Motivational Monday: When Nothing Goes Right...4 Creative Ways to Solve Problems

Thought for the Day:  I had a very busy day and decided to repost this Motivational Monday post from last March 2013, when I started this blog series of motivational posts. Have a great start to the week. I have sad news to tell you. Yesterday, 6 and 1/2 year old Katy Sullivan, the rockstar heart transplant recipient passed away. She had a year and a half with her new heart and was able to return to dance lessons and lead a normal life for some of the time, but a couple of months ago started a downhill slide. There are 3 posts about Katy: How to Heal Broken Hearts,  Better Than the Oscars, Let It Go from Songs for the Soul.

Thought for the Day: My daughter sent me an image of an anonymous inspirational quote on facebook this week which said, "when nothing goes right... go left." She sends me quotes & images when she finds one that she thinks I might want to use in my blog or on my facebook page (where I post creative images & quotes). I loved the quote which came in simple black ink on white background (see photo on right). However,  I felt I needed to expand on it. The image above begins to give my take on how I help people explore all the options when nothing seems to be going right. I decided to use it to offer four tips to help you find alternatives when nothing seems to be going right. Feel free to ask questions about my new quote: "when nothing is going right to go left, up, down, around, under & anyway you can to make things work better. - Dr. Barbara Lavi"

Whether the Glass Is 1/2 Full or 1/2 Empty Make The Most With What You Have Left

Photo source: wimo.blogg.no

Thought for the day: Before the storm I saw a similar photo which I posted on facebook. In light of Hurricane Sandy, the thought has additional significance. Be thankful that you still have a glass and that there is something in it. Some people have only broken glass and their lives, otheres have lost loved ones as well as homes & belongings. If you were fortunate enough to have more, be the glass & contents for your neighbors, friends & strangers. Adversity leads to creative problem solving out of necessity. I'll be sharing some of the creative ways people are helping one another here in my town, but I'd love to hear other ways you & your towns' innovative ways of coping with the aftermath of the storm.

As I reported on facebook, I was lucky. Although we lost power & are still in the dark at home, there is a lot of light coming from the town & neighbors. This is the 3rd time in the last year and a half that CT has been hit by extensive power outages. The last one a year ago left us without power for 2 wks.  Because of the extended power outages in the past, our town was ready to jump into action.

The morning after the storm a tree on my street was cut so that one lane of cars could get by. There were however hundreds of streets impacted by fallen trees. Yesterday, when we came to the "comfort station" set up at the high school, I realized how happy I was to see wood chipping & landscaping trucks all over town. I also saw CLP crews working everywhere I went. The license plates of electric crews were from KT, TX, CA and even Canada.

People are helpful wherever you go as well. On the 1st day after the storm while we worked to clear a tree from our mailbox & driveway,  a neighbor we had only met once stopped, brought their chain saw & helped us cut both trees. Since we only had a hand saw, they saved us hours of labor.

The town comfort station has hot meals for $2.00 to $5.00, hot showers, power strips & tables set up for people to use the internet, for children, the gym, a ping pong room, all the fields outside & movies are being aired a few times a day, & water is available for all to take. Last night, since the temperatures were forecast to go into the 30's they also provided cots for residents to sleep at the high school.

Today was the first time that I actually looked at some of the damage in other parts of the northeast & is is upsetting to see. I feel lucky that what I am dealing with is minimal. If you are reading this & can become part of the glass or the contents of the glass for people who have suffered greater losses, do what you can. Even a call & words of support may help someone get through these tough times.

Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Dream! You Can't Afford Not to Dream!

Fighting Povery & Saving Landfills

How Can You Make Music From Broken Bottles?

Thought for the day: You can't afford not to dream.  In the current economic climate many people have survived several lay-offs only to find themselves overwhelmed by a workload they simply can’t manage. They drag themselves to work every single day, both fearing & hoping for a lay-off to occur. They feel stuck, but are truly afraid to consider leaving a steady paycheck behind. You may be thinking, “Dreams cost money & I’m already struggling financially.” Or, “I can’t afford to follow my dreams.” In this day & age, financial concerns are weighing on everyone’s minds. I read a billboard recently, which said: “Recession 101: Bill Gates Started Microsoft During a Recession.” There are creative ways to accomplish aspirations even when financial resources are tight. Visionaries, like Bill Gates, don’t let finances stop them from working toward their dreams. Instead, they find creative ways to finance them. Do financial constraints keep you from following your dreams?

