Feed the soul and the children

2009-04-29T08:31:00.001-07:00

Proud to be a twit

2009-04-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

Now I have been called a twit before, and sometimes much worse, but recently I have become rather fond of the title.

I was unsure of Twitter when I hooked up, I did it as I an experiment because if you are in ‘New Media’ these days then of course you ‘HAVE’ to be on Twitter, apparently.

My first ‘post’ if that is what you call them? Asked,” How far can we go?”Well in less than a week, it would appear, quite a long way. I have not exactly reached every country in the world but my message has certainly been carried afar. Not only that, but I have connected with some really great people. People with similar missions and values in life, people that I know I can add value to their mission by sharing their message. I can see the potential issues with spam but I believe that if I stay with my own intention to add value and to be of service, then that is what will come.

This morning for example I had an email saying that someone had joined me on Twitter, I checked it out and through their profile I found a great organisation that is certainly singing off the same song sheet as me –

Musicians On Call. http://www.musiciansoncall.org/.

They are a non profit organisation that was formed in 1999, and provides live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. Musicians On Call uses music to promote and complement the healing process for patients, families and caregivers. www.twitter.com/musiciansoncall

I have done various searches for music therapy/healing initiatives but not found these people through Google or similar, but through being a bit of a ‘twit’, hey presto. Just the sort of organisation that I would like to support through Feed your soul and the children.

Another ‘twit’ who chose to follow me and I think well worth a mention is ‘Matas Baranauskas’ www.twitter.com/logostudies Matas is a 16 year old youngster from Lithuania. He does great logo designs. If you need one, I recommend you check him out.

You see being a twit can be really good, and right now in writing this I am getting a lot satisfaction to offer some supportive and well deserved kind words regarding a youngster’s life. I don’t know him from Adam, but I can see he has got talent and I think he will go far.

It’s taken me two minutes to add these words to write about Matas, they are two minutes that could make a difference in someone’s life.

As Zig Ziglar says “You can get everything in life you want, if you will just help enough people get what they want” Zig’s a twit too! www.twitter.com/tomziglar (son of Zig)

Be the change – because the power starts with you

Have a joyful day
Anánda

Wixing lyrical...

2009-04-27T04:31:00.000-07:00

.... If you know something of value – SHARE IT!

This is something I strongly believe in.

On several occasions I have, and it has dramatically changed someone’s life, so now I never hold back, no matter what. Would you, if you knew you could have that impact?

Here is something else that is definitely worth sharing and it may just change your life too -

WIX, a flash web design programme.

Now that may seem like a tall order for web design software,
However, Wix has allowed me to launch a new business, start to raise funds for a good cause, it’s also a heap of fun working on it and it has not cost me a single bean!

Now I call that pretty life changing for a start and I also think of the possibility – What are the ripples in the pond? How many other people’s lives could we impact, through the fundraising.

How many other fundraising ideas could you or I create using Wix?

In a past life I was a consultant in the charity sector and as I continue to research in this market, I really don’t think that we have even begun to recognise the power of the internet for fundraising. But maybe that time is coming close?

My only challenge so far with Wix is the sleep I am loosing as I find it so exciting as I consider possibility...

Re - invention

For many of us, we are looking for a new way forward. There is a need to re-invent ourselves, because the skills we have learnt and trusted to support us and our families may well now be redundant for good. I have recently had to re-think my business due to the recession and also because I wanted to develop a lifestyle that allowed me to travel.

I have done a lot of research, piloted some programmes and have tried in vain to get my head around html, Adobe illustrator and Dreamweaver. I have then looked on in wonder as webmasters have brought my ideas to life in front of me, with me thinking -

“Wish I could do that” especially as I then had to pay them several thousand euro’s for their work.

But that is the past and old thinking. I have now found a system that I can understand and use AND thank goodness is FREE as right now I don’t have several thousand euro’s to pay a designer. A lot of people are in a similar position right now, maybe this could be a tool for change for others as well.

It’s time to stop wondering and start doing with Wix.

Everything is drag and drop, simple to understand and even I can create a unique and stylish website. Despite Wix being in flash it is search engine friendly, you can fully monetise your site, upload to your blog, myspace and a host of other applications. It really is quite sexy. Over the holidays I created my own ecards to send out to friends and family and I am delighted with the mini site that I have created for this blog. I also embedded the same site for an email campaign and as a result have had feedback from the UK, USA, Brasil, South Africa and Italy. Not a bad start in just a few days. For musicians and photographers they have some great widgets for displaying and promoting your work.

It’s never been so easy to 'wix lyrical!'

Joining the digital revolution..

