Aid to Haiti Desperately Needed

by Efrén Paredes, Jr.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010, the largest earthquake in more than a century devastated the nation of Haiti. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Latest reports from Haiti are that streets are lined with dead bodies, people are in desperate need of clean water, electricity, and medical supplies. Most hospitals, schools, roads, and homes have been transformed into piles of rubble. Undoubtedly the scale of the relief effort necessary will be one of the largest in recent history.

It is likely that more people could die form the aftermath of the earthquake than from the tremor itself. This painful reality has drawn support from countries and aid organizations from around the globe. It has already been reported that Dengue fever, Malaria, Measles, Typhoid and Meningitis are on the rise throughout areas that have been ravaged by the calamity.

Please consider making private donations which are critical to the relief effort. The lives of millions of people are depending on donations for immediate needs and the organizations contributing to the relief effort you can assist are:

The American Red Cross. People can contribute online at: redcross.org or make a $10 donation by sending a text message with the word "Haiti" to 90999.

The United Nations World Food Program. Donations can be made online at: wfp.org

Action Against Hunger. You can give on line at: actionagainsthunger.org

Project Hope. Provides medical supplies and health care services. You can donate online at: projecthope.org

Join me and others to help make a difference.

What will 2010 Bring?

by Efrén  Paredes, Jr.

As we usher in the dawn of the new decade many people will ask themselves, "what will 2010 mean to my life?" Some will respond with optimism, others will dread the unknown.

The truth is many of our expectations will be ones that we create ourselves. There are certainly some experiences that will occur beyond our control, but for the things that we can control, we should work to shape them the way we desire.

Believing that we are mere objects with no control of our lives invites negative experiences. It is dis-empowering and relinquishes all of our decision-making authority to other people and circumstances.

When we have a dismal outlook on life and negative self-image the laws of attraction bring toxicity into our lives. It drains us of energy and keeps us in perpetual darkness. People find it difficult to emerge from this state after prolonged periods of time. It is easier to be complacent than to exert the energy to change the tide that erodes our potential.

We can't be afraid to fail or try in life. If we are we will be paralyzed by fear and never progress. Rather than look at potential experiences as stumbling blocks, we need to view them as stepping stones towards something better.

No one experience defines us, whether good or bad. If it did it would always be the best or worst thing we did in life. It doesn't work that way though. We are the sum of our total experiences, not fragments of them.

Our perception will guide us along the way. If we maintain a positive outlook we will celebrate progress more often than failure. Perception colors an experience and defines it before it even manifests. It charts its course.

When we employ this approach into our lives we begin to discover that people and experiences affect us to the degree we allow them to. Nothing can compel us to experience a feeling we do not allow. We are never taught this though, consequently people find themselves looking for people and material things to comfort and satisfy them.

When we make the conscious choice to live a productive, happy life, we will see it manifest, not because it just transpires, but because it is what we want to see materialize. It is what we work towards and the energy we seek to attract.

We have to cease underestimating ourselves and embrace our enormous potential. In so doing we will empower our lives and create experiences we want, not the ones that "just happen."

The answer to what the new year or decade will bring into your lives is very simple. Most often it will bring what you strive for or invite.