Done Not Done

Done Not Done is an entertainment to do list in which users can create a to do list for the books they want to read, music they want to listen to, and movies they want to watch and then mark them off as they finish. In their own words Done Not Done  is “a to do list for the things you want to do, not the things you have to do.” 

Done Not Done is officially on mu weekend to do list.

The anti-preneur manifesto

I don’t want to be a designer, a marketer, an illustrator, a brander, a social media consultant, a multi-platform guru, an interface wizard, a writer of copy, a technological assistant, an applicator, an aesthetic king, a notable user, a profit-maximizer, a bottom-line analyzer, a meme generator, a hit tracker, a re-poster, a sponsored blogger, a starred commentator, an online retailer, a viral relayer, a handle, a font or a page. I don’t want to be linked in, tuned in, ‘liked’, incorporated, listed or programmed. 
I don’t want to be a brand, a representative, an ambassador, a bestseller or a chart-topper. I don’t want to be a human resource or part of your human capital.

I don’t want to be an entrepreneur of myself.

Don’t listen to the founders, the employers, the newspapers, the pundits, the editors, the forecasters, the researchers, the branders, the career counselors, the prime minister, the job market, Michel Foucault or your haughty brother in finance – there’s something else!

I want to be a lover, a teacher, a wanderer, an assembler of words, a sculptor of immaterial, a maker of instruments, a Socratic philosopherπ and an erratic muse. I want to be a community center, a piece of art, a wonky cursive script and an old-growth tree! I want to be a disrupter, a creator, an apocalyptic visionary, a master of reconfiguration, 
a hypocritical parent, an illegal download and a choose-your-own-adventure! I want to be a renegade agitator! 
A licker of ice cream! An organizer of mischief! A released charge! A double jump on the trampoline! A wayward youth! A volunteer! A partner.

I want to be a curator of myself, an anti-preneur, a person.

Unlimited availabilities. No followers required. Only friends.

-Danielle Leduc

(via Adbusters)

You Are Beautiful

You Are Beautiful

Yes. You. You right there.

You Are Beautiful is a project that began simply with 100 stickers and has since evolved into over half a million stickers traveling around  the world, block long murals, public installations, and exhibitions at cultural institutions involving thousands of artists.

You Are Beautiful Stickers are tiny and cheap but powerful, just the way we like it.

 

Underheard in New York

Underheard in New York is an initiative which used twitter to help fight homlessness. The goal was to use the social media site to help the homeless residents speak for themselves. Through the initiative 4 homeless people Danny, Derrick, Albert and Carlos were provided with their own mobile phone, one month of unlimited text messaging and a twitter account. The whole point was to develop an active and supportive community around Danny, Derrick, Albert, and Carlos. They accomplished that and more as they gained a great deal of support worldwide and were able to not only meet some of their immediate needs but were also able to fulfill some of their deepest dreams and desires as well. And to think it all started with a tweet.

Mosquito Bite

“I think, strangely, the one that irritates me the most is that there are 3,000 Africans, mostly children, going to die today of a mosquito bite. Malaria is the No. 1 killer in Africa. Do you know what it would take to fix that? A net. A bed net. It costs hardly anything,” he said.

- Bono (in an interview about the dire conditions facing Africa today.)

This is heart breaking and I couldn’t even finish reading the article without donating a net. No human being should have to die because of a mosquito bite that could have been prevented with a simple $10 net. If you want to help, donate a net here.

Nonprofit Land

NPL TRANSPARENT

Nonprofit Land is your one stop shop for anything and everything Nonprofit. From starting a nonprofit to growing it and everything in between this is by far one of my favorite nonprofit resources out there. And yes we’ve featured Nonprofit Land on here before, so why again? Other than the fact that it’s so awesome Nonprofit Land has been relaunched with a whole new site, new videos, new content, new everything pretty much. Go check it out here, it’s pretty freaking amazing.

Hot Wheels Don’t Drink and Drive Campaign

hotwheels

Hot Wheels spreads the ‘don’t drink and drive message’ with these clever little key chains depicting a car recently in an accident with a message that read “even a small drink is enough”. Attached with the keychain was a tag with phone numbers of Party Club Drivers.

As car owners arrived at the pub and handed their keys over to the valet, the key chains were attached to their keys. When the car owners left they were handed their keys back with the attached hot wheels keychain. Apparently it worked as the drivers were shocked and alarmed and many decided to call the driver service, friends, or family to come take them home.

The lesson kids? Even a small amount is enough. PLEASE don’t drink and drive!

