This is a friendly reminder that Earth Hour is on Saturday, 29th March 2008.
To read more about it, please visit www.earthhour.org.
UPDATED:
295,508 people registered
20,366 businesses registered
image by tammyjq41’s
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Annually on the 8th March each year, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate their achievements. While there are many large-scale initiatives, a rich and diverse fabric of local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women’s craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.d
This year I would like to encourage you to tell me about the women in your life… those that have inspired you, encouraged you and supported you through your personal and professional life.
SEND ME YOUR STORIES… you can email me at nicole@themoderngoddessonline.com.
Each story will be published here at A Modern Goddess Online. By sharing your story, you give hope to many other women and they can find inspiration from you.
Let’s together celebrate the women in our lives!
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Happy New Year! Welcome to 2008 and please take the time to listen to these beautiful words from India Aire… it is a dedication to every woman who reads this blog.
Blessings, Nicole x
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Not everyone can donate a lot of money to worthy causes and not all worthy causes are able to get a great deal of publicity. Did you know it’s White Ribbon Day on the 25th November?
White Ribbon Day is an International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. One of their major strategies is to offer education and male leadership programs aimed at men and boys. The purpose is to eliminate violence against women.
My journal partner and I are supporting this cause by hosting a Goddess Gala in Coollum, Queensland, Australia. The Goddess Gala is about honouring yourself and the women in your life. You can read more about it at Journals for Empowerment.
We are asking that all participants donate a gold coin, which will be donated to the White Ribbon Foundation. We are also donating 10% of all product sales on the day.
Other worthy causes you can support for free are:
Free Rice is a site I found over at Postive Communication. All you have to do is play a educational game online and for every word definition you get correct, 10 grains of rice are donated.
Care2 Children is a site I was sent by a friend. All you need to do is visit the site, and click on the big blue ‘Free Click to Help’ button. Every click goes towards providing a child with food, medical attention and education for 30 days.
One Click at a Time is a site that allows you to generate revenue for the charity without spending your money. All funds are sponsor driven. The only cost to you is time. You can pick the charities as they have many options available.
I donated 50 grains of rice (the words are hard), donated to Ana and saved a Tiger. I won’t be able to tell you how much we raised for White Ribbon Day until Monday.
Who did you support today?
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These past 2 weeks have been busy trying to put our Journal for the Modern Goddess to bed and today we have done it!
This gorgeous girl is now at the printers being primped and preened, in time for a November launch.
The purpose of our Journal for the Modern Goddess is for women to uncover the beautiful, unique and powerful Goddess that they really are. We encourage you to focus on aspects of your own life path – the inspiration and happiness you feel, the strength and wisdom you find in times of change and the dreams and visions for your own future.
Each section offers questions for you to explore as well as affirmations for moving forward.
Our companion guided meditation CD provides you with sacred journeys that will inspire and encourage you to create positive life patterns. This will help you to recognise and invite magic, inspiration and loving energy into your life.
You will be able to purchase your own copy at www.journalsforempowerment.com and you can read more about our next journal.
I now have to wait until the end of this month to see her fully blossom and in her most glamorous frock. In the meantime I am organising a Virtual Book Tour, so if you’re interested in being a host, please do not hesitate to contact me at nicole at moderngoddessonline . com or leave me a comment on this post.
Blessings to you!
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Since Dr. Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank jointly won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, we are hearing more and more about Microcredit Agencies. They led the way by lending money to entreprenurs too poor to qualify for traditional loans. They led the way by lending to those in Third World Countries. They led the way by empowering women to start their own business using their existing skills and talent.
Another company leading the way is Kiva. They are a type of Microcredit Agency but instead of donating the money they are encouraging people to actually lend money to a small business in a Third World Country.
Kiva is a volunteer run organisation and more like an online middleman; they connect potential lenders, like you and me, to businesses or entrepeneurs in need of a loan. The loan is then passed on to a smaller, local microcredit agency who manages the loan distribution, keeps in touch with the business and updates Kiva.
To give you a little bit of an insight into how empowering Microcredit is, watch the following video.
For as little as $25.00 USD you can contribute towards the total of a small business loan. Imagine that… you and I can be microcredit lenders!
As a microcredit lender we are helping people lift themselves out of poverty with dignity. How amazing is that! As a microcredit lender, you can decide who you want to lend money to, and based on the loan application, you should get your money back in just over 12 months. Once you are repaid, you can repocket, reinvest or donate your money.
Kiva provides a summary of each business on their website. As people contribute to a business loan, you can see online the amount the business still needs. Once they have raised the funds for the loan, then you can track the progress of the business. Each business lists why they need the loan and a little bit about the small business owner.
