It’s my newest Game on BingoforPatriots.com! This game is a wonderful way to teach others about the principles that are important to those of us who would like restore our amazing country to the constitutional republic that was originally created by our Founding Fathers. Ideas such as limited government, adherence to the Constitution, a free market economy, and fiscal responsibility are included in this set.
Will there be a fall festival at your school or a harvest festival in your community? Are you looking for a seasonal bingo game to play at church? Are you suffering from Halloween burnout? Then, play the Autumn Bingo Game! It’s also a great alternative if you don’t want to celebrate (or over-celebrate) Halloween, or you have a fall or Autumn related school event. It’s filled with fall colors, pumpkins, and all things related to the Harvest.
Click on the image below to be taken to the page for Autumn Bingo
Download my Thanksgiving Gratitude cards for only 76 cents! The set comes with my own gratitude list which may serve as a springboard for your guests, as well as 10 cards. You can reprint the set, so now matter how many folks are coming to your Thanksgiving feast, each one can write down what they are greatful for. Happy Thanksgiving! Click here to purchase the cards: http://www.uncommoncourtesy.net/index.php/products/thanksgiving-gratitude-cards-download
I received a wonderful comment about my holiday planner post that detailed the writer’s favorite holiday traditions. One thing that struck me was a comment that if someone did not have enough money to attend the play “The Christmas Carol” in person, it would be a good idea to read the story instead. Everyone I know has cut back, and what a great idea it would be to share ideas about how to festively celebrate the holidays in a cost conscious manner. Let me start this off with a few ideas of my own:
Instead of throwing a party for everyone else, how about a pot-luck or a cookie exchange?
Organize a board game party. It can be for adults, children, or a mix of both. This can be a great substitute for going out to dinner and a movie with friends.
Get a group of kids together and made fun and festive videos. They’ll have a blast, and what a great memory will be created!
I know this won’t be well received by my friends at the post office, but try sending email Christams greetings instead of using printed cards. This year I sent all my friends on Facebook a Christmas card, and I had lots of fun making it myself.
I’ve been a fan of homemade gifts for years! In the past I’ve been known to make goodie baskets that included homemade cookies, candies, and liquors. I always tell my children that I would prefer something homemade rather than a gift they grab off the shelf. Consequently, I have wonderful treasures from my children.
Those are just a few ideas that occurred to me as I wrote this post. Now, it’s your turn. What are your ideas? I’d love to hear them! Send them to me at :susan@uncommoncourtesy.com.
My Words of the Season Christmas Bingo game is now available in downloadable form. It’s the same game, available in the same three sizes, with the same calling cards but at a deep discount. You will have to print the game and provide your own cover tokens. Might I suggest a festive candy treat? Visit www.uncommoncourtesy.com to see all of my games or http://www.uncommoncourtesy.net/index.php/categories/words-of-the-season-bingo-sets to order the Words of the Season Bingo Game today!
Here’s a great game to donate to your local library! Many libraries are participating in the 2011 Collaborative Summer Reading Program. The theme for the children, teen, and adult programs all focus on travel. In conjunction with that theme, I have developed two travel related bingo games for children, as well as a game that features destinations that might be of more interest to adults.
You can order these games by visiting http://www.uncommoncourtesy.com
In conjunction with my Bingo for Charities program, anyone who donates a set to a library will receive a 5% discount by typing GIFT in the coupon box when the order is processed. The order must be sent directly to the library.
I have always believed that one of my missions in life is to help others. Throughout my life, others have reached out to help me, and I decided early on that I would do the same when the opportunity presented itself. I have always been involved in some type of volunteer work or community service. My career choice is focused on helping others. In my private life, I have reached out to friends, neighbors, and acquaintances who seem to be at pivotal points in life. But lately I have felt the urge to do more. Something more than I can accomplish all by myself.
After a great deal of thought and soul searching, I am going to use UnCommon Courtesy as a vehicle to help those in need and assist those who are trying to do something good for others. To further this goal, I am in the process of launching a charity support program. This program will include a variety of ways to support gifting and charity work. Today, I would like to tell you about one of those ways and ask for your help.
As you may know, in addition to my main website (uncommoncourtesy.com), I have a variety of different theme-focused sites, so it is easier for customers to find specific games. I am going to expand these websites to include a focus on different issues that charities work to change, improve or resolve. These include:
BingoforLearning.com: individual school support, education, and literacy.
BingoforParties.com: medical diseases & conditions, hospitals, medical research, and mental health.
BingoforDiversity.com: disaster relief, homelessness, human rights, and hunger.
BingoforChristians.com: Christian based charities.
Bingoforcatholics.com: Catholic based charities.
BingoforPatriots.com: military and veteran’s issues.
BingoforChristmas.com: seasonal programs related to winter holidays, issues involving children, and child abuse.
BingoforHalloween.com: animals and the environment
If you feel that I have missed a significant category, please let me know!
I am looking for charities that would be interested in donations resulting from the sale of my bingo games, as well as direct donations from visitors to my sites. I will create a page for the charity on one of my theme sites that includes information about the charity, its mission, and how to contact/donate to the charity. I will also put the charity on a pull-down menu, so a customer can specify that $1 from his or her order can be donated to a specific charity. It is a small amount to be sure, but I have to start somewhere! I am hoping to be able to give more generous contributions in the future. Of course, I respectfully reserve the right to decide which charities to include in this program, and each charity must be non-profit.
