Imagine giving a gift that is priceless, stress reducing and joy enhancing all tied up in one neat bow of gratitude! As we enter the holiday season, remember there are many ways to give back to those you want to celebrate with a non-monetary gift.
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Priceless Giving Ideas:
Family/Friends

• Write: Write a poem or write a short story about your favorite time with that person.
• Picture Collage: Put together a computerized picture collage if you are good with technology. Send them an electronic copy saying how much you enjoy the memories you have shared and looking forward to making more memories.
• Act of Service: Create a booklet of free passes in which you do a task for another person. For your immediate family you can give them a free pass by taking out the trash, cooking a meal, giving them a massage, or simply making their bed. For friends, offer to help them with tasks they don’t enjoy such as one day of purging their junk closet or babysitting so they can have free time.
• Heart Fillers: Fill balloons with messages of love, gratitude and appreciation. They will enjoy popping the balloons to read your message. Another option is to place all the love notes in a hand-decorated jar.
• Connect: Suggest one-on-one time with the friend or family member, i.e., taking a walk; having non-technology time together; enjoying an activity you both share a passion.

Work

• Thankful Note: Write a letter that includes why you are thankful for your colleague. Written notes are powerful as they are not used frequently, and they can be revisited whenever the reader needs a lift.
• Invitation: Invite your co-workers for a holiday scavenger hunt or a cup of hot chocolate. Find a festive location for the hunt and enjoy in fun together making memories.
• Appreciation: Decorate your co-worker’s cubicle or desk with stickie notes of all the reasons you appreciate their efforts.
• Content: Ask your team members or manager to be a part of a round-up article or blog to help them market their talents.

No matter what you decide, make sure you are sharing gratitude and quality time together and, most importantly, remember to give from your heart. 

In Culture Infusion, I noted the importance of finding your passion and using it to fuel both your personal and professional lives. We can find inspiration anywhere and everywhere, as long as we are open. I discovered this truth anew when I attended the National Kids Yoga Conference in October 2017; I had no idea I would be leaving with a new partner and co-creator—the Amal Alliance—as well as a new cube idea—The Happy Cube—for my wellness company, Zendoway.

All the cubes I’ve created so far have meaning, but this one is special because it was made to provide emotional support to children in refugee camps. We even worked with psychologists to get the wording just right and make sure teachers can use the cube with children who have survived trauma to guide them in coping with their emotions.
The Happy Cube is intended to engage children through movement on multiple emotional levels inspired by self-compassion, mindful expression, self-regulation, happiness, and loving-kindness.

When we give back, we share a deeper sense of connection. This is true both personally and professionally. In my book Culture Infusion: 9 Principles to Create and Maintain a Thriving Organizational Culture, encouraging team connection and giving back is principle 9. Giving back is engrained in the culture of Actualize Consulting, and as one way of enhancing corporate social responsibility, we encourage cause-related employee activities that we are passionate about.

So far, I’ve sent 150 Happy Cubes to the Amal Alliance’s Smile 4 Happiness pilot program, which “aims to channel inner strength and positivity through recreational activities, athletic programs, mindfulness, and fostering creativity for displaced youth.” For every Zendoway Cube package purchased, I will donate an additional cube to a displaced child in an Amal Alliance safe learning space.

I’ve always been passionate about kids. They are the reason behind why I started making Zendoway cubes in the first place—as a way to get breathing into my kids’ schools without using words like “meditation.” What started out as one cube has morphed into 12, and now even counselors and corporate offices use them. At Actualize, we give out a Principles cube—which outlines many of the components of Culture Infusion like breathing, communication, and the 3P Method—to all new hires. We encourage them to keep it on their desk as a physical reminder to take care of their well-being.

More cubes and their uses:

1.     Questions. This is a cube designed to empower, with questions that focus on training us to think positively and reflect inwardly. It’s perfect for meetings since it makes a thoughtful icebreaker.

2.     Play, Happy. With questions and activities perfect for children, these make a great mindful gift for any event to which children are invited.

3.     Yoga Poses, Chakras. Because these cubes are perfect for stretching and affirming our bodies, they make great activities for corporate retreats and team building. They make it easy to teach a little bit of yoga and meditation to fuel team well-being—no experience needed.

If you have a passion, chase it. It will take you places you’d never expect and can turn into incredible things—much like the Smile 4 Happiness initiative.
If you’d like to learn more about the Smile 4 Happiness initiative, you can check it out here: http://bit.ly/PRzendoway or the cubes here: www.zendoway.com/cubes.

Has the circle of life ever taken you on a roller coaster ride? As I write this, my grandmother is in her final stage of life in hospice care and my daughter is in her last month of elementary school. One moment I am fine, and the next I’m a hot crying mess as memories of good times now past descend on me. Fundamentally, I accept life and death and the changes happening so fast as my kids grow up. But somehow as I sit between the opposite ends of life—my beloved grandmother’s impending death and my daughter’s new chapter of life—the meaning of life and my own role in the grand scheme of things invites deeper reflection. Am I living to my full potential of joy? Spreading enough love? Learning and growing daily? Connecting with the people who are important in my life?
When hospice told me to get my grandmother’s affairs in order and I secured a company for cremation, they asked if I would like them to write her obituary. I considered their offer but decided to take on the task myself. I had been the primary person managing my grandmother’s care and household for the last three years—making multiple trips from my home in Virginia to hers in Florida as her needs changed—and this task, I knew, would be a sacred one. Here are the lessons I learned from writing my grandmother’s obituary: 
1.)   Ask your loved ones about their lives, even the small details. As I used the hospice form to fill out my grandmother’s life details, I was disappointed in myself that the names of all her siblings did not come easily to me; I had to research and even look up one of her sibling’s obituaries. Years ago, I had interviewed my grandmother and written a small book to celebrate her life, but in going back to it now, the content feels superficial and high-level; in the face of death, our views change. If I could do it all over, I’d spend more time with my grandmother and maybe even create a video featuring her life.
2.)   Make time to spend with your loved ones. Life is fragile. Work can wait. What is the worst case if you miss a deadline? Have you experienced a sudden death that made you wish you had more time? My grandmother has made it to age 91, but in 2016 I lost my childhood best friend. Life is short; make the time!
3.)   Write down what you want your legacy to be. While you’re at it, ask your aging family members how they would want to be remembered. Include the details—they are the personal touch that celebrates the gift of each person’s unique personality.

