It’s the color of the season, the color of an open heart, and the new black – gratitude.

Never before in my life have I felt such an outpouring of gratefulness, generosity, and caring as I have witnessed over the last several weeks. Don’t know if I was just wearing the right clothes, or smelled just so, but I have had the pleasure of seeing some amazing things first hand. And, I feel glad from it.

Everywhere around us, we witness the world. Some of it can seem frightening. If you listen to the general attention monger media, you might conclude that we should all be in a constant state of fear.

But here’s the deal – fear is a state of mind, not an automatic reaction. When we open our eyes to beauty and miracles, we see that instead. Call me a rose-colored glasses wearing optimist, but hope and forward looking visioning feels better to experience. It gives me more strength of spirit to face the issues that need addressing and to take action. Fear cripples – hope and love uplift. Fear is a choice and it is not my choice today.

In honor of this elation and well…gratitude I feel for the wondrous and hopeful things I see around me, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite causes. If you have one you love, please list it in comments below so we can all know about the good work they are doing and how we can help.

Kiva.org – Microlending site: For as little as $25 you can provide much needed credit assistance to deserving entrepreneurs worldwide. Most entrepreneurs who use microlending are women.
RoomToRead.org – Literacy program started by ex-Microsoft executive, John Wood, that builds libraries throughout the developing world. Room to Read’s programs have reached more than three million children so far and hopes to improve literacy for ten million children by 2020.
WomenForWomen.org – Women for Women International provides women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency.
Charity: Water - Almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water. That’s one in eight of us. charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of public donations directly fund water projects.

We have the power within ourselves to create a world of peace, understanding, tolerance, and health. Thank you to everyone who is working toward this vision – know that many of us stand in gratitude for what you do.

Together, we are stronger!

Vicki Flaugher, CEO
SmartWomanGuides.com

Cooperation is a SmartWoman Principle. I honestly believe that together, we are stronger. To highlight this point, I want to showcase two opportunities you have today to use the strength of cooperation to your advantage in your business.

Kiva and Microlending

There are many ways to show gratitude, foster solidarity, and raise awareness. These activities strengthen your ability to persevere in your business, reach out to others for help, and have your business noticed. They build your character as an entrepreneur and character is how you will ultimately succeed.

Every day on my Twitter background, I have been featuring a global female entrepreneur who is soliciting to receive a microloan through Kiva. Within hours, these entrepreneurs have become fully funded. Hours! Kiva provides the opportunity for farmers, retailers, manufacturers and more worldwide to feed their cattle, buy more inventory, and create new jobs. These women and their partners are pulling others out of poverty, creating self-sustaining economic systems and living “The Dream”.

Participating in microlending plugs you in to a global community of support and promise. It shows you what’s possible. It lights the fire of passion and purpose and spurs you on to do whatever you have to do to be successful in your meaningful work. An entrepreneur with vision, drive, and purpose is unstoppable. Sharing and cooperation through Kiva (or any other of the many microlending organizations) is a way to become that type of entrepreneur.

I’ve set up a SmartWoman Entrepreneurs lending group on Kiva.com if you’d like to participate. $25 is all it takes to get started and the loan repayment rates are typically in the high 90+%. None of the money goes to me and I don’t get any kind of referral fee for you to participate. I simply believe that reaching outside of yourself grows you. I believe you’ll love how it makes you feel and you will benefit from the character development that active philanthropy provides. I believe it is our responsibility to assist our global entrepreneurial sisters and I’d be honored to be shoulder to shoulder with you in these efforts.

Bloggers helping Bloggers

Chuck Westbrook has started a campaign to help quality blogs that are underappreciated get noticed. It’s a truly brilliant idea, using the power of the tribe and of self-interest in coordination. We all want to be successful and most of us are willing to help other people be successful also. By giving of our time and attention to others, we are going to gain attention for ourselves. This idea definitely gets the SmartWoman Seal of Approval.

Chuck is creating a team of top bloggers who will review everyone asking to be featured and select a blog. For the next two weeks, everyone participating has agreed to read the featured blog regularly. After the initial two weeks, another blog will be selected and the process will continue. I signed up to participate and you should too. It’s a tremendous opportunity to be center stage in front of a great group of individuals, both the selection committee and the audience following.

To participate in Chuck’s blogger campaign, go here: Chuck Westbrook Bloggers Helping Bloggers

By giving of a little attention and money, not only do we find out about new things, we also provide opportunities. In both the Kiva example and Chuck’s blogger help program, you have the opportunity to participate in the world at large, to reach beyond yourself, to break out of the day to day picture that sometimes traps us.

Whether you choose either of these two opportunities or find another way to grow, today is a good day to start. Perspective expands as your reach increases. As an entrepreneur, this will be your saving grace. Your business will expand as your viewpoint does. Isn’t that one of the reasons why you’re in business to begin with? Reach out today. Taking some action, even a small one, is all that you need to do.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

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