GoHuman Blog

Four weeks down, and a lifetime to go! I just need to put it out there how great I’m feeling since having changed my eating habits. Once I entered adulthood, I never paid much attention to nutritional value. Make no mistake, when I was growing up, we were allowed McDonald’s once a week and that was pretty much it. Otherwise, my mom cooked homemade meals every night of the week. With that being said, I didn’t like vegetables then and I have yet to acquire much of a taste for them, now.

The greatest transition I’ve gone through over these past four weeks is the change in my physical well being. I wake up in the morning with more energy. I no longer feel lethargic during the day. And after eating a meal, I don’t feel like immediately going to take a nap. I’ve also noticed my mind is clearer, which allows me to focus better throughout the days. What’s more, this is usually peak season for my allergies to get completely out of control and (knock on wood) I’ve yet to experience some of the  usual symptoms that typically occur for me, this time of year.

The best part about this wellness program is the gradual process of changing old, bad eating habits and replacing them with new, good ones. This is equally true for the weight loss I’m experiencing. At this stage of the game, many people might be discouraged about how slow it’s taking for the weight to drop. However, just the other day, I suddenly realized I was using the fourth notch of my belt-loop, as opposed to the usual second.

During each weekly consultation with the dr., she gives me a new recipe to try out, which usually contains a few added ingredients that are more in alignment with the kinds of foods I enjoy.

What’s next? Dr. Angela is prepping me for “life after the wellness program.” Part of last week’s assignment was to provide her with a list of all the foods I’ve enjoyed in the past, i.e. tacos, fries, burgers, pizza, chocolate, etc. With that in mind, she’s going to show me how I can still have the best of both worlds, while still maintaining a healthy diet. What more could a person ask for? There actually is a way to have your cake and eat it too, without all the guilt ridden feelings that usually come afterwards. Literally!

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.

~John Quincy Adams

Once you begin living your life with purpose, notice how your resentments are mere obstacles in the way. The focus and energy you have are so strong that you can’t wait to remove them altogether, so you can feel the deep power of your life’s purpose.

Listen to that internal, driving force that continues to draw you near what you really love. Pay close attention to it and respond.  Live life consciously and be aware of the happy moments you experience in life. Ask yourself, when have you felt most alive?

The movie Shawshank Redemption is a superb illustration of the amazing things that occur when people wake up to their purpose. They carry that purpose with them throughout the day, every day and that purpose becomes the driving force of all the actions they take. They ask themselves every morning when they wake up “How could I use this? How does that help me with my intention of breaking out of here? What’s useful here that would be of benefit for what I’m trying to accomplish?”

Living a life of purpose, versus personality, is a way of converting bad news into useful news. Most people, upon hearing “bad news,” will allow themselves to slide down the ladder into a state of depression or adapt their mindset to a negative way of thinking about the world.

On the contrary, if you’re in the midst of creating something and some particular news comes in, you’re able to look at the situation different and ask, “Given what I’m up to in life right now, how can I use this?”

When I work with a client, I lead them down a path that allows them to gain great clarity about what their purpose is in life. Next, we create and when we’re creating, the energy is flowing into them because they’re so focused on “purpose” and not “personality.” Being focused on who you think you are, forces the energy to flow away from you, giving you the false perception that all the power lies outside of you.

Have you ever wondered why some people not only survive but actually prosper after enduring tragedy in their lives, while others allow their life to crumble right before their eyes?

What’s the difference for those who turn tragedy into triumph? Attitude!  It’s a choice. I can choose to be happy, sad, mad or frustrated. It’s my choice and  choices I make impact every moment, every action and every thought I have. Sometimes I need to really work on being happy.  I often take time to reflect upon all the joy and laughter around me, reminding me how precious life is and all I have to be thankful for. Despite the hardships in coping with a lifelong disability or the unexpected, tragic loss of losing a loved one, a person can choose to be happy.

Many situations can be and are very difficult, but we have the choice to live a happy life or a life of misery. The circumstances may not change, but the outcome and quality of life is a result of how a person chooses to live.  Attitude is the ultimate determining factor as to whether they take charge of their life, their own energy, their spirit or if they allow life to take full control over them.

So, what does a person decide? To live or not live?  Find an outlet to take your own personal tragedy and the fears that may exist, along with the anxiety of having to cope with such heartache and channel those negative feelings into creating something triumphant.

Turning tragedy into triumph can be achieved in many ways: Keep a journal and document your thoughts daily. This is a great exercise for releasing stress, as it allows you to take the countless thoughts that continuously swirl around your head and put them in a separate, safe place. The next time you feel yourself getting distracted by the same thoughts, remind yourself they’re someplace else and can be dealt with, if/when you choose.

Another way is to create a blog and write about related stories or topics that are familiar with your own story and discuss the various stages of feelings you dealt with and how you overcame them.

My personal favorite is serving others. What good can you do for someone else who has experienced their own tragedy or perhaps lived a life of one misfortune after another that will in some way give them comfort or a fresh and new perspective on matters?

It’s all a choice. Your choice. And you can choose to live a happy life by helping others along the way.

