Jodene is the co-founder of:
and founder of:
Published January 21st, 2012
The prettiest way to spend a Saturday afternoon ... under the fairy bell dresses tree!
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
Published January 19th, 2012
Doug Anderson was given a 2% chance of survival at birth. He was born with a condition called Spina Bifida. Dr’s said that he would never be educated and would have no quality of life. 34 years and 37 operations later Doug is very much “alive and kicking”.
Doug was expelled in grd.1 from a mainstream school because he had a disability. After a lengthy court battle, the then TED forced Doug’s parents to place him in a school that catered for kids with disabilities (Hope School).
It was at Hope School that Doug excelled in sports, leadership and academia, representing Southern Transvaal (Now Central Gauteng) in provincial sports for people with disabilities at the National Championships from 1989 – 1997. Doug also represented South Africa at the World Wheelchair Games in 1996. He has 39 Gold, 16 Silver and 5 Bronze medals to his name and numerous sporting awards including “Sportsmand of The Year 1996”, “Best Wheelchair Athlete 1997” and “Victor Ladorum of the National Championships 1996”.
Doug also excelled in leadership becoming Head Boy in 1996 and winning the Rotary Round Table Award for Best Leadership in Schools across South Africa.
Doug studied Alternative Health and qualified as a Reflexologist in 2000. Doug battled to get employment because of his disability and so decided to start his own business which he ran for 10 years and sold in 2010.
In 2004 Doug decided to do a course on Radio Presenting and shortly after finishing the course was asked to present a Disability Talk-show on a community Radio Station called Radio Today. He paid his dues and learnt the ropes on Community Radio before joining National Radio Station, Radio 2000 in January 2007 and has been with them ever since. He has also worked in TV, presenting the 2008 Paralympics and 2010 Commonwealth Games on SABC.
Doug has always been passionate about Making A Difference and has supported many charities in any way possible for many years. He has been the brainchild of many fundraising initiatives for many charities in South Africa. He is co-founder along with fiancé Madelaine Steyn of TheMADNetwork – The Network that is Making A Difference which was launched in November 2011.
TheMADNetwork is a Social Networking platform that enables the user to interact and communicate socially with friends and family AND at the same time make money for their favourite charities without it costing them a cent!
The rationale for the creation of TheMADNetwork is simple explains Doug: “750million people are using Facebook, 250 million people are using Twitter and so Social Networking is clearly the way of the future. If you asked these 950million people if they wanted to Make A Difference, chances are they would say yes. Charities in need will always outnumber the companies and individuals that can give. The two things that prevent you and I from giving to charities in need is time and most importantly money”
Doug and Madelaine wanted to come up with a model that made a difference and didn’t require a person to give of their time or money. “Facebook and Twitter have huge followings but are not designed to help charities and until now the traditional way of supporting charities required you to either give of your time and/or money. So we decided to design a social networking platform that enables the user to make money for their favourite charities WITHOUT it costing them a cent, and so TheMADNetwork – The Network that is Making A Difference was born”, explains Doug.
It took a year of development and it has been funded by the couple. “The way that it works is simple, explains Doug:
1. Advertisers place ads and surveys on the various pages on TheMADNetwork.
2. The user gets exposed to the ads and surveys and earns points by being exposed to the ads and participating in the surveys.
3. These points can then be allocated by the user to any charity of their choice on TheMADNetwork.
4. The charity then exchanges their points for physical money from TheMADNetwork.
So essentially we are using our advertising revenue to help charities in need and in this way, the user gets to make money for their favourite charities without it costing them a cent!
We would like to believe that EVERYONE on the planet cares about something, we may not care about the same thing but we all care about something. We don’t however always have the money or time to help and so TheMADNetwork addresses this.
We are asking people if they go online to download e-mails or if they are on Facebook or Twitter, that they include TheMADNetwork to their list of social networking platforms and help us Make A Difference in the World!
We worked out that if TheMADNetwork had the same number of users as Facebook, that R3.5Billion would have been raised for charities in need in the very first week of launching!”
If you want to Make A Difference, then join TheMADNetwork – The Network that is Making A Difference, http://www.themadnetwork.com
For more on Doug’s life, visit http://www.douganderson.co.za
You can follow Doug on Twitter: dougandersonza
You can follow TheMADNetwork on Twitter: @themadnetwork
You can follow TheMADNetwork Group on Facebook: The MAD Network
Doug tells his project me story:
What is your definition of happiness?