If you become a microcredit lender, you are empowering someone to improve their life and the lives of their family.
As a modern goddess, I like to be able to give back when and where I can, so for me, Kiva is perfect. Not only can I see where my money is going, but I know it will end up in the hands of the small business owner. As with most things, there is always a risk but in the big picture, I only lent $25.00 USD. Besides, I’m sure it will come back to me in some way, shape or form.
In the words of Alex Counts, President of Grameen Foundation, “We cannot have world peace while billions live in poverty, and 1,200 children die each hour from preventable diseases. Microcredit will bring us closer to a day when poverty is not the menace that it is today.”
Help Kiva lead the way… visit their website and see if you can contribute to someone’s business loan. Not only will you feel empowered, but you will also help someone else become empowered.
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Over the past couple of weeks things have been a bit crazy… when I say crazy, I mean busy, busy and busy. I asked the Universe to provide me with some other work that could replace my teaching work and WHAM! It hit all at once.
I’ve heard of the expression “be careful what you wish for” and I tell people if you’re going to ask or wish for something, be specific. Obviously I wasn’t listening to my own advice because I wasn’t specific. BUT… I won’t complain because many opportunities have come my way and they are opportunities that provide me with the work flexibility that I want.
Prior to moving to Hong Kong I had worked hard and climbed the corporate ladder quickly whilst studying to complete my Bachelor of Adult Education, majoring in Human Resource Development (and in amongst it did other qualifications such as a Certificate IV in Assessment and Training; Diploma in Business (Frontline Management) and a Certificate in Small Business Management).
When we knew that a move to Hong Kong was inevitable, I was clear that I wanted a balanced lifestyle - some work and some play. It was really important to me that I wasn’t working long hours in a Monday to Saturday job that only gave me 2 weeks a year annual leave. It wouldn’t work when I knew my husband would start work at different times of the day, would be away on a regular basis and possibly for 3 nights, and he could have Monday and Tuesday off instead of Saturday and Sunday.
Three years on and I’m still working on that balance. Danni over at She-essence reminded me that I wasn’t taking the time that I wanted for myself. In her post Satisfying You she wrote ”It is time to take a moment for yourself”. I actually felt like she was talking directly to me because I haven’t been taking a moment for myself.
The thing I realised was that I hadn’t decided on what my ‘play’ was… I had been attending Yoga on Monday’s but then I went away, the teacher went on holiday’s, my family visited, the teacher went on holiday’s again and now I’m off to Australia next week. My regular Monday morning yoga class and my fortnightly private sessions are now non-existent. The other things that were classified as my ‘play’ time were painting afternoon with the girls and book club but due to Summer and everyone going away, friends having babies and life getting busy, those play afternoons were few and far between.
I needed to identify what I wanted to classify as my ‘play’ time and allocate that time for myself. Put it in my diary and book myself the time for me.
Ideally I would like to work 3-4 days a week and based on the projects I am working on, ensure that I get to have a holiday at least twice a year - 1 being a big overseas holiday to somewhere new and the other somewhere within Asia or back home.
So… with this realisation I’ve started putting a plan of action in place. I have already booked my private yoga lessons for Thursday at 12:15pm (upon returning from Australia). I’m going to pick up Monday morning yoga again once my commitment with the YWCA is finished in November. I am also going to allocate 1 day a week to being creative, whether that be painting lessons or making jewellery with gemstones. I need that creative outlet in my life but I always put it aside for more pressing ‘work’ issues.
It is important to have balance my life… and it is also important to have balance in YOUR life whether it be having time to yourself to do something you enjoy, spending more time with your children rather than working, or getting outside and enjoying the world around you.
What are you doing to have balance in your life? If you need more balance in your life, what is the one thing that you can do to bring it into your life?
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I have spoken previously about being environmentally friendly and I know many of you are continually thinking about being green.
Hong Kong is slowly becoming more and more conscious of the environment and at the beginning of the year implemented a No Smoking policy for restaurants and clubs. Many businesses took on the challenge but there were some that petitioned for an extension.
Many of the supermarkets are encouraging you to use tote bags instead of plastic bags, and there is some talk about charging a fee for the plastic bags.
I’ve noticed new organic businesses popping up all over the place and the local shopping centre has started holding a monthly Organic Market. We were getting a delivery on a weekly basis for organic fruit and vegetables from Australia but unfortunately at the time we were not getting through all the food, and some was going to waste.
There are so many things we can begin to do at home that helps with the environment, besides the most obvious… collecting recyclable bottles, newspapers and bags. Here are some of my tips:-
For Home Offices
- Consider having a fax modem rather than a paper fax. The fax goes straight to your computer, or you send from your computer. It saves on a paper wastes and also your time of printing and faxing.
