The Truth About Taking the First Step

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end”
– Semisonic, Closing Time

The truth about taking the first step is that it's actually the end of another, previous beginning. In other words, the first step is actually the end to our prequel. It's a misconception to think that the first step is literally the first step. You couldn't be farther from the truth...

 What Exactly IS The Prequel?

The prequel is the beginning we ended at the moment we took the first step. The prequel is that moment in life in which we are still that person that is yet not conscious of his/her inner desires.

Since they are not yet conscious of their own desires people that still live in their prequels tend to live their entire lives working in unfulfilling jobs or doing random things to entertain themselves each day.

For the sake of simplicity we will refer to them as prequelers. Does that word even have a meaning? Actually no, it doesn't but let's pretend that it does have a meaning from now on.

Sadly, most people stay as prequelers their entire life. But that is why we are here in the first place-- to end this prequel once and for all.

Believe it or not, we all have a big dream (or dreams) we want to achieve in our lifetime. You can hide, pretend, ignore, puke--- but no matter what, deep down in our hearts we are all dreamers.

How Much Does The Prequel Last?

 
There is no set time-limit to how much a prequel can last. The prequel starts at the moment you are born and ends at the moment you decide to take the first step.

For some, the first step happens early in life-- while most of us take the first step much later in life. The reason for this is that we are all unique.

Each and every one of us has his/her own personality, views, morals, beliefs, etc. and as such taking the first step will be a different experience for all of us.

Why Does It Takes Us So Long To Take The First Step?

The reason why taking the first step takes us so long is because we are talking about making an absolute decision. Not a lame decision in which you quit in like 2-3 days.

We are talking about compromise, passion and perseverance. Serious business. When we speak of an absolute decision we are speaking of applying our desires as a lifestyle.

"It's not something we can do from one day to another. We haven't truly taken the first step until we make a conscious decision to take a first step that changes our lives-- forever. "

The End Of The Prequel

The prequel ends when we take a proper decision to transform our goals into a lifestyle and stay loyal to such lifestyle. In the second part of this article I'll share an exercise, which I learned from 2 trustworthy websites, that will show you how to clear your mind and take an absolute decision into ending your prequel and starting the story of your life.

By the way, have you taken the first step? How? Or are you still a prequeler? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section! Until next time! ;)

photo credit: paul bica via photo  cc

Taking the First Step: Made Simple

"One minute at a time makes an hour, One line at a time makes a drawing
One chapter at a time makes a novel, One conversation at a time makes a friend
One brick at a time builds a castle, One article at a time makes a blog
One breath at a time makes a life, One goal at a time makes a dream come true."
~ Jica Gonz

Doing one goal at a time 

That's how everything in life is truly achieved. Making things complex and detailed, breaking your head, perfection-- it's not worth it!

What's the point of detailed planning if when it comes to actually doing your goal in the today...you quit due to its complexity? Maintain every single goal and aspect of your life as simple as possible, but in specific at the first step.

Why? Because making things complex at the very start will only drain your energy, overwhelm you and most of the times cause you to quit.

Remember, once upon a time each and every one of us were nothing but defenseless babies. At our own pace, we learned and grew up into the people we are today and the one we have yet to become. If our bodies hadn't followed its natural rate of growth and skipped from a baby to an adult, what mess would we be today? How malfunctioned would our bodies be?

The same applies for life. If we skip goals and rush the pace what mess would we be? Wouldn't we just stumble and fail?

That's why keeping it simple and doing your goals one step at a time is the way to go. An example of this is that you want to make a drawing.

Starting,literally, from scratch the first thing you will do is get a job or ask for money from your parents (in the case that you're still a teen). You look for a marker and schedule in your calendar that in Saturday you will walk to a shop at 1:00 pm.

It's Saturday, you wake up early and wear comfy clothes. At the shop you choose the cheapest paper and pencils. You go home and sit on the table and draw your first line, then the next one and then the next one. Eventually the increasing number of lines and shapes will create a drawing.

Maybe you could had drafted the drawing in your head before drawing the first line or if you're a person that learns better with creating rather than planning (like me) then you could had just began drawing randomly with no thought of a finished drawing in mind.

So let's say you liked drawing? Good, you schedule to make a drawing every day from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. You continue doing this for a whole week and notice you're not satisfied with your abilities, luckily you still have money left from your job or there's a chore your mom is willing to pay for. 

You walk to the shop and buy a drawing manual. Your drawings improve-- but wait!! You'd love to buy a nightlight for comfort and so on and so on.

It's all about literally considering each step that you will take. Live life one step at a time and see where it will lead to. Don't worry about an end goal.

Don't live with the thought in mind that:

"Someday, somewhere after I have x/y possession or after I have achieved x/y event in life I'll be happy" 

It's not about:

"Wanting to be a pop-idol one day" 

It's about:

"Applying singing as a lifestyle and living to that value. " 

By applying singing as a lifestyle your talents will increase naturally and accompanied with increasing talent is an increasing confidence in oneself. Before you know it you've broken barriers and escalated higher than you could had ever imagined.

