Author: beinggoode

I'm a writer working in corporate responsibility in Los Angeles. Trying to figure out how to use my limited resources to make the most impact to the issues that matter to me, how to be the smartest giver possible.

Weekly Check-In

On By beinggoodeIn WeeklyLeave a comment

Feeling a little run down trying to juggle everything. But nose to the grindstone I can do anything. Gotta keep hustling.

Traditional Volunteerism

  • 4 Hours of Crisis Text Line (we were busy this week and it’s the first week of my new shift which is an hour later).
  • I tried to donate Platelets but was turned away because they bruised my arm donating blood.

Charitable Giving

  • Zero

Personal Kindnesses

  • I went to the DMV this morning to renew my license. There are signs at every desk saying you can’t abuse or yell at the workers. It’s sad to think how angry people get. I went out of my way to smile and thank everyone I interacted with. I didn’t really want to be there but yelling at DMV workers really wouldn’t have helped anyone.

Self Care

  • Superbowl time means it’s time to get some junk food. I went out for wings earlier this week. Pretty tasty.

Please share in the comments how you’re doing this week!

Happy Groundhog Day!!!

On By beinggoodeIn Self Care, ThoughtsLeave a comment

It’s my favorite holiday. Happy Groundhog Day everyone! And no it’s not my favorite because of the movie.

 

I like it because 1) it’s a magical fortune telling groundhog who writes poetry, 2) I grew up in a place where the prediction mattered, and 3) it’s the easiest least stressful of holidays meaning you can celebrate as much or as little as you want. You can throw a party or forget until the morning of and just wish everyone a “Happy Groundhog Day!”

 

I think it’s an important part of self-care to make the decision to be happy and joyous and let yourself have fun. I know people think I’m kidding when I say Groundhog Day is my favorite holiday but it really is. It’s a day that I just get to be happy and celebrate just because. It makes me smile. This Groundhog has a crew of people in tops and tails taking care of him and thousands of followers to cheer for him.

 

Is there something that other people think is silly that makes you happy? Something that reminds you to smile when you forget? Something that you decide to allow to make you joyous? Share with me in the comments.

Weekly Check-In

On By beinggoodeIn Self Care, WeeklyLeave a comment

I can’t believe it’s the end of January. This week flew by with all the working. I’m really tired but feeling good that I can work this hard and be this tough. I also got to test out the American Red Cross Blood donor app. It’s pretty cool and great for tracking info and setting up future appointments. Now if I could only get them to stop calling me all the time.

Traditional Volunteerism

  • 4 Hours of Crisis Text Line (we were busy this week and it’s the first week of my new shift which is an hour later).
  • 1+ Hours donating Blood (sticking to my new years resolution)

Charitable Giving

  • Zero

Personal Kindnesses

  • Even as I’m on an extended job search I really make sure to be supportive of others who are starting new jobs or interviewing. Someone came up to my desk looking for a certain room and mentioned they were interviewing. I made sure to congratulate them and wish them luck. There is enough success to go around and someone else’s success should be celebrated like your own.

Self Care

  • I managed to get a run and a couple of workouts in this week.
  • When I have a rare free night I spend at home snuggling with my dog. She’s a sweetie and doesn’t like that I’m away from home longer hours.
  • A friend reminded me to find time for myself too. I feel like the blood donation really was for me. It was sticking to my resolution, something I really want to do. Plus I saved up to 3 lives!

Please share in the comments how you’re doing this week!

Exercise as Self-Care

On By beinggoodeIn Self Care, ThoughtsLeave a comment

So one of the self-care topics that is really important to me is exercise. I feel like it’s an under used and under rated resource.

 

One of the reasons that January posts have been a little scattered is because I took time to take a vacation. My first one in years! I ran the Walt Disney World Marathon and took a week to enjoy Walt Disney World with my friends. It was wonderful. It was my first marathon and I finished (not very fast)!! I wore a princess costume and took a ton of pictures. It was such an amazing feeling to accomplish such a big goal and wear a nice big medal to match!

 

I started running over a year ago. I ran a couple of half marathons, a 5k, and a 10k. I really enjoyed it and my dog really really enjoyed the training. I plan on doing a couple more half marathons, 5ks, and 10ks this year and haven’t really ruled out doing a marathon again.

 

I view my running as a self-care project from start to finish. I’m not trying to set any speed records (which is good because I’m slow) or beat anyone or even really to lose weight. I run to clear my head and get into my body. I run because it makes my dog happy and that makes me happy. I run because I live right by one of the most beautiful parks in the US. I run Disney races so I can dress up and see the parks with other happy people. I run to feel accomplished. I run for an excuse to travel. I run to leave stress in the dust.

 

I grew up dancing and doing gymnastics and I’ve practiced yoga most of my adult life. I got into running because the races came up and it was something I could do pretty easily. Exercise is one of the easiest and fastest self-care activities. You can sweat out your problems so easily. I understand it gets hard to get started when you’re feeling down or stressed or just lazy but I’ve seen for myself the benefits.