- Print double-sided when possible, again you’re reducing the paper used and saving yourself money on buying more paper.
- Find suppliers that recycle. I buy recycled ink cartridges and have a supplier willing to accept returns if they don’t work properly. I use a printing company that uses soy ink and recycled paper.
For Families and Homes
- Take the time to look around your garden and see if you can plant a tree every couple of years. I know in Australia many councils will give you one tree a year for free. Trees help clean the air and protect the planet from global warming - it’s not a solution, it is helping the environment.
- Shop online when and where you can because when you’re not driving, you’re helping reduce the pollution. Also, you’ll save on petrol, you won’t have to fight for a carpark and you’ll reduce your stress with the crowds or the kids in tow.
- Think green when gift giving. Give something that is environmentally friendly or even better, give someone a gift you have made such as a herb garden, or herb oils, organic home-made soaps and the like.
There are many tips out there about becoming more environmentally friendly and if you’re building your own home, seriously research your options to ensure your house is saving energy and environmentally friendly.
While reading one of my favourite blogs, Tonic Gifts I came across an old article Michelle wrote about Doing Your Bit for the Environment. I encourage you to read her article because she offers 10 tips and they are great tips that you can implement straight away.
Can you offer any tips that other people could implement immediately?
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To continue working through the Modern Goddess Motto, I’ve talked about looking after the environment, seeing the beauty in everything and living life to the fullest.
Another trait of a modern goddess is to give back what you can, where you can. When I say this, I mean to look around you and see what you can do to give back… this doesn’t mean just to charity, it also means to those around you - family, friends and strangers.
So I asked myself… what can I do? And here are my suggestions:-
Favourite Dish - next time you make your favourite dish, look around to see if there is a friend who is not well or a little overwhelmed. Make some extra, freeze it and then give it to them to have available for a quick and easy meal. I got this idea from 2 of my friends who did this for a pregnant friend - the prinicple can be applied any situation.
Unwanted Clothes - organise with your friends to have a ’second-hand clothes party’. Spring clean your wardrobes! Select all the clothes that are in good condition, that you don’t wear or don’t fit you, and then have a night where everyone can swap their clothes. Anything left over can go to charity.
Unwanted Linen - while cleaning out the wardrobes, continue on to the linen closet and pull out all your old linen that you don’t use anymore. Anything in good condition goes straight to charity and the rest goes to your local animal shelter.
Old Newspapers - while talking with the animal shelter ask them if they use old newspapers. If they do, then stockpile your newspapers and take them with you when you pass on your old linen.
Nurture a Friend - If a friend is overwhelmed with work and looking after her family, why not offer to take her children for a day. You could take them to the local park, play ten-pin bowling or have a movie day and hire the latest DVD’s. Tell her that the day is just for her and she can do whatever she wants to do but it must be just for her - no running errands or ironing the kids clothes, she has to spoil herself.
Just think… how would you feel if someone did any of these suggestions for you. That would be exactly how someone else would feel. You would definitely make their day!
While visiting Jacqui over at Rainbow Designs I found a great article about Kindness, it’s so easy. Jacqui is leading the way and showing great modern goddess qualities. Her article suggests you show kindness to others, and not only does she talk about, she offers you 15 tips.
What other suggestions do you have?
Technorati Tags: giving back, charity work, support friends and family
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Part of being a Modern Goddess is about living life to the fullest. This means being active in how you live your life and not being on automatic pilot. When you are on automatic pilot you are not making conscious decisions and you generally are not being intentional with your action.
Being a Modern Goddess and living your life to the fullest means that you are making informed, conscious decisions, you are choosing the way you live and being intentional in your actions. You are taking opportunities when they are presented to you and seeing the possibilities around you.
When you are living your life to the fullest you are not only happy, but you are also being a role model for the children and people around you. You may not know it but there will be people around you that are inspired by what you do and how you live your life.
Someone who is a great role model in cyberspace is Anne at The Tall Poppy. Not only is she providing guidance in how to improve your life but she is also holding Blog Carnivals about personal growth, stretching out of your comfort zone and really participating in life.
Her blog carnival called Living a Real Life has great articles published under the categories of ‘Taking a Risk’, “Personal Growth’, ‘Spiritual Growth’ and ‘Falling Over’.
The various articles are great resources. Not all will be applicable to your life at this moment but I’m sure you’ll find something that will help you move through whatever phase you are going through at this time in your life.
Remember…
“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens” Kahlil Gibran
Technorati Tags: being a modern goddess, living life to the fullest, taking risks, personal development, spiritual development, falling over, living intentionally