"Remember to always keep it simple and apply your dreams as a lifestyle today and not as an end goal."

Have you taken your first step? How? Share your experience in the comments section! :)

PS: Since I participated in the 14-Day Kindness Challenge I'd love to invite you and see the manifesto that Celes posted in PersonalExcellence.co with all the daily tasks of the Kindness Challenge listed down! :) 

Plus check out how my interview went with Villalba Online and you can also check out my first article that was published in Villalba Online with the journalist's help. Journalist, if you're reading this thank you so much for the opportunity! 

The online newspaper is in Spanish by the way, but you can always translate it with Google Translate and read on. :)

photo credit: Seryo via photopin cc

Kindness Challenge Round-Up: Reflection, Feedback, and Next Steps Moving Forward!

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."  - Aesop

It's been 14 long days filled with emotions, experiences and meaningful lessons. It's been a long journey and today is officially the last day of the 14-Day Kindness Challenge. Today there is no task--today is simply a day in which the participants will share their reflections, feedback and steps moving forward. If you wish to read a more detailed description on today's reflections go directly to the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PersonalExcellence.co.

My Reflection

1- How has the kindness challenge been for you?

The kindness challenge has been fun and inspiring for me. It has served as the starting point of just what I needed to kick-start in certain areas in my life--such as blogging, change in attitudes, revelations,etc. It has also served in breaking walls as the challenge offered me the chance to taste experiences that are way out of my comfort zone which widens my perspective in life. An example is how now I see donation ,not as an annoyance, but as an opportunity to help others in need. I no longer see money with greedy eyes and I can now clearly notice how ugly the world is when there's trash in it and the role we play in keeping our environment clean.

2- What has been your favorite task(s)? Why?

 My favorite task was day 6 in which we talked to someone we don't normally talk to because it allowed me to grow tremendously as a person when I, literally, pushed my limits and talked with all sorts of friends I'd normally not talk to--some that weren't even casual friends. It was a tiring day that started out with fear and ended with 3 new budding friendships.

My 2nd favorite task was day 7 in which we had to make a donation. I loved searching for alternatives until I eventually found FreeRice. I plan to elaborate in world FreeRice week that should take place from February 6-11, 2013 in which the world unites in playing FreeRice for a whole week in hopes of donating as much rice as possible.

My 3rd favorite days were day 4 in which we had to sign up for volunteer work and day 10 in which we had to send flowers to somebody. This were 2 tasks which I wasn't able to apply well as #1-I have yet to find an official organization and #2-I want to buy flowers for 3 people and give it to them--not just pick them up from the backyard.

*As a side note I aslo enjoyed day 8 in which we had to pick up litter and that helped me gaine consciousness on the cause.

3- What have you learned from participating in the kindness challenge? What have you learned about kindness? Elaborate.

I have learned the habit of staying consistent and punctual with something, such as my blog. It was a habit I was wanting to develop for ages but I didn't know how yet. I also learned that the universe works in wonderful ways. When you truly want something, the opportunities will appear on it's own almost like magic. It's really beautiful and mysterious. About kindness I have learned that being kind is a lifestyle of tiny acts and not necessarily of big acts. As I always say, it's the little things that matter the most. 

4- How do you plan to integrate kindness in your life moving forward?

I'd integrate kindness in my life by donating to organizations when I have the facilities, being more active in volunteer work (and hopefully going on my dream expedition to volunteer in Asia), fixing my bonds with people who I'm not that good in terms with, applying the act of forgiveness and simply applying kindness into my life--as a recurrent lifestyle and not as a  goal.

5- What's your next goal?

From here on I feel like the big stuff will start. I will start writing official articles for Basked in Sunshine, promoting to widen my readership and starting tomorrow--for the next 15 days I'll be participating on another challenge which is Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month). I have already had an opportunity to understand my inner persona, for the following month I wish to understand my inner artist. Thank you so much Celes for this awesome opportunity in the 14-Day Kindness Challenge. It has been a blast and now with a heartfelt smile I can say that I have completed the 14-Day Kindness Challenge of 2012. Until next time! :D

Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make the world a kinder place - together. :)

photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography via photopin cc

Kindness Challenge Day 14: Do Something Unexpectedly Nice For Someone (Plus World Kindness Day Celebration!)