A Really Nice Day

“I know today is Monday and you assume it’s going to suck, but according to statistics, there will be over 5,000 weddings, 10,000 childbirths, and 42 million hugs occurring today throughout the United States. Also today, there will be at least 4 people that will win the multimillion dollar lotteries, 600 people will get promotions at work, and 3,000 people will lose their virginity. There will also be 600 dogs adopted, 35,000 balloons sold, and 800,000 skittles eaten. Plus, the words “I love you” will be said over 9 million times. So again, I know today is Monday and you assume it’s going to suck, but just smile, because according to statistics, it should actually be a really nice day.”

— (via theburiedlife)

I know it’s not monday, but yuou get the point.

Top 5 Regrets of the Dying

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last 3 to 12 weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.

By Bronnie Ware

This post was originally published on Inspiration and Chai.

Bronnie Ware is a writer and songwriter from Australia who spent several years caring for dying people in their homes. She has recently released a full-length book titled ‘The Top Five Regrets of the Dying – A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing’. It is a memoir of her own life and how it was transformed through the regrets of the dying people she cared for. For more information, please visit Bronnie’s official website at www.bronnieware.com or her blog at www.inspirationandchai.com.

(Via Huffington Post)

Good Ideas Blog

Good Ideas Blog by We Are What We Do gathers examples of products, tools, and services that have been created following the We Are What We Do ethos:

“they don’t nag people to “do good”, but instead are all things people simply use and like because they are fun, cool, money saving or useful. And yet in using these things, people are incidentally “doing good” and their actions are having positive effect on a major social or environmental issue.”

Ideas are updated regularly so keep checking back for more inspiration.

The Lost Choir – Mad World

“Every three seconds the world loses a child.  Again, this year many children will not see their fifth birthday. The reasons for this tragedy are diverse; hunger, malnutrition, dirty water or the absence of vaccine protection.  Every single one of these problems can weaken the immune system so much that avoidable diseases lead to life-threatening danger.”  – International Children’s Fund

via Osocio

CraigConnects.org

Craigconnects (from the founder of craigslist) is a website connecting organizations doing good. Through the website Craig seeks to call attention to and connect good, effective non-profits and organizations getting the job done. While also protecting organizations and the public from fake organizations doing more harm than good.

Well done Craig, well,well done my lad.

Why Vote?

“The goal of political marketers isn’t to get you to vote. Their goal is to get more votes than the other guy. So they obsess about pleasing those that vote. Everyone else is invisible.

Steakhouses do nothing to please vegetarians who don’t visit them, and politicians and their handlers don’t care at all about non-voters.

The magic of voting is that by opting in to the system, you magically begin to count. A lot.”  -Seth Godin

Read his full post: Why Vote? The Marketing Dynamics of Apathy

19 Things To Stop Doing In Your 20s

Here is a really good list by The Buried Life of 19 things to stop doing in your 2os. (good article for ages 15-100)

1. Stop placing all the blame on other people for how they interact with you. To an extent, people treat you the way you want to be treated. A lot of social behavior is cause and effect. Take responsibility for (accept) the fact that you are the only constant variable in your equation.

2. Stop being lazy by being constantly “busy.” It’s easy to be busy. It justifies never having enough time to clean, cook for yourself, go out with friends, meet new people. Realize that every time you give in to your ‘busyness,’ it’s you who’s making the decision, not the demands of your job.

3. Stop seeking out distractions. You will always be able to find them.

4. Stop trying to get away with work that’s “good enough.” People notice when “good enough” is how you approach your job. Usually these people will be the same who have the power to promote you, offer you a health insurance plan, and give you more money. They will take your approach into consideration when thinking about you for a raise.

5. Stop allowing yourself to be so comfortable all the time. Coming up with a list of reasons to procrastinate risky, innovative decisions offers more short-term gratification than not procrastinating. But when you stop procrastinating to make a drastic change, your list of reasons to procrastinate becomes a list of ideas about how to better navigate the risk you’re taking.

6. Stop identifying yourself as a cliche and start treating yourself as an individual. Constantly checking your life against a prewritten narrative or story of how things “should” be is a bought-into way of life. It’s sort of like renting your identity. It isn’t you. You are more nuanced than the narrative you try to fit yourself into, more complex than the story that “should” be happening.

7. Stop expecting people to be better than they were in high school — learn how to deal with it instead. Just because you’re out of high school doesn’t mean you’re out of high school. There will always be people in your life who want what you have, are threatened by who you are, and will ridicule you for doing something that threatens how they see their position in the world.

