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My friend Mary Gallagher just sent me a link to this video on YouTube.
It made me cry. (In a good way.)
Check it out -
How easy it is for us to wall off a part of ourselves, to not trust, to disallow feeling and connection.
And how easy it is to reconnect with ourselves, to trust, to allow feelings and connection when one person stands up, steps forward and gives us a new way of seeing and being.
You gotta' love life!
How can we think about scarcity when the world is so abundant?
Winter freeze got you down?
Feeling a little stuck? A little tired?
Check out this inspirational video from a CBS news story. It's about an autistic boy who's the manager of his high school basketball team. In the last game of his senior year, the coach put him in for the final minutes. Watch the video to see what happens.
Jason didn't give up. This isn't just about winning.
It's about winning by being who you are.
Jason could have sat on the sidelines. He could've believed he wasn't enough. But he didn't. He got off the bench and lived into his greatness.
Inspiration is a powerful thing.
But inspiration with momentum is even more powerful.
Where's your inspiration taking you today?
Have you heard of Joey Cheek? He just won a gold medal in speedskating at the Winter Olympics.
I love stories like his. They're so powerful, so rare in occurrence, but so abundant in spirit.
So he won a medal, good for him, you say. What's the big deal? They're giving out tons of medals at the games.
The difference with this story is what Joey Cheek is doing with his victory. He's not just taking a gold medal home. He's donating his $25,000 gold medal bonus from the United States Olympic committee to help refugees in Chad through the Right to Play organization.
This is Abundance Intelligence (Abundance Intelligence™ ) in Action because Joey is giving back in a huge way. But there's more - Joey's vision to give his bonus to a great cause started way before he hit Torino. He saw it as a way to add meaning to his life, beyond a single victory.
And he used that meaning as the driving inspiration that led him to victory. In a recent news conference, he said, ""I think on some level it is empowering to think of someone other than yourself."
Abundance powered his victory.
And I suspect, Abundance will power his life, for a long time to come.
Want to add to Joey's Abundance? Find out about the charity Right To Play here.
My good friend and web goddess, Shari Horne, (who is designing the soon-to-be-unveiled Coaching Into Greatness site), recently mentioned a new site to me. As I learned more about the organization, I became more and more fascinated with their approach to eradicating poverty.
Kiva's slogan is "loans that save lives" and that is exactly what this organization does. Kiva's website provides snapshots of budding entrepreneurs in rural regions of Africa. These people aren't looking for a hand out, they're looking for a loan -- a loan to purchase goats, start a brick making shop, sell used clothing, or purchase and sell livestock. A microloan as small as $25 can mean the difference between a life of poverty and a life of abundance for these people, most of whom live on $2 a day! By partnering with existing microfinance organizations, Kiva ensures that 100% of the loan goes directly to the entrepreneur and doesn't get locked up in administrative fees. The entrepreneurs are monitored closely, updates on their progress sent to the lenders, and magic happens.
Kiva's philosophy is a powerful example of Abundance Intelligence. In particular, this organization reflects the conscious pattern of Personal Responsibility. By giving people in poverty the means to do what they CAN do, Kiva provides a powerful vehicle for these entrepreneurs to be who they are in the world. With no groveling, no hand out, no humiliation. This is business and the loans get paid back.
Another amazing example of how creativity, innovation, and caring come together in an Abundant solution to provide lasting change.
What Abundant solution can you apply to your own business?
I just got my latest issue of Ode magazine. I love this magazine, which focuses on people doing what they CAN do, and is jam packed with examples of Abundance in Action.
One of the big stories in the December issue is 10 emerging trends that could reshape our lives. 3 trends in particular caught my eye:
#1: Just do it . . . yourself
This trend speaks directly to the Illusion of Hope. It says we don't need to wait for others to do for us what we CAN do today. The tools we need are easily available through the Internet and lots of other resources. The time for doing what you are capable of doing is now.
#6: Who are you really? A revolution of authenticity
This trend embraces my definition of abundance - exercising the freedom to be who you are, and hints at the prevalence of conditioning in our society. "Our challenge is to participate in society as our true selves rather than as timid, voiceless servants of other people's ideas." Couldn't have said it better myself!
And last but certainly not least:
#9: Abundance! Our hardest lesson may be accepting the bounty of the universe
How exciting to see Abundance cited as one of the 10 trends shaping our future! "We live in an endless universe, yet tend to see our futures within the context of present limitiations."
What an opportunity we have to spread the word about Abundance Intelligence!
Won't you join me?
In an earlier post, I mentioned I visited Muir Woods, near San Francisco, when I was out in California. This place is AMAZING. Muir Woods is a National Monument, one of the last stands of old-growth redwood forest on Earth.
This is my good friend and Abundance Intelligence™ Pioneer, Carol Zimmerman. Carol knows what a tree lover I am. She orchestrated the whole trip and it was perfect. You can't even see the tree's full size in this picture!
This picture gives you an idea of just how big this tree is! It is truly awe-inspiring to be among these gentle giants!
The trees are so tall and the light so sporadic, that it's like looking through the stained glass of a cathedral.