Happy World Kindness Day Everybody!!! :) Today's task was supposed to be the last task but Celes unexpectedly told us that tomorrow we'd have a round-up of the Kindness Challenge! :o So in today's task we had to do something unexpectedly nice for someone else. It should had been something that's meaningful and will leave a lasting impact on the other person. If you wish to read a more detailed description go directly to today's task at PersonalExcellence.co

My experience

When I saw the last task I was confused as to how I'd be able to do something unexpectedly nice for somebody else when it's already a habit of mine to do at least one thoughtful act each day--but eventually an idea popped up. I chose my friend Tai-tai to do something unexpectedly nice to. :) Tai-Tai likes writing light novels and I happen to have a YouTube page in which I post fanmade music videos(for fun and nothing official). This videos are based on light novels of both Tai-Tai or me.Sometimes I make special videos as a tribute to anime I like or as a gift for my friends.

I know how much Tai-Tai's light novels mean to her so I told her I'd make 6 videos till the year ends(and lucky me there happens to be exactly 6 weeks left till the year ends). I'll be making 1 music video a week. ;)P

Lessons

I had already done something unexpected and nice for another friend the other days so at first I thought "Oh man! If I had waited for today that had included as my task" but I decided to get out of my comfort zone and do an extra effort to do yet another unexpected kind act and I don't regret it. Of course I'll have one day for the next 6 weeks reserved for working solely on the music videos but it'll be fun and exciting. And with this...my public journal of the 14-Day Kindness Challenge almost ends. Till tomorrow morning for the round-up post of my experience in the 14-Day Kindness Challenge! :)

Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make the world a kinder place - together. :)

photo credit: Cláudia*~Assad via photopin cc

Kindness Challenge Day 13: Give Someone a Treat

Today's task is to give someone a treat. There are many ways in which you can do this - which are to offer to pay food for somebody else in an outgoing, buying the groceries, cooking a meal for the family, etc. If you wish to read a more detailed description on today's task go to the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at Personal Excellence.co.

My Experience

I treated 7 of my friends to candy today. We were hanging out when I randomly count them and say "Give me a sec. I'm going to buy candy for you guys! :)" Funny thing was, that my plan #1 was a failure. Some minutes prior I had secretly gone to buy candy and my plan was to bring the candy already bought and give one for each as a surprise. I was unable to deal with the candy machine so I returned back, asked for company to help me and ended up spilling the plan of the surprise candy haha.

Lessons

I'm not the type of person who buys stuff for others on a regular basis but the feeling of treating others (which is something I love when others do to me) felt good. Thanks to the experience I was able to see money -not with greedy eyes- but as a medium in which I can show kindness to others as well. It also made me conscious of how small things - such as treating others - no matter how big or small, are the things that make the world a better place. :)

photo credit: TruShu via photopin cc

 
Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make the world a kinder place - together. :)

Kindness Challenge Day 12: Forgive Someone

Monday, November 12,  2012

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Today's task was to forgive someone who had:

a. wronged you in the past
b. hurt your feelings at some point
c. been rude or disrespectful
d. been an ex boyfriend/girlfriend, friend, etc.
e. anything you can come up with or recall about a person you have yet been unable to forgive.

If you wish to read a more detailed  description go directly to today's task of the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PersonalExcellence.co.

My Experience

Personally, I found today's task to be hard. So much it's taken me a long time to achieve this task. Why? Because sometimes the inner thorns are deep and hard to detach but it's only if we remove each thorn that comfort can be found. There's another reason as well-- in my current state I can be a hot-tempered person sometimes because I'm hiding my own insecurities and thus I don't share my emotions as much. But as the quote on my image suggests...it's the people who can't forgive that are the weakest and the people that do forgive the strongest.

Sometimes we can make a million excuses as to not forgive someone..and it's probably one of the hardest things to do in certain situations but saying an "I'm sorry" and an "I forgive you" is more than just a treasure. it's a lifestyle and a liberating process.

I was able to forgive 9 people today. I forgave them because I realized that the reason I was mad at them was not because they had wronged me...it was only because of my lack of understanding for others needs at times and my own selfishness led to me blaming them when in reality..the person who I most couldn't forgive was myself. I was frustrated at my own failures and when I saw my  failures mirrored in another person I couldn't help but feel a restraint and like second nature become cold and mean when all that was happening was that I felt unsatisfied in myself. I wasn't satisfied in myself. I was holding on to expectations.

Expectations are the worst we can hold on to-- but I'll go deeper on this topic on a future article. For now I'll just let on this point. I was unsure what exactly it meant to forgive (To me forgiving used to be something you'd only do if somebody asked you to forgive them for doing a wrong to you) So I read various articles to further my perspective on forgiveness and what I read was eye-opening. One of the articles I read said:

"Who I am to be angry at somebody else, when I'm not feeling what they are going through."

In some way, this is true. Even if it's somebody close to you and you think you can understand what they feel--the truth is we can't 100% understand and live in the flesh what others are doing, what problems come up in their daily lives, what stresses, what feelings their lives events trigger in their hearts, etc.