People say, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” I believe, “Where there’s a dream, there’s a way.” Creative problem solving skills which foster innovation even when challenged by financial restraints are related to another Dream Quotient (DQ) ability which enables people to follow their dreams. There are multiple ways to start working on your dreams even with limited financial resources. In my book, some of the creative solutions used are presented like the inventor of the cute buttons, jibbitzes, that you can buy for Crocs, the colorful rubber sandals with holes. These decorative buttons that fit into the holes you see on Crocs were designed by a housewife, Sherry Schmeltzer.  Jibbitz is a company founded by Rich and Sheri Schmelzer.  Sherry initially made them for her daughter, but when her daughter’s friends suddenly wanted them too, she began making them out of her garage. To make a long story short, this previously unknown housewife’s idea became an overnight success & Crocs bought her company for a 20 million dollars,. Unfortunately, not every idea will lead to a million-dollar business, but every million-dollar business began with a creative idea. What creative talents & activities do you enjoy? Don’t ignore them! Find a way to incorporate them into your life.

Another way to finance your dreams is to continue working in a job while you develop your dreams on the weekends or evenings. I saw a woman on television who works during the day as a construction worker. At night & on weekends she spends her time making chocolate floral arrangements. Her creations are simply beautiful, very tasty, & very time consuming. With hard work & determination she has turned this into a small business. It is her passion—a true labor of love—& since it’s something she enjoys, it enhances her life until she can attain the wealth necessary to leave her day job far behind. There are many ways to learn the skills necessary for a new career before leaving a steady job. Nowadays, there are innovative weekend & night schools for most professions. You can even take courses online from the comfort of your own home. There are scholarships for working mothers & fathers, as well as internships & apprenticeships that are available. You can also volunteer in a new field in your spare time to see if the work is to your liking. As you investigate these types of exploratory experiences, you will also be building a resume that will help you land employment in the new field if you choose to pursue it.

Two of the Dream Nonprofit organizations, Music From A Bottle & Rock & Wrap It Up, featured in & benefiting from my book exemplify how you do not need a lot of money to follow your dreams.

The founder of Music From A Bottle was unemployed & trying to figure out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life before the idea for his organization came to him. He had been working as a counselor with a non-profit organization which assists youth infected with HIV, but he had recently been laid off. He was also a musician & wanted to get back into the music industry, but wasn’t sure how to just yet. Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass at the end of a concert became music to his ears. He saw how to turn those broken bottles into a way to bring music into his life while supplying music education to enhance the lives of underprivileged kids. In addition, he would be saving America’s landfills at the same time.

It is Music From A Bottle's goal to donate one instrument a month to K-12 school music programs, provide music instruction & music business education. Millions of beverage bottles, both glass & plastic, are disposed of annually. By collecting & recycling bottles from music festivals & restaurants, he would help clean up our global waste & find a purpose for those bottles by encouraging the musical development of children around the globe. To purchase The Wake Up And Dream Challenge & donate 1/2 of the profit to Music from A bottle, click here

It took Syd Mandlebaum several years to develop the idea of Rock & Wrap It Up. In the the summer of 1991 that Syd Mandlebaum started the recovery of food from Jones Beach Theater. This “rock star’ quality leftover food was recovered & brought directly to the soup kitchen Syd had helped found in 1987. Syd realized that if food was left over at one venue where rock bands played, food was potentially available at every concert venue in the United States & around the world. He dreamed of recovering all of it before it was dumped in landfills. This food could then be distributed to the hungry instead. His dream, Rock & Wrap it Up! was launched nationally Labor Day 1994.

Since its inception in 1991, Rock & Wrap It Up has: Donated to over 43,000 shelters & places of need; Collaborated with 60 sports franchises, 150 bands, & 200 schools; Collected more than 250 million pounds of food; & Fed more than 500 million people.

Rock & Wrap It Up! is an anti-poverty think tank. Using greening tactics, Rock & Wrap It Up! recovers food & other assets to agencies fighting poverty, increasing their operating budgets. This allows the agencies to hire more services such as tutors, social workers, job placement counselors & mental health counselors to attack the root cause of poverty. To purchase The Wake Up And Dream Challenge & donate 1/2 of the profits to Rock & Wrap It Up, click here.

Are financial constraints keeping you from following your dreams? Have you found creative ways to move toward your dreams? I'd love to hear about them.