Imagine yourself standing on this path, looking up at the sky!
By 1900 this forest along Redwood Creek was one of the last uncut strands of ancient redwoods -
spared because it was difficult to reach. Local businessman William Kent and his wife Elizabeth acted to protect the redwoods, buying land in the valley in 1905. To protect the forest more permanently, the Kents donated 295 acres of redwoods to the Federal Government. In 1908 President Roosevelt proclaimed Muir Woods a national monument and the Kent's requested it be named after conservationist John Muir.
As I was walking through the forest, it struck me that if it weren't for the foresight of that amazing couple, I wouldn't be enjoying the spectacle of Muir Woods. The Kent's did what they could do, acting authentically on something that mattered to them, and it has benefited millions of people over the years.
Another amazing example of Abundance in Action.
Some people have been calling this next story an "extreme example of looting". I call it an extreme example of doing what you can do. You go, boy!
Taking refuge in the Astrodome - NEWSCHANNEL 5The Staying Power of a Simple Act of Abundance
This story is a powerful example of how an act of scarcity (forcing an elderly man to abandon his beloved pet) can be trumped by an act of abundance from two loving strangers. Be sure to read all the way down for a link to the video of Bill and Miss Kitty's touching reunion. You'll be glad you did.
From the Best Friends website:
Katrina survivor reunited with rescued cat in Mississippi hospital room
(SLIDELL, LA) – September 10, 2005 – Volunteers from the animal rescue group Noah’s Wish and Slidell animal control officers reunited a 59-year-old Katrina survivor with his beloved cat “Miss Kitty” in a Mississippi hospital room yesterday.
Slidell resident Bill Harris was trapped in his home by rising floodwaters for three days. Harris stood on a chair in 5 feet of water with his beloved cat in one arm and a two-way radio in the other. For three days, Harris desperately called for help on the radio. When rescuers finally arrived, a distraught Harris, who suffers from chronic kidney failure and needed to be taken immediately to a hospital, was forced to leave the cat behind. An MSNBC crew covering the Katrina disaster learned of Harris’ ordeal and went to the animal rescue group Noah’s Wish for help. Noah’s Wish is working with Slidell Animal Control to rescue pets in the aftermath of Katrina. After several days of searching, a cat wearing a black collar and matching the description Harris gave was humanely trapped eight days after her owner had been evacuated.
Slidell animal control officer Horace Troullier and Donna Wackerbauer, a Noah's Wish volunteer from Canada drove over 70 miles from Slidell to Hattiesburg, Mississippi where Harris was admitted to Forest General Hospital on Monday. “I was holding Miss Kitty in my arms when I walked into Mr. Harris’ hospital room,” said Wackerbauer. “When she saw her owner, Miss Kitty jumped out of my arms, onto her owner and burrowed her head into him. It was like she was saying, “Yeah! I got my daddy back!’”
During the three-day ordeal, Harris said that Miss Kitty meowed to keep him awake as he began to drift in and out of consciousness.
“It was the most exciting rescue I have ever been a part of,” said Troullier “This is what it’s all about.” A 15-year veteran of Slidell Animal Control, Troullier’s house was completely flooded and he does not have insurance. The animal control officer has been working around the clock for two weeks straight.
Want to see the heartwarming video of Miss Kitty's reunion:
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Blogs/Katrina/video/050911_katrina_cat_02.asf
You asked for 'em and I've got 'em! More examples of Abundance in Action in the Gulf Coast.
I want to celebrate the courageous actions of Dr. James Riopelle, an anesthesiologist at Mercy/Lindy Boggs Hospital in New Orleans. Here is his story, as featured on the Best Friends website:
Doctor makes heroic stand to save pets
Special to Best Friends
A New Orleans physician is making a defiant stand at a city hospital, refusing to evacuate until the animals with him are also evacuated, and defying orders to euthanize the pets.
Anesthesiologist James Riopelle went to his workplace, Mercy/Lindy Boggs Hospital in New Orleans, to ride out the storm with his wife, mother-in-law, and two elderly cats. He and the other employees were invited to take their pets with them to the hospital.
But when the area around the hospital flooded – and there proved to be no “riding out” Hurricane Katrina – the hospital made arrangements to evacuate all of the staff and patients, but refused to let them take their pets along.
“It was a real ‘Sophie’s Choice,’” Riopelle’s wife, New Orleans dentist Jamie Manders, says of the demand that people leave their pets behind. “People were crying hysterically, hugging one another, it was horrible.”
An Associated Press story also recounts the anguish of the people who had to leave their pets, describing a liver transplant recipient who was forced to choose between the drugs he needed to stay alive, and his dogs.
Manders was one of the first to evacuate the hospital, because she was with her 83-year-old mother, who is crippled and has Alzheimers’ disease. She was distressed about leaving her husband when she departed Wednesday night, but she had no idea that he would be left alone in the hospital for several more days.
Riopelle originally stayed back because he was charged with euthanizing the 50 to 100 animals that had been taken to the hospital by staff and patients.
He refused. He was told to leave the animals and evacuate the hospital. He refused that order, too.