I believe happiness is a choice – you can choose to be happy or not.
If you could have everyone say one thing to themselves every day, what would it be?
As you think and say, you are and as you sow you reap
We all need someone to believe in us. Who is that person for you and why?
My mother, my late father, my fiancé, my family, my friends – I am truly blessed!
What quality do you believe we can never be taught because it is our birth right?
Difficult question. I think there are a few: Passion. Generosity. Gratitude.
Describe the moment when you realised that you could achieve anything?
I guess from a very young age. I was brought up with the understanding that I could achieve anything if I believed and put my mind to it.
What have you always dreamed of being or doing and have you reached that dream?
I am living my dream & I wouldn’t change it for the world! I get to make a difference in people’s lives every day!
When life gets in the way, what do you always remind yourself of?
Just keep smiling!
We all have something unique to offer the world, what is yours?
I Make A Difference at every opportunity.
How do you deal with the fears that could potentially hold you back?
I know that it is the fear of failure that holds people back. I believe that true failure is not trying again
What do you believe we have lost sight of in the world as a whole?
What you have become is nothing to what you can become. You matter and you can Make A Difference!
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
Published January 18th, 2012
I can’t remember when last I felt totally exhausted from excitement but at least I know that I’m not having a heart attack or going to pass out, even though that’s the message my heart keeps sending my very noisy mind after today’s events.
Actually, it’s not just today’s events but a build up that literally began the day Greggie and I got back to work. One exciting meeting after another. One person, with compatible ideas to accompany Lifeology, after another. One amazing opportunity after another.
No wonder my body is so tired that even typing is a blur and all my mind is churning in a dull begging voice is “sleep! sleep” sleep!” I think to night is going to make history for the earliest I’ve gone to be since I was in primary school, but then again I remember how excited I was in school and why the end of the day couldn’t come soon enough to go to sleep.
That’s today … one of those days where life was a fun-filled playground that I tired myself running from one activity to the next. There’s always the last swing ride, where you almost touch the sky or the last spin on the merry-go-round where you feel as though you are going to fall off the world … and then you know your day is complete.
That moment for me was a meeting Greggie and I had with Angela Ludek from Radio 2000. I am already honoured to have a regular 5 week slot on her show where I talk about social media, but today’s proposal from Angela left me so excited that I had to run to the bathroom and do air punches, jump up and down and scream silently into my hands.
I am so grateful to every celeb, entertainer, business person and blogger who has taken the time to do the ‘your project me story’ on my blog. It’s one thing to hear my story, but to have people that we admire take the time to share how they have made themselves their own project has taken my blog to a new level. Here is the link to the people I have interviewed so far: Your project me story interviews.
Trying to contain my excitement and extending the greatest thanks to Angela for believing in project me so much, I’m thrilled to announced that ‘project me’ now has a weekly radio 2000 slot with Angela Ludek starting from Sunday 5th February. Angela will interview the individuals I have interviewed as an extension of the blog and ask them to tell their project me story based on the blog’s interview questions.
*faints*
I’m sure the happy bathroom dance won’t be the first but there’s work to be done, guest blogger’s stories to share and a new chapter of project me to embark upon … and it all starts with a good night’s sleep and a prayer that if starts with thanks and gratitude, and end with a self hug.
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
Published January 17th, 2012It’s seldom that I take a look back at the blog post I wrote a year to the day, but it’s not seldom that I don’t notice just how everything is exactly as it should be. Here it is again … one of those perfectly synced moments where the greatest gift I could have given myself was to wonder (now I know the difference between wander and wonder) what I was doing and how I was feeling a year ago today.
I read the post that I wrote 365 days ago and am ending my day mighty proud of my choice to live consciously, or at least do my very best at it each day. Most of all, I’ve never been more grateful for the dedication to blog daily, even on the night’s when I’ve left it too late, I’m tired and weary and all I want to do is curl up into bed.
So here it is … 365 days ago I called my blog post: If you had Dorothy’s shoes for a day
How far have you come in 365?
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
Published January 16th, 2012
Brainstorm!!
It’s seriously not something that happens in a very formal way between Greg and myself and follows the pattern of Lifeology, where nothing goes like the rest of the world … except for the usual business realities, fears and drama of course.
Sometimes we think we are so unique in things we do and sometimes we feel as though we are just another salmon swimming with all the rest and it’s taken us a long time to realise that the salmon is still unique in it’s own special way. That’s made it somewhat easier to settle down about being lost in the ocean of people involved in any part of personal development that we follow.
