THE GREAT THING IS YOU CAN FIND YOUR LITTLE NICHE OF HAPPINESS AND STILL HELP OTHERS DOING THAT WHICH YOU REALLY ENJOY DOING – INSTEAD OF A 9 TO 5 JOB THAT GETS YOU BY BUT MAKES YOU MISERABLE!

IF YOU ARE GOING TO INVEST – DO YOU OWN RESEARCH – DON’T LEAVE IT TO SOME BANKER – THAT YOU DON’T KNOW THAT IS NOT FAMILY OR RELATIVE. YOU WOULD BE SMART TO INVEST IN SOMETHING SO THE MONEY KEEPS IN!

YOU MAY BE BEST TO RESEARCH – WELL – SOMETHING YOU WOULD REALLY LIKE TO DO AND INCORPORATE YOUR PASSIONS OF THE HEART [THINGS YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO DO LIKE PAINT AND DRAWING ART – WHY NOT TEACH A CLASS OF SENIORS – OR LITTLE KIDS AT THE YMCA ETC. YOU CAN EVEN DONATE YOUR TIME AND PAINT OR PERHAPS YOU BUILD AN ART STUDIO AND YOU INVITE ARTISTS TO STAY FOR THE WEEKEND TO GET INSPIRED. WHAT WE ARE SAYING IS – YOU CAN STILL CONTRIBUTE – ALL KINDS OF THINGS – AND DONATE OTHER WAYS. BUY BAKERY EQUIPMENT AND BREAD MAKERS – DONATE THEM TO THE FOOD BANKS [THE BREAD MAKERS] AND MAKE AND SELL YOUR OWN RECIPE BOOKS! INTO MAKING YOU GENERATE SOME KIND OF MONTHLY INCOME SO YOUR MONEY ISN’T CONSTANTLY GOING – SOME STILL COMES IN! LIKE SAY YOU START A FARM FOR LOST – STRAY AND MISTREATED ANIMALS – YOU ARE HELPING – MANKIND – AS WE LOVE THE ANIMAL KINGDOM TOO. MAYBE YOU WILL BY A DOG KENNEL IN TOWN AND FEED AND LOOK AFTER ABANDONED ANIMALS. SO YOU BUY THE KENNEL – FIX IT UP AND BUY A YEAR SUPPLY OF FOOD. PERHAPS YOU MIGHT – GO ON YOUTUBE AND FIND ONE OF MANY “HOME MADE” DOG BONE RECIPES – THEY ARE OUT THERE! YOU COULD THEN DECIDE TO MAKE YOUR OWN LINE OF DOG BISCUITS AND CAT TREATS ETC, MAYBE YOU CAN INCLUDE SOMETHING YOU GROW ON YOUR OWN FARM IN THE INGREDIENTS ALSO. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE EINSTEIN HERE ! SOME VERY GOOD &  HELPFUL TIPS

A. FIND SOMETHING YOU LOVE TO DO [HOPEFULLY YOU ARE GOOD AT] IF YOU ARE NOT GOOD AT IT – you will have to PRACTICE! PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!

B. FIND A WAY TO DONATE THAT SKILL OR SERVICE – WHAT YOU ARE GOOD AT! To offer that item or service for FREE – MANY IF POSSIBLE THAT BENEFITS OTHERS. THIS IS YOUR CALL – AUCTIONS – CHARITIES – A DRAW ON A WEBSITE! HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOVIE “PAY IT FORWARD,?” – I THINK THAT IS THE NAME OF IT. THAT’S KIND OF THE IDEA. HOMELESS SHELTERS ETC. LOVING THINGS!

