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Tag: community

What if dinner could change your life?

The dinner table is one of the few places we have left to connect. To set down our phones and listen. To talk about topics that matter and work through problems that require attention, care, and focus to solve. To learn from another’s perspective and to consider a viewpoint that might be much different than our own. To share not only plates of food, but passions, desires, challenges and frustrations.

Holidays place emphasis on this ability to slow down and remember what life is really about. Yes, you could send an email. Yes, you could even make a phone call. But when you invite people to sit around a dining table, you also invite magic into the room. Serendipity, empathy, creativity, and generosity often arrive unannounced.

Use this guide to help you cherish the sacredness of bringing together friends and colleagues over food, or consider hosting a themed dinner on topics such as climate change, addiction, and health care.

Something in your world may shift, all because of dinner.

Why we must never give up hope

There is always someone to fight for.

There is always a reason to move forward.

There is always a voice that needs to be heard.

There is always a cause that demands attention.

There is always work to be done.

Give someone who needs it extra support today: a hug, a hello, a coffee, a flower, a smile, a listening ear, a word of encouragement, a kind hand. We are all neighbors in this life. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”

Choose love even when you think you can’t afford to, when you can’t see light, when you feel the shadows have won. For that’s when you must fight. Fight to love. Fight to hope.

Travel and volunteering

Travel isn’t just about a place, it’s about the people you meet along the way, and volunteering can be a wonderful way to connect. Not only will you learn more about the community, their culture, their struggles and their celebrations, you can help in a meaningful way — perhaps even leave a lasting impact.

But as a traveler, you have responsibility. You have responsibility for the choices you make, the businesses you support, the money you bring into a country and spend. For this reason, “voluntourism” programs are on the rise, hoping to capitalize on the hearts and checkbooks of do-gooders.

How do you find the right organization to volunteer with? Don’t be afraid of asking questions: what you’ll be doing, how you’ll be providing support, where your fees go. Be realistic about your skills and abilities and be open to the many different experiences that come along with entering a new culture. You may find yourself in potentially uncomfortable situations. Yes, pack your essentials and bring a few comforts to remind you of home, but don’t make comfort your first priority.

In travel and in business, put people first and be willing to step beyond the familiar.

If you’re in a funk (31 ways to destroy a bad mood)

  1. Go sit in a different room.
  2. Take 5 minutes to be quiet and still (turn off your phone, set an alarm if you must).
  3. Walk outside.
  4. Search for your favorite artist’s playlist on youtube.
  5. Invest in an essential oil you love. Two drops can do wonders.
  6. Write a list of 5 things you are thankful for in this moment.
  7. Treat yourself (massage, cupcake, small gift).
  8. Make a salad with ingredients you pick up from a farmers’ market.
  9. Play with an animal.
  10. Browse the shelves in your local bookstore.
  11. Go to/from your office using a new route, even if it takes longer.
  12. Listen to an interesting or inspiring podcast.
  13. Do yoga at home.
  14. Watch a movie at the theater.
  15. Send a message to a friend.
  16. Write yourself a letter.
  17. Place fresh cut flowers in your home.
  18. Step outside and listen for birds.
  19. Find shapes in clouds.
  20. Draw, paint, color, glue, build, hammer, stitch.
  21. Plant something.
  22. “Guilty pleasure.” Everyone has one; indulge yourself and don’t feel guilty about it.
  23. Write a new bucket list. List dreams that get you excited.
  24. Don’t do anything. Focus on your breathing. Yes, doing nothing is actually fine.
  25. Take a nap. Not getting enough sleep is proven to impact mental health.
  26. Dance. Doesn’t matter what you look like. Turn up your favorite tune, close the curtains and stomp it out.
  27. Burn regrets. Those decisions weighing you down? Write them out. You can sit with that paper for twenty minutes, then light a match to it.
  28. Stay off social media. Just. Don’t. Do. It. Go one day without logging online and see how you feel.
  29. Read. Return an old favorite or ask a friend for recommendations.
  30. Do one thing you’ve never done before. Doesn’t matter what it is — dance class, open mic, an online course. Try something different.
  31. Make plans. Big or small, a trip to another country or a lunch date, get something on the calendar that you can look forward to.

13 lessons to be learned from expats

  1. It’s OK to not understand everything that is happening around you all of the time.
  2. True friends will keep in touch.
  3. Don’t compare your life, your successes, your failures or your progress with anyone else.
  4. Take time to connect with the people around you. See them for who they really are.
  5. Never stop learning.
  6. Use social media sparingly.
  7. Drink alcohol in moderation.
  8. Build community. Seek out and find those who bring out your very best self.
  9. If you don’t know the answer, don’t be afraid to ask.
  10. It’s always helpful to research and gather information before making big decisions. In the end, however, let intuition guide you.
  11. Spend time getting to know yourself so you can acknowledge your weaknesses and strong points.
  12. Set goals that both challenge and inspire you.
  13. Write. Make time to dream, to reflect, to observe and to record. Situations are constantly changing, and your perspectives will shift as well. Writing your thoughts down can help you stay on track and grow.

Post modified from this Medium article, posted July 15, 2015.

Give, give, give and ask (not take)

A few days ago I listened to this podcast with Gary Vaynerchuck and James Altucher. There are many gems packed into the hour-long segment: advice on entrepreneurship, goal setting and finding your passion. Gary encourages listeners to gear up for the long haul and keep sights focused on that seemingly distant finish line — where freedom, self worth, pride, and a life [well] enjoyed await. He says that most people give of themselves with expectation, giving in order to receive. That’s the wrong approach, he says, and encourages people that the process should be: give-give-give-ask.

Almost three years ago, I came to Nepal was a volunteer. First in a monastery and now at a learning center, I have lived alongside locals struggling to put children through school, build fires to cook, cope with natural disasters, and handle political strife. Yet they encounter personal hardships with grace and admirable resilience, and I want to tell their stories.

I have been selected to participate in the Artist in Residence program at Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, and I will be traveling from Nepal to attend. The program lasts four weeks and “provides artists of exceptional talent with uninterrupted time and creative space to research and create new work.” I have been granted a partial fellowship and will be joined by 4 writers, 7 visual artists, 2 ceramicists and 1 musical composer.

My aim is to write a piece that is beautiful, compelling and describes both the injustices and strength I witness here in Nepal. To learn more about what I’ve done to support education and leadership locally, please visit Khata: Life and Learning House Nepal.

I’m asking now. I’d like to ask you to consider helping me participate by visiting this Generosity page. You can also share using this link: https://igg.me/at/G7dVeTfHb5o.

It’s not easy to ask. You’re putting yourself out there and your mind becomes filled with worries and doubt and insecurity. But when a community rallies behind you and supports you and your work, it opens up new experiences, creativity and joy — and opportunities you might never had expected. (For more on this topic, check out Amanda Palmer’s The Art of Asking.)

Thank you for your generosity and encouragement of my work.