There is something very powerful about what is going on in my life at the moment and although I could blame in on the fact that all the planets are traveling forward before the first one goes retrograde on the 25th of January, I am less inclined to give any of my power away to any outside forces anymore. It’s taken me years and over 700 days of consecutive, conscious living and blogging to truly feel that even the outside forces are determined by me.
I could feel the energy when Greggie and myself set out on a brainstorming mission with an individual we connected with as soon as met. Alright, there’s a little sneakiness but when we are done there will be so many exciting things to share with you. In the meantime, intense brainstorming was the name of the game.
Did you know that this is where I panic? I get myself in a total state that what I say is going to be completely senseless and that no one is going to write down of the words I throw out there. I keep thinking I’m not going to be on the same page and actually asked far too many times if what I was saying was still on track. Of course, it’s never all on track all of the time but at least I didn’t beat up on my brain and slowly let the creative process flow. That’s the theme for this year … creative!!
Creative in thinking, acting, brainstorming, cooking, bedrooming … I did, after all, promise myself that there was no holding back this year.
With all of the thinking and planning going on, I still have a #FollowSA event happening next week and was on TV today for an interview on a program called Sistahood. This sent a flood of Tweets and I’m usually on the ball to respond but I just didn’t have it today. My brain literally feels like scrambled eggs now and I’m even going to do something that I don’t do often … I’m going to leave the Tweet responses for the morning and not let that part of my brain, that thinks everyone will unfollow me if I don’t respond, have some fun and chill time after this blog post is done.
During our breaks between long thinking stints we ended up talking about meditation. I have tried every form of meditation that there is and finally settled on the good old 5 breaths a day and letting my imagination run will about all that I can create and achieve. It took me ages to be okay with that and not get lost in the believe that I had to sit in a certain position, chant anything or get too lost in technique and all of a sudden I came to the most powerful realisation of all … simple!!!
That’s what we did today … we took the most simple and common of words and turned them into the most powerful sentences that we hope to pave the way for a whole new future for ourselves … I like that plan and I think I’m gonna stick to it for all days moving forward!
Simple!
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
Published January 15th, 2012
A clear indication that a day was spent at China Town 
... Photo by @patsloanephoto
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
Published January 15th, 2012
Roran will be adopted through Kitty and Puppy Haven (@kphrescue) when he is old enough to come home
Pat, mom and myself are counting the days until we can bring out little boy home. Eragon and Saphirah (I added an ‘H’ to Saphira because I have a novel and the main character adds an ‘H’ to find the uniqueness of the energy to an already used name) are about to have a little brother
Saphirah tucked at the back with Eragon
If you are new to the story of my life than I would like to introduce you to my love for dragons and the story of Eragon, the dragon rider, that crept into my heart. The first of a four book series by Christopher Paolini tells the story of the last dragon, Saphira, her rider Eragon and his cousin, Roran!!!
PS … Christopher Paolini was 15 when he wrote the first draft of Eragon and that’s just the beginning of an incredible story of passion, dedication and fantasy!
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
Published January 13th, 2012I will always love The Cat in the Hat most of all but my childhood memories are filled with Dr Seuss books scattered all over the show and talking in rhyme because that’s what you do once Horton or the Grinch creep into your childish life. My love for Dr Seuss have never wavered and I was bitterly disappointing when my nephews didn’t want to watch and Horton or Grinch with me over these holidays. Most of the time it’s silly rhymes but we all know that Seuss had a message behind everything he ever wrote.
2012 has gotten off to an interesting start for me and the opportunities are arriving at a fascinating pace. I’m still battling to distinguish whether my calm is the anticipation for disappointment or the realisation that THIS IS IT. Either way, I’ve needed something to settle the pointless thoughts that are floating around in my head.
How better than a gift from my best friend, Greggie! What better than a dose of Dr Seuss in the most conventional of ways. Especially today! Especially when the first week of work is done for this year and I am determined to make this year a whole lot about faith and very minuscule amount of fear.
Did I say that 2012 is a 5 year? If you add the year date together … 2 + 0 + 1 + 2 = 5!
5 is an interesting numerology energy with the two sides of the coin being way out creativity and desperate chaos. The best way to control it all and keep 2012 from becoming a vomit roller coaster ride … is to be as creative as possible.
I started it with food and am slowly moving into all areas of life … but holy crap, it’s still a story to keep from freaking at times!
