I was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Randy Pausch. For those of you who don’t know him, he was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, but more than that, he inspired millions with his great attitude and his love for life in spite of his grim cancer diagnosis. Check out the speech he gave last September.

-Andy Monsters

Regardless of culture or background, we all speak the universal language of smiling.  Some children, however, are born with cleft palates that affect them physically and emotionally.  It only takes a few hundred dollars and less than an hour to change a child’s life forever.

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100% of the proceeds from the “Smile” shirts will be donated to charity to raise money to perform surgeries for children born with cleft palates.

-Andy Monsters

I saw a news story about a group of students in Georgia that fundraised over $10,000 in one month. The money will sponsor a water well in Nicaragua to provide clean water. The clincher? The students were in 3rd grade! When I was in 3rd grade, I was probably swinging on the monkey bars or trying to expand my pogs or Magic Card collections. I would have never thought I could make a big difference. It goes to show that anybody can make a difference, no matter who you are or what you have or don’t have. I like the quote by Teddy Roosevelt: do what you can, with what you have, right were you are.

A lot of people think they can’t make a difference. Sometimes it’s “I don’t know where to start” or “there’s too many problems” or “I’m only one person and can’t make much of a difference.” However, you can make a difference and the key is to start small. It may be overwhelming to one day say, “I want to solve world hunger.” Although it’s great to dream big and set fantastic goals, it can be overwhelming at times and lead to inaction or apathy. The key’s to break the goal down to smaller goals. Start small. Make a difference where you are with what you have. Start small. Focus on a niche you care about and make your impact there.

Small things do make a difference. Do something everyday that will bring you closer to making that difference, whether it’s writing down your goals or taking 20 minutes to brainstorm how you can accomplish that. For example, if you want to solve world hunger, you can start small first by volunteering at a local food bank. Make a difference in the lives of a small group of people. It is extremely rewarding when you know you made a significant and positive difference, even if it’s just in the life of one person. Even if you can only help one person, go for it, it’s worth it. The most important thing is to take action. Take a physical action that brings you closer to your goal. You’ll build momentum and excitement and before you know it, you’ll have accomplished great things. Start small, take action, and make a difference.

-Andy Monsters

Water is essential to life. It’s easy to take clean water for granted, but in many parts of the world, some have to walk miles just to get a dirty bucket of water. Only several dollars can change that for one person!

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100% of the proceeds from “Wishing You Well” shirts will be donated to charities that build wells to provide clean water in foreign countries.  Clean water should be a right not a privilege.

-Andy Monsters

This video came out a while ago, but I still watch it every now and then. It shows the love of the parents for their newborn son. I think it encourages all of us to slow down sometimes to appreciate life a little bit more and to live it to the fullest.

It reminded me of this video as well: Team Hoyt, a father and son team that competed in marathons and triathlons. The son has cerebral palsy which limits his physical abilities.

-Andy Monsters