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2011 In Review and Lessons for 2012

January 19, 2012
Make Your Own World

2012 is well underway and I wanted to look back with a more thoughtful reflection on 2011, including all the joys and sorrows.

I wrote this (fairly long) post and included some bullet points at the end with key points, but I decided I would share those upfront in case you, dear reader, are in a hurry and just want the cliff notes.  In the event you are intrigued and want to know more, there’s plenty more below.

And by all means, I would like to hear from you on what went well in 2011 and what you are looking to improve in 2012.

Continue Reading…

Being Present, and Saying Yes

November 11, 2011
Kids of the Gulf Team and Ian Somerhalder

The past couple of weeks have been some of the most intense, yet incredibly rewarding of my life. Mainly because of people I’ve met and experiences I’ve had out in the world.

In the online world of blogging, check-ins, status updates, tweeting, liking, sharing, posting, etc., it’s easy to forget that real relationships can be formed by putting our phones and laptops down and sitting face to face with people or bonding in groups.

Some people balance these two worlds well, but I struggle with this at times, and my silence here over the past couple of weeks proves to me that I have a lot of work to do in this area. Continue Reading…

Gratitude

Global Support for Kids of the Gulf

October 3, 2011

It has been a little over a week since we launched the fundraising campaign for Kids of the Gulf, and the response from people all over the world has been nothing short of incredible. People on 6 continents are supporting the film in a way that I couldn’t have imagined when we first announced the campaign.

92 people have donated so far, and we’ve had over 33,000 visitors to the fundraising page on IndieGoGo. Today, I wanted to say thank you to everyone that is coming together to make Kids of the Gulf possible. We have an incredible team of people that are rallying around the fundraising campaign and the excitement and enthusiasm that everyone is bringing to the table is truly inspiring. Continue Reading…

Gratitude

People Doing Work That Matters

September 18, 2011
Ian Somerhalder Foundation

Last Fall, my friend Brian sent me an email telling me that I should connect with Ian Somerhalder because we have similar views and are working on some of the same issues. He mentioned that Ian was starting a foundation in December that was going to be prioritizing environmental initiatives and was looking for people to get involved.

I remembered Ian from Lost, but didn’t know anything about his views or what he was ready to light himself on fire over. Right around that time, I ran across his article in the Huffington Post about the oil spill’s impact on his home state of Louisiana. At that point, the synchronicity began. Continue Reading…

Inspiration

Lighting Myself on Fire

September 16, 2011
Brandon Sutton on fire

Last night, I had one of the most productive and inspiring conversations I’ve had in a long time with my good friend and colleague, Michelle Morgan from Hub Atlanta. We were discussing the work we are both doing in the community and how we are looking to facilitate major social and environmental movements.

She used an expression that really resonated with me. She described people like me that get so into the initiatives we are working on that it’s like we are lighting ourselves on fire. Let that one sink in for a minute.

It’s literally like that right now.  Continue Reading…