How To Help Those Affected By The So Cal Fires
As 2017 comes to a close, it seems like it one way it will be remembered will be the year of the natural disaster, and the year of helping those in need and being so grateful for the brave first responders.
With so many of you, your families, animals, loved ones, communities and clients being impacted by this most recent tragedy, I wanted to share some resources with you if you want to help or need help. As with anything, please do your own research and do what speaks to your heart, even it is means simply hitting the share button.
The Lilac Fire in particular hit way too close to home for me as my Stepmom and Brother live inside the mandatory evacuation and my Mom and our best family friends live only a few miles outside of the evacuations. They are all safe, and for that, we are so grateful.
“Look for the helpers.” Mister Rogers
Image via Google Crisis Response
Here is a list of some resources I have vetted, but again, please do your own research and support whatever speaks to your heart…
Professional Beauty Association Disaster Relief Fund
Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation
Human Society of Ventura
Go Fund Me Direct Impact Fund + Fire Related Go Fund Me Campaigns (for the individual fire related campaigns, swipe left on mobile to see ALL campaigns)
Facebook Crisis Response
San Luis Rey Training Center Go Fund Me
Kwasney Fire Fund (this is a specific family of my friend and beauty industry leader Riawna Capri)
Urbane Cafe Adopt A Box
Thomas Fire Fund
As always, if you want to find a way to help, simply Google “ways to help So Cal fire victims”. If you want to create your own fundraiser to help, here is a blog I wrote a few months ago on How To Create A Fundraiser + Give Back
Our hearts and prayers are with all those suffering.
With love-
Nina @passionsquared
5 Lessons of Gratitude in Action
In the month of November, we witnessed gratitude in action, online and off, thanks to all you passionate + courageous humans who joined our #gratefulAF challenge. Our intention with this challenge was to help you see value in beginning a lifelong practice of daily gratitude.
To be honest, I had no idea when we created this challenge how it would go. November is a “busy” month, yet it took off and took on a life of it’s own, which I am in awe of and so grateful for.
For some context, gratitude is a cornerstone of all that we are and do at Passion Squared, because gratitude both saved, and changed, my life, you can read more about that here. I have seen how gratitude can change everything, as when you are grateful, you are empowered, and when you are empowered, there is nothing that can stop you.
What did we learn about gratitude in action?
1. It’s so easy to lose perspective and so simple to get it back
This lesson came from watching your energy shift as the month went on.
Watching you discover how gratitude changes perspective was awesome. So much of our angst at times comes from a loss of perspective. We get so wrapped up in our own shit that we end up with a distorted view of what is real and what is imaginary. Gratitude is a perspective keeper.
2. Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is a key to growth
This lesson was apparent from week 1, when we asked you to buy coffee for a stranger and in week 3 when we asked that you buy a meal for someone.
No matter what business you are in, or social circle you keep, some of us are so focused on “playing it safe” that we have stunted our own growth. Nothing in life, or biz, is guaranteed. Failure is inevitable. But if you want to grow, it will be uncomfortable and uncertain. That is where faith + courage come in, and yes, gratitude.
3. When we focus on service to others, we are being a service to ourselves
This lesson was super apparent throughout the month, whether it was when we shouted out our glam squad, or sent a surprise thank you note to a client, to sending flowers to a loved one.
When we give joy, we get joy. When we step out of ourselves, and begin to see the world around us, our hearts expand. We learn about the gifts of compassion & empathy, and realize we are not the center of the universe. This lesson helps us become better leaders, co-workers, companions and humans.
4. Giving is not about getting
This lesson came from watching you all give of yourselves all month, without asking anything in return. You just gave, and not surprisingly, you got so much back. Getting something from doing the challenge was not your intention. There was no prize, contest, or pot of gold at the end. You simply saw value in making a commitment to doing something different. And that leads us to lesson 5.
“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” John Bunyan
5. Value is in the eye of the beholder
You saw value in challenging yourself. You saw value in being of service to others. There are both biz + life lessons in this one. But the ONE biz lesson I will share is that we must dig deep to understand what our audience and team values. It’s easy to assume they all value the “prize”, but that is not always the case. And if we run and lead our business with prizes, eventually the prizes run dry, and where does that leave you?
Here’s the thing loves. There is always something to be grateful for. We don’t have to wait til November every year to be grateful. And lastly, gratitude changes everything.
From the bottom of my emoAF heart, thank you for stepping up and leading this challenge. Thank you for raising the vibration of your spaces and in turn, touching the hearts, minds and lives of many you will never even realize you did. Thank you for being beacons of light and love. We are #gratefulAF for you.
Love + Awesomeness-
Nina @passionsquared
BTS of This Blog
Total Time: 3 hours
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Editing/SEO/Proofing 30 min
Graphics made with Canva.com 30 min