Sometimes, the reason others are rude/mean to you aren't directly related to you, but instead, many factors in their life. By the time they are rude to you they'd had already built in many bottled up stresses and angers--so after realizing that fact I no longer take insults that personally anymore. :)

Lessons

Forgiving is a process and a lifestyle. Sometimes it takes a while to truly forgive..but it's possible..and it's worth it..

photo credit: swanksalot via photopin cc


Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make the world a kinder place - together. :)

Kindness Challenge Day 11: Be Kind to Someone You Dislike

 Sunday, November 11, 2012

Those we dislike can do nothing to please us. ~  Samuel Richardson

I'm sorry I took a while to post today's task. The task was as the title suggests: To be kind to someone you dislike. This task is not exactly a goal oriented task, but instead, a type of new lifestyle. You have to choose one or more persons that you dislike and be kind to them. If you wish to read more on today's task go directly to the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PersonalExcellence.co and if you wish to enter at least the last days of the challenge go HERE.

Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make the world a kinder place - together. :)

My Experience

I choose a certain person I know to be kind to. Let's call this person K. K is a person who has disrespected me a lot in the past and made me feel bad tremendously. I've been taken advantage by K, disrespected, humiliated, etc. Almost all types of disrespects  you could think of (Except anything sexual or life threatening), K has done to me. I've hated K to the point of ignoring K and feeling my life ruined by K. Ks personality goes as far as to make me feel like it's holding me back from my future...and what hurts is that K knows and K could care less.

I decided to render my kindness to K via conversing with K but honestly...it's really hard...I know K harbors no direct ill intent but K's actions still hurt me..and I must admit I wasn't able to do this task well due to K's natural way of being...but...this task made me realize something...

Lessons

I harbor a lot of anger inside of me, the reason I did this task halfheartedly is because I already consider K a lost cause. I know that K will never understand and that K has reasons to be how K is something not originating from ill causes. The reason I dislike K is because K does things that hurt me and make me sad...maybe the problem isn't K but me for allowing myself to be hurt by K's actions. What are those inner insecurities of mine that considers K as a threat to my goals?

Just as the quote from today's picture suggests, K has no responsibility to please me. Since in my mind I already dislike K --maybe the option is to look at the conversation with fresh eyes and see the positive in K. So many things... I'll consider furthering on this topic on a future article when I feel mentally and emotionally prepared to share my issues with K.

 photo credit: wuperruper via photopin cc

Kindness Challenge Day 10: Send Flowers to Someone

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Today's task is something that vividly reminds me of something I used to do frequently and still enjoy - picking up flowers from my backyard and giving them to my mom. :) Yes, today's task was to pick up/buy a flower and send it to someone. If you wish to read a more detailed description on today's task feel free to go to the 14-day Kindness Challenge at PersonalExcellence.co and if you wish to register for the last days of the challenge go HERE.

Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make the world a kinder place - together. :)

My Experience

As I've done in past dates of the 14-Day Kindness Challenge I improvised with people who I rarely see. I sent 2 virtual flowers to my 2 closest friends wishing them "Good Morning!" and I also sent 2 real flowers to my mom and my little brother. Both of my friends were touched and my mom and little brother found it sweet. As for the type of flower I sent - I'm no really sure! o-o I choose my flowers by the color. My 2 virtual flowers were baby blue and the 2 real flowers I sent were pink with white in the middle. :) I choose blue for the virtual flowers because it's an elegant and cute color related with the mornings and I choose pink for the flowers I gave my mom and my little brother because it's a color that symbolizes love.  I choose my 2 closest friends because they are like family to me and I choose my my mom and my little brother because I like to see them smile.

Lessons

 I was reminded of that feeling of my childhood. Flowers are simple gestures of love/friendship and family but they can definitely put a smile on your face even of the hardest of days and I love that feeling. :)

 Note: I'm so sorry for the double spacing. It's an error from blogger which I've yet not been able to fix. :(

 

photo credit: Jose Luis Mieza Photography  via photopin cc



 

Kindness Challenge Day 9: Write a Letter to Someone Who Has Made a Difference in Your Life

Friday, November 9, 2012

Today's task is similar to Day 3's task in which we wrote 3 thank-you notes to 3 people we appreciated, except today's task revolves around us writing an honest letter to one person who has made a difference in our lives. If you wish to read a more detailed description on today's task go directly to the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PersonalExcellence.co and if you wish to register for the challenge go HERE.

Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make th world a kinder place - together. :)

My Experience

I decided to write my letter to my best friend J. I sent her the letter via e-mail. In my letter I expressed my appreciation on how she made a difference in my life like for example:

-Being a listening ear
-Accepting me for who I am
-I thanked her for being her and for being the little sister I never had

and many more personal things. :) When I send the letter I honestly thought she wouldn't like it or would feel bothered but when she replied she said she had no idea she had influenced my life in such a way and that I made her smile with the letter and made her day.

