Ham or Eggs?

I wanted to write this out tonight because it popped into my head on the way home from the night's festivities (aka watching New Moon at the Byrd- yay!) and it kind of describes where I am at in life. And yes, I do realize that every time I post it says something to that effect... believe it or not, I am constantly thinking about something. Such is the life of being a woman, but I the thought has popped into my head this week, how committed are you to things Erica? After watching New Moon, no viewing would be complete without a debate about Team Edward or Jacob and of course I am torn between the two. They both loved her and were committed. But relating this to a quote from Grey's Anatomy, who was the ham and who was the eggs? You have to be one or the other.
I have had many instances in life were I had to choose to be ham or eggs. If you are eggs, you are a chicken. You provide the eggs, but you still remain a chicken. You are still bringing something to the table, but not as much as you could be. But if you are ham, you can no longer be a pig. You are forced to sacrifice the pig for the ham. So what kind of person are you going to be, ham or eggs?
I am sincerely trying to be better at making big sacrifices and being fully committed to things. Whether it is social outings, being a better friend, or the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I hope to be the ham. We can't stay a chicken for too long without losing out on big adventures in life. Nothing in life is worth it if we do not sacrifice, and I hope those of you surrounding me will help me be a better ham and not settle for laying eggs the rest of my life.

Not At All How Things Would Appear

It has been on my mind today that often times things are not at all as they would appear. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, "Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see". I think you can interpret it in many ways, but basically he is saying we do not see the object or thing which is casting the shadow. How often we miss the big picture because we are limited by our own vantage point and perceptions. What seems to one person a kind gesture may be interpreted as an insult. We judge on preconceived notions before we understand the situation.

In my life recently I have been presented many things that seem like they are trials. From difficult people, death and more, I have recently felt like things were not working out at all how I would have hoped. I have also realized I have not really been quite myself lately. My Mom has really been telling me to start noticing the positive and to picture what I want for the future. After all these crazy events that have been happening lately it has kind of shocked me into doing something different. So the message for today is to see and look for the positive things around you. Seeing the negative comes naturally, but as I have been working on seeing the positive again, the world has transformed around me. Blessings seem more abundant than before and my days have become happier.

I digress from the point of todays post though. I must keep up with my nonprofit blogging. I was reading an article about the consumerism side of nonprofits and although the article was poorly written, it makes a good point. To have a successful nonprofit you have to evolve and stay with the times. Like any business that has been around for more then a few years, if you want to stick around you had better be able to keep with the times. The article gives Chanel as an example. They have been around for 100 years and the reason they have had success is because they have learned to keep their fashions trendy and in with the times. They have been able to consistently keep the hype up about their company which has allowed them to stay thriving for years. So how do you keep a nonprofit thriving with the ever changing world? You will have to keep it trendy, or find things that capture people's hearts enough to get them involved. So that is my nonprofit thought for the week. As usual I have posted the article for your reading pleasure.
http://www.causecast.org/member/amymichellea/blog_posts/1469-the-consumerism-side-to-non-profits