Baby Boomers U. S. (The Blog)

Shift My Gift Aims to Create Social Movement for Meaningful Giving

Posted: 01 Sep 2011 03:53 AM PDT

This is a Guest Post by Blair Souder, founder of Shift MyGift and is proudly presented here as a PSA. If you would like to Guest Post for Baby Boomers US, check out our Guest Post for Us page.

For most of my life, I have been in accumulation mode. 　For one reason or another, I thought more stuff – and bigger stuff- was better. 　For me, for my wife, for my kids; for status, for comfort, or just because – cars, electronics, toys, bigger and bigger houses, furniture, boats, mountains of gear of all kinds.

And then it hit me- all of the sudden, while hiking through a remote area of Nepal and seeing the connectedness, happiness, and graciousness of the Sherpa people who lived extremely simple lives… 　does all my stuff really make me happy? 　Am I any happier today than the day 28 years ago when I drove my beat-up little Datsun from college with not a dime to my name? 　Why am I seeing such peace in the faces of the people in this remote land, where people live very simple lives, while at home in the US stress seems to be the prevailing attitude?

I dug into this some more and came to understand the toll all this “stuff” takes on the planet. It would literally take five planet Earths to support the entire population living at the U.S.'s level of consumption.　Not to mention the toll on our collective psyche of always needing more and bigger stuff and then stressing to maintaining all of it.

I came to learn that it wasn’t, isn’t, and never will be “stuff” that brings us the peace and happiness we are seeking. Rather it is the connections we have to ourselves and others – friends, family, community – which is truly the source of happiness, purpose, and meaning.

It was close to Christmas.　Black Friday was upon us, as frenzied shoppers ran each other over at the local department store to find cheap stuff.　

I asked myself some simple questions.

What do I ask for when I realize I have all I need and want?
How do I celebrate occasions in my life in a way that can bring more meaning?

In that Shift My Gift was born- a web portal (www.shiftmygift.com) to make it simple to divert money which would have been spent on gifts I don't need or want to causes, nonprofits, and individuals who have a real need.　　

The “shifter” wins by diverting money to causes important to them, and making their occasions count for something more; the “gifters” win as they no longer have to slog through malls finding something to give and they also get a tax deduction; and the planet wins by eliminating all the gas, wrapping paper, and garbage which would have been generated.

Shift My Gift also enables nonprofits to create and promote their own “Shift My Gift Campaigns” to encourage their supporters to shift their gifts to causes important to them.

Shift My Gift is more than simply a website. It aims to create a movement. It is designed to give us all pause and really make us think, “how much stuff do I really need?”　We hope to bring a new vernacular to celebrations and occasions in our lives.

“What do you want for your birthday?”

“Oh I'm shifting my gifts this year- I've got enough stuff, thank you.”

About the Author: Shift My Gift was inspired when Blair returned to the U.S. during the holidays after an extended trip to Nepal, when it became clear once again that the path to happiness and fulfillment has nothing at all to do with getting more stuff. He resides with his family in Chester County, PA.

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Baby Boomers Blog Carnival One Hundred-seventh Edition

Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:10 AM PDT

Welcome to the August 31, 2011 edition of the Baby Boomers Blog Carnival. There are some really well thought out and insightful Boomer articles for you to peruse this week.

So, grab a cup of coffee (or tea), sit back in your most comfortable chair, put up your feet and Enjoy.

This one’s for you!

Family

Marie@familymoneyvalues.com presents Do You Talk to Your Parents About Money? posted at FamilyMoneyValues, saying, “Talking with parents and adult children about money can be difficult, but families working to build and keep wealth across generations can read why they should and how to do it in this post by Family Money Values.”

Susan Howe presents The Most Dangerous Celebrity Chefs For Your Waistline posted at Welcome to the Insure.com Insurance Blog: Life Insurance, Health Insurance and Car Insurance news and opinions, saying, “Celebrity chefs are hugely influential today, but you might not realize the health risks of dining too often on delectable dishes featured on their TV shows and in their cookbooks.”

Fitness

Rosa Wilson presents 10 Most Popular and Least Used Home Exercise Equipment posted at NonDiet.com.

Health

Kris presents How much sugar per day for weight loss and optimal health posted at Kris Health Blog, saying, “An article about how much sugar per day for weight loss and optimal health. I believe that sugar is the primary cause of obesity and poor health.”

Charles Chua C K presents 10 Effective Ways to Stay Young While You Are Growing Old posted at All About Living with Life.

Emilia Klapp presents How Much Weight Can I Lose in a Year? posted at The Diabetes Club, saying, “Over the years, you may have gained weight so gradually that you can't figure out how it happened. You definitely don't remember changing your eating or exercise habits. What you do know, however, is that a few years ago, you used to buy smaller sizes when shopping for clothes.”

Alan Weidner presents Tips on Improving Heart Health posted at Massage Chair Relief Health Blog, saying, “Straightforward tips to improve heart health and prevent heart disease.”

Consumer Boomer presents The Ins and Outs of Hip and Knee Replacement posted at Consumer Boomer, saying, “If you know you need a hip or knee replacement you need to read this article for some great information.”

Nicholas Agresta presents Myths About Arthritis and its Cures ~ Free Medical Advice Tips posted at Free Medical Advice Tips, saying, “You don’t have to put up with arthritis. Now motre than ever, there are excellent medicines that can not only treat the symptoms but also, in many cases, get the disease into remission. Arthritis when diagnosed and treated properly can be controlled.”

Terry Hamburg presents Baby Boomer Salt Wars posted at BabyBoomerDaily.com, saying, “”To salt or not to salt”…is that the question?”

Peter Stockwell presents What Are Obesity Related Health Risks? posted at The Senior Walking Fitness Blog, saying, “If you lose weight you do not just look good. You avoid illness too.”

Gord presents Heart Disease and Water Fasting posted at gordons-water-fast.com, saying, “Can a water fast improve heart function?”

Laws

Michail Spiliopoulos presents 25 Wrongly-Convicted Felons Exonerated By New Forensic Evidence posted at Forensic Science Technician, saying, “As forensic science advances, so do the techniques used to solve crimes. In the past, DNA testing wasn’t available, and many people were convicted of crimes they did not commit. Since the ability to now test DNA has come to light, it is not only helping to solve crimes, but also to clear the names of the falsely-convicted. Here are 25 wrongly convicted felons who were exonerated by DNA testing.”

Retirement

Jacqulyn Richey presents Top Five Retirement Communities in the Las Vegas Valley posted at Las Vegas Real Estate News, saying, “Thinking about buying a home in a senior living community? Right now it is a buyer’s market in Las Vegas and if you are retired or getting ready to retire to a sunny destination, the Las Vegas valley should be at the top of your list. Here are some of the best active adult communities Southern Nevada has to offer.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of baby boomers blog carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Remember, when you submit an article, please fill in the Category and Remark Fields to add your own description of your post. Please Submit only ONE Article per Carnival, multiple articles Will Not Be Accepted.

Since this is a community endeavour, please feel free to advise me through comments or my contact form if there is something you think I can do to improve the Carnival.

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