Giving - #Thanksgiving Post Number 2

The 'giving' part in Thanksgiving is not just about giving thanks. It's about giving to other people, especially those who are less fortunate than yourself. It’s about sharing with those you love, but also about sharing with those you don't even know. God commands us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, which includes all of the human race. Giving is one of the most impactful expression of love and should be exercised regularly.

I believe that it is also important to be thoughtful in your giving. Just like you spend time figuring out the best possible gift for your loved ones, based on their needs and wants, you should take the time to figure out what other people need.

This summer, I saw a homeless woman on the side of the road. I asked her if I could buy her dinner. She said that she wasn't actually very hungry because it was so hot. At first, I was a little stunned, and even a little offended I must admit. Then I realized that I was making a mistake. I asked her if there is anything that I could get for her instead of buying her dinner. She said she would really love popsicle. So I drove to the store and got her couple of popsicles as well as some Gatorade.

I learned my lesson. Now when I see a homeless person on the side of the road, I try to stop and ask them what they need first. Of course, I don't always have the time or the chance to stop to ask questions.  And money is probably always a good thing to give. But if I do have the time, I ask if they have an immediate need that I can help them out with while they are standing there on the side of the road.

This lesson can applied to everyone in your life. Don't just give them what is dispensable at the time. Ask questions and give what is needed.

Just like we all have different blood types, we all have different needs. If you are an A blood type, you cannot receive B type blood. It won't help you. Some people need money, others need your help with something, and again others may just need someone to talk to. The needs are as unique as the people we deal with. Don't try to take care of all of them with the blanket solution of money.

The exception to that I see is time. Time is like the O blood type. It can be given to anyone, regardless of their own blood type. Whether you are giving money, helping someone, listening to them or doing something else for them, you are giving your time. Time is the most valuable thing humans have, so when you give your time, you are truly showing someone that you care.

Proverbs 22:9

9 A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

Thanks - #Thanksgiving Post Number 1

Sure, we can all point to injustices and bad breaks in our lives. It is easy to get hung up on those things. Occupy Wall Street wants you to focus on that and that only. But today (and really everyday), we need to focus on all the blessings in our lives. Reality is, if you live in the U.S. or the EU or any other 1st world country, there are a lot of things that every single one of us can and should be grateful for:

• The ability to publish and read this and any blog post on the internet - can you say North Korea? And I am not just talking about freedom of speech. I am talking about access to the internet.

• Running water - Turkmenistan gets one hour of running water a day. And compared to other countries, even that is a luxury.

• I am allowed to drive (and more obviously) as a woman - although me in particular driving may not be something people are thankful for ;-).

• Roads/infrastructure

• Services: police, fire, medical

• Access to food - even if you have to dumpster dive, beg for it, or eat at a shelter, it's there.

• Basic education for everyone.

• www.globalrichlist.com - type in your income here and be amazed at how rich you are compared to the rest of the world.

• Finally, something that everyone in the world can and should be thankful for is God's love and grace.

I could add more to this list, but I am sure you get my point without more examples. Be thankful for what you have and you will receive more. God bless.

1 Thessalonians 5:18  in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:15  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

People I Want to Meet

I want to meet:

@bonovox_ because it's Bono. And I love the Irish and Ireland.  And U2 is not just a band. It's a phenomena. Their music moves generations. I spent 6 years working at an Irish Pub in Germany and listened to U2 every day. Never got tired of it. I once saw them play on a roof top in Dublin and went to their concert in Seattle this past June. It was a spiritual experience. That's the only way I know how to describe it. When they played 'Mysterious Ways' I closed my eyes and it felt like being back in Prague 20 years ago when my cousin played that song for me for the first timehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZK5Jn3ZPUQ  My first U2 song. Meeting Bono would be like meeting Superman.

@billgates and @melindagates - because I knew his name before we even owned our first computer in Germany. The thought of trying to meet Bill Gates was the same as trying to meet the President of the United States. Never in a million years would I have ever thought back then that some day I would live in his "neighborhood" (i.e. WA). Bill and Melinda live a life of giving. When I win the lottery or create a billion $ start-up, I want to do the same. I want to spend my life helping others. They are living my dream. Maybe some day I will run into them at the grocery store or something and will be able to express my admiration in person.

@davidhasselhoff because when I was a child he was an important figure in pop culture in Germany and I hope he will sing at my wedding some day. "Looking for freedom" was a song that many in East Germany and in Soviet run countries could relate to. He symbolized the American Dream and freedom for many in Europe (which back then wasn't a curse word like it seems to be now… yes I am looking at you Occupy Wall Street). I went to his concert in Frankfurt when I was about 4 years old, I could "sing along" to all of his songs years before I even spoke English, and I watched Knight Rider and listen to Knight Rider audio tapes in German. I know this is totally weird to most Americans, but he will always be my childhood hero. 

@tferriss - Because he gets what life is all about. The 4 Hour Work Week isn't about being lazy, it's about living out loud and following your dreams and passions. If I could pick anyone to be my mentor, he would be at the top of my list. And maybe he could teach me how to tango, too.

@joelosteen because his smile is infectious and His blessings are written all over Joel's face. Some people say he is fake, some people say he is too positive or fluffy in his messages, and some say that it's all about him and his fame instead of bringing glory to the Lord. I don't agree with any of those statements. Even through the camera you can see that Joel's eyes are filled with faith, love and passion for people. It would be great to be able to say thank you to a man who has dedicated his life to reminding people that God loves us no matter what.

Now let's make this happen :-)

Daylight Wastings Time

I've lived with the time change all my life, but for some reason this year it really hit me that it is an antiquated tradition that serves no purpose. With turning the clocks back an hour, the sun rose in Seattle today at 7:02 a.m. and set at 4:43 p.m. If we hadn't switched, it would have been 8:02 a.m. for the sunrise and 5:43 p.m. for the sunset. Now which one of those saves more daylight in your opinion?

