WOW! What a weekend. For the past 3 days I have been immersed in “The Mental Journey to Millions” with Matthew Ferry and Thach Nguyen. These guys are so committed to serving others and sharing the power of contribution. It’s just a joy to be in a room with 1000+ people who think big and choose to have their lives make a difference for others.
Here’s what I got this weekend - and I am grateful for it!
1. Grasping the distinction ‘being’ from ‘doing’. As a big doing kinda gal, my brain literally hurts when it’s suggested that I do less to attract more. In the brief moments that I CAN fully get that concept, I see total flow and freedom. And then I get in my own way. I’ll be working on transforming that.
2. Getting how lucky I am to have a huge community of people who support our vision for Affirmagy. The realization of our dreams lies in others. Without one another none of us would have the opportunity to live our best lives. This weekend I got reconnected to that powerful idea in a really really big way.
3. Choosing to declare miracles on a daily basis. Things are moving so fast around here, sometimes I forget to do the happy dance. And it’s in the feeling good about what we’ve each attracted that creates the space for MORE of that happy dance material to show up. Whew. Thanks for reminding me guys.
Today is a great day. Period. And I am so grateful for all the parts of my life.
Announcing Gratitude is My Attitude Day
June 18th, 2007Kirsten Harrell of ipopin.com had this GREAT idea that I am borrowing - weekly Gratitude Day. Isn’t that brilliant?! Thanks Kirsten.
So, starting now, let’s all begin the week grateful for the people, experiences, information, wisdom, opportunities, and ah-ha’s that makes life such an adventure.
Here is something I am grateful for today:
My good friend Nancy Juetten shared this inspirational movie with me today. Her email said to grab the tissue, and I didn’t listen. That was a mistake. Start to finish this piece is 2 minutes max. If you are into making a difference, this is must see. http://www.stservicemovie.com/
Affirmagy Summer Sale!
June 10th, 2007Have you seen it? Have you heard? Affirmagy is having a Summer Sale. Everything is 25% Off (except our Exclusive Book and Blanket Bundle) . This is the first and last sale we will have all year. No kidding.
And the fleece is flying. This is the perfect time to get a jump on all your fall gift giving needs. Grab your credit card, and click to shop your heart out.
Diary of a fundraiser.
June 7th, 2007Creating the Book and Blanket Bundle to benefit breast cancer education and research was an easy decision. Doing good in the world is what our company is all about.
Spreading the word about our vision to raise $400,000 by October 31, 2007 in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a totally different conversation.
Today I want to thank and acknowledge several people who are helping spread the word and encourage folks to spend $39.95 to make a big difference in the lives of many. We are grateful for their support.
Shannon Bruce, CPCC and Founder of Your Greater Purpose included a wonderful article about Affirmagy in her May enewsletter.
Nancy Juetten, Kathe Shaw Basset, Elke Siller Macartney & several other ‘Affirmagy Angels’ who will remain anon at this time.
Thank you all for finding inventive ways to help us raise $400,000 for breast cancer education and research.
If you have an idea, a insight, and action or an ah-ha that you believe will help us reach our goal, please email to kristen@affirmagy.com. And please, share us with your world.
The Power of Pink!
June 5th, 2007I discovered Play for P.I.N.K. cruising the internet, researching organizations that I could ‘put my name to”. That’s one of my standards for the charities we align with - would I personally write them a check.
During my years as a board member and president of Washington Women In Need, I learned a great deal about non-profits, how they run (yes, they are businesses) and what to concern myself with as a donor.
I was impressed with Play for P.I.N.K. for many reasons, so I decided to give them a call (see my post on the The Task is to Ask). Boy am I glad I did. What a great group of powerful women totally dedicated to raising money for cutting edge breast cancer research.
Today you can donate to this great organization by designating 20% of your purchase at Affirmagy by entering “Play4Pink” in the promotion code box as you check out. It’s easy.
We have also decided to give a portion of the dollars raised from the sales of our Book and Blanket Bundle to PFP. Together, we’re making a difference!
Raising Money for Breast Cancer, part 2
June 3rd, 2007April 16th I was in Washington DC at an event and I got it! Raise $300,000 through the sale of Affirmawraps in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
It was so clear!
Now all I needed were some strategic partners, one hell of a PR campaign and a ton of word of mouth to propel this idea to success!
I also knew from other brainstorming we’d done, that creating a gift pack with a Chicken Soup for the Soul book was a winning idea. And so the Book and Blanket Bundle was born!
After collecting our thoughts, and sharing the idea, the team at Chicken Soup embraced it. And I couldn’t be more grateful to have them on our team. Remarkable!
Next, what organizations shall we give $400,000 (yes, in the process our goal grew $100K)?
Great question…..
Raising money for breast cancer
June 2nd, 2007One day it dawned on me that two of the most influential women in my life were breast cancer survivors. One more a survivor of colon cancer. My life would simply not be what is it without these women in it. Period.
Back in November I received an email from a woman named Erin whom I have never met. Her email floored me. That week she’d lost her best friend to breast cancer. Reading her email, I cried and cried at the prospect of losing one of my dear friends. The pain would seem unbearable.
Then I began connecting the dots. How could Erin have the courage and poise to write me a thank you letter after her friend lost her battle with this awful disease? What strength. What grace. What a perfect example of women all over this country who face cancer everything it is to be human.
So, the light bulb got brighter. An idea began to take shape. And I knew what I had to do.
The unintentional break
June 1st, 2007Even those of us who live intentional lives, do things unintentionally now and then. So is the case with my blogging activities in April and May. Here’s why I nearly disappeared:
Somewhere over the past 3 months, a BIG light bulb went off over my head. One day I asked myself, “why can’t we weave charitable giving into the fabric of our company?”. And then the flood gates began to open. I started talking to people I trusted, started looking at the financial impact on our growing enterprise, but mostly I started dreaming about the WAYS we could raise money for non-profits. And for me, that’s the really good part.
So, that’s where I’ve been - working away, dreaming, scheming and thinking about how this could possibly all work. Our first success was connecting with the Amercian Cancer Society Relay For Life events. See my post from early April. Today things are continuing to evolve and grow, and people are beginning to notice. So stay tuned. And get an insiders look into the birth of an idea has the potential to change many lives.
Cool Goodies for those who love The Secret
May 30th, 2007Rhonda Byrne and her team are creating magic, again. Yesterday I visited The Secret website and to my delight discovered they have added all kinds of goodies called Secret Gifts. It’s worth a trip to check out and find a gift for yourself.
This morning I started my day with this truly wonderful video clip. What a way to start a day!
Shift Shift Shift
May 29th, 2007Every once in awhile, I get overwhelmed by the magnitude of what I’ve done over the past year and a half to be able to run Affirmagy full time. It’s been one of the most rewarding, scary and down right “whoa, can’t believe I did that” times in my life.
So, occasionally I get stuck in my own “mind trash” and I start having some pretty unproductive conversations with myself. Oh goodie.
The good news is I am a quick study, and after a day or so of this I decided enough was enough and I decided to shift my thinking. Here’s the cool part. Within 24 hours of me changing my tune, the universe responded. Today I had no less than four people offer to support our current efforts. I was blown away by the opportunities literally flooding my inbox this morning.
I tell ya, it pays to listen to what you are telling yourself. And it pays off when we are willing to do something about it.
Life is good!
Kristen Marie Schuerlein is committed to living intentionally by harnessing the power of affirmations. After 11 years at the helm of a successful graphic design and marketing company she founded Affirmagy, a company that creates fleece blankets silk screened with positive affirmations. Kristen’s positive life force inspires others to design - and live - a life they love.
