Want to change the world? 

Perhaps we think too expansively (at least, here in America I feel we do) and get downtrodden by the thought that we are too small to make a real difference.  But it isn’t one huge action that changes things, but hundreds of little, thoughtful actions that gradually tip the scale in one direction or another.  Just like a circle is made of many tiny direction adjustments to a line, so can you round out your edges with a thousand tiny actions to bring you closer to your nirvana - or just closer to feeling better about your daily life.

As I read TreeHugger today, I found something of great interest.  We Are What We Do has a book called Change the World 9-5.  Just the title hit home to me - I realized that my choices at work are often slightly different (and less like “me”) than my choices during the rest of the day.  

Example: At work, I’m more willing to get three cups of caffeine in three separate paper containers.  At home or after work, I really try to get my own mug refilled. 

That is just one tiny example.

But it is small actions like that that add up.

The site works to help you choose actions.  Much like 43things, you can choose items you want to do, and then indicate what it is that you have done.  Unlike 43things, the focus is to give you ideas of how you can make a difference everyday, and has less to do with personal desires than to do with personal choices.  And I like that difference.  43things was great to give me a sense of what I’ve done, and some of the things I wanted to do.  We Are What We Do causes me to reevaluate the small actions I take in a day. 

And isn’t that part of living?  Knowing why we do what we do?  Being a part of every moment, consciously?

Excerpts from the webpage for We Are What We Do:

Actions to change the world
Here’s our list of simple, everyday actions you can do to help change the world (and have fun while you’re doing it). It could be doing something for the community like shopping locally, something for the environment like avoiding plastic bags, or something for you, like learning to paint, sing or speak Spanish…

So how does this work? Click on an action to see what it’s all about or, if you ‘re ready to do the do, tick each action you have completed and press the “Done!” button down below. Your actions will be added to the total, there on the top-right. Just like that.

Join In! We Are What We Do is all about joining in, so we’ve set up all sorts of ways for you to share your ideas, vote for what you believe, dare your friends to do new things, get others involved, and ultimately… change the world.
Please help! We can’t do it on our own!

“Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should…”

– Max Ehrmann

“The world is not respectable; it is mortal, tormented, confused, deluded forever; but it is shot through with beauty, with love, with glints of courage and laughter; and in these, the spirit blooms…”

– George Santayana

I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.

-Gilda Radner

There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.

-Douglas Adams

Ever wondered if you had it right?  Ever be concerned that something you did might keep you out of the pearly gates?

Worry no more: Reserve your spot in heaven now!

Finally, the choice is in your hands - and your wallet!  For as low as $24.99 $12.79, you can ascend to heaven just as easily as running to the Quickmart.  If you are a sure thing, then it saves you the time of standing in line of the 150,000 people who die every day.  If you are slated for purgatory, your reservation confirms a first class spot to Salvation.

Be sure to read the FAQ, however.  If you’ve sold your soul to the devil, there may be complications. From their FAQ below:

If I’m going to hell, can I reserve my spot into heaven?
You could certainly try, but we can’t guarantee that the gatekeeper won’t know about your situation. Background checks are frequently done before entering and if you have a one way ticket to hell then there is a chance that they will find out.

 Edit: I did previously blog about another place that offered a choice between hell, heaven or purgatory. Apparently there’s a market for choice of afterlives.

What do you give the idea of going to Grad School for a Masters degree?  An A or an F?

I was speaking with a friend at lunch today about it.  She’s decided she wants to go back for an MBA.  She feels it will give her many more opportunities in our workplace, as well as help her grow.  Additionally, she wants to do it now before she has a child, and she is recently married. 

It brought up all the old considerations again.  I have this complex that when I see someone else growing and expanding, or making choices to do that, I go back to looking at my choices and consider whether I should be looking at the same options.  Not because I’m unhappy, but because these are all things I constantly consider.

I just want to know what your feelings are about getting Masters Degrees, whether you think they are still viable or necessary, and if you’ve done it, how you feel about it.  Or if you’ve chosen not to, why?

I read these articles about whether or not I should go to Grad School.  Their number one suggestion is always: Why? or What do you want it for? Or I read items on why I SHOULDN’T go to Grad School. 

I briefly considered Law school too, but after talking to a few nearly graduated law students who are working part time as well, and researching the cost, it seemed like I would be choosing for my life to implode if I went  to Law School.  My marriage, my debt, my hobbies, my business - everything would probably not receive the attention it needed.

Would choosing Grad School be the same? Would I just be adding debt on top of the last school debt with no appreciable return?  Would it be really hard to juggle amidst work, business, and marriage?  I’m considering starting a family soon as well - should I do Grad school now BEFORE I have a family, or is it more easy during those first years of having children?  I’ve heard both!

I don’t plan on leaving my company, but I don’t plan on stagnating either.  I enjoy learning.  I enjoy achieving.  I’m OK with being where I am in life.  I constantly fight with a voice inside my brain that says, “You should be a lawyer or a doctor!  Get on that!”  But I realize that the voice is my judgmental overachiever voice that wants to be better than everyone else in every way.  I don’t need to be a doctor or a lawyer to be a high achiever and feel good about myself.

But…I don’t want to be in a position where one day my friend who works with me and I are applying for a more advanced position in the company and she is chosen because she has an MBA and I do not.

I try not to use my job as my definition.  My job is not my life, and this is by design.  I use my job as a way to support all the things I want to do outside of my job.  I’ve toyed mentally with leaving it all, going back to school, and becoming an environmental something (engineer? biologist? Sociologist?).  I’ve toyed with getting a Masters in Non profit management so that I could use my masters to help me doing things outside of work that I enjoy.  I’ve even considered just going back and getting a dance degree and a Masters in Fine Arts, because that is what I really ENJOY doing. 

But really, I don’t NEED a masters degree to dance, to make a difference in the environment, or to help on non-profits.  Getting degrees in those areas would be for mental stimulation and enjoyment as well as information and training in how to make the biggest impact.  Besides, if I want to study other topics, I can just take classes on them - I don’t have to get a grad school degree in them and take on additional debt. 

So I should probably focus on getting an MBA for my current job in the financial world.  I have a BS (never a more apt acronym) in Business Administration.  This leads me to surmise that a regular MBA would probably be best for the opportunities that lie ahead.  While a number of online articles offer the idea that MBAs are not really necessary anymore, I work in a conservative industry with conservative people.  The “paying your dues” method is still highly prevalent here.  Nothing fancy - just an MBA.

And that sounds as boring as hell.  Could I really jump back into the world of academia and push through an MBA?  Well, I’d do it, but I might go kicking and screaming the whole way.  I’m sure I’ll enjoy some of it, but it doesn’t move me like other topics. 

So what are your thoughts?  Is an MBA just something I need to buckle down and do if I want to grow?  Does it still afford enough status to warrant consideration over non-MBA’d individuals? 

Wow.

I don’t think I’ll ever think of “That Poppins Woman” the same, ever again.