In steps Dr Seuess
So this is my plan, to keep me who I am. I’m going to get me a board, for papers to hoard. They shall all have a story, filled with hope, love and glory. Although my teachings will surely grow, I’ve decided to begin it with … Oh, the places You’ll Go!
Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
by Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look ‘em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.
And you may not find any
you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you’ll head straight out of town.
It’s opener there
in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen,
don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.
OH!
THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so
but, sadly, it’s true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.
You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump,
you’re not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn left or right…
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused
that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…
…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO!
That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You’ll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping,
once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t.
Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times
you’ll play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win
’cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike
and I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!
Download more of Dr Seuss on ebook
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
Published January 12th, 2012
I’ve been saving this cute pic, taken by Pat (aka @patsloanephoto … aka My Man) for one of those days and today is it.
It’s been the craziest day between family, work and me being my own stumbling block so dinner awaits and so does my family … enjoy whatever you eat just as much as this little guy
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
Published January 11th, 2012
I’m one of those people who keeps it positive, moving forward and always sees how very far I have come, even if I am in a heap on the floor and in need of a drink. No, scratch that, I don’t drown my sorrows in drink and after a whole lot of soul searching and getting to know myself I don’t drown it in an overdose of chocolate or ice cream either. Well, that’s only half true because I truly did take a moment to (almost) drown myself in chocolate the other night.
It soothed my soul and made all my worries go away. I locked the door so I couldn’t share it with anyone and I reveled in guilt free over indulgence of chocolate and strawberries. I rubbed them all over my body and had my senses in a wonderland that forced my mind to shut the F*%&* up and get lost.
The good kind of lost. The kind that is experienced from a true South African treasure that #FollowSA brought to my doorstep. Just on the other side of town is the home of Tranquil Body Treats and just before Christmas I received a generous parcel of bath soak, foot scrub, hand cream and kiddies bubble bath (that I’m not sharing with my nephews).
I’m the kind of person who wants to rip the envelope open and use the content immediately, but for some reason, I knew that I was waiting for the perfect time. I contemplated taking the products away on holiday with me but then knew that the moment would be in my happy surroundings that are my bathroom. For me, there is no greater gift than shutting the world out and bathing for as long as the body and mind allow … that can be a good hour and a bit for me.
I genuinely felt like Cleopatra. The bath at the perfect temp with a milky colour thanks to the chocolate bath milk that perfectly embraced the water and I totally shut my mind for the first time in I don’t know how long. Holidays are one thing but finding that moment for yourself, in the midst of the madness of a working week, is a totally different gift. I don’t know about you, but I’ve come back with a bang and life has also thrown stuff at me that the Universe was kind enough to put on hold while I took a holiday. I’m not on holiday anymore and neither are the realities I have to deal with.
Realities that were long forgotten whilst I took one toe at a time and gently introduced them to a burst of strawberry foot scrub and a hint of secret herbs. I knew the whole time that I would be blogging about the generous gift from qualified aromatherapist and owner of Tranquil Body Treats, Leigh-Anne Burger and the whole time all I could think about were all the big branded names of bath foam and foot soak that lie in my bathroom cupboards.
Of course I’m so ingrained with social media that I’m hoping someone develops an App that I can speak into my phone and it will type a Tweet for me because there was something magical to Tweet about. The hashtag #FollowSA would follow my total blissful experience and I would hold my breath and hope that the next time anyone is South Africa wanted to buy their Nana body lotion, that they didn’t go to the overly populated and mass produced chain store, but that they would find Tranquility in a truly South African product can purely be described as WOW!
Just the other day I received a Tweet from @DavidGrahamSA asking if I knew of @TranqBodyTreats and that they made the best anti-chafing cream for cyclist.
Someone once asked me if I blogged about everything that anyone asked me to and the answer is ‘no’. I get asked to blog about something different every day and many products have passed my way, but I always stay in my integrity and only blog about those things that really touch me or make a difference in my life and the gift from the amazing woman and her wonderful product is one of my greatest blogging joys.
I needed that bath, but I bath often. I needed something to be different because that is one of the greatest lessons Lifeology teaches people. You just have to do the slightest thing different. Tranquil Body Treats … you were my different and I hope you are there to make a difference in my life for many more moments when only the indulgence of chocolate and strawberry can make it all go away.
Tranquil Body Treats website
Tranquil Body Treats on Twitter
Tranquil Body Treats on Facebook
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