Lessons

Once again my theory is proved! :D It's the little things that matters and you never know how somebody may react. I thought she wouldn't like it but she was totally touched by the letter. It just goes to show how little things like this can make a big difference in somebodies life. :)

photo credit: katrinalopez. via photopin cc

Kindness Challenge Day 8: Pick Up Litter

Wednesday, October 8, 2012

Today's task was to pick up litter and put it in the trash can or maybe even recycle it. It doesn't matter if you were able to pick up lots or few litter - what mattered was to plant that grain of sand and make the world a beautiful place. :) If you wish to see a more detailed description on today's task go directly to the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PersonalExcellence.co and if you're interested in joining then you're still in time! :) Log in NOW and be a kinder person today! ;)

Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make the world a kinder place - together. :)

My Experience:

I saw a lot of litter today on the way to school and in my backyard. I noticed my school was pretty clean and there's only 1-2 janitors in the whole school so I was surprised. Honestly I wasn't able to pick up much litter but I did make my effort in the following ways:

1) I threw away a piece of paper laying on the floor while taking class.

2) I was talking to one of my friends and  I notice an empty bag of candy in front of her. I pick it up and say "This is false advertisement" and she asks "Why?" and I say "Because it's empty so I'm throwing it away in the trash".

3) I finished eating a snack and even though the trash was 1 minute away I walked towards the trash bin and deposited the snack inside.

4) Me and some other friends were hanging out when I remember today's task was picking up litter. I see litter in front of the chair and pick up some bags of chips, candy, bottle caps, etc.

5) I cut paper for my last class and threw away all the papers that fell to the floor inside the trash can.

*My backyard has some trash so I was going to pick that litter up but I had homework and by the time I had finished my homework it was already dark but I'll pick it up tomorrow and finish today's task. I'll update tomorrow. :)*

Update: I didn't have a chance to pick up the litter in my backyard until Day 10(Saturday, November 10, 2012) and there was a lot of trash! So much I got tired, took a rest and kept on. I must admit I wasn't able to pick up all the trash as some trash was too tiny. My mom was touched by the act and offered to buy me ingredients so I could bake cupcakes for Thanksgiving. Yum! :)

Reflections

Today I felt surprised  when I noticed how 1 or 2 janitors at my school keep the school so clean(And both woman around their 40 or 50's). I was expecting it to be dirty and full of trash but not really. It also made me grow awareness of how ugly our world looks like with trash in it. Normally trash is like invincible to my eyes but today it wasn't and I don't like our world like that at all.

Kindness Challenge Day 7: Make a Donation

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

For today's task we had to make a donation (money, disaster fund, clothes, food, blood, school, etc.) The donation can be of any kind - small or big -. For a more detailed description on today's task go directly to today's 14-Days Kindness Challenge's post at PersonalExcellence.co. By the way, you're still in time to register. Just go HERE and follow the instructions for the sign-up and you're ready to go! :)

Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make the world a kinder place - together. :)

My Experience

Since I'm under aged I don't have my own money to donate but I do know of a method called Click-to-donate in which you click/like a certain link to different organizations and they'd donate a small amount of money/clothes/food/books to charities such as cancer research, hunger, poverty, education, etc. The good thing is that some websites allow you to to keep clicking more than once in one day and thus donating even more. Some of this websites are fraudes but there are other well known organizations that are known for actually donating due to the clicks/likes they receive such as FreeRice, The Hunger Site and Bhookh.

There are also other Click-to-Donate websites in which the organization offers it's users to play an educational game (such as puzzles, questions, etc) and each time you get a right answer they'd donate a small amount of money, food or basic necessities to a certain cause. This happens to be the method used for FreeRice.

FreeRice caught my attention since the website sponsors will donate 10 grains of rice for every answer you get right in a series of simple and easy educational games. I was a bit doubtful if FreeRice was real or not at first so I browsed the web and found real proof on it's validity in websites such as BBC News, Los Angeles Times and Snopes. After clicking a bunch of websites which I wasn't even sure were trustworthy I decided to stick with FreeRice and played each game till I donated 100 grains of rice. In total donated 2,270 grains of rice. :)

Besides donating a small amount on various websites with The Click-to-Donate method I decided that tomorrow I'd donate a novel that nobody uses at my house to the school library and there was also an activity in which they were collecting money and each $1.00 donated was used to buy a book for children in need. I'm not sure if the library is still collecting money or if I can even get $1.00 in time but I'll update how that goes sometime tomorrow. :) Another thing I did (but which I'm not sure if it counts as donating) is leave food for the birds in my backyard to eat. Hope they like it! o-o

Update: The next day I donated the book to the library! :) I wasn't able to find the $1.00 but the library wasn't collecting money anymore anyways and when I checked on the birds 1-2 hours later they had, literally, eaten every piece of food I had left for them and there were 2 birds with pieces on food in their mouths haha.