2009-04-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a friend about downloading digital music. Both of us are 40 something and consider ourselves European, hip chicks, well hippish! We looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and said “How does that work then!?” I know, don’t laugh, it does appear quite a sad state of affairs in this digital age but it just hasn’t been on the radar for either of us.

Now if you want to ask about harvesting olives or making great pasta, then we know stuff, but digital music, nah, niente.

However a bit of research can be an enlightening thing...

So with being a big lover of music and not wanting to get too behind on this digital revolution, although I still have not succumbed to having bits of plastic stuck in my ears 24/7 in a drive not to have my brain continually filled with ‘stuff’ I have climbed aboard and am thoroughly enjoying the ride.

My research led me to one particular company that I liked, and that’s emusic. They are largest provider of independent digital music worldwide, and with 6 million tracks you can find pretty much anything that you want.

The market leaders are iTunes but their focus is to sell hardware, eMusic is about selling music and that message comes through from the website. Their primary concern is to sell content, and that's why they have become so popular. It's like an independent record store vs. A hyper - market.

eMusic sets itself apart from other services by offering downloads in true MP3 format with no DRM or copy protection of any kind. Their MP3's play on any portable music player including the iPod® , Creative Zen® and Sony Walkman®. They can be downloaded to unlimited computers and allows for unlimited CD burning.

Not entirely sure what all that means, but it sounds good doesn’t it? I get the bit about unlimited burning.

The other thing I really liked was – FREE MUSIC! For a newby it was good to check out the service, get 25 free downloads and know I could cancel if I wanted to. It really gave me confidence to check them out.

Cool facts -
Risk Free trial: emusic offers you a risk free trial subscription. You can download up to 25 MP3s free of charge for 14 days. If you are unsatisfied for any reason you can simply cancel your account during the trial period. You will not be charged and the music you download is yours to keep.
50 bonus songs: emusic offers new customers 50 bonus songs with your first month's subscription. Again, if you are not satisfied for any reason you can cancel your account after the first month and keep all of the music you have downloaded, including the 50 free MP3s.

Is that enough compelling reasons to get signed up? I think so!

Business, can it be a mitzvah ? (act of kindness)

2009-04-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Feed your soul and the children is about following my heart and supporting beliefs –I love music, particularly jazz and I also have a passion to make a difference in the world. Probably a phrase that is a bit overworked lately but I believe that many of us are coming to a time where going out to get the pay check to just exist from week to week is not a enough. There is a calling to do more, there is a recognition that we have the power and the opportunity to do more, I also believe that it is our responsibility to do more. As individuals we CAN effect change, for our own lives and that of others.

Recently I heard about a company called Toms shoes. www.tomsshoes.com Founded by a guy called Blake Mycoskie, his vision is simple, he sells shoes, but for every pair that is sold he also gives a pair to a child in need. He was inspired whilst travelling in Argentina and saw hundreds of deprived children without shoes . Rather than just walking away and one would presume he had the joy wearing shoes at the time, Mykoskie didn’t just see this as another problem in the world that really didn’t have anything to do with him, he took action by working out a sustainable business model so that he could help these children.

This isn’t about charity, Tom’s shoes is about business doing good. Dame Anita Roddick said “ Business has more power than the church or any government to make a difference” Yes, business can make money and be a mitzvah. Many businesses are now adopting this concept and it also makes good business sense. Business leaders and entrepreneurs can have an even greater reason to feel proud of what they create and their empire becomes more than just about the money. Consumers are happier shopping with an organisation that is making a difference as it means they can make a difference simply from choosing where they shop. There is a great feel good factor and everybody gets to win. In fact a consumer is 32% more likely to shop with a company that is cause -related over one that is not.

Feed your soul and the children, follows a passion with music and the opportunity to do a mitzvah by providing funding for music therapy and arts initiatives.

The website contains international gigs and events, reviews, an art gallery for jazz art, you can also currently WIN an Apple ipod and download 25 of your favourite tracks FREE with digital music provider eMusic.

Feed your soul will fund various projects that are involved with using music to heal, to inspire and help the quality of life for fragile lives. With the economic climate as it is many arts initiatives have had their funding cut, if we can step in and help, that would be great. Our concept for fundraising is simple, we have teamed up with the leading providers of digital music, eMusic, for each new subscriber to their FREE trial then this provides 50p funding for music therapy and initiatives. We believe this is a way to develop a more sustainable way to help those that need it. People don’t have spare cash for donations now, so we have created an opportunity to make contribution simple through normal shopping and everyday purchases”

We all have the power to act and make a difference.

Be the change, because the change starts with you.