We All Need A Little Support – Habitat for Humanity Trip to India

A friend of mine is taking a trip to India to work alongside members of local women’s savings groups as part of Habitat’s “Women Build” Initiative. She is raising just under $2,000.00. If you can spare a few dollars and support her cause please do. Below is more information.

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Here Description and Request:

In March 2010, Habitat India volunteers will work alongside members of local women’s savings groups as part of Habitat’s “Women Build” initiative.

We will be building in partnership with rural and underprivileged Indian women who have who have formed microfinance self-help groups so that they can save money to build better lives for their families.

I’ll be traveling to Bangalore, India from March 5th through March 18th and I’ll be personally covering the cost of my plane ticket and in addition, each team member must raise $1,950 to participate in the trip to cover the cost of food, room and board and building supplies. I’d really appreciate your help in supporting my efforts.

You can donate here.

Thanks in advance and I’ll be sure to share with you my experience on this trip. If you have any additional questions please ask her!

10 Full Rides to Study Architecture @ Syracuse U. for African Americans

Do you know someone that may be interested in attention school at Syracuse University? This is a great opportunity for someone!!! Please share!

Tiger’s Infidelity Connected to My Celibacy

Right now Tiger Woods and his private matters have become quite public. This morning as I was watching ESPN they had more coverage on it and I began to think, what can I learn from this situation. One thing came to mind…

The importance of self control.

Now, I was in no way shape form or fashion on the same level of Tiger Woods but I did have an interesting college experience :joining a fraternity freshman year, going on to be Student Body President, starting a company on campus. Looking back, at the time, I could barely fit my head in the same room as other people. I felt like I could pretty much do what I wanted and how I wanted to do it.

So taking that feeling and multiplying by $1 Billion, I had a glimpse to how Tiger could have felt while sitting on top of the world. Now, during part of that time, I didn’t have a girlfriend and like I said, I felt like I could do anything that I wanted. After college, I went through a period of isolation where I dealt with alot of my weaknesses and areas that I had to improve in. Coming out of that, I had a closer relationship with God and a determination to be celibate until marriage.

Now, celibacy definitely started as a major challenge and I had  some interesting experiences as I became more comfortable with it. But now since starting down that road 3 years ago, I can see some of the most important lessons that I have learned. If I am to be as successful as I desire to be, I must learn how to control myself when no one else is going to hold me accountable. It is the battle within that is rarely fought while we dress up our exterior.

Now, I do not know if Tiger practiced celibacy or abstinence before marriage but I do know that for myself, that since going down this road, I am a stronger man and I no longer fall for the same temptation. If I continue on the path that I have set out to be on, hopefully  I would be protected from any of these types of Tiger Wood’s press releases.

So, I just ask that all of us that have aspirations to be great that we tackle our inner challenges. If not, when put under a international microscope, everything will be revealed. Sex can be a monster… Celibacy can help control it.

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My prayer:

My prayers are with Tiger, his wife,and his children during this very sensitive time and I pray that the strength of God and correction of God will rest in Tiger and he will grow to become the internal man that God created him to be, and not just the professional juggernaut he has become. I pray for his wife that she is comforted with the love of God and that she knows that even in this time of betrayal there is one who never betrays and is always with her, Jesus. For his children, I pray that they are protected from unnecessary conversations and exposure, and that through this experience they gain a closer relationship with Christ, as he is the only perfect man to ever live on the earth, and that they will increase in compassion and love for both of their parents. Amen.

Group Business Plan: 1st Step – 5 Ws

Yes we will move aggressive to get this done, it is your business like mine. No one ever was successful being sloppy and last minute. If you have to stay up late or wake up early get it done.

The first step is to define the 5 Ws.

Define the 5 Ws: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

1. Who is your target market?

• Define this as closely as possibly and include 3 example clients.

2. What is your product/service?

• Define this as precisely as possibly.

3. When do you plan on launching into the market?

• Define when you plan on starting and why?
• If you are already in business then state when you are launching your “new”/”newly organized” business and change the way you conduct business

4. Where are your clients?

• Define where are they in the world.

5. Why should anyone choose you?

• Name at-least 3 of your strengths.

6. How will you provide your service to your clients?

• Define the process of how you will provide your services to your clients.

Assigned and Due December 13, 2009.

Yes we will move aggressive to get this done, it is your business like mine. No one ever was successful being sloppy and last minute. If you have to stay up late or wake up early get it done.

Love ya!

C.

Group Business Plans – No Fun Unless the Friends Have Some! ;)

Although there is a private group (you can still join if you move quickly – just let me know), I am going to store the messages and assignments here so anyone in the future can follow and develop their own business plan.

So, that is my thoughts, I am not sure how many of you are familiar with 37Signals’ Product, Basecamp but it is a great online project management tool that my company used to use, so I thought why not for this!

So, here is the background ladies and gents… I am redoing business plan by Jan 8. Why? Because it is time! So, I am going to knock out a basic business plan.

Now, when I was telling a few friends in my office my plans they said they too were interested, so I thought why not expose to my other friends and see if we can all get this done. Now there is no prize, no money, just you being more focused in your business.

So, that is my thoughts, I am not sure how many of you are familiar with 37Signals’ Product, Basecamp but it is a great online project management tool that my company used to use, so I thought why not for this!

I will send more details like the steps of the business plans, questions to answer, dates that I suggest we should have them done by and we can move forward from there.

Feel free to comment

C.

The Challenge of Mentors

I have heard some say that even the best have a coach but I do not know how many believe that to be true in my generation. It seems that with my people (my generation) we have been brought up to where everyone is a winner, everyone can win and you can do things your own way.

This is a bit tragic when you really think about it.

The path of success is very clear and very easy to see [I wrote about it previously both on Twitter and in my blogs]. Very many have already gone down the path of success and have done it multiple times. However, I see that many people no longer have a desire to be led down the path.

I believe and have found in my experience, that one key (if not the only key) to success is submission to authority. However, we no longer live in a world where it is cool to be an understudy, a mentee, or student. It is glorified to be the mentor, leader and wise man but not to be the one in the position of learning.

Multiply that with the market being flooded with motivation and inspiration teachers that provide sugar rushes. These instant emotional highs have no lasting power which results in your being dropped or depressed lower than when you got started. So all you are left with is knowledge without application which equals frustration because you know it should work but it isn’t working for you. Why didn’t it work?

Because you were never truly in a position of mentorship.

• To be mentored is to be in submission to another human being who you believe has your best interest at heart.
• To be mentored is to allow someone to correct you without back talk, shrinking away or hidden resentment.
• To be mentored is to put someone else’s needs before your own and do what [to you] has no real value
• To be mentored is a lifestyle and not an act.

Here lies the challenge that is in our culture.

We need to be challenged. I believe that every person needs to be challenged and be challenged by a mentor. You should have someone in your life that you are accountable to. I am 26, by American standards an adult, but I should still have people over me in every area of my life that I am submitting myself to. If not, how can I tell if I am growing, developing or maturing. Sure, I can measure myself against others, but I still see from the inside out, not the outside in.

I have to run, I apologize for the shortness of this note but I hope you get my point…