I just read a great article in Experience Life Magazine about a study which found that changing your own health habits can change the habits of those around you. "Whether or not you’re aware of it, the healthy changes you make to your own life ultimately reverberate through your whole social circle, eventually coming right back to you in the form of increased social support."
So if you want to improve the health of those around you, perhaps the most important place to start is with yourself.
Read the full article here!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Independent Study Project!
I am officially registered to do an independent research project this semester! I will be studying the changing corporate law scheme regarding corporations that have social missions. Some states have created a new category of corporation that allows the company managers to pursue the social mission rather than requiring such a strict duty to shareholders. I'm pretty excited.
CHANGETHEWORLD!
CHANGETHEWORLD!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Finally catching up!
I am so incredibly behind on my blogging. I apologize.
However, this is not to say that I have not been making an effort to Outlast The Future. In fact, just yesterday I made a trip to the local blood bank and made my 7th donation, a.k.a. only one donation short of a gallon! I encourage anyone and everyone to donate. Only 37% of the population is even eligible to donate, so those of us who qualify should make every effort to do so -- blood cannot be artificially made, it can only be given by healthy and charitable individuals. I promise it really doesn't hurt and the free cookies are delicious! Read more about it at the American Red Cross.
And, of course, I must mention the Jack Johnson concert that admittedly feels like a lifetime ago. First things first, Jack is donating 100% of his tour profits to charity. Way to give back. More interesting for concert-goers was that Jack set up booths for people to visit before the concert, sponsored by All At Once. He promoted various issues such as plastic waste reduction, sustainable food systems, climate change, watersheds, environmental education, and more. On his website, he also encouraged concert-goers to connect with each other and make plans to carpool. Way to be an activist!
Goes to show that you don't have to dedicate your life to making a difference in order to make a difference. Instead, life should be about pursuing your personal interests and desires and just being yourself. Plus giving back.
However, this is not to say that I have not been making an effort to Outlast The Future. In fact, just yesterday I made a trip to the local blood bank and made my 7th donation, a.k.a. only one donation short of a gallon! I encourage anyone and everyone to donate. Only 37% of the population is even eligible to donate, so those of us who qualify should make every effort to do so -- blood cannot be artificially made, it can only be given by healthy and charitable individuals. I promise it really doesn't hurt and the free cookies are delicious! Read more about it at the American Red Cross.
And, of course, I must mention the Jack Johnson concert that admittedly feels like a lifetime ago. First things first, Jack is donating 100% of his tour profits to charity. Way to give back. More interesting for concert-goers was that Jack set up booths for people to visit before the concert, sponsored by All At Once. He promoted various issues such as plastic waste reduction, sustainable food systems, climate change, watersheds, environmental education, and more. On his website, he also encouraged concert-goers to connect with each other and make plans to carpool. Way to be an activist!
Goes to show that you don't have to dedicate your life to making a difference in order to make a difference. Instead, life should be about pursuing your personal interests and desires and just being yourself. Plus giving back.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
A few cool things
I've been meaning to blog about the Jack Johnson concert I went to a couple of weeks ago and how it totally blew my mind, but I haven't gotten around to it. Sorry!
In the meantime, check out these cool things:
1. Congratulations to Jessica Posner, winner of the 2010 Do Something Award!
2. This blog is awesome: Have Fun Do Good. Check it out!
In the meantime, check out these cool things:
1. Congratulations to Jessica Posner, winner of the 2010 Do Something Award!
2. This blog is awesome: Have Fun Do Good. Check it out!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Focus on Other Efforts
At some point last night--I think it was about the time I started swearing at my Google Alert for "school lunch"--I realized that I need to remind myself that there are other ways I'm trying to make a difference. I should view this as a golden opportunity to focus on Other Efforts that I'm working on right now:
1. I'm going to submit my school lunch project for a few non-law fellowships.
2. Better Work, Better Life (BWBL), the student organization that I just founded at UVA, needs some serious attention from me if it's going to get off the ground this fall. I need to get into researching stress and health topics if there is any hope for sending out weekly wellness emails. (BTW--if you're interested in participating or just receiving emails, please drop me a line.)
3. I will continue working hard at my summer job at the American Cancer Society.
4. I'm training hard for the Twin Cities 10-mile race in October, which is my yearly American Cancer Society fundraising activity. Go Team Amanda!