 

I went to see Temple Grandin speak at the LA Library. She took a question from the audience and a teenage girl with autism asked her for advice. “Exercise, everyday even if you don’t want to.” Exercise heals our brain as much as it improves our body. I’ve seen it working at the Special Olympics World Games. Sport can have such a positive impact no matter what level you are.

tumblr_mhp5rdle9W1s2r3qgo1_500

What is your exercise routine? Do you have a physical resolution? Do you feel the same way about exercise as self care?

Weekly Check-in

On By beinggoodeIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I realize this is late and I hope you’ll be understanding. I’ve had to go back to working 2 jobs – 7 days a week, 50+ hours to try to kind of make ends meet. I’ve been hoping a full time job was right around the corner for quite a few corners now. Hopefully just a couple more corners to turn and I can focus more on philanthropy and fun. 

Weekly 
Traditional Volunteerism

  • 4 Hours of Crisis Text Line

 
Charitable Giving

  • As you’ve probably gathered from the first part of this post, charitable giving really isn’t in the cards for me right now. 

 
Personal Kindnesses

  • I’m not sure what I did this week but I really appreciate all the kindness directed at me. My friend helped me get my second job and listened to me vent after my first shift. 

 
Self Care

  • Self care in January has been going really well. Mostly I’ve focused on exercising and eating right. But also spending time with friends. 

 
Please share in the comments how you’re doing this week!

Talent Inspires

On By beinggoodeIn ThoughtsLeave a comment

It’s been a little while since I updated and I’m working through the guilt of that. Self-care isn’t always easy. I took my first weeklong vacation in over 3 years and ran my first marathon; lots of great self-care and lots of things to work on. More on my trip and my race in a later post.

 

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day! A beautiful speaker with a beautiful message. What resonates with me as I think about his work and influence is that he empowered everyone to be caring, to make a difference, and to change what we see. Martin Luther King Jr. knew that your impact is a choice and comes from hard work not circumstance. “How easy it is to say, ‘I would have been better if I had had better hereditary circumstances.’” You don’t have to be a millionaire or a princess to be kind to someone else, to help someone get a healthy meal, or to make someone feel like they matter.

He shared this and so many other inspiring messages.  Dr. King Jr. had a talent for speaking and motivating others, he was one of the greatest orators of the 20th century. He used his talents to excite a nation and continues to excite us today.

I hope you take some time in this three-day weekend to check in with yourself. What are you talented at? Looking at our talents is a great way to navigate philanthropy. Often what we’re talented at we love to do. And when we do what we love to help others we nourish ourselves along the way. I know that I love to knit and sew and it’s a fun hobby of mine. But over the past couple of years when I’ve directed my projects to donation, knitting has become a lot more enjoyable. I challenge you to think about something you love and do a little research to find out how you can pair your talent with service. I think today is a very appropriate day to think about that. Hopefully you’ll share some ideas in the comments.

Maybe you’ll use some of those talents today to volunteer. I know that this holiday inspires many service events across the country.

 

doright

 

Year in Review

On By beinggoodeIn Four Facets, ThoughtsLeave a comment

This weekend I was looking back on my little New Years Resolution post-it for 2015. Overall I was pretty happy but it was a mixed bag. Some went in the opposite direction, some I did okay on and some I blew out of the water.

Let’s focus on the one I blew out of the water. I had resolved to volunteer 75 hours in 2015. This year I volunteered just over 200 hours. That’s more than a half hour per day on average. It also doesn’t feel like I’ve spent that much time volunteering, it hasn’t felt like a struggle to get those hours in.

Over the year I volunteered for –

  • Special Olympics World Games
    • The Special Olympics World Games was a life changing experience. It was wonderful to be a part of something so big and wonderful and overwhelming!
  • Crisis Text Line
    • I started volunteering for Crisis Text Line because of an article I read in a fashion magazine. It has also been life changing and I’ve learned so much about how to be a better helper, how to deal with crisis’ in my own life, and how to put empathy first. #SuperHero
  • 826 LA – SAT Prep, College Application & Scholarship Essay writing
    • I’ve been volunteering for 826 National for a few years now and always enjoy it. This year reminded me how nice it is to be older and not have to take the SATs. It was also fun to share the excitement with these young women and men as they embark on the college adventure and the rest of their lives.
  • Homeboy Industries
    • Homeboy Industries is something that I wish I could support more but I suppose everything helps.
  • American Red Cross
    • More on this a little later in this post
  • Hand-knit donations to various organizations (we have a knitting/sewing group at work that finds homes for whatever you make)
    • I only got to knit a couple of things this year but I always enjoy doing it. I have recently been tapped as a sewer since there aren’t many in the group and we have some projects on our horizon.

