Photo by Laura Wilson/Strings For Hope
Archive - March, 2012
Photo by Laura Wilson/Strings For Hope
It can often be overwhelming to turn a dream into reality. Moving from the idea stage to actually making a difference in the lives of others. I find inspiration from those who are changing the world in a positive way. On that note, I would like to share an interview I did with Laura Wilson, the founder of a non-profit organization, Strings For Hope. This organization takes used guitar strings and turns them into jewelry. The proceeds then go to fighting hunger.
Jim Woods (JW:) How did you come up with the idea of Strings for Hope?
Laura Wilson (LW:) I was intrigued by some guitar strings I saw land in the trash at the music store. I thought it was horrible to see wire with such great qualities on its own headed for the landfill. I pulled a few strings out of the trash and minutes later, a bracelet was born.
JW: When someone purchases some jewelry, what do the proceeds go to?
LW: Our goal is to fund food distribution centers, medical clinics, and schools in underserved areas both regionally and globally. Currently we are working with the local food bank to serve our own community plus a school based program in Honduras and another one in Kenya.
JW: Why did you choose to fight hunger?
LW: I’d heard our pastor talk about the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). In the story the master handed over his wealth to his servants before going away on a trip. To the one he had given the most went out and doubled his wealth. I have this freakishly blessed life. I have a wonderful family and a day job that lets me be creative and celebrate the huge geek in me. And it does a great job in paying the bills. I have much to be grateful for. So the story about the talents made me think about what I could do to multiply the talents in my life.
JW: Have you been able to connect with any Nashville musicians?
LW: We’re ramping up in that regard. We have a number of songwriters and local musicians already on board. In addition we’d love to partner with some national touring bands. I get a little giddy when I think about having a Grammy winner or two who have a Strings for Hope bracelet.
JW: What can guitarists all over do to help?
LW: Actually, we take used strings of ANY kind – guitar, bass, violin, banjo, mandolin. I’ve even had strings from a piano sent in! We are always in need of more. It doesn’t matter the type or condition – we can use them all! I’ll arrange pickup in the Nashville area but for those in other areas, contact me at stringsforhope@gmail.com for a shipping address.
JW: Is there anything else you would like to share?
LW: One of my favorite things is creating a custom order. I’ll turn your strings into a personalized piece of jewelry designed just for you. You can support Strings for Hope at our website www.stringsforhope.com and we’d love for you to LIKE us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stringsforhope.This summer you’ll find us at music festivals such as the Agapefest and the Nashville Earth Day Festival and many others.
I’d just like to thank Laura for this great interview. I love that her creativity is being used to help fight world hunger.
As a special bonus, Laura is generously giving away one set of jewelry including 1 bracelet, 1 necklace, and 1 ring. (value $52). I will choose one lucky person who leaves a comment.
Is there something you can do to help others?
Saving Lives One String At A Time
Photo by Laura Wilson/Strings For Hope
Guest Posting at Creatives Blog
I’m honored to be guest posting today at Andrew Zahn’s Creatives blog located here.
I think you will enjoy my post there and Andrew’s fantastic blog. Thanks!
- Photo by Warzauwynn (Creative Commons)
Sleeping is Hard Work
Photo by minoru_ntt (Creative Commons)
Do you find yourself constantly in a hurry, going from here to there pushing yourself to get more things done? At some point, the daily grind will catch up with you. Fatigue. Lack of focus. Easily distracted. We have all been there.
Have you gotten enough rest? Seriously, have you? You probably need some sleep. Sometimes a nap can be the MOST productive course of action to take. DO NOT burn yourself out. Tapping into your creativity uses energy. You MUST replenish this energy.
Do NOT forget about the power of the subconscious mind.
Before you go to sleep, try doing some stream of consciousness exercises. Simply write whatever comes into your head for 5-10 minutes and then go to sleep. Your brain will run with what you were trying to piece together on paper.
The brain is a mysterious thing; it literally keeps churning away on your work even while you sleep. Don’t take this amazing gift for granted. You can (and will) get things done while you are catching some Z’s.
So go ahead and take a nap. I’ll cover for you. I’ll tell whoever asks that you are actually hard at work.
“Never go to sleep without a request to your subconscious.” – Thomas Edison
Do you fight a battle as to whether you should go to sleep or keep grinding through??
The Resistance Attacks
Photo by Ax2Groin (Creative Commons)
Procrastination.