5. Set up Pro Bono work through UVA. Probably return to the Mediation Center of Charlottesville.
6. Remembering that even a smile can brighten someone else's day.
OK, I'm obviously stretching, so we'll leave it there for now. Some of these are on-going tasks and some are things that will end like many service projects often do. Not bad for a given point in time, I think. In other news, I've decided that if I can't find a job that meets my service desires, I'm going to auction myself off on Craigslist or YouTube or something. Not in a freaky-deaky way. But in a I'm-educated-and-experienced-and-want-to-change-the-world-let-me-help-your-cause and then go with the winning cause. Crazy? Up there with kidney and egg donation (which are ideas that I will never entertain again as effective means of difference-making)? Or just plain brilliant?
1. I'm going to submit my school lunch project for a few non-law fellowships.
2. Better Work, Better Life (BWBL), the student organization that I just founded at UVA, needs some serious attention from me if it's going to get off the ground this fall. I need to get into researching stress and health topics if there is any hope for sending out weekly wellness emails. (BTW--if you're interested in participating or just receiving emails, please drop me a line.)
3. I will continue working hard at my summer job at the American Cancer Society.
4. I'm training hard for the Twin Cities 10-mile race in October, which is my yearly American Cancer Society fundraising activity. Go Team Amanda!
5. Set up Pro Bono work through UVA. Probably return to the Mediation Center of Charlottesville.
6. Remembering that even a smile can brighten someone else's day.
OK, I'm obviously stretching, so we'll leave it there for now. Some of these are on-going tasks and some are things that will end like many service projects often do. Not bad for a given point in time, I think. In other news, I've decided that if I can't find a job that meets my service desires, I'm going to auction myself off on Craigslist or YouTube or something. Not in a freaky-deaky way. But in a I'm-educated-and-experienced-and-want-to-change-the-world-let-me-help-your-cause and then go with the winning cause. Crazy? Up there with kidney and egg donation (which are ideas that I will never entertain again as effective means of difference-making)? Or just plain brilliant?
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
A Roadblock
"Everyone has a dumpster/a stumbling block they can't ignore/but to fight it makes you stronger/so next time you might stand/so come out of the dumpster/here, take a hold of my hand" --The Wedding Singer (musical)
I'm trying to breathe.
I just found out that my proposal for a public service fellowship advocating for healthier school lunches does not meet the direct client representation requirement. I've been working on the project since April. I just didn't understand what the requirement really entailed until I called up the fellowship people today and asked about my project directly. It's a no-go.
So where do I go from here? Do I take the next few weeks to quickly scramble a totally different project together? Do I scrap the idea of a public service fellowship completely and focus my job search on the public sector? Do I try to pitch my project to non-law fellowships? Do I rely completely on hopes and dreams and pray that Michelle Obama decides to take my project under her wing?
I don't know yet. Stay tuned.
I'm trying to breathe.
I just found out that my proposal for a public service fellowship advocating for healthier school lunches does not meet the direct client representation requirement. I've been working on the project since April. I just didn't understand what the requirement really entailed until I called up the fellowship people today and asked about my project directly. It's a no-go.
So where do I go from here? Do I take the next few weeks to quickly scramble a totally different project together? Do I scrap the idea of a public service fellowship completely and focus my job search on the public sector? Do I try to pitch my project to non-law fellowships? Do I rely completely on hopes and dreams and pray that Michelle Obama decides to take my project under her wing?
I don't know yet. Stay tuned.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The Beginning
Well, the beginning of the storytelling, anyway. The real beginning would be 24-or-so years ago when I popped out of the womb because I've always been oddly obsessed with making a difference in the world. (Whatever that means.) Now I'm going to suck you all into my journey of figuring it all out.
I'm going to use this blog as a mechanism for sharing my hopes, fears, thoughts, and dreams with the world. I will tell you about all the exciting projects I'm working on, and I hope to hear about yours as well. And I'll remind you that the person who holds the door for you in the morning can brighten your day just as much as the person who gives you a ride when your car breaks down and as much as the person who saves your dog's life. It's about being there, being conscious, and being you.
As the blog description says, the title "Outlast the Future" is drawn from a Ted Kennedy quote: "We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make." Let's go out there and make our mark on the future, folks!
I'm going to use this blog as a mechanism for sharing my hopes, fears, thoughts, and dreams with the world. I will tell you about all the exciting projects I'm working on, and I hope to hear about yours as well. And I'll remind you that the person who holds the door for you in the morning can brighten your day just as much as the person who gives you a ride when your car breaks down and as much as the person who saves your dog's life. It's about being there, being conscious, and being you.
As the blog description says, the title "Outlast the Future" is drawn from a Ted Kennedy quote: "We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make." Let's go out there and make our mark on the future, folks!
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