• For my best friend, I wrote, “Angie was a creative, fun, loving, and adventurous spirit. A poet and prolific singer/songwriter, she created and performed countless songs with the musical talent of her husband. Most recently, Angie wrote the song ‘40 West’ for her cousin’s first Nashville recording.” 
• For my grandmother, I said, “Margaret was by nature a creative person, bringing her unique touch to everything from costume- and jewelry-making to her gourmet meals. Margaret’s life was rich with loving family and very special friends, who were the source of much joy for her.”

As my tears flow, so too do the beautiful memories of those I have loved dearly over the years. I hold on to the positive and uplifting memories, and I try to uphold each of their legacies, from being playful daily as my best friend would want to spread love and kindness as my great-grandmother Pauline taught me. These days I am cooking the food that my grandmother taught me to make and sending pictures to her aids, so they can show her my kids and I cooking together. They say it always makes her smile. I also cook when I visit my grandmother—that is the bond we share, the legacy she has passed to me. It’s something I can do now to celebrate her life, while also spending time with my own kids.

​What one step can you take to spend more time being with and getting to know your loved ones, young and old alike? 

In today’s society, much of what we do is online and electronic: paying bills, depositing checks, checking in with friends and family – and giving back is no exception. There are many ways to give back online, and here are just a few options available if you’re interested in ways to give back online.
 
1. SocialVibe
Social media can help foster spreading positive vibes, especially when you’re on the right platforms. Once you sign up, you can pick a non-profit that aligns with your goals and beliefs and choose an organization to sponsor you. You can then add widgets to add it to your existing social media accounts, and connect with new friends with similar passions and interests on Social Vibe. 

2. Free Rice
This website is a way to practice your knowledge of different subjects and learn something new while giving back. It hosts quiz-like questions in a variety of different areas and skill levels, such as humanities, math, English, foreign languages, sciences, chemistry, geography, and even offers questions for SAT preparation.  For every correct answer you provide, the website will donate 10 grains of rice through the World Hunger Programme.  This is a great way to give back while brushing up on your skills, and is perfect for kids if they are searching for a new computer game.  You can use this website as a tool for teaching them about how they can give back.

3. Donate Credit Card Rewards
If you have any unused rewards from your credit cards, you can donate them to multiple charities.  For example, your frequent flier miles can help fund the Make-a-Wish Foundation and, in the process of donating, keep your miles from going to waste. If you have a charity close to your heart, see how your rewards can help.

4. Sparked
Sparked is a board game designed to bring women together and foster uplifting conversation.  The next time you have a game night, consider playing a game like sparked to encourage meaningful fellowship.  As a bonus, 10% of each purchase from their website goes to a charity partner that aligns with their mission. This partner changes every 4 months, and is currently Girl Talk, a non-profit peer-to-peer mentoring program. (Currently on back order it is so popular!)

5. GiveWork
The principle of Give Work is based off of Leila Janah’s book, Give Work: Reversing Poverty One Job at a Time.  The idea is this: every time you decide to make a purchase, consider buying from companies and organizations that hires those who are marginalized, including veterans, former prison inmates, low-income workers, or people who have been rescued from sex-trafficking. 

6. Give Back Box
If you have any clothing items you no longer need, whether you or your kids have grown out of them or no longer like them, you can give them a new home through this organization.  You simply pack up your clothing and shoes in any box and print out a prepaid shipping label from givebackbox.com.  Bring it to the post office, and voila! Your items will be donated to a charity.  When you sign up for a shipping label, you will receive a tax receipt via email. 

7. The Hunger Site
This works in one of two ways: you can buy from the website’s store and a percentage of your purchase will support organizations with a goal of fighting hunger, or you could click the banner on their homepage once a day to donate one cup of food to those in need.  This button is backed by the website sponsors, and 100% of their sponsor advertising fees go to charity. Organizations they partner with include Food Recovery Network, Mercy Corps, and Partners in Health, among others.  

8. Amazon Smile
This one is incredibly simple: you can link your amazon account to a charity of your choice (even if it’s local!) and they will receive .5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. The same amazon you use with an added bonus of helping fund charity!

9. Donate your Birthday on Facebook
There’s a new feature on Facebook allowing you to “Donate your Birthday” – you click on the fundraising tab, select a charity of your choice, set your fundraising goal, and share your birthday message encouraging others to donate. Instead of receiving money and gifts on your birthday, you can ask others to donate on your behalf. 

​My birthday was this week, so giving back was focused on myself. And I wanted to share with you as well a special 43% off on any product or service. Another birthday surprise was being quoted in The New York Post.