due to their injuries need assistance.   



Duration: Because of how the trail was set up, it was a little difficult to pass those who were walking. So my friend and I pretty much walked a majority and ran here and there. From start to finish it took us about an hour. Which means we kept a pace of walking, but I didn't make my goal. I think we had fun just talking and seeing a place we both had never been before. 

After Party: The crowd at the after party was smaller than I'm used to, but the crowd was responsive and lively. The DJ actually brought some of the audience up to dance on stage! We of course did the Cha Cha Slide and grooved! 


Signage and Set Up: So over all we had a really great time! The only issue we had was that we were unfamiliar with the area. So my new friend and I walked the trail looking for people covered in colored powered. There were no signs leading to the location where we were supposed to meet. It was so confusing. We google mapped and the map was like You Are Here! So we walked the trail that were thought was it and looked for signs or pink and purple people. Finally after walking maybe 45 minutes we see around across from the trail all dressed in white and heard music player. Found It! So I guess we got our warm up, can't complain I suppose. 

After Party: The crowd at the after party was smaller than I'm used to, but the crowd was responsive and lively. The DJ actually brought some of the audience up to dance on stage! We of course did the Cha Cha Slide and grooved! 

Had a blast at Color Vibe 5k! If you would like to join in the fun then check out the official website, Color Vibe 5K Run has events all over the country. So check it out there's probably one near you coming up. Remember that these events are not only great for the whole family but help out charities in your local community. 

Thanks for Reading 

Have a Sweeter Day than Yesterday!

Self Pity Holding You Back

So when other people aren't dragging us down, what holds us back from reaching our goals? Us! As in me or the great I can't. I recently read an article titled, 9 Ways Mentally Strong People Prevent Self-Pity From Sabotaging Their Success. Super long name but the article was interesting. It makes sense that successful and/or happy people are the way they are because of their mindset. They see things differently. They don't dwell and they don't complain. They look at what's in front of them and push through, instead of trying to go around it or even turn around and take the easier path.

So this week's positive thought is SNAP OUT OF IT. :) We all have bad days and bad times, but it's how we handle those situations that make us or break us.

Bad days and time periods are always going to be in our life. They are always going to pop up when you don't want them too. But if you just sit back and say well there's nothing I can do then you're right, nothing will get done. Nothing will ever change. Nothing will ever get better. When you look at your situation and think it will never get better then it won't because you said it won't. Because you didn't look at your situation and raise to the challenge. 

Not going to lie, I don't like my current situation. I live in an area where I don't know anyone. I work from home so I meet no one and my husband works really long shifts so I'm home alone with the animals all day long. Though I love my fur babies they are not much for conversation or motivation. In fact they motivate me to snuggle with them and sleep the day away, but then the bills wouldn't get paid and the house wouldn't be clean. Since I work from home I must get myself out of bed, set a schedule, and stick to it. I walk the dog every day to get me out of the house and make sure I don't wear my pajamas all day long. I look for groups and clubs to join in my area so I can get to know the neighborhood and hopeful make some lasting friendships. Next week I'm going to be in a 5k with a friend I met once at short film where we both volunteered as extras. I can't change where I am. My husband's work is here and this is where we live now, over 16 hours away from my friends of 10 years and 30 hours away from my family. This is it. So I could pout and whine and complain. Or I can search the internet and get involved in something. 

Life isn't always fair, but if we lie down it will continue to hold us because we are allowing it to. So get up! Change your mind set and figure out how to push through, because the other side is going to make you stronger mentally and change your environment for the better. Check out the article above and start making some changes mentally. Start looking at your situations differently and you'll start to see once your mindset is strong you'll be able to reach those goals or that happiness you want so much. But you have to change the way you think and then you need to put those thoughts to action. No one else is going to change the way you think about things. You can though. You can do anything you put your mind to. 

Thanks for reading!

Have a Sweeter Day Than Yesterday!

Be Happy

Being positive isn't always easy. It should be and it can be, but you have to work at it. Work at being Positive? Yep. If you see or speak with a highly active and motivated person, you might wonder how are they always so excited and ready to take on everything. First thing you must know is that that isn't 24/7. They have bad days too, so don't get discouraged. Second thing you need to know is that it took that highly positive person a lot of time and work to keep that positive go-to attitude.

If you don't already know I am a worrier and I tend to dwell on things I can't change. Or I used to, a lot. While working at a store called Candy Craze I worked under a woman who tried her very best to solve every issue with fairness and with a positive outcome. Which helped me see that even though things can get bad you just need to get through them, learn from them, and solve them with a smile. Working with my old boss definitely changed my way of thinking, not only in the workplace but in my everyday life. 

Anyway, in my most recent job I am in charge of a couple business Facebooks and other social media networking. Part of my job is to find motivational entrepreneur articles to post on the business websites. While going through my typical sources I came across this list called 39 Habits of Extremely Happy People. I love the idea of the list and out of 39 here are my favorites. 

2. They have nice, positive things to say about others and do not gossip. 

When you say positive things about people you are thinking positive already plus whoever you're speaking to will think of you in a better light. So it's a great starting point when trying to change your outlook on things. If you are speaking ill of others, your thoughts are dark and will continue in that direction. 

5. They don't rehash the bad things that have happened to them. 

The past is the past. You can't go back and change it, so learn from it and move on. Constantly thinking about bad things that happened will make for a bad day and can keep taking up your time. Time you could be using to for the present. 

6. They know that another person won't increase their happiness.

People who look to others to make themselves happy, tend to not only be disappointed in those people they depend on but of course end up not very happy. You need to realize you make your own happiness. Looking more to hobbies to keep yourself busy, doing things you enjoy, or just taking time to find something that relaxes you and centers you. Looking to others to always cheer you up and keep your attitude in check will leave you always waiting. 

12. They smile and laugh a lot.

My husband is an extremely optimistic person. Always thinking of clever ways to help his team. One of his natural charms is his humor. When he tells me about his morning with his team I always end up asking if he even got any work done. You see my husband jokes a lot. But his team is loyal, positive, and they help each as well as believe in themselves. I think it's because their boss is smart but extremely silly and keeps them laughing. When talking to people try to smile more. Smiling and laughter is a medicine that's been around for years. 

15. They donate their time, energy, and money selflessly.

Happy people tend to see those around them struggling and want to spread their great fortune. Even if you are not at your best donating your time to someone can make a change. You may be in a bad mood, but you just made someone's day and that person smiles at you and thanks you. You know you're going to smile back. By helping those around you are creating a positive reaction that will spread, very similar to Pay It Forward. And usually what goes around comes around. By you helping that person out, you set into motion a chain reaction. It may not happen immediately, but you have done something good which will stir something inside of you. 

So if you are having trouble seeing the rainbow in the rain, you aren't looking hard enough. Stop focusing on the rain or how soaking wet you are. Focus on the positives. You're breathing, your belly is full, or maybe that you are about to get into your car and drive home where clean clothes are. And when you get there smile that you made it home! Smile when the clouds clear and you do see the colors of the rainbow. It doesn't matter that you got wet, what matters is that you made it though thinking of something better and knowing you were going to find that something better. Be grateful for what you have and who you are. And remember to share your happiness and wealth with others, because only good things come from great acts!

Thanks for Reading  My Thoughts 

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Hoping You Have  A 

Sweeter Day than Yesterday!