Why You Should Give Back- The Power of Small Acts

July 28, 2017July 29, 2017 AuroraLeave a comment

Tonight is the eve of our annual Give Back Lehigh Valley Softball Tournament and I am SO EXCITED… and a little antsy! My (now) husband and I created this event back when we were dating… we got engaged there and now are married. It’s been 4 years and I can’t believe how quickly the time to passed and how this event has evolved.

What does not amaze me, is how awesome it feels to have created such an amazing give-back event that continues to get bigger and bigger as the years go by!!! GIVING BACK IS EASY… and it doesn’t have to be something big or something that grows… it can be small acts that make a difference in the life of another.

We began our Give Back Event to help me fundraise for our local Cystic Fibrosis chapter a few years back when I was named a Lehigh Valley Finest Under 40 honoree. That was with 4 teams, a few donations and some cool T-shirts. The event tomorrow is anticipated to have anywhere from 150-200 people and over 100 participants. 😳 IT’S amazing!… but truly, it also takes a village.

Each year, I use the all social media outlets to plug the event, solicit sponsorship and to shed the light on how YOU can give back and together, all of our small efforts make a BIG impact. For example, this year alone, strangers have reached out to me to become a part of this and volunteer; friends from grade school that I haven’t spoken to personally or seen in years have donated product for the event; and some incredible Lehigh Valley businesses stepped up to be big name sponsors of the event. I know this has built over the years, but it doesn’t change the pure awe that I feel when I see so many people coming together. I can tell you, that as our 4th Annual event, we became completely sponsored by businesses and individuals who want to give back, right here where we live. Years ago- a lot of what made the event came out of our own pockets… which was something we were prepared for, but appreciate now that it’s changed. It’s a beautiful thing to see so many wanting to drive change and to be a positive force in the community.

So here we are, a few hours out from the big day beginning, and I’m so excited I can’t sleep. This event is our little piece of what we’re able to put out into the world, and it feels amazing. If this day inspires a few people to give a little more than they do, then we’ve done our job. At the very least, we can provide some assistance for our local charities and organizations, and provide a positive, fun day for the community. In our last 3 tournaments we’ve raised $25,000 and hope to add another 10k to that number tomorrow for Nam Knights of the LV and Logan’s Heroes Animal Recue! 🐾🇺🇸⚾️

If you want to see more about our event, please visit GiveBackSoftball.com & please comment below if you need any inspo or help creating a Give Back event!

To helping those in your community… ❤️

-Aurora

Goals · Motivation · Self Realization · Uncategorized

Getting ready for 2017!

December 21, 2016December 21, 2016 AuroraLeave a comment

If you want 2017 to be your year: Don’t sit on the couch and wait for it. Go out. Make a change. Smile more. Be excited. Do new things. Throw away what you’ve been cluttering. Unfollow negative people on social media. Go to be early. Wake up early. Be fierce. Don’t gossip. Show more gratitude. Do things that challenge you. Be brave.

I LOVE this!! How many of us say that the upcoming New Year is going to be their year? Well, I think majority of us have said at some point (around 12:00am on Dec 31st whether 20xx or 19xx),”THIS IS going to be my year!” I will admit… I think I say something similar to this each year, but often pointed around something specific, like “this year I’m going to get in shape”… or …” this year I am going to plan that trip I’ve been wanting to go on”… etc etc etc. I think New Years Resolutions are like any goal you set, you have to be committed and really want it for it to happen. The calendar change to an entire new year, and saying goodbye to another, is certainly the push to help motivate change, but you still need to have your mind set to it and put in effort.

While we still have 10 days until we begin the 10 second countdown, maybe take the time to consider what (if anything) you really want to achieve, do, accomplish, get rid of, in the next year! A brand new year truly offers the opportunity to make a change you’re looking for. Have a list of things? Write them out! Look over your list closely and take the time to decide what you really want and what you can put some motivation into! Saying you want to sign up for grad school, or join a new workout class is not going to work if you haven’t done school research or hate working out in public. To give yourself the opportunity to achieve your resolution, you need to be realistic about what you want to achieve.

My plan for 2017 is above! I vote for Positivity in 2017 and my first step is to say YES to being happy! If you are with me and like this idea too, write it out below!!!