Promise #87: Go bananas on giving

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A few months ago I entered into a twitter conversation of sorts with Amy Palko.

Amy had just put up a new header for her blog and tweeted for feedback. I’d been following Amy on twitter for a while. She was part of the tribe over at Roots of She. All. Good. Stuff.

Anyway, I saw her new header and the marketer in me immediately tweeted her back and asked, “Can I pleaaaaaaaaase help you?” It was probably the fifth conversation we shared on twitter, at best. But in reading her posts, being familiar with her voice and completely relating to her about page there was just something that immediately triggered inside me and urged me to just ask.

She agreed. We exchanged a few emails. I sent her a header. She sent me a little goddess guidance as a thank you. All. Good. Stuff.

We connected again right before the holiday. I decided to join her goddess guidance group on Facebook.

Whoa.

Now. I realize this sort of thing isn’t right for everybody. So, I’ll just say this…if you’re the least bit intrigued, either send me an email or just join the group for a month. This is not an affiliate post. I have nothing to gain from you joining, other than getting to know you in that circle of energy. You, on the other hand, have everything to gain.

Amy’s created a sacred space full of generous, supportive, smart, funny souls.

In a recent post she suggested we join her in 29 days of random kindness. I’m all in for that sort of goodness, because I so strongly believe in the power of giving freely without expectation or hope of reward. And that’s because every time I do give, every time, I’m reminded that good begets good.

I shared the 29 days of kindness thought with my husband and added that I thought I’d show up here, in this twisted space, every day for the next 29 days. He questioned my ability to do that (he knows me) and although I already proved him right by missing yesterday…I’m in a game-on sort of mood today.

So let me catch up.

Yesterday, on the first day of giving I baked up my boys’ favorite breakfast: banana bread. I dragged my tired bum to the kitchen and started cooking it up right after launching my newly-reworked ink engage website (see, I was a little busy yesterday).

Today, I launched a giveaway on ink engage for 5 lucky business owners to cash in on fearless consulting. If you have a business or you’re thinking of starting one, enter to win. You have nothing to lose.

If you don’t have a business and would never think of entering then you’re probably wondering: what the heck, what about me?

You might want to stick around for the next 28 days. On February 29th I’m launching my first e-book in this space. I’m writing it just for you. Here’s a peak at the cover…

 

In the meantime, though, I’m sharing my banana bread recipe and hoping to inspire you to spend the next 28 days sharing your own goodness with the world.

 

What’s your story? Are you in?

Promise #67: Regiveaway joy (A giveaway for you)

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A joy that’s shared is a joy made double.

-American Proverb

I am a big fan of joy. Who isn’t? Sure there’s that cranky old witch or warlock who lives on the corner of Such & Such Street who’s never smiled a day in your life. There’s that person. But who else? Thinking. T-h-i-n-k-i-n-g.

T—h—i—n———k———i———n———g.

Stumped? Me, too. I’m always in the mood for a little joy. It’s as free as a smile. It’s as genuine as child’s giggle. It’s soda-through-your-nose funny. Tears streaming from your eyes grateful. It’s easy to find, fun to remember, lovely to pass on. As if that’s not enough, it’s really the perfect antidote to all things joyless. No need to talk about those things today.

Let’s focus on the regive

This is not the same as a regift, mind you. Regift=bad. Regive=good, all good.

Think of the things worth regiving: sage advice, contagious laughter, pure honesty, deep love, hope, patience, kindness, courage, strength. Dig through a bottomless bag of virtues and you’ll find more worth the regive. More worth the share. While each is very different the end result is shockingly similar—it is joy.

Enter Regiving

A few months ago, Amanda Oaks of Kind Over Matter fame invited me to be a part of her Seven Souls One Musing interview series. Tickled pink, I signed on. All I needed to do was share a story about an experience that made me laugh to the core. Easy peasy? Not so. I realized there have been many.

There was that time I jumped in a crazy cab in NYC. My first week on the job. Leaving my “welcome” happy hour. Trying to catch a bus at Port Authority. The cab was chased by the cops to the center of Times Square. The cab driver spent the entire ride begging me to help him get off the hook. He forgot to turn on his occupied light, but I think there was more to his story. Not funny then, funny now.

There was that other time I yelled “TRAIIIIIIIIIIIIIN” when my 16-year-old-spanking-new-driver-brother drove over train tracks with no train in sight. Yes,  he beat me senseless while driving with one hand of the wheel, but I didn’t mind cause I was too busy laughing.

And then there was that time that I wrote about on Amanda’s blog…which is now in her ebook along with 29 other funny stories written by 29 amazing contributors.

And now the Regiveaway

If you click the ebook link above you can see everything that Amanda managed to tuck inside this amazing collaboration of stories. There are a total of 60 stories, along with inspiring, downloadable art.

Each contributor shared stories of laughter and kindness. I had the pleasure of reading through the book and I can tell you I was blown away. The kindness stories are unbelievably touching. The laughter stories are laugh-out-loud funny. The art work is very cool.

While I was thrilled to contribute to this I must admit, I was just more taken away at the power of joy and how that power manifests itself when it’s shared.

I want to regiveaway that joy to you.

It’s simple…very simple: share a story or a note in the comments below that will bring joy to someone’s world. It can be a story about anything, but one that will provide truth to the proverb above: a joy that’s shared is a joy made double. That’s it. I’ll choose a random (seroiusly random) winner on Sunday, June 19, 2011, at noon. You’ll need to be a Twisted Pinky email subscriber to win (so if you’re not already a subscriber sign up here).

