No one ever promised me that fundraising was going to be easy but they did say it was necessary. Well, that is until I become a millionaire...then I'm done. Asking for money is not for the weak at heart. The past few days have created a few anxious moments but any bone of reservation that may have entered my body was continuously replaced with the bone of motivation to ensure that one more scholarship is raised.
However, one of my most anxious moments arose as I created my YouTube video to accompany this campaign. The issue was not the technology (although it would be great to have some more fancy features...wink wink to any techies out there). I created the video and loaded it up on YouTube no problem but hitting the Publish button created sheer PANIC in my soul.
The real issue was realizing that I am about to place my face on full blast for criticism and praise without my consent. Even us do-gooders have a bit of vanity. Aside from creating a new consciousness of beauty marks on my face, it created a very real sense of just how NOT private the internet is and just how available YOUR ENTIRE EXISTENCE can be to the world even those 1.6 billion other folks you will never meet.
After strongly debating removing myself from every form of social media I had ever attached myself too (yes, even that hot pink myspace page whose password I cant find but I know is still lingering), I came to two solid realizations.
1) I need to get over myself just a bit: I'm not that popular ... yet. So anyone watching my 4 minutes of begging is probably a friend or potential donor. So I can breathe a bit more calmly:)
2) This is the double edged sword of social media. We need it for branding and massive spreading of information but once its out there we have no control over it and how its interpreted.
The reality is that my PANIC was not without warrant (ok maybe the 5 minutes of hyperventilating in my hot pink fleece blanket was a little dramatic...but I digress). It's a reality of living in this digital age. Just about everything you say can be tracked. But thankfully all I'm saying is #onefor40 on repeat. But alas, YouTube was nearly the death of me but ended up giving me a reality check on the age of media that I've come to love in as a college student but fear as a budding young professional with accountability.
So thankfully this blog allows me to address these moments of PANIC and continue to push towards the goal of raising $40k by March 23...even if having my video all over youtube makes me a little nauseous.
Keep Swimming.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
#onefor40
Some days you wake up a bit crazier than others. But sometimes that "crazy" is your conscious kicking you for playing it safe and reminding you that real progress takes risk. For most of my life, service has been an integral part of what I did. I like to help other people and the hooplah of law school and just figuring out myself put a stump on how much I could serve. Well my conscious could not take it anymore. Today I’m making a BIG COMMITMENT!
Between today and March 23, 2012, I am committing to personally raise $40,000 for the Ron Brown Scholar Program. There are a few facts I should share that factor into this BIG ANNOUNCEMENT:
• I must be out of my mind.
• Life is too short not to have BIG, HARD-TO-ATTAIN goals.
• There is no way I can do this on my own.
SOOOOOOO, I am calling on YOU to help. Yes, you, my friends, frenemies, mentors, and yes, even the many complete strangers the have friended me over the years at Facebook. I am calling on anyone that will listen and cares about inspiring the next generation of leaders. I am calling on as many people as possible to donate any and everything to help me reach this goal.
If you are reading this blog, that means you love me. So stop reading here and just skip to the bottom to see how to make a donation (remember the hastag: #onefor40).
So why the Ron Brown Scholar Program?
You might not even know about the program so you can find the basics here. However, the most important part that you need to know is that I received this prestigious award and it did more than give me $40,000, it gave me the first taste of winning on a national level. It was a reminder that no matter my familial situation, no matter the stereotypes of my demographic, no matter any circumstances I would not only succeed but excel. Not only that I have the opportunity to meet some of the most engaging young people the nation has seen. (Learn more about them here).
I'm also doing this because over time it’s easy to become complacent. It’s easy to forget that this life is bigger than just our personal goals. No matter how many degrees received, accolades awarded or millions of dollars paid, I’m only as good as the number of lives I can improve.
I am going to raise this $40,000 by Selection Weekend (March 23, 2012). This is important to me, not out of obligation, but out of an internal need to ensure that at least one more young person feels the sense of limitlessness that I felt almost 10 years ago when I was selected. I’m doing it for the future.
So if you are with me, make a donation in the following forms and dont forget to include the hashtag #onefor40:
• Purchase a ticket or table to our annual fundraiser (American Journey Awards on March 23, 2012)
• Have your company match my amount raised (contact me at onefor40@gmail.com)
• Make a tax deductible donation to the Ron Brown Scholar Program (website)
#leggo
Between today and March 23, 2012, I am committing to personally raise $40,000 for the Ron Brown Scholar Program. There are a few facts I should share that factor into this BIG ANNOUNCEMENT:
• I must be out of my mind.
• Life is too short not to have BIG, HARD-TO-ATTAIN goals.
• There is no way I can do this on my own.
SOOOOOOO, I am calling on YOU to help. Yes, you, my friends, frenemies, mentors, and yes, even the many complete strangers the have friended me over the years at Facebook. I am calling on anyone that will listen and cares about inspiring the next generation of leaders. I am calling on as many people as possible to donate any and everything to help me reach this goal.
If you are reading this blog, that means you love me. So stop reading here and just skip to the bottom to see how to make a donation (remember the hastag: #onefor40).
So why the Ron Brown Scholar Program?
You might not even know about the program so you can find the basics here. However, the most important part that you need to know is that I received this prestigious award and it did more than give me $40,000, it gave me the first taste of winning on a national level. It was a reminder that no matter my familial situation, no matter the stereotypes of my demographic, no matter any circumstances I would not only succeed but excel. Not only that I have the opportunity to meet some of the most engaging young people the nation has seen. (Learn more about them here).
I'm also doing this because over time it’s easy to become complacent. It’s easy to forget that this life is bigger than just our personal goals. No matter how many degrees received, accolades awarded or millions of dollars paid, I’m only as good as the number of lives I can improve.
I am going to raise this $40,000 by Selection Weekend (March 23, 2012). This is important to me, not out of obligation, but out of an internal need to ensure that at least one more young person feels the sense of limitlessness that I felt almost 10 years ago when I was selected. I’m doing it for the future.
So if you are with me, make a donation in the following forms and dont forget to include the hashtag #onefor40:
• Purchase a ticket or table to our annual fundraiser (American Journey Awards on March 23, 2012)
• Have your company match my amount raised (contact me at onefor40@gmail.com)
• Make a tax deductible donation to the Ron Brown Scholar Program (website)
#leggo
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