How can you help? I am looking for charities that would be interested in donations resulting from the sale of my bingo games, as well as direct donations from visitors to my sites. You don’t need to be affiliated with the charity to complete the form, but the more information you can send me about the charity, the more information I can pass along to others. Creating a webpage that is filled with information, pictures, etc., is more likely to create interest in the charity. If you know of a charity that is looking for donations, please visit: uncommoncourtesy.org and click on “submit your favorite charity,” or send this opportunity along to the charity itself. After the charity’s page has been created, tell everyone you know to visit the page. They can donate to the charity directly, or they have the chance to support the charity and have fun playing one of my games at the same time!
There are other opportunities for discounts, rebates, etc. related to charities and gifting on uncommoncourtesy.org. I’ll be discussing those opportunities in the weeks ahead. Please pass this information along to anyone you know involved with charity work. I am hoping that this program will become very successful!
Let’s take a moment and think of them. Think of some of the excuses that you can drum up to keep from trying something new, taking a risk, or doing something to change your life:
The list of possibilities is endless. There are so many reasons why you should not take any risks in life – except for one thing. Living in fear is not really living at all!
Fear is a natural response to any dangerous situation. Fear is something that children naturally possess. The fear of strangers, the fear of falling, and the fear of the dark are all fears that are routinely found in children. Being fearful can have a protective effect on a child’s well being. For example, being afraid of loud noises could prevent a child from fearlessly running into a dangerous situation. However, adults sometimes generalize this “protective intuition” into a fear of trying anything new because they do not want to fail or make a mistake.
Most people who lead full, rich, and satisfying lives will validate that personal growth is a very important aspect of their lives. If you are the same person at 40 years of age that you were when you were 20 years old, you may very well be bored, unhappy, and feel that your life has gone nowhere. That very well may be the case! Every day that you waste will not be replaced. Just imagine how you would feel if you woke up one day and felt that you had wasted 20 years of your life! Living in fear will prevent you from growing as a person. If you constantly second guess yourself, focus on your mistakes, and think about the downside of any new situation, you will never voluntarily choose to move forward with your life. It will be difficult for you to be a “self-starter” or make any changes in your life because you will be afraid of all the possible negative outcomes of your decision.
The fear of making a mistake also results in another sad situation: it is very unlikely that you will take advantage of all the opportunities in your life that present themselves to you. You may choose not to make a change in your career, take a promotion to a different type of job in the same company, enter into a new business venture, enter into a new relationship, or have a child. These are just a few of the decisions that may be put off and put off until you can no longer take advantage of them. There are, in fact, many opportunities in life (e.g., a career change or having a child) for which there is never a “perfect time.” Waiting for that time is really making a decision not to move forward with your life. The majority of the opportunities that we have in life (e.g., beginning a new relationship or entering into a new business venture) are time limited. Therefore, your paralysis about whether or not to take advantage of an opportunity will simply result in that opportunity being lost.
Many of my clients who have repeatedly failed to take advantage of opportunities (especially business opportunities that have later proved to be successful ventures for someone else) experience a sense of failure or depression. “Why didn’t I do that” is a question that may nag at them for the rest of their lives. These feelings can only lead to unhappiness and the belief that they have wasted large chunks of their lives. Unhappiness or general non-enjoyment of life can lead to a plethora of unintended consequences including poor health, severed relationships, and depression or anxiety.
My message to you should be clear: while it is important to carefully weigh the opportunities that are placed before you, choosing to live a “safe” life with few or no risks may also be a choice to live a frustrating and unhappy life. A certain amount of risk-taking is an important part of any full and successful life. Yes, there will be times that you fail. Yes, there will be times when you wish you had made another decision. Yes, hindsight may prove that waiting for a different opportunity would have been a better decision. However, each of your decisions that result in a successful experience will give you a general sense of happiness about your life. They will also open more successful opportunities to you in the future.
There are endless reasons to not act on a hunch, seize an opportunity, or live each day to the fullest. However, the lost opportunities and the lack of enjoyment of your life will far and away outweigh any risk that you may choose to take. When in doubt, just remember: living in fear is not really living at all!
Copyright © 2000 – 2011 Susan C. Rempel, Ph.D. All rights reserved.
This article (including the copyright notice) may be reprinted with the following the following attachment:
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© 2000 – 2011 Susan C. Rempel, Ph.D. All rights reserved.
Bingo Games, Motivational Material and More at www.UnCommonCourtesy.com! More than 200 holiday, religious, educational, and diversity bingo games and concentration sets available . Bingo games for adults and children to play at home, school, church, corporate meetings, and just about anywhere you can imagine. Games made to order for every occasion. Motivational articles and personal growth exercises too! Join Susan Rempel, Ph.D.’s blog: Seek THE Positive.
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The past two weeks at our house have been challenging! Two different viruses were being passed around at our local schools. One of my daughters came down with one virus, while my son came down with the other. Naturally, I ended up with both of them! Consequently, I decided to take a look at recent research that focused on preventing and getting rid of the viruses that seemed to be flooding through my front door. What luck! I found a piece of research that should finally lay to rest the question of whether or not zinc is helpful for those of us feeling the first signs of a cold. The author reviewed 15 different trials involving more than 1000 people. What did the findings reveal? Healthy people who took Zinc within 24 hours of symptom onset were slightly less likely to develop a cold than the control group. However, the decrease in school absences, or the need for prescription medication, in the trial group was highly significant! If Zinc was supplemented for a minimum of five months, the incidence of a child developing a cold decreased as well. The side effects from taking this supplement were primarily found to be nausea and a bad taste in the mouth. I don’t know about you, but I would gladly experience one or both of those side effects in exchange for decreasing the length and severity of a cold. Although the author was unable to specifically recommend how much zinc to take, the type of formula to use, or how long the zinc should be taken, this research indicates it is well worth discussing what is right for you with your healthcare professional. Take a look at the research yourself: Singh M, Das RR. Zinc for the common cold. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD001364. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001364.pub3. Wishing you health and happiness today and everyday!