Fears.
Doubts.
What if’s.
Distractions.
Lack of focus.
If you have not faced this today,
you will tomorrow.
Expect it.
It’s coming.
Don’t be surprised.
Deal with the resistance as swiftly as possible.
And get back to work.
How do you deal with the resistance? Please share in the comments. Thanks!
My Story: Why I Write
Photo by shellysblogger (Creative Commons)
About eight months ago, I attended the first Quitter Conference in Nashville. This event was led by Jon Acuff, author of the book Quitter. Jon was once a serial quitter and went through eight jobs in eight years. It wasn’t until he followed his dream of being a writer and speaker that Jon became truly satisfied in his career.
I was in the middle of a nervous breakdown when I attended the first Quitter Conference. I was stressed, confused, overwhelmed, unfulfilled,and depressed. I found out about the event literally the day before the conference. I called my wife, Kristal, early that Friday morning and said, “I gotta go to this seminar tomorrow.” She immediately replied, “Yeah, you do.”
I remember the conference being funny, informative, and entertaining but the truth is most of it was a bit of a blur. My ears heard the words, but only two key points stood out in my mind: I’m not alone and don’t listen to the voices in my head. Those voices are full of lies. Those two points are the majority of what I took away from the first event. And now I know that is EXACTLY what I needed to hear.
About a month after the conference, I rediscovered some kids’ stories about the guitar I had written a couple years ago. I emailed them to a friend who knows a lot about books and she had a generally positive response. I interpreted it as lukewarm, so I set the work aside as nothing.
After hearing Jon’s presentation at the Quitter Conference, I ignored the voices in my head. I gave up on the myth of perfectionism. Absolutely nothing is perfect. This time I looked at the stories I had written with an open mind. I realized that writing is in fact something I want to pursue. Those kids’ stories made me realize several things: I am creative, and I think I might be a writer.
For about a two-month period I really struggled with calling myself a writer. It was a new identity. It was like I was turning into someone else. Was I Jim, the mild-mannered accountant or was I this new guy who is a writer? Could I be both? Suddenly I felt mysterious and wanted to buy a Moleskine.
I met for coffee with Jeff Goins during this transition time. We chatted for a while about life, church, and just got to know each other. After I built up the courage, I mentioned to Jeff, ‘”So…ummm…I…umm…think……I might..uhhhh…be a writer.” Jeff replied “According to Steven Pressfield, You’re a writer when you say you are.”
That stuck with me. It inspired and motivated me. I began to read and write constantly. I could not stop; the snake had already popped out of the can.
Now, about eight months later, I know that I am a writer. I know I’m creative. I have always been, but I was listening to the voices in my head that fill me up with incessant negative chatter.
Now one of my life goals is to help others find where their passions lie and to encourage them to do great things. I’m sure there are MANY others that are in the same chaotic place I was in last July.
I’d love to hear your story about why you write. Please share it in the comments. Thanks.
Roller Coasters Aren’t For Toddlers
Photo by Dirk Jankraan (Creative Commons)
I’m a toddler. Maybe even a newborn.
Any way you slice it, when I walk, I’m still very wobbly.
I’ve only been writing seriously for about 6 months.
I’ve been on the page-views-watching roller coaster and I’d like to get off of this ride.
My stomach is upset, face is full of tears and I think my diaper needs changed.
I’ve believed that page views are my main measure of success as a writer.
I know it is a false premise. A large portion of my page views come from Google image searches. It’s pretty doubtful that those folks are interested in reading my blog if they are here only to take an image from it. (Probably for their own blog!)
Okay, I am going to type this a few times to make it sink in.
More page views do not equal success.
More page views do not equal success.
More page views do not equal success.
Have you fought this battle too? Do you have any tips or tricks for a fellow writer? Thanks!
I Often Avoid Being Quiet
Photo by Adrian Bugariu (Creative Commons)
I often avoid being quiet.
I usually prefer a space filled with noise.
I try to avoid anywhere I can be exposed.
I think of things when it is quiet.
I don’t want you to know what I really think.
I don’t want you to know the real me.
I doubt you would like me.
So I often avoid being quiet.
Do you feel the same way or have you learned to embrace the quiet and not run from it?
The Three Stages of Kony 2012
Photo by Phil Snyder (Creative Commons)
I have gone though three distinct stages regarding the Kony 2012 video and campaign. This is a look inside my brain as I went through each stage.