I’m intrigued with author Frances E. Vaughan’s definition of intuition as “a way of knowing…a way of recognizing the possibilities in any situation.”

Decisions based off of intuition come from an ability to integrate and utilize both the left and right sides of the brain.  The combined product of both facts and feelings that are unclouded by the involvement of personal ego.

Leaders with good intuition see new opportunities in any given situation. They visualize the future and are well equipped to move an organization forward, in response to it. These leaders are particularly good at generating new ideas and providing fresh, creative solutions to old problems. They function best in quickly changing environments, and moments of crisis.

Most men tend to refer to their intuition as a “gut feeling,” whereas women are more comfortable calling on their “feminine or women’s intuition.”

Because intuition originates from a certain feeling in our body, when someone asks how we know, we can’t explain the rationale behind the conclusion. As a result, we’re inclined to keep these thoughts to ourselves in fear others will label us as being unreasonable or foolish.

In the business world, effective leaders understand the importance of using logic and analysis when making certain decisions that will or have the potential to heavily impact the overall standing of the organization. Furthermore, leaders who possess these key traits also understand when to call upon their intuition, not as a substitute to analysis, but as an equal to it.

We often remind ourselves how wonderful it would be to be young again. Children love and enjoy the planet they live and play on. They reinvent themselves every day. Their spirit is everywhere – flowing through the air.  Crack a window open and hear their shouts of joy, laughter and (on occasion) frustration, next door, down the road, at the school playground. “Hey! You’re not the boss of me!” Or, “You can’t catch me!”

In a place of business full of adults, the shouts of joy are nonexistent. Where did they go? What happened? We grow up and decide we’re no longer creative, imaginative or extraordinary and so we quit. The spirit has gone into complete hiding, waiting only for a dramatic outside event to fire it back up. However, for many of us, quitting becomes too painful to live with. We don’t have to wait for such a crisis, we just need to find a way to wake up and live again, create again, dance again and love again.

Life is an eternal internal flame. We can reignite it and make it burn brighter than ever, if the will and commitment to do so is present. It all comes down to how we perceive ourselves and others. We can reignite that flame by finding the words to think, the words to say, and even the words to sing, if we want. Suddenly our life improves dramatically. Every moment is a new beginning and a fresh moment.

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”  ~Albert Schweitzer

*Speaking of “reigniting flames,” stay tuned for more information to be posted here on my blog, about an elite women’s success group a colleague and I are starting called, “Ignite-Creating the Fire for Women in Business.” A launch date of April 1, 2011, is tentatively scheduled to kick-off our program…More information to follow.

The human fear of failure is the greatest obstacle we allow to get in our way of achieving success. Taken to its extreme, we become totally pre-occupied with not making a mistake, with seeking the approval of others for security. We allow it to debilitate us, entrap us, immobilize us from taking action.

Another major fear that gets in our way and interferes with performance, is the fear of rejection. We learn this when our parents make their love for us conditional upon our behavior. If we do what pleases them, we gain their love and approval. If we do something they don’t like, they withdraw their love and approval, which we interpret as rejection.

When dismantled, fear is nothing more than a thought. A thought that is all based in the future. As humans, we tend to fill in the blanks (our thoughts) with the worst case scenario. Fear is irrational. It’s a habit that we can change. Everyone has courage within them and the distinction is that those who don’t allow fear to control their thoughts and actions, call on that courage. They don’t allow their story to stop them from being who they want to be or from doing the things they want to do.  Our personality or story that we use to identify ourselves as, is never what truly defines who we are. Drop the story, get into action and the fear will gradually dissipate.

The opposite of fear is love. Love is always creative and fear is always reactive and ultimately tragic. Destructive! Fear produces “need,” but need it and you won’t get it.  Want it and you will. Want it with all your heart, aka, “commitment.”

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day of reflection on those who died in Military Service. In America it’s politically correct to speak out “in support of our troops” but war is controversial.

GoHuman.com is not afraid to challenge the status quo, question common wisdom and “make people think”. Historically it can be said that most of the men and women who have died in US wars gave their all for their ideals, but probably not all of them did, nor was every war a “just” war. With a history of drafts and volunteers, some “gave all” for the ideals of others or because the Military was a path to a better personal future.

I was born outside the US and have had two non-US passports. I’m now a US citizen, but still see multiple sides. There are many view-points on war, armed struggle and change. I was living in Germany when Dances With Wolves came out, a big hit there for reasons I won’t seek to explain here. Check out Soderbergh’s dual-movie 5+ hours on Che Guevara or other documentaries on civil wars to gain additional perspective.

GoHuman.com seeks to Change the Way Our World Works from the bottom up, one professional reputation and one connection at a time. There are numerous revolutionary principles embedded in the concept, business model and execution. For us Memorial Day is an inspiration to struggle, peacefully, for change. There are numerous ways to get involved, including a number of positions open. Let me know if you are interested.

GoHuman.com is serious about freedom and positive change, about dedicating our lives to a better future for all. Please let us know what you are doing to “Change the Way Your World Works”.

