After some testing out some different platforms, I have been able to launch Karmic Tweets Beta to see how far how others random acts of kindness and the pay it forward movement will really go. If you have recently seen a kind deed or done one for another, don’t keep it to yourself. We would like to know about it. Sign up to become a member at http://karmictweets.shoutem.com.
This is what I did personally for a recent mission from ItStartsWith.Us (a community doing focused random acts of kindness every week). Here was the mission:
“Spend your 15 minutes this week making a difference in the life of a child. Try to do something creative and fun with them – something that opens their eyes to the beauty, joy, and limitless possibilities that lie ahead in their lives.”
Unfortunately I did know any children personally so had a pretty difficult time coming up with an idea to help them out. Fortunately, social networking allowed me to find people who do 
. On Christmas, I saw someone post a request for donations to help out kids with cancer and needy children. I reached out again and they let me know of an event where they would be collecting art/craft supplies for a missionary school that helps the children of migrant workers.
While I did not originally want to donate things as it got away from the spirit of inspiring children, I didn’t have to many options. So I started to think outside of the box and I am hoping my little random act of kindness will inspire a child-
What are some ways you’ve inspired children in your lives?
This is just a test post to see if I can blog from my phone. While I am at it, do you have any tips or tools you use to stay better connected?
Been a few weeks since I last posted and promise I have something new and unique on the way. In the meantime, I got notification early this morning I would be added to the “Twenty Something” grouping on Alltop. While I am on the very bottom of the page right now, it is really awesome to be on the same page as some of those awesome GenY bloggers. Check it out http://twenty-something.alltop.com (very last feed on the bottom… for now).
If you haven’t heard of Alltop, you should really check them out ASAP. Imagine an aggregator that pulled all blogs and news into one spot AND then you could search by whatever topic/category interested you AND you could create a custom page based on your multiple interests and passions- welcome to Alltop. I use my custom page to check news and commentary on topics I have a passion for or care about. Another big benefit is I get no more negative news in front of me (you can still get it though if thats what you choose
I’ll be back with you guys real soon.
This is a little method I use to search for jobs pertaining to my interests and skill set all in one place.
What are some of your best tips to search for your ideal job?
Remember Project Mayhem from Fight Club? (Chuck Palahniuk is a genius, BTW). It was a cacophony society created by the main character, Tyler Durden, getting people to do organized chaos as a unified act against societal norms. Well, I found the opposite. A group of people doing organized random acts of kindness as a unified act to change the world. I was just on 20sb.net and one of the bloggers recommended me to a site called ItStartsWith.Us founded by a guy named Nate St. Pierre. As lead web designer he went on a leadership retreat for his company and they asked participants to write down some of their goals, his vision was big- to change the world. But in that vision, he understood he couldn’t do it alone and saw the potential that a motivated group of people could make an impact. So he started his website, ItStartsWith.Us, where a passionate community was organically cultivated to start to do focused random acts of kindness. I haven’t checked it all out yet, but take a look at it and join the team. Pretty interested to see what it’s all about.
Check out the interview of what it is about HERE.
Live today well.
I’ve been hitting up the social media streams pretty hard lately on an instinct to do something that would help others in 2010. Not to go into too many details (I’ll save it for another post), but in 2009 I found my true calling was in helping other people, nonetheless complete strangers I have never met. Literally out of nowhere on a Friday afternoon at work, an idea moved me so much that I started to take immediate action and get the ball rolling… purchased the domains, mapped out the idea on paper, etc. That vision was to create a Gen Y community focused on doing random acts of kindness and to inspire other people to do the same. A movement built on the momentum of kindness. For the past month, I’ve been working out the development of the idea and feel pretty confident on which way to take it.
There are so many in my generation with a unique ability to give and a huge heart, but time and time again Gen Y is grouped as a an apathetic, self entitled homogenous conglomerate. With the right direction and push, I truly believe our generation can prove how fast we can connect to others and spread an idea.
So to all my friend’s who have been wondering why I have been in front of my laptop more than usual or why I am always on Twitter and Facebook, you now know I have a purpose in mind.
Yeah… the details are vague right now but the direction I am wanting to take the blog is down the path of social entrepreneurship, so stay tuned.
I want to hear your opinions though, do you think GenY gets a bad image or connotation for no reason?
For all those in the Tampa area, I am doing a random act of kindness. I am giving away 2 complimentary tickets to the Tampa Theatre (does not count for special events). Respond to me on Twitter (@jopinion) and they are yours. I even pay shipping. Like last time, there is no catch- I just ask you pay it forward.
This is Part II of the interview with Kytka Hilmar-Jezek. The awesome insights and wisdom continues to flow in this next portion of the interview. In case you missed Part I, check it out HERE.)
