Change the Way you Think…

New Year’s Eve…another year coming to an end and a new one about to begin.  We all know that this time of year brings reflections of the past year and resolutions for the new year.  New year, new you right?…Wrong!

Why is it that each year at this time many of us decide we are either going to create a new version of ourselves or ignore the new year resolution movement all together and change absolutely nothing?  I have always been a firm believer that if you aren’t happy with something, change it!  And that is something that I live by 365 days per year…not just at the new year.  Well Mary Engelbreit took it a step further:

What if we all changed the way we think?  If you really think about it, we do so many things simply because we feel we are expected to or because that is the way that everybody else does it.  Could we change the way the world works if we all just changed the way we think?

I have decided that for 2015 I am going to try a little social experiment.  My family, like so many others, is struggling to make ends meet and living paycheck to paycheck.  However, I want to help make a difference in our community and have always wished that I could “win the lottery” so I could help others more.  Well, I am going to change the way I think about that.  Knowing full well that I will in all reality never win the lottery, it is time to stop waiting for that time before I help others.  So, how do I make a difference without hurting my own family financially?  Hmmm…what if every household donated $1 each month to one organization?  What a difference that would make!  So that is what I have decided to do.  I am going to commit to donating $1 each month in 2015 to a local organization.  Only $12 for the year.  My family can definitely handle that financially.  But $1 to an organization is not much help is it?  Well, every little bit helps so I will first not feel guilty about “only donating $1.”  Second, I am a communicator, an organizer and I have hundreds of friends, family and coworkers.  We are stronger and more effective as a team then we are individually, so why don’t I use my organization and communication strengths and put them to good use!  So here is my challenge to each of you…join me in donating $1 each month to help our community.  I am happy to collect any donations that others wish to give and will give the total amount each month to a different organization.  I would love to hear from you on which organizations we should choose…we need 12…so please communicate those suggestions to me!  I will make the donation at the end of each month so that allows time to collect the donations from all of you.  I will document each donation with a photo and will blog about each one as well.

So this is the start of me changing the way I think…and it is just the start.  I hope that this helps inspire you to change the way you think as well.  I want to hear your new thoughts and ideas and your plans as well…please feel free to share them with me and others so we can all continue to motivate and inspire each other and make the world a better place for us and for our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on.

Until next time…