“If you knew James, it is so like him to do something like this,” says Manders. “I’ve been with this man for 26 years and he is always doing things that seem crazy, and he always comes out smelling like a rose.”
She says her husband has always been devoted to animals, and willing to make a stand on their behalf.
Previously, the physician/professor had raised the ire of his academic colleagues when he told the media about a study one colleague was doing that involved shooting cats in the head to study head trauma. When the media reports got out, the funding for the research was yanked.
“Fifteen years ago, he made a decision that he would never harm another animal as long as he lived, and he has been a total vegan since then,” his wife says. “He is soft-spoken and non-confrontational, but that man has conviction like I’ve never seen.”
Riopelle has been calling Manders for about a minute each night since Wednesday, on a cell phone with a dying battery. She has gotten general information about his condition but few details, such as the exact number of animals who are with him.
She knows that he is by himself in a hospital that has been flooded and looted, without electricity or running water, caring for dozens of animals – and in the company of 100 dead bodies.
“It was already bad when I left Wednesday night. It has gotten a lot worse since then,” she says.
She also knows that Riopelle has gotten some help over the last couple of days. The company that manages the hospital delivered some food and water for him – but refused to bring any for the animals. Then, on Sunday, the sheriff of Jefferson Parish made a drop of dog and cat food onto the roof of the hospital.
Since her husband began his vigil, Manders has contacted anybody and everybody she could to try to get the story out. She e-mailed everybody she could think of, and has been in contact with major media outlets about the story.
Eventually, her efforts caught the attention of the company that manages the hospital, and Sunday, it was making arrangements to have the animals evacuated.
Late Sunday night, she heard from her husband again. He had crated all of the animals and carried them down five flights of stairs from the roof, to meet a helicopter that had been sent to get him. As the helicopter arrived, its engine blew up. Although no one was hurt, that was the end of the rescue attempt.
And so, Dr. Riopelle continues to wait. . .
But this is a story with a happy ending. Dr. Riopelle was rescued by actor Matthew McConnaughey. On Sept. 7th, he was rescued along with 43 dogs, 17 cats and two gerbils.
Amazing, isn't it? Talk about living into your greatness! What a terrific example of abundance.
This man inspires me to live more authentically every day. How has he inspired you?
I mentioned in an earlier post that I would be sharing stories of abundance coming out of the Katrina disaster. Here's the first one:
A small group of women from Massachusetts have banded together to quickly form Project Starfish, as a coordination point for securing foster homes and resources for the displaced pets of Katrina. In their own words, they are "just a handful of regular people living in New England who were horrified by the news coming out of the afflicted region."
In less than 2 weeks, these three women have brought together resources and hope for the animal victims, and their owners, of Katrina. They are currently down in Louisiana.
Here is one of the ladies, with 2 rescued puppies.
I celebrate these women for acting abundantly, living greatly, and most importantly, doing what they can do. They have challenged me to do more.
What can you do that you haven't done yet?
I was a VISTA volunteer (what is now Americorps) for two years after I graduated from college. My assignment was to create a grantwriting process for a homelessness and anti-poverty organization. During those two years, I also served meals in the soup kitchen, gave out food baskets in the food pantry, and assisted in the two homeless shelters run by the organization.
I saw desperation and hopelessness and dead ends. I saw people get shot on the sidewalk and 2 year old kids running around barefoot at 1 in the morning.
But I also saw abundance in action. Children getting fed, the homeless getting healthcare, and people living a difference in service to others. The best example of abundance in action is the story of Geraldo, second youngest n a family of 4 who had traveled from shelter to shelter before staying at the Broderick House, where I worked. From the beginning, this family was special to me. Despite the streets, despite the depression of their mom, these kids were happy. When they left the shelter to move into their permanent apartment, it was a bittersweet day filled with the excitement of moving on, but also the fear of letting go.
Last year I ran into Geraldo at the local mall at Christmas. The mall was crammed with frenzied, last minute shoppers searching for the perfect gift. Somehow I heard this voice calling my name. I stopped and looked back through the crowd.
There was Geraldo. We hugged each other and looking at him, it was hard to believe this was the same kid 10 years ago who had lived at Broderick House, fighting so hard to keep off the streets. He told me he was finishing up Pharmacy school and how much me and the staff at Broderick House had done for him. He beamed with excitement and pride.
I've thought a lot about Geraldo since that day. I've thought about how easy it would've been for him to fall into the scarcity trap of his environment. And I've thought how amazing it was that a few caring people made the difference for him. That experience was an expression of each of us living into our greatness by helping others.
It's funny how you look back on events and think "How the hell did I ever do that?" How did I live above a homeless shelter on $40 a week for two years face to face with the heartbreak and beauty of poverty? I did it because, just out of college, I was very idealistic. I thought I would change the world. What I learned is that I couldn't change the world, so much as I could change myself. And the only way I could change myself was to look at who I thought I was -- what I believed, what I assumed and what I "saw" about the world around me and my role in it.
I got that scarcity is man made. And I saw how I could choose to add to it, or not.
As I look back at it now, I'm the one that learned the biggest lesson of all.
