Aina Giving

Socially Responsible Servant Leadership Every day I look at my incredibly blessed life and I realize again how lucky I am to be an American. We can do it again.

And every day I hear the news of things that are happening in the international community that tear my heart out and make me want to jump on a plane to help wherever I can. And every day that I've visited or lived in countries overseas, I've realized what a bum rap Americans get with the international community. We are a nation of givers. Over 95% of American families give financial contributions

to charities; last year we gave over 335 BILLION dollars. And that, my friends, is just dollars. That doesn't add up all of the countless hours that we ALL dedicate to helping others, in whatever capacity that may be. But throughout the world, we're seen as a bunch of misers, out only for ourselves. I believe that the reason for this disconnect is simply because people don't know us, and one of the reasons that people don't know us is because it's hard to travel internationally. You live in France, you can be in a different country within a matter of hours. In the US, if we want to volunteer in another country, it's a COMMITMENT. And it's one that many of us don't have the luxury to take. There's a chance for change here. During WWI and WWII, local communities banded together and changed their lifestyle, sewed bedding, and sent much-needed supplies to troops overseas. Not only was this needed to win the war, but this drew all Americans closer together, and drew the world closer to Americans. Whatever your gift is, use it for the greater good. Whatever talent you've been blessed with, give it to people overseas. If you love to build furniture, build easy-to-assemble chairs, beds, and tables, and we'll send it to the people that need it. If you love to sew or quilt, make bedding for families overseas. If you love to blog, get on your computer and talk about what we need to do. If you love to drink coffee with friends, go drink your coffee with friends and come up with a plan of action that you can all take together to connect with and help the world. We are all in this together, and the sooner we figure out a way to send some of our love and goodwill to other countries, the sooner we see communities and nations being built stronger - ours included.

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Moms Lead the World

Life Truth #1: Moms lead the world. (Side note: Moms come in all varieties. It’s a state of being, not a piece of paper)

Life Truth #2: They don’t know it.

Life Truth #3: It’s a really freaking hard thing to do.

Life Truth #4: Thank goodness we have each other.

Soooo...I’ve been surrounded by the most amazing mamas, all my life. And I’ve found that not only are we Moms amazing, humble, servant leaders - we know how to keep the family together.

So that’s Mom Gift #1: Moms keep families together.

And that includes the family of our home, our community, our nation, and our whole world. It is a mighty gift indeed.

And as I’ve worked in communities around the world, growing leadership and helping with economic development, I’ve realized another fabulous fact:

Mom Gift #2: Moms change the world.

Fun fact - want to save the future? Invest in Moms. Look into the economic and political research on that. LOTS of numbers to support it.

Huh. Funny, that. And do you want to know why I think this is - how I’ve seen it played out on 5 continents and over 2 decades? Well, it’s because whatever her gift is, a Mom uses it for the greater good. Whatever talent we’ve been blessed with, we Moms use it to connect the family. If we love to build furniture, we do it - and then teach others. If we love to sew or quilt, we make bedding for our families - and then for families in need. If we love to blog, we get on our computers and inspire. If we love to drink coffee with friends, we grow communities and give free therapy. Even more? We then turn around and teach the next generation to do it even more.

So...we Mamas? We’re the leaders of this world. We just don’t know it yet.

And that’s where Aina comes in. Because it’s time the world heard from the Mama, my loves. And so we GIVE you support, love, encouragement, and tools, wherever you might need it. Because, dangit, the world needs that Mama right now to set it straight.

Because Mom Gift #3? It’s the gift of the Mother, of course. Simple as that.

Time to fly, mamas....

A few musings from Carmen Westbrook - Author, CEO, Diplomat, Leadership Developer and... #JustaMom

;)

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Washington D.C.

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Washington D.C., DC