I have some exciting news and a very worthwhile cause to tell you about today. Three very wise and humble bloggers have come up with a formula for helping the afflicted in Darfur, a region in Western Sudan.

In case you are not aware of the situation, over the past five years, 200,000 civilians have died due to violence, malnutrition, and disease in Darfur and an additional 2.2 million people have been displaced. These three bloggers want to do something about it.

I was introduced to Mark Hayward by way of this article - Pardon me, is that an arrow in your head? - whilst I was training for the Kokoda trek. Mark served in Papua New Guinea in the Peace Corps as a volunteer and has many stories to tell of his two year stint there.

Mark has teamed up with fellow bloggers Leo Babauta from Zen Habits, Dan Clements from Escape-101 and Andrew Flusche in this unique launch of an online non-profit humanitarian organisation:

TrainforHumanity.org - getting fit + social media + blogging = social good.

The three pilot project athlete-bloggers, Mark Hayward, Dan Clements, and Leo Babauta are hoping to raise awareness for the current crisis in Darfur and funds for the organization Darfur Peace and Development. All three are training for endurance events of varying distances ranging from a triathlon to a marathon.

You can help by:

• Spreading the word of this project by blogging about it - they do have a sample post which you could copy and paste if you wish to or write it your way.

• Sponsoring one or all of these athletes is another way to help. Their aim is to raise $50,000 for the cause as they train for their respective endurance events.

• Displaying a Train for Humanity badge on your site to raise awareness like the one in my far right sidebar.

Please consider doing what you can to help these gentleman reach their goal whether it be by raising awareness or sponsoring them and THANK YOU for taking the time to read this post.

It’s like climbing a mountain don’t you think? Now I know a thing or two about climbing mountains and asking YOU if you care enough about yourself is a valid question.

How often do you say to yourself and others, “I wish there were more time in the day!” I know you would be lying if you didn’t think this at least once a day. Correct me if I am wrong! Time is a very precious commodity that we never get back so use it wisely.

Being a work at home mum inevitably leads to being in the same surroundings day in and day out. Getting out of the house to work for me is a real treat and something I have scheduled in more often with my mobile broadband connection.

If you work from home, you can probably identify with this. The other issues are of course that there is always something to be done around the house and if you have young children, they need attention too. So how do we find the balance and care enough about ourselves to do something about it?

Here’s a question for you and I want you to say it out loud so it really resonates with you.

“How often do I spend time on myself?”

Is it an hour a day?

An hour or more a week?

An hour or more a month?

I think you get the idea. And by this, I mean time just for you and you alone. Whether it be taking a leisurely stroll, meditating, reading a book, listening to your favorite music or maybe sitting amongst nature and listening to the birds! Whatever it is that brings you peace of mind - spend time doing it.

Do you think about the food you eat and whether it is “good” or “bad” for your body? I use those words loosely as one person’s idea of good and bad can be different to the next person.

Do you exercise and stretch your body to keep it flexible and strong? Do you do Mentalrobics for the brain to keep it active? Is this too much of a list for you?

These are basic things we can do for ourselves in the quest to caring for ourselves. I know when I hit 40 I felt fabulous… now a few more years down the track… time seems to slip by me so fast that I can’t keep up with all I need to do!

Does it show to those around you?

Do you care enough about yourself that it shows to those around you? Do your friends comment on a great hairdo or a nice outfit you are wearing? Perhaps your skin always looks great and you receive compliments about this. Or perhaps you showed compassion to another and word got around. You may find that you have more respect than before. That’s not why you would it, it would be a consequence after the fact.

Now you might be asking “What does showing compassion to another have to do with caring about yourself?” Well if you didn’t care about yourself, you wouldn’t be showing compassion. By showing compassion to another, you would have put yourself in their shoes and whatever it was that prompted you to offer them help would have been something that happened to you in the past or to someone else you know and what they went through during that time. If you didn’t care enough about yourself, then how can you care for your fellow man?

Care Enough About Yourself

Some of the things you may want to take on if you care enough about yourself are things that you are passionate about and it really could be anything you find joy in doing and linking pleasure to doing it.

If the traditional way of exercising is not for you, think about taking a dance class like Salsa or Belly Dancing for instance. You will find muscles you never thought you had in those classes, or find someone that has group exercise classes outside of a gym if it’s the gym thing that doesn’t appeal. A simple brisk walk or light jog for 20 minutes everyday may do the trick too with stretching before and after the event.

When it comes to do the grocery shopping, do it after you have had a meal so that you are not tempted to buy extras that you don’t really need. Shopping on a full stomach will lessen the chance of buying something that may not be so good for you and your body.

Grooming is another thing to take note of. Having your hair tidy, makeup done (if you wear makeup that is) and clean well kept clothes also shows if you care enough about yourself. You don’t need to have the latest fashion as the latest fashion doesn’t suit every body or personality type. Wear what you feel comfortable in and remember to check your shoes too. These are things you may not consider on a daily basis and especially if you don’t have to leave the house to commute to work. It’s easy to become nonchalant in this situation and awareness of this is important… well to me anyway.

So do you care enough about yourself? If you don’t, then who will?

While you are considering this, here’s another dance you may be interested in and I look forward to your thoughts. Watch this video… um… you could get out of your chair and follow along… perhaps!

If you are into meditation or not, this event is not to be missed. Georgina Beament of the World of Love and Light has organised this Global Meditation Event to be held on 08/08/08 at 8:00am or 8:00pm wherever you are.

The idea is this:

All you need to do is focus on Love to yourself, the people in it and the world you live in. It’s really very simple.

It’s not essential for you to tune into the show… just being aware of the date and time and applying your thoughts is all that matters.

Love and Light
Georigna

A special broadcast will be held at the Law of Attraction radio show specifically for this however, it is not necessary to attend. Further details can be found on the Facebook event page here.

If you would like to help make a difference and send your healing thoughts to the world, mark this on your calendar. This is also nurturing for the self. Quiet time to think thoughts of love and healing will energise you and give a sense of gratitude.

Buddhists say positive energy can heal the world. Here is a short video for you.