“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.”
Herman Melville
Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.
This is a story about social good. And about a beautiful hairdresser I know named Molly. And how some awesome heroes, and Facebook, saved her life.
We have become so jaded it seems, complaining about the platforms we choose to be on, about the ugliness that is shared, about the political rants. But while all of that is going on, something awesome happened. A life was saved.
Molly decided to follow her heart and travel the world. Something many dream of, but she had the courage to do it. I have been following her adventures via Facebook, as her family and friends had been too. To watch her have so much joy and freedom, so much adventure and happiness was so inspiring.
Then something happened. She had an accident. In Laos. She had no ID on her. She was going to die.
You see, the social web is what we make it. Just like anything. We can find it empowering, for ourselves, our communities and our businesses, or we can be mad at it. We can choose to add value to the conversation, or muddy it up with ugliness and TMI. We can choose to let it connect us, or push us away. It’s a choice. I am so grateful Molly, her family, her friends and the heroes that saved her life chose to use Facebook as a way to connect and share. As a way to stay in touch. A way in which it is meant to be used.
Molly has a long road to recovery ahead of her. If you feel inspired to share this story, share. If you feel inspired to donate to Molly’s recovery, click here Molly Deimeke GoFundMe.
To learn more about Molly’s story and the heroes who saved her life, click here. And bring the tissues. You will need it.
“True heroism is remarkably sober, very un-dramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others, at whatever cost.”
Arthur Ashe
This short film by Sharon Wright gave us goose bumps. We know there are many everyday heroes amongst us who are truly changing the world for the better. If each of us would simply slow down and take the time to be present (and really see all that surrounds us), we are sure to see and be inspired by more of these quiet heroes who are making the world for a better place for us all.
For more information on this filmmaker and her life changing projects, visit My Next Inspirational Film. Amazing!
(shared with love from your passionistas Nina+Gordon)
PS: The victims of Hurricane Sandy still need our help. If you can, please donate your time, money or by sharing information on how to help. To donate money, please visit the NCA Disaster Relief Fund or the Red Cross. Thank you.
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
Mother Teresa
This inspiring video at TedxTalks by Drew Dudley completely re-frames the meaning of leadership, and shows that we all have the power to help change the world by making a single person’s life a bit more beautiful. All it takes is a making a positive impact on one moment to one person, one day at a time. WOW.
The amazing industry we play in everyday offers us all so many opportunities to create “lollipop moments” – whether it be for those entering our profession looking for direction, for peers in need of some mentorship, or even for our clients.
If it were not for those who created “lollipop moments” for us, we would not be where we are today, and so we are forever grateful to the people who created them for us. Do you have a “lollipop moment”? Think about it.
(shared with LOVE from your pasisonistas Nina + Gordon)