 

The other very exciting thing that happened this year didn’t start on my resolution post-it – starting this blog. The idea actually started from a job I was passed over for. I didn’t get the job but the job got to me and  I decided to make it happen for myself. The job was to think about how the company can give in a more organized and meaningful way. To take the good already being done and focus it. And after just a couple of months I feel like it’s working. I’ve been able to stick to a writing schedule and really think about how and why I give back.

 

It’s just a couple more days before it’s 2016 so it’s time to reset the resolutions.

2016

  • 200 Volunteer Hours
  • Give Blood/Platelets/Plasma on a regular basis
    • I gave blood this year and other than the prick on your finger that hurts really bad for days it’s easy and painless. But so far I’ve taken a very passive approach to donating blood, waiting for drives to come my way.
  • Read 12 books a year (last year this was 24 and I missed it by kind of a lot).
    • I was an English major in college and have always loved reading. It’s just been so hard to find time for it in recent years so I really need to make the time.
  • Keep and grow this blog and reach more people.
    • I’m planning on focusing on each of my four giving facets quarterly. Q1 Self Care. Q2 Traditional Volunteering. Q3 Personal Kindness. Q4 Charitable Giving.

I hope you’ll join me in my resolutions or share your own here. 2016 is going to be amazing, I can feel it!!!

 

Happy New Year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekly Check-In

On By beinggoodeIn WeeklyLeave a comment

I hope everyone had a nice holiday. I was going to post this yesterday but my Aussie Shepherd Emerson was curled up on my feet and that is my Achilles heel. She’s so soft and fluffy and sweet and my feet get so warm. It’s the best kind of procrastination.

  • Traditional Volunteerism
    • 4 Hours of Crisis Text Line

 

  • Charitable Giving
    • $25 – I decided to participate in The Compassion Collective (which includes a writer I love – Cheryl Strayed) raising over $1 for Syrian Refugees. All with donations of $25 or less. I started with $5 and realized that my company would match if I gave $25 so I gave $20 more. I think this might have messed up my company match having it split up (only by a couple of minutes) so we’ll see. It is a lot of money for me right now but it was worth it to be a part of something really special.

 

  • Personal Kindnesses
    • It’s Christmas time and there have been gifts. Nothing extravagant as my budget for gifts this year was nonexistent but I managed to get something off to my Niece and I got a couple of nice surprises including some free goodies from work. I think when you don’t have piles of gifts it’s easier to notice the kindness behind the gifts, you can really appreciate the giving and receiving.
    • Also I’m close with my brother and growing closer with my Sister-in-Law and the special little moments of her stealing the phone from my brother on Christmas day to talk to me and texting each other about food was a sweet gift.

 

  • Self Care
    • I’m really taking advantage of my extra free time and focusing on making things. Knitting and sewing and baking. All things I very much enjoy.

 

Please share in the comments how you’re doing this week!

Enjoy the Holidays

On By beinggoodeIn ThoughtsLeave a comment

It’s almost Christmas and New Year’s Eve and it’s the time for joy and family, traditions and fun, food and presents, decorations and sparkles but it can also be a time of stress, guilt, and sadness. I think what I’ve accepted is you can and mostly like will have a mixture of both. Life is complicated and wonderful!

 

 

I think that in this season of giving we need to remember to give to ourselves too. Self-care is always important but especially this time of year. I think that we put too much pressure on ourselves to make the holidays perfect. We put too much pressure on the time of year, trying to do too much or please others. It’s easy to forget that you’re in control. You  don’t have to accept the stress that others are putting on you. You don’t have to feel guilty for not giving the perfect present or not going to every event. The holidays are for you to enjoy. If a family member brings up a conversation that makes you feel uncomfortable, it’s okay to remove yourself and do something that calms you down. It’s okay if you can’t afford the most glamorous presents or can’t volunteer or donate to charity right now. It’s okay if a holiday tradition or two skips a year. Do what you can and let go of the rest.

 

I hope your holidays are happy and safe! I hope that you enjoy traditions, make new ones, and follow your own heart! I hope you give all you can this time of year and all year round!

 

Share your traditions or holiday struggles you’ve overcome below.

Weekly Check-In

On By beinggoodeIn WeeklyLeave a comment

Just a quick recap of the week.

  • Traditional Volunteerism
    • 4 hours on Crisis Text Line
    • 1 hour helping at an adopt a family gift drop off. I directed traffic (with a lightsaber) and helped sort and load things onto trucks.

 

  • Charitable Giving
    • I didn’t give any money away this week.

 

  • Personal Kindnesses
    • I noticed one of my coworkers wasn’t her normal self so I took a moment to check in on her. I did this even though I was having a difficult week at work. Actually we ended up checking in on each other. I think it’s important to notice how people are feeling and say something about it in a way that allows them to share if they want to or keep it to themselves.

 

  • Self Care
    • I know coloring books for adults are the latest fade but I’ve been coloring as an adult for as long as I’ve been an adult. Coloring was my dream job (I wanted to be an Animation Ink & Paint girl. Thanks computers for crushing that dream) and I find it extremely relaxing.

 

Please share in the comments how you’re doing this week!