How I felt when donating

It felt tiring clicking so much but I know that somewhere a person in need will benefit from that effort I made today. I also felt worried that maybe the organizations weren't reliable but in general it felt good and made me feel like a better person.

Lessons

Today's experience clarified my vision in joining organizations and donating more in the future. It's fun and at the same time you're helping others! :) I'd also like to share something which I've thought of since like a year ago and I had already talked about it with mom. One of my dreams is to do volunteer work in an Eastern country for at least 3 months or even 2 years (like a certain organization offers you) and with today's challenge and day 4's volunteer task I feel ready to say I'll make this dream come real. :)

Kindness Challenge Day 6: Talk to Someone You Don’t Normally Talk To

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

"Every friend was once a stranger" ~ Unknown

Today's task was to talk to someone you don't normally talk to. There was 2 levels to the task:

Level 1: Talk to one person you don't normally talk to
Level 2:  Talk to at least three people you don't normally talk to

If you wish to read a more detailed description on today's 14-Day Kindness Challenge task go directly to PersonalExcellence.co and if you haven't signed up for the Kindness Challenge yet then what are you waiting for? Log in right NOW before registrations close! Go, go, go!

Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make the world a kinder place - together. :)

Moving on to my experience on today's task I'm simply WOW, speechless!! This has been my favorite task in the 14-Day Kindness Challenge as of now! :D What I expected to be a scary experience, ended up being the start of 3(and probably more) new beautiful friendships! ;)

I, literally, pushed my boundaries to its limits and talked to 20 people today!! 12 who were people I didn't normally talk to and 8 close friends who I do usually talk to but who I enjoyed conversing with as well. There were 3 specific people who I normally wouldn't talk to that attracted my attention today and this was my experience with those 3 people - let's call them L, F and S

• L -When I first talked with L I noticed she was being a bit distant and I was about to abandon the conversation until, naturally, we hit it off and were conversing with laughs and jokes! :)

• F - Then there was F. F is a person who I had always wanted to befriend but I never quite had the guts to do so. He graduated last year and as a school girl that would usually mean a lost chance for a friendship. I was super scared to speak to him because I thought he would find me annoying but..actually no! He was kind and open since the start and we spoke like if we had always been good friends!

• S - S was special because I felt a tremendous amount of comfort and acceptance talking with her. S is a person who I'd love to become friends with in the long run.

I talked to most of the people today via facebook messages and I'm simply amazed and happy of the results! It took me by such a surprise how from being scared, as the conversations kept on, the atmosphere changed into that of trust and companionship.

 Lessons

I learned a valuable lesson - which is the fact that to make a friend you should first be a friend. Since I was a kid I've had this false belief that talking to a person - who's considered a stranger -is rude and will only bother the busy lives of others since I've considered myself a bother and that's where my false belief lies in - on the fact that I suppose people find me annoying due my childhood experiences related with bullying and rejection -. I'm slowly starting to understand it's not like that. I don't need to be liked by every person I meet. Lately, I've just been my own person and the friends have appeared almost as magic because people find my real personality to be interesting and fun. I love my friends and can't wait to meet even more people in my life. :)




 

Kindness Challenge Day 5: Give a Genuine Compliment to at Least 3 People

 

Another day, another beautiful task to blog about!! I'm really grateful to be in the 14-Day Kindness Challenge. It's indescribable how..but it really is making a change in my life and it's just been 5 days, imagine! It's wonderful how it's pushing my boundaries and as a result I'm reaching places I never thought I would be in. It's simply amazing. (And I'm honestly saying this out of my own will and real life experience!) Want to be a part of this too? Don't worry you're still on time, just go HERE and register but be quick because this can be your only chance since registrations can close any moment now!! Invite your friends and families, be a kinder person today!! :D

Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make the world a kinder place - together. :)

 Monday, November 5, 2012

“I've always found that the most beautiful people, truly beautiful inside and out, are the ones who are quietly unaware of their effect." ― Jennifer L. Armentrout, Obsidian

For today's task you have to give a genuine compliment to:

Level 1: 1 person

Level 2: 3 persons

Of course, you're also welcome to compliment even more people. The more the better! :) But the idea is that if you give a compliment it must be honest and true as to let the other person know a good quality about them and make them feel better. For more information on the challenge go directly to the today's task of the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PersonalExcellence.co


How many people did you give genuine compliments to today? What did you compliment them on? How did they respond to your compliments?

