Tweet-a-thon today July 31 to raise money for Eye Care 4 Kids - Come Join Me

Earlier this month, Seth Godin pointed out that not everyone wants presents, cake and ice cream for their birthday. This got me to thinking...since my birthday was coming up how would I want people to celebrate. Immediately I thought of helping the community. Every month it seems I am raising funds or collecting donations for one organization or other and I have been doing this since I was a child. So, for this birthday I am including my entire community and hopefully more, to raise funds for http://www.eyecare4kids.org/ which is the chosen charity for July by http://www.12for12k.org/. Because Eye Care 4 Kids provides professional eye care to visually-impaired children in need and several people in my family have required medical intervention to see normally, I thought this was the perfect cause and timing.

Here’s my story:
Eye sight care is important to me because I have had to wear glasses for as long as I can remember. As a young girl I couldn’t even catch a ball because my vision was so bad yet after receiving the proper eye care, I was able to become an all-star junior athlete in several sports. I know that eye exams and eyeglasses can easily cost hundreds of dollars per year. My son had strabismus (cross-eyes) so severely that he required months of doctor care, specialized glasses, eye patches and surgery to improve his vision. While the surgery, which would have cost tens of thousands of dollars without insurance, didn’t totally correct his vision, he now looks normal but will still have to wear glasses for the rest of his life. Both of our cases were probably genetically linked because my father required surgery as a young boy to improve his vision as well. Because of my personal experience I believe everyone should be able to have good vision so that they may find success in their own lives.

How you can help:

It's very simple - Between the hours of 11:00am and 9:00pm Eastern today, make a donation using the ChipIn widget below. You'll get a tax receipt from Eye Care 4 Kids as well as an automatic entry into the drawing. We'll do the rest for you.

For every $12 you donate you get one entry into the drawing for the prizes on this page. All you need to do is follow the #12for12k hashtag on Twitter to keep up with what’s happening

Thanks for your support, and let’s help children get the eye care they need.

Prizes
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Donated by Tweep: Katiemdesigns
$100 Gift certificate ($100 value)
http://www.katiemdesigns.com/

* 2 will be raffled off separately

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Donated by Tweep: suzanneevans
Men Who Make A Difference Telesummit VIP package - PDF transcripts plus CDs of all 5 calls shipped to your door. Listen, or read along, as these five superstar marketers teach you how to make money and make a difference. ($99 value)
http://www.helpmorepeople.com/

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Donated by Tweep: 1080group (Roger Courville)
Webinar Speaker’s Coaching & Moderating package: one hour of coaching for a speaker and/or team to help them optimize their presentation and skills for delivering an interactive and engaging web seminar, includes live moderation of the event ($750 value)
http://www.thevirtualpresenter.com/

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Donated by Tweep: 1080group (Roger Courville)
The Virtual Presenter’s Handbook ($25 value)
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/773580

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Donated by Tweep: Gina LaGuardia
One hour’s worth of editorial services ($100 value)
http://www.ginalaguardia.com/

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Donated by Tweep: Aletha McManama
One page blogsite design ($200 value)
http://www.wordpresstowebsite.com/

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Donated by Tweep: traceydelcamp
EZ EZines Template ($149 value)
http://www.ezezines.com/


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Donated by Tweep: noomii (Stephan Wiedner)
25% off 1 year of coaching services ($57-$177 value depending on package chosen)
http://www.noomii.com/
This will be given to any coach who donates $50 or more during the Tweet-a-thon.

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Donated by Tweep: phyllismufson
Luminous Pink Biwa Pearl Earrings ($25 value)
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9871362

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Donated by Tweep: iGoByDoc (Darin Berntson)
1000 Full Color Business Cards ($99 value)
http://www.igobydoc.com/

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Donated by Tweep: dannybrown
Full premium WordPress Package Setup ($800 value)
http://dannybrown.me/twitter

This will be given to anyone who donates $100+ provided domain and host is also purchased through Danny Brown.

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Adaptability – Ideas on Managing Life’s Unexpected Events

Chances are you won’t get what you want or where you want to go without changing course at least once. Let’s face it, life throws us “curve balls”. Some examples of life’s “curve balls” include job loss, chronic illness, unexpected pregnancies, relocation, major injury, traumatic events and unplanned financial burdens. It’s not a good idea to think these things won’t happen to you because at least one of them to some degree likely will. So how do you prepare for it? If it happens, how do you cope? The key lies in how adaptable are you.

Successful people will tell you they have not been immune to life’s “curve balls”. They have learned how to deal with them and in many cases use such unexpected events to create the life they want. Remember the phrase “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade?”

Here are a few ideas on ways to handle life’s “curve balls”:

Losing your job
- Re-examine what really matters to you and find ways to create new income in a job or business that you are passionate about
- Travel to places you have always yearned to go
- Spend time volunteering in your community for causes you believe in

Chronic Illness or Sudden Injury
- Identify your strengths
- Determine how you can use your strengths to bring personal fulfillment
- Be realistic about your limitations
- Believe you are not defined by your illness
- Ask for help and support from those around you
- Be grateful for what you do have

Relocation
- Be prepared. Create lists of things that need to be done and take notes of conversations.
- If possible, visit the new location to get a feel for the types of housing available, associated costs, schooling available, etc.
- Moving is a great time to purge unwanted items that you have accumulated. Take time to go through things as you pack. Donate, sell or give away your unwanted items.

Of course, this isn’t a comprehensive list but it should serve as a reminder that with any change in life, there are options. The options may not appear immediately but they do exist. There is no right way to do anything. Find a way that works for you to handle life’s “curve balls” without losing your spirit or personality. Once you have some success and feel more confident in your ability to adapt to change, it becomes easier to take on bigger changes in life.

I have faced more rough patches in life than I ever dreamed of including chronic illness, my father’s cancers, childrens’ surgeries, an ADHD child, caring for a grandparent with dementia, single parenthood, medical issues with my mother and moving more than 12 times and several job changes. Through it all, others have admired my courage and tenacity. I now use the skills learned and the knowledge gained from my own personal skills to help others who are experiencing difficulties living the life they want. So, know that you are not alone and there is always support. I truly believe that there has been a purpose in everything I have been through. Everything brings with it an opportunity to learn, you just need to be open to the learning.

What have you been through? What did you learn that could be useful to others? Feel free to share through the comments on this blog. If you would like to talk with me about possible support in your journey, feel free to contact me.