Poz Vibes

I came across this interesting company that is not just talking about electric cars, but how to make them affordable for more people, how to make them easy for people to use on short and long trips, and even better, how to run the batteries strictly on green energy. (zero emissions)

You can see a model and watch an interview with Shai Agassi, or read the transcript. “This is all doable,” says an investor.

Israel, Denmark and Hawaii are on board to have operational Better Place stations by 2011, and Toronto, Hawaii, and a dozen other cities are in earlier stages of research.

Certainly not saying this is the only solution, but I like to read stories of people thinking huge and looking at the big picture. And I’m excited to see whole countries and cities getting involved and committed to doing something different.

Every morning, my first writing activity is to write down 10 things that I’m grateful for. They don’t have to be big things - a comfy bed to sleep in, a warm apartment, a good talk with a friend the day before. This sets me up for a day where I’m asking myself What’s Great and What’s Right in my world, instead of focusing on their opposites.

My first post to Twitter every day uses the topic tag “#amgrat”, as in “am grateful for.” Now more than ever, I think it’s important to acknowledge all the things we have to be grateful for in our lives. If you want to feel the energy of people expressing gratitude, check out the rest of the #amgrat crowd. If you’re on twitter, consider using it yourself now and then to spread pozvibes through the twitterverse.

I started taking these measures as a response to getting into a state where I wasn’t exactly feeling financial abundance! I wanted to make sure that I was letting the Universe know that I am grateful for whatever is sent my way, that I don’t take the big and little gifts that I’m blessed with for granted.

Today two things happened that I’m grateful for that I wanted to make sure I gave special props to:

In the back of my mind for the last couple of months, I’ve been worried about the possibility that I was going to be sent an invoice for a certain matter that’s been left unsettled. I got an envelope in the mail today from the company and took a deep breath. Here it was - another financial hit. I made a little joke, “Maybe it’s a cheque!” Then I opened the envelope and started laughing. It was indeed a cheque, for the exact amount that I’d been afraid I was going to be charged. Hooray! AmGrat to the Max!

Second, I had agreed to offer a class starting this week, but it wasn’t guaranteed to happen. Found out today that enough people signed up to learn why I’m so passionate about the importance of spreadsheets and charts and analysis to keep creative projects on track. AmGrat again! 

I’m not saying there’s a one-to-one relationship or exact equal tally. You can’t do things like keep a gratitude journal or tithe with your other hand out grabbing for repayment. But I do feel that over the last 2 months my daily gratitude has chewed through some sort of dam, to allow income to flow back into my life. I encourage you to take a moment to offer up a “thank you” to whatever Source you believe in, whenever good things come into your life.

Feel free to list something you’re grateful for as a comment to this post!

Knowing that we are biologically programmed to find baby animals cute doesn’t seem to mitigate the effect. If you need a smile, drop by the Boston Globe’s collection of photos of baby animals representing a wide variety of species, from orangutans to anacondas!

This little guy is called Knut:

And this is Zhen Zhen:

If you space your visits properly, you could stretch out the pics for months!

Five days a week I receive fabulous messages of encouragement and an alternative way of looking at the world in my inbox, signed “The Universe”.

These come from signing up to be part of the TUTs Adventurers Club. The writers describe the notes as “daily reminders of life’s magic and your divinity.” Sign up with your real first name and goal, as these get integrated into the notes, making them that much more powerful.

Here’s today’s, for example:

There were a lot of reasons you chose to come to earth, PozVibes, and I am super happy to tell you that not one of them was to master being poor, lonely, or sick. Incidentally, neither did you have any intention of living your life without [your top goal].

You came to “kick butt,” PozVibes… 
    The Universe

Who couldn’t use a little dose of this kind of talk to get them going every day? Try it and see!

I’ve become a big fan of Twitter in the last few weeks, finding it a great source of information. I’m sure some of the stories I find to post here will be tips from my twitter gang.

Several people are using Twitter and other social media (Facebook, LinkedIn) to help people looking for jobs. One  Washington DC man who saw a need and filled it, creating a twitter account and topic where job-seekers can submit their need and “angels” stay on the look-out for possible jobs for the seekers, and post jobs they come across. 

 

The article also mentions jobshouts.com which rebroadcasts job listings to its followers.

These innovative ways of using social media to help others are hopefully another sign of the times!

Leonard Abess Jr. took part of the proceeds from selling his bank and distributed them among the people who made the bank possible: the employees. 475 people who had worked for him shared in $60 million.

 

My favourite part of the article is one of the former employees he tracked down who hadn’t worked for him for seven years! 

What an amazing and personal counter-point to all the negative news about banks and bankers!

4.5 miles even. Each way. Two days in a row.

Lost your faith in humanity? Read this inspirational story of the aptly-named Nurse Noble, who takes her obligation to help others seriously!

 (Though as a Winnipegger, I had to giggle a little at the description of “temperatures plunging to  - 2c.”)

“Now more than ever, what the world needs is love.”

- John Mellencamp

A year ago, I started posting positive news and beautiful images & words in this space. Unfortunately, in late summer my database crashed. I decided to use the setback as an opportunity to take a break from blogging.

But now I think the time is right to return to sharing positive energy with the world. In the midst of a lot of doom and gloom in the media, webosphere and face-to-face conversations, it’s clear that people could use some rays of sunshine!

I strongly believe that there is great value in thinking positive, in hope, in sending out positive energy to other people and the planet as a whole. If that seems kinda “touchy feely kumbayah” to you, then hopefully I can at least make you laugh every now and then. 

So I’ll do what I can to do my part! And I hope that you will participate by posting or sending me positive news or smile-inducing videos you come across in your web travels.

Stay tuned…