In memory of those who gave all for their ideals

Reason #1; Reason #2; Reason #3; Reason #4; Reason #5; Reason #6; Reason #7; Reason #8; Reason #9

Why GoHuman.com?  Reason #10 is that we provide a different perspective

Reason #11; Reason #12

The Triple Bottom Line (TBL) concept of “People, Planet, Profit“ demands that a company’s responsibility be to the people who are influenced in any way by the actions of the firm rather than the people who own it.

TBL is typically discussed in a big business context for two reasons: One, big businesses are by nature the farthest out of human touch with sustainability. Two, if you have to choose one business to make sustainable, a bigger business will have a bigger impact.

But what if we could create an integrated network of small local businesses and independent professionals with an eye on the ecological, economic, and social concepts expressed by the Triple Bottom Line related to their communities?

What if people all over the planet quietly frustrated with the status quo could find the voices of power they’ve lost in the wake of unprecedented corporate growth over the past century?

GoHuman’s vision is a world where these ideals are not afterthoughts, but rather integral and essential elements connecting every community and every business within those communities. We cannot afford for these to be abstract thoughts or luxuries. They are a necessary part of the emerging global consciousness and we need to integrate them into our personal and professional lives by igniting our tribal instincts.

In the United States and other parts of the world, the motivation to adopt this sustainable lifestyle is neither handed down by the government nor encouraged by our existing capitalist economic model. An intricate web of subsidies and loopholes has all but extinguished the basic humanity enjoyed in simpler times in favor of the almighty profit margin.

It’s not all doom and gloom. There is hope. We believe in a better way. It’s the passion that fuels GoHuman and the real people behind it — people just like you with the vision and gumption to do something about it.

It starts simply. It starts with an equitable marketplace that promotes balance amongst the people who use it by rewarding those who provide value with something equitable in return.

It starts with you.

GoHuman is all about empowering small businesses and independent professionals by connecting them with the right customers in their community to establish a more sustainable economy. We’re not the only ones with this idea, which is a great thing. We can’t do it alone, and we depend on people everywhere who believe there is a better way.

But how do we do it?

Word of mouth has proven time after time to be the single most powerful form of marketing. People trust people like themselves, who are typically people they know well like friends or family.

At this stage in GoHuman’s growth, we are connecting with as many small businesses as possible in Chicago; L.A.; Madison, WI; Knoxville, TN; and Vancouver, Canada. You might ask why we’ve chosen those particular areas and I would tell you that in a way they chose us.

We believe in involving people who share our vision for a better, more equitable world, no matter where they are. We’re looking for people to join our grassroots marketing teams, whether they are in one of our existing markets or if someone has the gumption to get a new market going. It’s happened before, and we welcome anyone who is up for the challenge and the rewards.

Businesses everywhere are hurting. People everywhere are being shut down by the powers that be. GoHuman.com represents a genuinely better way for business to work to support themselves and their community.

There is nothing more inspiring than meeting new people who want to join the cause. Some have established themselves in their community and others are just looking for a way to help make things better. Either way, it’s the fuel that moves us forward and gives us hope that our dream can work.

And guess what? People just like you are growing GoHuman.

If you’re interested in joining our team and becoming a Founding Member of GoHuman.com, just email refer@GoHuman.com for more info. We guarantee that an actual human will respond.

In October I wrote an entry (“Google no evil”) about Google’s 10¹⁰⁰ initiative. I praised Google for trying to change the world by gathering the ideas, and committing $10 Million funding. I also wondered if Google would prefer those ideas which would bring them profit; perhaps not those which could change the world.

You can check progress on their Project 10¹⁰⁰ website. Or, I can just summarize it here … “Not a lot. In fact, nothing.”

Oh well, good intentions and all that! It’s just a shame that some of the 150,000 plus ideas which might now be helping change the world have been gathering virtual dust on Google’s cybershelves. Might I suggest that Google could at least have released those ideas they know they aren’t going to promote, so that others can? Maybe they have somewhere, but I haven’t seen it – so if any readers have, please let me know. There are plenty of others eager to be changing the world with those ideas right now.

But that’s enough sniping at Google, they meant well after all, didn’t they?

Let’s move on to the current moral high ground they have established, with their threat to shut down operations in China if they can’t reach agreement with the Chinese authorities regarding hacking of personal details, which could be as soon as next month.

We here at GoHuman firmly believe that civil liberties and human rights are worth standing up for – as followers of this blog will know! We’re all for reducing government (as well as corporate) power to the level where the government serves the people (and the corporation serves the customers). So, despite any reservations, my first instinct is to praise Google for this stance.

Let’s not forget others who are joining in: Yahoo and the United States Government are now involved.

And, in my personal hall of shame in this regard: Although Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was part of the problem in these specific crimes, Microsoft has made no statement against the Chinese activities – even though backlash against Internet Explorer has come from the highest levels. The German Government is ceasing the use of IE and has issued warnings against its use.

So, just like my previous blog about Google – I’ll raise a glass to their action, and try not to question their motives!

If you’ve read this far, you should join us at GoHuman. Sign up and start posting your services or requirements today! It only takes a few minutes, costs you nothing, and puts you on the track to finding reputable customers and service-providers in your community. You can take it further if you like, and even end up with you being a part-owner of GoHuman!