Inspiration Through Charity

On a day like today, September 11th, when thoughts turn to that horrible day of such hate and anger, I’d love to turn my thoughts and attention to the good that is being done in the world. There are so many of us that want to help and want to make a difference in the world but we don’t know where to turn or what to do. Well, last week I met an incredibly inspiring woman named Margaret Trost. She literally brought me to tears with her story and the impact that she has made in this world. After losing her husband to an untimely death, she went on to heal her broken heart through service. It was on this journey that she discovered the dire needs of children in Haiti. When she visited Haiti and asked what she could do to help, she was told that if she could raise money to feed the children ONE meal per WEEK, that would be incredible. Not only did she succeed in doing that but she has developed a program that provides funding for 5,000 meals a week to Haiti’s children, offers educational scholarships, and supports a summer camp in Port-au-Prince. 

She has written recently written a book about this remarkable journey called On That Day, Everybody Ate. I highly recommend that you read it.  http://www.onthatdayeverybodyate.org/

Margaret will be hosting a reading of this book and talking more about her experience and what we can do to help on Tuesday, September 16th 2008 at 7:00pm at Books Inc in Laurel Village, 3515 California Street San Francisco, CA. I will definitely be there to hear her speak and would love for you all to join me.

To learn more about Margaret and her organization, click here: http://whatiffoundation.org/

Recommended Reading

I am often asked for a list of books that I recommend for new clients so I thought I would share that with you now. While I find that I could read 24 hours a day and still never read all of the ones that I would like to, there are some that I have read and think you will find very helpful/inspiring:

1.  Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck – Written by a Oprah’s life coach, gives great exercises in how to find your true self
2. A New Earth – Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle  – Talks about the power of the ego over our lives and how to control it
3. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle – Explains how anxiety only comes from thinking about the past or future and how in the present, there is no anxiety
4. The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris – Great “how to” work less / earn more book with specific advice
5. Do You by Russell Simmons – Highlights the importance of listening to your intuition in business
6. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - Beautiful allegory about following your dreams
7. I Don’t Know What I Want to Do But I Know Its Not This by Julie Jansen -Great exercises to help you hone in on what career path you should take)
8. Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston – Overall wellness book – stress, diet, exercise, meditation, etc

Books I haven’t read but are next on my list:

1.  One Person/Multiple Careers; A New Model for Work/Life Success by Marci Alboher – How some of us were not meant to do just one thing
2.  Refuse to Choose by Barbara Sher – Similar to above but how some of us (me!) do a little of everything and how to maximize that in your life)
3.  Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris – Just started this, fiction novel about office life – humor of movie “Office Space”

 

If you have others that you think that I or others would enjoy, please post a comment!