I complimented 11 people today!! :D

Mom – Complimented her ability to be patient while cooking each day
Dad – I asked if he could teach me how to cook white rice because I like how his white rice tastes
Big Bro – Complimented his extreme interest and dedication towards tv shows
Big Sis – Told her my admiration towards her in how everything she wears makes her look pretty
Lil bro – Complimented his affection towards others
Sister’s boyfriend – Complimented how he looks wearing military clothes
Friend N – Complimented her personality
Friend JP – Complimented his personality
Friend A – Complimented his personality
Friend JU – Complimented her personality
Friend JL – Said I found it awesome how he was able to take a picture with a cosplayer

As for the reactions..I noticed there were mixed reactions. Most of the people I complimented were flattered and asked stuff like "Wow, is that true about me?" "Thank you!" but I also noticed that some of the people I complimented ignored my compliment and kept on with the conversation! :( I found that a bit hurtful since I think it's rude not to say at least a thank you after I went out of my way to compliment them but I'll just keep my conscious clean and believe that, even if it was internally, my compliment made them feel good about themselves which was my intention. :)

Lessons

I learned that not everybody reacts the same way and that we all have our own way of being. I re-noticed my habit to interpret no feedback as bad feedback and that makes me sad because I feel I might be stupid and making a fool out of myself for even bothering to be kind (Even thought the logical solution would be to offer kindness without expecting anything in return). I realized that I am not yet at peace with this side of mine that requires feedback to make sure I'm doing good due to childhood habits and beliefs instead of understanding that, even if nobody agrees, it doesn't mean that I'm wrong.

Kindness Challenge Day 4: Sign Up For Volunteer Work (On Top of Whatever You Have Been Doing)

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Because I know I can contribute, I therefore believe I can volunteer my contribution.
-Preston Tulay, former Peace Corps and UN Volunteer.

Ok, so today's task is to sign up for volunteer work. Even if you already did sign up for volunteer work beforehand or are currently volunteering already - the idea is to make an extra effort and sign up or do yet another act of volunteer work. I know this task can sound daunting to some but the feeling of fulfillment is wonderful! :) If you want to hear a more detailed description on today's task go directly to the challenge at PersonalExcellence.co

If you haven't signed up to the 14-day kindness challenge yet then where are you? You're still on time! Register HERE and join me and hundreds more on this wonderful challenge! Sign-ups will close soon so register RIGHT NOW!

Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make the world a kinder place - together. :)

My experience

 What volunteer work did you select?

I have to be honest, I was confused on what to do at first since I'd only consider volunteer work as something I'd do outside of my home (Example: cooking/cleaning at a church, helping out at the school library, sign-up for a cause). While all of this types of volunteer work are great I didn't feel like I could find a place to do volunteer work like this at the current moment - so - I decided that in the meanwhile I'd do volunteer work for my mom by tutoring my little brother on his school subjects but I will keep searching for opportunities to sign-up to an official organization and do my volunteer work. :)

 Which organization have you signed up for (or will be signing up for)? 

My mother? haha

Why did you pick this organization? 

As I explained previously, I have yet to find an official organization to sign-up for so in the meantime I'll tutor my little brother.

What is the duration you have selected to volunteer with them?

I decided to tutor my little brother starting today till first semester ends in December or till I finish my volunteer hours (In my country you have to do 40 hours of volunteer work to graduate from highschool).

Lessons 

I learned that if we give up before we try then your goals will lead to nothing. I learned this lesson because I know I did not give my all for today's task due to the 'limitations' but the truth is this 'limitations' I'm speaking of are purely mental. There are tons of organizations to sign-up to in my country. It's just a matter of trying before saying "I can't".

*I'll update this post as soon as I sign-up for volunteer work*

Update: I wasn't able to sign up for volunteer work at the Church because the only volunteer work available is singing and I don't sing but my friend offered me an alternative. She said I could teach her and another mutual friend to cook ramen(my specialty) and different types of desserts and we're gonna do that at least once a month! :) Though I'm still on the lookout for signing up to an official volunteer work.

Kindness Challenge Day 3: Write 3 Thank-You Notes to 3 People You Appreciate

Saturday, November 3, 2012

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

Winston Churchill

Today's task can vary from writing 3 short thank-you notes to writing 3 long and detailed thank-you note's. Whatever applies for each person who you choose to give the thank you notes it's ok, though truthfully, the more heartfelt and sincere the thank-you note is, the better. ;) For a more detailed description on the 14-Day Kindness Challenge go directly to the website at PersonalExcellence.co

By the way, have you signed up for the 14-Days Kindness Challenge yet? If not then what are you waiting for? Register RIGHT NOW and join me and hundreds more in this wonderful journey of kindness before registrations close! Invite your friends and family members. Join NOW and become a kinder person today!

Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make the world a kinder place - together. :)

Fill everyone in on who you picked, how you chose to express your appreciation, why and their responses when they received the thank-you notes (where applicable)

I decided to give thank-you notes to my dad, my mom and life coach Celestine Chua. It wasn't a requisite for today's task but I had an idea to add a special touch to my thank-you notes by doing something for each person that meant something for them, even if it was something small.

Dad:

 I decided to express my appreciation via e-mail because he works hard to make a living for us almost each day and because I am honored to have a dad with the same hobbies as me and who loves me.

Response: He almost cried and said he loved the e-mail and that it was really beautiful.