1. What books or programs have influenced you the most? What has changed your thoughts or paradigms on life?
I don’t know that I can truly answer this. I have been a total and fanatic book junkie as long as I can remember. I remember writing down all of the titles to the books I read when I was 21 for some grant I was applying for, and at that time it was on my old word processor. I wanted to print it and it was like 120 pages, double column. At this time I have over 40 huge bins filled with books at the house. And that is what we were able to ship out of Costa Rica – so many boxes stayed there. But clearly – there has been a lot of influence along the way…
No, let me re-phrase, not influence, more like permission. In my life, I always had the gut feeling that something was right – but when I expressed it to my circle, I would always get negative feedback – too radical, crazy, uncommon, not normal and things like that. Wayne Dyer does a talk with Deepak and in it he tells the story of how the principle called him a “scurvy elephant” and he went home to tell his foster mom, and she went to the principles office and found out that he was actually called “A Disturbing Element”. That is one of my favorite stories he tells… And his passion for truly embracing that truth about his uniqueness shines though during the talk, Wayne is really proud of that, and he owns it. I am sure that for a long time, it may have also been the greatest source of pain for him. It took me a great many years, and losing everything, to get to the point of not wanting to please everyone all of the time and claiming my own life. When it’s just YOU and you decide that you will live for you.
But a specific book… I feel that the answer is this… as I have traveled on my own personal journey of life, different books came to mind at different times to be a guide and a friend along the journey. If you want this specifically for a certain person, I would have to know where they are on their journey. We live in a total info overload and I would hate to give a few book titles out to have some people go out, get them and they were not really the books to serve them at this juncture on their path. And maybe therein lies and even better answer to your question… TIME is running out, or speeding up, or will end as we know it – so soon, less than 2 years they say.
So who even has the time for more books, you know? So how do I answer in a way that will best serve… I will answer like this – because this is something all of the great gurus and teachers and mentors have come to discover on their own journey, and that so much of their story is about when they are speaking to you…
When do you start? Now.
Where is the best guru – in your mirror.
Who is your best teacher – the story of your own life.
Take a long hard look within and allow yourself to be guided. The Great Creator, the Universal Life Force, God or whatever you believe in has given you unlimited access to all. Ever heard of the Akashic Records, Books of Life or Memory of Nature? All of those terms refer to the same thing. Basically, we are conscious beings who can at any time tap into an infinite knowing universal consciousness of which we are all a part. We are one with this whether we wish to acknowledge it or not. We are so much more than this suit we wear made of flesh and bones. Some believe we have several bodies and levels of thought and consciousness. There is so much out there that we are just beginning to tap into, and yet for every “new” discovery, we see it is just fancy language for what the elders had tried to document for us hundreds, even thousands of years ago.
Life is what has changed my thoughts and paradigms on life. The day to day experience of living and then the comparison to how I believed it should be, how I thought it would be, what I know it could be – those kinds of things.
Turn off your iphone, get off the social media for the weekend. Turn off all electronics, light some candles and incense, and just sit – quietly with yourself. Write down the thoughts that come to mind… with no judgment or attachment to them. Sleep, rest, listen to the sound you no longer recognize – the sound of quiet and get familiar with it again. If you have a yard, sit outside on the grass. Put your head down on the earth – listen to her, can you hear her breathe? Go walk on the beach, barefoot. Not to hit happy hour in the beach bar or to cruise the hot bodies <laugh> but to watch the rhythmic rolling of the waves and see the ocean breathe… breathe with the ocean until her pattern aligns with yours. These are the greatest teachers…. And as far as time. Sit and watch time pass. Literally, look at an old clock with a large second hand, and watch the seconds of your life ticking by. Normally you are too busy to notice. Every second is a second gone, forever…. When you realize the value of your time – and you take the time to listen within, as if by magic, all sorts of things will begin to fall into place.
2. The internet is bringing people closer together than ever before and making the world a smaller place. Social media has been huge allowing people to openly connect with others freely and instantaneously. Can you describe your experiences with things like Facebook, Twitter, or even Meetup.com? Has it changed how you’ve networked?
I started online in 1996 in Yahoo group discussions. For me these new social media tools are just the natural evolution of those discussions. My website was “Waldorf Homeschoolers” and my clients and families were all over the world. We posted photos to the discussion board files section and we communicated in the only way we could, via the discussion groups. I see that the sites have evolved to be real time, to have more features – the potential for building closeness is amazing, but remember that it is in the computer screen (or the iphone, etc). Nothing beats REAL. Obviously, it is coming – and you also saw and heard Gary Vaynerchuk last week at the event we both attended. If you are not in social media, you are dead in business, etc… But there are two sides to the coin (as there are to all things in life) It physically hurts me to see kids not making real friends but rather online or on their cell, texting those moments away… there is just something so creepy about that to me. It has gotten so excessive, that I see a total fragmentation happening in personalities – and this, I feel, creates a shallow, bland, poor & diminished humanity.
John Taylor Gatto says that networks, even good ones, drain vitality from communities and families. He was talking about school as a network – I can’t even imagine what he would say about social media. I think that while we have the illusion of getting closer – that in reality we are getting further and further apart. And maybe the physical has to be completely wiped out of the equation to have us remember that we are not only body, but also soul and spirit. Ah, there is another DVD you should check out – Healing the Luminous Body by Dr. Alberto Villoldo. Fantastic. Yes, I could recommend books – but there isn’t time to read. Watch him speak in the video, and if it resonates then delve deeper in the books!