BUY A MAN A FISH – FEED HIM FOR A DAY – SEND SOME MEN SEEDS [IN A POOR] VILLAGE SOME FARMING EQUIPMENT OR SEND THEM NEW TOOLS TO BUILD BOATS – TO LIVE ON EVEN. THERE WILL BE MANY WAYS THAT YOU CAN HELP – JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING WILL BE NEEDED AS MORE AND MORE COUNTRIES ARE HAVING SUCH HORRIBLE WEATHER – SOME ARE REPORTING THE HAARPS ARE STILL UP AND SOME ARE SAYING THEY ARE CLOSED DOWN? FOOD AND SHELTER AND CLOTHING WILL MAKE OTHERS HAPPY. EVEN IF – ALL YOU KNOW HOW TO DO IS KNIT! I WAS SENDING KNITTED HATS TO AFRICA – BELIEVE IT OR NOT TO ONE OF OUR WORLD VISION FAMILIES – AS THEY WROTE TO US AND TOLD US THAT THEY GET REALLY COLD AT NIGHT IN AFRICA, BELIEVE IT OR NOT! WE SENT LIKE 20 TO A FAMILY OF 6 – EXTRAS TO DONATE – TRADE OR SELL. AND EVERY OTHER MONTH WE WOULD SEND TOOLS. HAMMERS AND NAILS AND SCREWDRIVERS ETC. WHEN WE COULD AFFORD IT! WE ACTUALLY CREATED SEVERAL JOBS AS WE SENT TONNES OF BEADS – ENOUGH BEADING EQUIPMENT TO MAKE LIKE A THOUSAND NECKLACES – SEVERAL EASY PICTURE INSTRUCTION BOOKS AND ABOUT 12 LBS OF GLASS AND PLASTIC BEADS WITH PLIERS – EARRING HOOKS – SOME VERY SPECIAL BEADS AND SEVERAL SMALL ITEMS – TO MAKE KEY CHAINS AND PINS ETC. IT FEED THEM EXTRA INCOME FOR MONTHS AS THEY MADE UP THE JEWELERY AND SOLD IT – AND DID FIX IT JOBS IN THE TOWNS FOR MONEY!

C. WE SUGGEST ALSO FIND SOMETHING TO GIVE YOU A RE-OCCURRING MONTHLY INCOME TO KEEP THE MONEY TRAIN COMING IN. AS IF YOU PLAN TO KEEP ON SPENDING – THINK LONG-TERM HOW MUCH IT COSTS YOU TO LIVE EACH YEAR AND TRY TO BRING IN – HALF – THE SAME OR ANOTHER AMOUNT THAT KEEPS GENERATING WEALTH IN A GOOD AND POSITIVE WAY. EVERYTHING HELPS! A WRITER MAY WANT TO INVEST IN A SMALL PRINTING COMPANY ETC. OR YOU BY SMALL HOME KITS AND VISIT A COUNTRY AND HELP THEM BUILD-IT! BUT YOU MAY SELL SELL PAINT AND VARNISH OR SOMETHING WHO KNOWS? THAT IS THE FUN OF IT! YOU MAY WANT TO BUY SOME FARMLAND AND LET THE PEOPLE OF THE TOWN HAVE AN AREA – GIFT THEM WITH SEEDS ETC! TOOLS OR MAYBE TEACH KIDS ON SATURDAYS HOW TO RIDE A HORSES? OR OPEN A FREE MINI-PUT OR SKATE PARK FOR THE KIDS. MAYBE EVEN PAVE A FEW BASKETBALL COURTS! OR TEACH BASKETBALL AS WELL!

ONE OF OUR STORIES!

WE WILL SAY WORLD VISION IS PRETTY LEGIT – THEY ALWAYS GOT WHAT WE SENT THEM AND THEY WOULD WRITE AND SEND PICTURES TO US! ONE YEAR WE SENT A COUPLE OF 10 DOLLAR CAMERA’S AND SOME MED & SMALL DOLLAR STORE PICTURE FRAMES AS THEY SAID THEY DIDN’T REALLY HAVE ANY FAMILY PHOTOS AND THEY WERE SO HAPPY THEY SENT US ONE BACK WITH A PHOTO – SOME OTHER PHOTOS AND A LOVELY LETTER – IT WAS QUITE TOUCHING AND A LOVELY MEMORY FOR THEM TO KEEP FOR THEM SELVES!