With the new time, I now get to drive to work while it's light, get to spend every 'light' minute of the day at the office, and if I leave a little early I get to drive home while it is still light outside.

With the old time, I would have driven to the office in the dark, spend most of the 'light' minutes of the day at the office, and if I left a little early I would have been able to at least go for a walk while it was still light out.

So how is this saving time again? It isn't. If you have to be at the office between 8-9 a.m. , you can't go for a run or a hike at 7 a.m., get back home, get ready for work, and then drive to work.  A kid doesn't have time to play outside before school.

Setting the clocks back an hour may have saved daylight when everyone was a farmer and needed light earlier in the mornings to milk the cows, feed the pigs, and collect eggs (or whatever farmers do). That way the children of the family could help out with the chores and then still make it to school on time. Nowadays, it could be dark until 4 p.m. and most people wouldn't care because everyone is working or in school. Who cares if it's light outside if you have to sit inside all day anyway? Everyone's leisure time is set for after work or after school. Setting back the clocks makes it nearly impossible to enjoy the outdoors during the winter months, except for the weekend.

Maybe people aren't only gaining weight during the holiday season because they are eating more than usual. Maybe one of the contributing factors is that people can't go outside after 4 p.m. anymore. Maybe suicide rates rise during the holidays because people haven't seen the sun in 2 months.  You don't have to be unstable to get depressed about being in darkness for 6 months because it is in fact depressing. No fresh air, no vitamin D.

I don't know why this custom has not yet been abolished. Everyone seems to just accept it because that is how it's always been. But Daylight Wastings Time does not work for this generation anymore.  If anything, clocks should be moved ahead during the winter months instead of set back. If you want to give people more daylight, it needs to be in the afternoon, not in the morning.  Now, who in Olympia do I need to talk to in order to get this on the ballots? 

#occupyyourself

If you follow my Twitter feed at all, you probably know that I am not a fan of the whole Occupy thing. There are several reasons for that, such as the misguided attempt to raise awareness about inequality by causing traffic jams, wasting tax payer money and annoying people (ever heard 'honey catches more flies than vinegar'?) but I don't want to get into all of that right now.

What really baffled me was seeing a young woman at Occupy WallStreet being asked the following: "If one of the CEOs from these banks came down here and offered you a $150,000 job, would you take it?"

With no hesitation this girl said "No!"

So what is the message here? I thought everyone was upset about unemployment and income inequality. Wouldn't her having a high-paying job not be a small step towards balancing it out? The message to me is: "No! I want to continue to be part of the 99% because then I can loathe in self-pity and be angry and I don't want to work for one of those evil, corrupt 1% owned companies".
Right, why would you want to get a job at one of those companies. All that would allow you do is to make a real difference by changing things from within and taking small or big steps to end corruption and focus on the customer. Horrible idea. Sitting at a park all day is so much more effective.

Since this 'job offer' was purely theoretical, let's look at other things that all of the people at the Occupy events could be doing. Instead of hanging out at a park all day, drinking Starbucks and playing with your iPhone expressing your anger on Twitter and Facebook or streaming Hulu or Netflix, you could be making a real difference in the lives of people that have it much much worse than you.

Did you know that if you make $30,000 a year, you are still among the top 7% richest people in the world?!http://www.globalrichlist.com/

 Here are some ideas for things you can do to #occupyyourself and #makearealdifference:

- Volunteer at a homeless or animal shelter
- Take the time to go buy food for a homeless person you see on the side of the road
- Become a Big Brother or Big Sister
- Organize a charity event for a cause that is dear to your heart or volunteer to help out with one
- Ask your neighbors if they need help with anything and help them out if you can (moving, walking the dog, babysitting, etc)
- Teach - do you have skills that could help a child (or an adult!) make a better life for themselves? Share your knowledge!
- Use your network to help someone find a job, find a home, or whatever you can connect them with
- Help someone find a job by referring them, helping with their resume, providing interview tips from your experience, lending them an outfit for the interview, driving them to the interview, and so on
- Create a start-up
- Join a charity on an overseas trip for a couple of months helping people by building wells, teaching English, helping with relief efforts and so on
- Travel. Expand your horizons

This is just my personal list. I am sure there are many more items that could be added (and please do in the comments if you have any!)

Imagine what a difference Occupy participants could make if all of them refocused their energy on one or some of the items above. And what would the message to the banks and the government be?

"The 99% stand together and help each other ... and we don't need you". Now that's a scary statement to the banks and the government.



P.S.: I know that this does not apply to most Occupy protesters, but since I have seen it and heard of it, I just need to call this one out: anyone yelling "F**k the USA" should be sent a on trip to Turkmenistan or North Korea for 6 months. Bet that will change their mind.

#surrenderleftlane

Everyone is all about occupying things and places these days, but today I urge you to surrender. Surrender the left lane.

WA state drivers do not understand the purpose of the left lane. Whether you call it the 'passing lane' or the 'fast lane', I bet that 95% of the time you have no business being in the left lane. If someone passes you on the right, you are not going fast. And guess what, you are also not passing anyone.

It's funny to me how people get all stubborn and don't move out of the way when someone pulls up behind them. They stay in the left lane and even slow down just to make some kind of point. Actually, funny is not the right word. Infuriating probably describes it better. And what point are those people making? That they do not understand the purpose of the left lane.

If you hate traffic around here, do your part and surrender the left lane. Only use it to pass someone and then get back over. Slow traffic should always stay and move right. Always.

P.S.: I am not running late, I just don't like driving slowly.