My connection with people has always come from my writing. Tweets and short facebook posts make me feel ripped off somehow – my heart and soul cannot flow in that format. But the people can find me there, and those that want to follow or look deeper, they reach out and we connect. I like twitter, facebook and all of the social media tools – but I think it will never ever replace human interaction, which is of the utmost importance with children and teens, and the elderly. Take time to build your social brand – but remember that the legacy you create will most directly affect those who are personally (and usually physically) closest to you. Make sure there is time for them… nothing can replace looking into another humans eyes as you communicate, even if you share without speaking a word.
3. Every time I go to my news feed on Facebook, you are putting out a lot of positive messages, helping people like me stay positive.
Thank you, I appreciate your follow and that you read my updates. It is a gift I AM GIVEN to be able to share positivity and light…
4. Where do you believe the source of your positivity comes from? How do you express it to others on a daily basis?
I usually take 45 minutes for my social media. It is primarily to see what is happening as far as events. I spend a lot more time getting to events than I do on facebook talking about them – because I am all about the real people, face to face. I put out quotes from the things I am reading or thinking about that day. I know how these few words helped me hang in there at challenging times. I am not too far to have forgotten what it felt like to have lost everything, and so I am hyper aware and conscious of being present, being in flow, being in the now… I try to remind people of that constantly.
My positivity comes from gratitude and feeling extremely blessed to have been given the life I have been given, to have had the privilege to have my 3 wonderful kids pick ME to be their mom so they can show me how to love, how to practice patience, how to face fear, how to stand strong, how to smile and laugh, how to love, how to cry, how to live… I am grateful for every step of my journey as it has taken me to so many places and I have had the incredible gift of meeting so many people. Brilliant minds and hearts and souls that I so admire. Do you know how totally awesome it is to have a regular dialogue with people that are setting the trends and changing the world?
But it’s funny – my entire life I have been surrounded by what others would call “fame” and I was never impressed by the lights, camera, action of it. I think that is why so many of the gurus feel comfortable with me and my kids. Because I never for a moment behave as though they are above me in any way. Do you understand? I do not bow down as so many people with a followers mindset do – I meet them face to face, standing with respect, but expecting a mutual respect because the greatest wisdom is in realizing that we are all the same – it is what we do with it that matters… and I have done more than enough in my life. If I died right now, I had done enough. That is a great feeling – and it does not come from crosses on my to-do list, it comes from a deep sense of knowing that TO BE IS ENOUGH.
5. If you had one concept or idea to attach your legacy to, what would it be and why?
How can I just have one concept… when there is so much to life – and yet it is all one, isn’t it. One breath, one mother, one sun, one moon, one love. I love quotes… for the pure attractor that of the millions of words that we spew over the course of our lives, out of the billions of mouths, in the trillions of combinations. – that quotes even exist. That the arrangement of space and time and the time spoken (or written) and that it was noticed or recorded just amazes me…. I love Zapata’s quote “I would rather die standing than to live on my knees”… Yeah, stand for something… just stand. And Deepak Chopra’s "The universe contains three things that cannot be destroyed: Being, Awareness, and Love." But my absolute favorite has to be Gandhi’s quote: “My life is my mission” because today, I truly understand how profound that is and how many wisdoms there are in that combination of 5 words.
Gary Vaynerchuk said that “Legacy is our greatest currency”, and if that is true than I am already the wealthiest and richest woman on the earth, because I have a life that has been my mission, where all I do is with complete being, awareness and love…
Thank you so much Josh, for taking the time to ask me these questions, and more so, for taking the time to listen. We truly learn from each other and in sharing our stories we may ease the soul of one, light the flame of inspiration for another, or just comfort and console – letting our fellow travelers on this journey of life know, that it is a journey we all must take, and we are not alone… [No, no… thank you Kytka. I am so thankful and grateful for you taking the time out of your busy schedule to provide such a thought provoking interview. I have no doubt in my mind that anyone who read either part of the interview has taken away some value from your insights and experience-Josh]
Peace, Love and Abundant Blessings…
(Dr. Kytka Hilmar-Jezek, or "Kit", as her friends affectionately call her, is dedicated to assisting you harness your full potential. Kit applies her expertise & credentials as a Dr. of Naturopathy, NLP Practitioner, Author, Personal Development Coach, Speaker, The Integration Expert, Reiki Master, Childbirth Educator, Waldorf Homeschooling Guru, Niche Marketing Queen and Serial Entrepreneur. She is an inspirational powerhouse; a mover and shaker who continuously challenges the status quo and walks her talk in all areas of her life…)
This was an experiment I did last week to see how far a random act of kindness would go leveraging social media. One person responded and the result was awesome.
Do good. Pay it forward.
(Part II of the interview coming up tomorrow).