And if you can’t wait until Sunday, then by all means buy your book today. It would make a wonderful Father’s Day, graduation, thinking-of-you gift. It would also be an amazing gift for you to give yourself. Really. When’s the last time you did that?

Share your story today. I can’t wait to read it!

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Artwork by Amanda Oaks.

Disclosure: Please note that, although I was totally stoked to contribute to Regiving, I was also stoked to sign up as an affiliate.  This means that if you purchase the book through the link provided in this post, I will receive a commission from Kind Over Matter. It’s probably worthy to note that not one word of this post would change if I were not an affiliate earning commission. The book rocks, plain and simple. When you win it, you’ll know.

Promise #64: Serve a greater good

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May you never know the price of freedom—

the mother’s anguish, the father’s loss.

 

May you live your days without restriction or fear

without hatred and opposition.

 

May you live in a constant state of peace and independence

free to make a difference in your own world.

 

And may you find a way to serve a greater good

in gratitude to the men and women,

the mothers and the fathers,

the sons and the daughters,

the sisters and the brothers,

who serve and have served

just so you may live your life

free to do

free to be.

Promise #55: Celebrate your awesomeness

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Everything you ever needed to know about yourself is clearly evident by the time you turn two. Sometimes you just need to dust off a baby picture and celebrate your awesomeness.

Promise #40: Giveaway gratitude

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Just four days in and I’m already digging November.

I haven’t felt this warm and fuzzy love for the pre-holiday rush in at least nine years. That’s because I was part of the gotta-have-it-for-the-holiday-hurricane. I ran a custom greeting card business. By the time November rolled around, I was in the eye of the storm.

Legend has it the eye is the calmest place to be, but that’s hardly the case.

My eyes were bloodshot by November from retouching photos and drafting custom designs. By Thanksgiving my hands would start aching from assembling bows and buttons, strings and things to more than a thousand cards. It was work. Hard work. Over the course of nine years, as the market continued to evolve and change, I lacked the passion to compete with Hallmark. It just wasn’t paying off. And with so much time and attention on cards, I wasn’t able to effectively run my advertising business.

I started shutting down in January, literally and figuratively.

I felt like my decision to close was a failure to succeed. I was embarrassed to discuss it with family and friends. I was nauseated over the notion of selling supplies and moving on. So for a month I just disconnected myself. I didn’t turn on my computer. I didn’t check email. I stopped answering my business phone.

Then I started breathing.

I started reading again. I started taking pictures. I went for walks, cooked great dinners, cleaned out closets. I reached out to my team of greeting card cronies on Etsy, told them my story and offered my supplies at cost. Many of them purchased supplies. Others encouraged me to open a store and destash on Etsy, which I did and will probably be doing for the next nine years. It’s shameless, but you can find stuff here.

By March I decided that I was tired of my own epic fail. Tired of thinking that I didn’t succeed. Tired of being embarrassed. Tired of wanting to cry every time I saw a piece of paper and an envelope.

Then I started writing, again.

I’m thankful for the family and friends who told me to quit whining and start writing. You were all so very patient and kind, really. I don’t know how you weren’t frustrated listening to me talk in circles, but I thank you for not showing it and just pouring me another glass of wine.

I’m thankful for the cyber support from pure strangers who bought my stuff and, without knowing me at all, echoed the encouragement of my clan. Hearing so many people from so many places tell me to quit whining and start writing really made me think that I should.

I’m thankful for all of you who subscribe to Twisted Pinky. On days when I suffer from writer’s ridiculosum- a nasty affliction that makes you believe you can’t write even though you can and you shouldn’t write, even though you should-I think of your smiling faces and the way some of you sometimes email me and ask, “where the hell is this week’s promise?” and really, it gets me to my keyboard.

I’m thankful for the facebook fans who chime in on the daily promise and sometimes share their own. And the twitteratzi that share promises with their world.

One way or another you have all given me the confidence to buck up. In just six months I’ve turned my boo-hooing into 40 promises,  a fresh look for ink (my ten- year-old ad business) and an outlet for my generally awesome card designs (more about that later and, no, I won’t be making any cards).

Now I want to giveaway a little gratitude.

Honestly, if you’re still reading you deserve a little something. I never wax on for this long.

One of the many Etsy artists who absorbed my supplies and reminded me there are still a few rainbows and unicorns in the world has willingly teamed up for a twisted giveaway of, you guessed it, holiday cards.

Angie Allen, of Jumping Jack Design fame, is offering 2 Twisted Pinky subscribers 1 set of holiday cards. Sweet. I’m offering to buy 2 more sets for 2 more subscribers just because I’m so freaking grateful a/that you’re here and b/I don’t have to make any cards this year.

That’s a total of 4 winners, even though you’re all winners in my book.

Here’s what you need to do to have your name entered to ONCE:

1. Subscribe to Twisted Pinky, if you haven’t already.

2. Check out these lovely holiday cards.

3. Tell me what your favorite card design is in the comments.

If you want your name entered THREE TIMES you also need to:

4. Retweet this post OR

5. Follow Twisted Pinky on facebook

I’ll select a winner bright and early Monday morning and send a quick subscriber email to let you all know who won. Good luck. And, from the bottom of my heart, thanks for being here.