Special Touch: I watched some videos that he had wanted me to see for some days now and then we talked about it and exchanged ideas.

Mom:

I decided to express my appreciation via sending her a text message because I feel thankful for all the sacrifices she does for us.

Response: She was touched and called me sweet.

Special Touch:  I asked her “In what can I help you today?” and she said to  fold the clothes in my room and I did exactly that.

Celestine Chua:

I left her a note on the comments section of today's task because I feel appreciated for all the time she's put on her blog and how it's impacted my life.

Response: She replied and thanked me for it.

Special Touch: I shared one of her blog's Personal Excellence's articles to a friend of mine that could benefit from it.

Little brother:

I didn't write him a note because of the age but I did whisper into his ear 'Thank you for being my brother".

Response: He hugged me

 Special Touch: I let him borrow my chef hat and cooked brownies with him.

Older brother:

My older brother is very hard to reach so instead of giving him a thank-you note I decided to watch a show he had wanted me to watch for some days now, and just like my dad, I talked with him about it and exchanged ideas. I'm more than sure he was happy by the act.

 Lessons 

 My lesson today is that while I was the one doing the kind acts I realized that sometimes we take what people do for us for granted and don't realize the extra effort and special thoughts they go through to do kind acts towards us. What for them was maybe a random act from my part; in my eyes was an act of making their lives better even if it was for a split second. It's like the saying goes "It's the little things that matter the most".

Kindness Challenge Day 2: Give Up Your Seat To Someone

Friday, November 2, 2012

“Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Day 2 of the Kindness Challenge, the task is simple: Give up your seat to somebody else. If you can't realize the task for today (in the scenario that you don't find an opportunity to offer your sit to somebody else) then keep your eyes out for the following days till you are able to realize the assigned task. For a more detailed description go directly to the kindness challenge at Personal Excellence.co, leave a comment and share with the world how you accomplished your task today and if you haven't signed up for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge yet, then what are you waiting for? Register NOW! :)

Update: Registrations for the 14-Day Kindness Challenge at PE have closed but you are still free to do the challenge at your own pace, any time. You can always share your results in the comments section in Basked in Sunshine. Thank you so much for reading my experience. I hope it will serve as an inspiration for you guys/gals in the near future. Let's make the world a kinder place - together. :)

When I heard of today's task I was wondering how I'd get the opportunity to give up my seat to somebody else since I'm a skinny, short and 99% of the times surrounded by guys (most of my friends are guys) and in my culture it's considered rude for guys to not offer their seats to girls with my physical traits. Another situation that happened is that I didn't go to school today(though now I realize I should had) and well..where I am leading with this..is that even with this 'limitations'..I was surprised at how the universe did brought to me an opportunity in which I could give up my seat for somebody else and to get a hug from a close friend who I had wanted a hug from since yesterday.

A text from a friend:

 Yesterday, I had contacted a friend from another school to hang out (And to get a hug for the challenge as well haha). Well we agreed to meet up but he cancelled at the last minute because the weather got bad. He did go to school, contrary to me, and text me around 3 pm that he happened to be in my neighborhood. I thought "Wow! Even though the idea to contact him so we could hang out originated from wanting a hug for the challenge, it's wonderful how the universe works!"

I got dressed and we went to the park. At the park there were 2 swings. One of them was more comfortable than the other and I at first sat at the uncomfortable swing. At this point I had entirely forgotten about the challenge and the irony was that he offered his swing to me and I accepted since I totally forgot about the challenge! The irony..but the good thing is that I got 2 hugs, yay! :D

My point is that yesterday I was sad I did not got my hug from this friend (since he was in my priority list for hugs) and with this experience I realized that when you want something..somehow..the universe will bring it to you! :D It was really wonderful and we spent a great time together! :) It made me feel like I had finally finished the hugging task from day 1.

Who did I give up my seat to today? Where did I give up my seat? How did I feel when doing this act of kindness?

I wasn't able to give up my seat to anybody but, in the living room of my home, I was able give up the sofa I was in to my little brother who was napping in the same sofa as my older sister and this was causing her discomfort. I felt happy because I was able to allow my brother and sister to nap better. It felt great because I honestly thought I wouldn't be getting 2 hugs and less have a chance to offer my sofa (chair?) to somebody else when I hadn't even gone to school! (In which there are higher chances to get a chance like giving up my seat to somebody.)

Lessons

I learned that the universe is wonderful and very mysterious. I think it's wonderful how things just fall into place. With today I proved my personal theory that if it's meant to be, in time it will happen. It's a beautiful feeling and I love it. With all honesty, the kindness challenge is making a big difference in my life with just 2 days!! So what you waiting for? Join me and 770 780 790 800 810 more and COUNTING in the Kindness Challenge at Personal Excellence.co!! Invite your family and friends and be a kinder person today!! :)