Stage One: I’m on board with this great cause! Wow, let me get a poster to hang up! This video is one of the most powerful videos I have ever seen. I’m going to change my Twitter update status to support this cause. I’m also going to Tweet at George Clooney, Oprah and Lady Gaga.
Stage Two: What?! I can’t believe only 37% goes to helping kids! This is a con! It is all old footage from a movie they made like 5 years ago. 42% of the money goes to awareness. They just want to make more movies! What a conspiracy! The propaganda manipulated me, just like they wanted it to! It’s just about promoting a hollow cause where this Kony guy isn’t even in power anymore.
Stage Three: Hmmm. Snore. Hmmm. Snore. (That’s me thinking and sleeping for a while.) Perhaps I should have a more Christ-like approach and not throw stones at anyone. Maybe I should disassemble the toxic hate-bombs I would love to throw. Maybe I should focus on the problem at hand, not just one group’s solution toward the abuse of children.
Now that I am in stage three, I know this is where I need to be. Sadly, it took me a little while to come to this realization. As I think about social justice, I find myself asking, “what can I do to help?”. I don’t have the answer to that question at this moment, but I’m working on the response.
5 Ways To Instantly Improve Your Time Management
Photo by Jenn___(Creative Commons)
Note-This post is a follow-up to Monday’s Quick Reads post: “What Are You Struggling With?”
Time is the most precious resource you have. The clock doesn’t care about your bank account balance, SAT scores, or if you are CEO of a corporation. Every day is a gift, but somehow we find a way to waste many of those days away. How do you become better with managing this valuable gift?
Focus on what you love. Do what matters to you. This is what will give you a REAL sense of accomplishment. Don’t procrastinate, just do it. This approach will also help you prioritize your work. If there are several projects on your to-do list, look at the time frame for each one, the amount of energy required and go from there.
Make a time journal. Do you know what you REALLY spend your time on? There is this handy extension for your browser called Web Timer (for the Google Chrome browser) to help you keep track of all of your time online and what websites you were on. Once you have used this extension for a while, you will figure out how much actual time you spend online. Don’t stop there. Keep note of how much television you watch, and how much time you spend on your iPhone too. Fill in your time journal and then analyze what you actually spend your time doing. Most likely you will find more time is wasted than you think. If you have a daily commute, are you using that wisely? Maybe you could listen to podcasts or audiobooks instead of listening to commercials on the radio.
Form a plan. Let’s assume during the average day you typically spend 2 hours online, 1 hour with your iPhone and 2 hours watching television. To implement a lifestyle change, start by practicing good habits. Going cold turkey often leads to burn out. Watch one and a half hours of television for a week. Then the following week, watch just one hour. Get a friend, spouse or family member to hold you accountable. You have to be intentional with your time from now on.
Start saying no. It is really easy to be a people-pleaser. If you want to make the most of your time, you need to start saying no to things. Don’t say no to everything, but you should say no to things that take you away from what you love. It’s okay to say no to good things, even if it means helping at church. You won’t have a good attitude if you are doing something you really don’t want to do. Using your God-given talents and abilities to their fullest extent is a good thing. It is what you SHOULD be doing.
Forget perfectionism. NOTHING good comes from perfectionism. It absolutely kills momentum and wastes time. Perfectionism can even kill your dreams, because it can stop you from finishing anything. You most likely won’t share your work with others either. Absolutely NOTHING is perfect; the real world is messy.
If you take nothing else from this, please just focus on what you love. Time is very, very limited. None of us know when we will die. Make the most of every moment. Be intentional with your time.
Do you have any tips for time management? I’d love to hear them in the comments.
What Are You Struggling With?
Photo by Stybrenstuvel (Creative Commons)
Editor’s Note: Shorter posts are now labeled as Quick Reads and I will be publishing them on Mondays.
If you are pursuing something worthwhile, it is VERY rarely easy. Recently I told a friend, “Everything takes so much more time than you’d think it would.” I bet you can guess what my recent struggle is. Yeah, you got it. Patience. Well, that and time-management. I think the two are interconnected.
What are you struggling with? What is giving you a hard time at the moment?
Go ahead, unload that baggage. Call out that issue that keeps popping up.
Please share that issue in the comments.
If several readers are facing similar challenges, I’ll form a plan of attack and share it with you on a future post. Thanks!