I WAS SENDING KNITTED HATS TO AFRICA – BELIEVE IT OR NOT TO ONE OF OUR WORLD VISION FAMILIES – AS THEY WROTE TO US AND TOLD US THAT THEY GET REALLY COLD AT NIGHT. WE SENT LIKE 20 TO A FAMILY OF 6 – EXTRAS TO DONATE – TRADE OR SELL. [MICHAEL’S CRAFT STORE SELLS THESE LOOPS] AND YOU CAN WHIP UP HATS IN ABOUT HALF AN HOUR – THEY LOOK LIKE A GIANT RING WITH PEGS AROUND THEM AND A HOLE IN THE CENTER.] A NEIGHBOR OF MINE USED TO HAND-KNIT BABY OUTFITS IN NUETRAL COLORS AND VISIT THE BABY WARDS AND GIFT PEOPLE WITH THEM FOR THEIR BABIES. EVERY OTHER MONTH WE WOULD SEND TOOLS. HAMMERS AND NAILS AND SCREWDRIVERS ETC. WE ACTUALLY CREATED SEVERAL JOBS AS WE SENT TONNES OF BEADS & TOOLS – ENOUGH BEADING EQUIPMENT TO MAKE LIKE A THOUSAND NECKLACES, RINGS AND BRACELETS – SEVERAL EASY PICTURE INSTRUCTION BOOKS AND ABOUT 12 LBS OF GLASS AND PLASTIC BEADS WITH PLIERS – EARRING HOOKS – SOME VERY SPECIAL BEADS AND SEVERAL SMALL ITEMS – TO MAKE KEY CHAINS AND PINS ETC. IT FEED THEM EXTRA INCOME FOR MONTHS AS THEY MADE UP THE JEWELERY . WE HAVE HAD ABOUT 6 WORLD VISION FAMILIES NOW. THE ONE WE HAD A FEW YEARS AGO WAS A SINGLE MUSLIM WOMEN WITH 6 KIDS WHO LIVES IN MAURITANIA, AFRICA. HER HUSBAND WENT INTO TOWN – FURTHER AWAY THAN USUAL TO LOOK FOR WORK AND NEVER RETURNED. THEY HAD A SMALL BEAN FARM – THEY WERE DIRT POOR – BUT DOING BETTER THAN SOME. IT GRABBED THE HEART STRINGS SO WE ADOPTED THEM FOR 10 YEARS – WORLD VISION. FIRST YEAR WE SENT HAIR STUFF AND SMALL NEEDED ITEMS – HATS AND MITTS – NEXT YEAR WAS ALL THE TOOLS AND JEWELERY STUFF IN A COUPLE OF PACKAGES – A FEW TIMES A YEAR – AND ALWAYS SOMETHING AT CHRISTMAS – EVERY YEAR – YEAR AFTER THAT IT WAS THEY WERE SO PROUD OF THE JEWELERY AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES AS I SENT THEM A DISPOSABLE CAMERA AND HER 6 CHILDREN AND SOME FAMILY MEMBERS POSED FOR THEM. IT MAY HAVE BEEN ONLY A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS WORTH OF STUFF – MAINLY FROM DOLLAR STORES – BUT YOU NEVER SEEN SUCH SMILES OF APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE! WHEN HER KIDS WERE SMALL WE SENT PLASTIC AND RUBBER PUZZLES [THEY LIVE IN HUTS] ALL KINDS OF THOSE LEGO BLOCKS – FROM DOLLAR STORES – THEY SELL THEM – THEY ARE JUST NOT EXACTLY THE SAME SIZE AS LEGO – BUT YOU GOT LIKE 150 PIECE SETS FOR A DOLLAR – SO WE SENT UP 10 PACKS – ALL THE KIDS IN THE VILLAGE WOULD COME TO PLAY WITH THEM AS NO ONE ELSE HAD ANY. WE STARTED TO SEND UP SOME EXTRA PACKS SO THE KIDS WOULD HAVE ENOUGH. IT’S LITTLE CHEAP GESTURES LIKE THAT CAN MAKE THEIR DAY, MONTH OR YEAR! WORLD VISION IS LEGIT – IT HAS BEEN ABOUT 23 YEARS THAT WE HAVE BEEN A MEMBER! AND SOME VERY TOUCHING MOMENTS TOO!

NOTE THESE ARE JUST SMALL IDEAS – YOU CAN DO THINGS ON A GRANDER SCALE – LIKE BUILDING WELLS IN AFRICA AND INDIA OR IRAQ FOR CLEAN DRINKING WATER! OR BUILD SHELTERS ACROSS THE WORLD OR HELP THE FOOD BANKS IN YOUR HOMETOWNS OR SOMEWHERE ELSE!