8. Stop being stingy. If you really care about something, spend your money on it. There is often a notion that you are saving for something. Either clarify what that thing is or start spending your money on things that are important to you. Spend money on road trips. Spend money on healthy food. Spend money on opportunities. Spend money on things you’ll keep.

9. Stop treating errands as burdens. Instead, use them as time to focus on doing one thing, and doing it right. Errands and chores are essentially rote tasks that allow you time to think. They function to get you away from your phone, the internet, and other distractions. Focus and attention span are difficult things to maintain when you’re focused and attentive on X amount of things at any given moment.

10. Stop blaming yourself for being human. You’re fine. Having a little anxiety is fine. Being scared is fine. Your secrets are fine. You’re well-meaning. You’re intelligent. You’re blowing it out of proportion. You’re fine.

11. Stop ignoring the fact that other people have unique perspectives and positions. Start approaching people more thoughtfully. People will appreciate you for deliberately trying to conceive their own perspective and position in the world. It not only creates a basis for empathy and respect, it also primes people to be more open and generous with you.

12. Stop seeking approval so hard. Approach people with the belief that you’re a good person. It’s normal to want the people around you to like you. But it becomes a self-imposed burden when almost all your behavior toward certain people is designed to constantly reassure you of their approval.

13. Stop considering the same things you’ve always done as the only options there are. It’s unlikely that one of the things you’ll regret when you’re older is not having consumed enough beer in your 20s, or not having bought enough $5 lattes, or not having gone out to brunch enough times, or not having spent enough time on the internet. Fear of missing out is a real, toxic thing. You’ve figured out drinking and going out. You’ve experimented enough. You’ve gotten your fill of internet memes. Figure something else out.

14. Stop rejecting the potential to feel pain. Suffering is a universal constant for sentient beings. It is not unnatural to suffer. Being in a constant state of suffering is bad. But it is often hard to appreciate happiness when there’s nothing to compare it to. Rejecting the potential to suffer is unsustainable and unrealistic.

15. Stop approaching adverse situations with anger and frustration. You will always deal with people who want things that seem counter to your interests. There will always be people who threaten to prevent you from getting what you want by trying to get what they want. This is naturally frustrating. Realize that the person you’re dealing with is in the same position as you — by seeking out your own interests, you threaten to thwart theirs. It isn’t personal — you’re both just focused on getting different things that happen to seem mutually exclusive. Approach situations like these with reason. Be calm. Don’t start off mad, it’ll only make things more tense.

16. Stop meeting anger with anger. People will make you mad. Your reaction to this might be to try and make them mad. This is something of a first-order reaction. That is, it isn’t very thoughtful — it may be the first thing you’re inclined to do. Try to suppress this reaction. Be thoughtful. Imagine your response said aloud before you say it. If you don’t have to respond immediately, don’t.

17. Stop agreeing to do things that you know you’ll never actually do. It doesn’t help anyone. To a certain extent, it’s a social norm to be granted a ‘free pass’ when you don’t do something for someone that you said you were going to do. People notice when you don’t follow through, though, especially if it’s above 50% of the time.

18. Stop ‘buying’ things you know you’ll throw away. Invest in friendships that aren’t parasitic. Spend your time on things that aren’t distractions. Put your stock in fleeting opportunity. Focus on the important.

19. Stop being afraid.

(via krista morgan/Invisible Children)

Project 7

Project 7 is a company dedicated to making products for good. They make everyday products like bottled water, gum, mints, coffee and T-shirts that everyday people can buy, and for every purchase of a Project 7 product good is done in 7 areas of need: Feed the Hungry, Heal the Sick, Hope for Peace, House the Homeless, Quench the Thirsty, Teach them Well and Save the Earth.

The founder Tyler Merrick said:

“If people are going to buy things. Lots of things. Then let’s use those things they purchase to help change the world around us. Let’s make everyday products for everyday people to solve everyday problems around the globe.”

You can buy Project 7 products online or you can use their retail locator to find the closest locations like Wal-Mart and Barnes & Noble.

I will be definitely be shopping for Project 7 products from now on I mean how cool is it that buying mints for when I have bad breath will go towards healing the sick! This is definitely a model alot of companies should start adopting.

The Yes Men Are Revolting

The Yes Men Are Revolting, A Documentary & Platform for Change

The Yes Men Are Revolting is a new documentary and platform for change by activists/pranksters The Yes Men.

The Yes Men Are Revolting is a funny, action-packed adventure. With the environment on the brink of collapse, we ask a pressing question: at a time when corporate forces have bought and sold democracy, how can we effect real change? Our answer: get every viewer involved in the struggle.

You can help The Yes Men back the project here.

via LaughingSquid