#HopeChallenge

Have you noticed that there is a little more positivity online lately?

I don’t know about you, but hearing what people are grateful for and seeing pictures of them with their loved ones over the holiday was a welcome shift on my newsfeed.  In honor of that shift, I decided to share one of my favorite assignments with some of the kids I work with this week and I thought it would be fun to share it online, too.  

For me, hope has always been the thing that keeps me going when things got really difficult and I think there are a lot of people right now who could use some hope. 

In the last few days on Facebook, I’ve seen people I love who are struggling on an individual level with their health, their emotions, their relationships, their jobs, and even someone struggling with their pets.  I also saw articles and posts about things that are affecting people on all of those levels nationally and globally and my heart really goes out to everyone having a hard time right now.  As always, there is an educational connection here since I have teacher friends worrying about their jobs, their students, and even the soon-to-be Secretary of Education. 

Since I tend to want to help or fix challenging situations and some of these are a lot bigger than a Patty Care Bear Stare, I thought we could all get creative and find our own ways to send hope and love to the people who need it the most. 

Since challenges are always fun, how about a little #HopeChallenge?

I challenge everyone who reads this blog or watches our video to figure out what HOPE means to you and then create something to share your idea with the world.  The possibilities are limitless and can be as interactive as you’d like but you have to tag someone else to do the challenge in order to keep it going.  Also, don't forget to send it to us by using "#HopeChallenge" on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!

This could be done in 5 minutes or it can be an entire service project.  You can do it alone or with a group, but I definitely recommend tapping into two things if you choose to accept the challenge. 

1. Do something that is fun for you.  If you love to paint, paint.  If you’re a singer, sing.  If you’re a builder, build something.  If you have a unique talent or ability, definitely use it!!  It is a lot easier to get into a powerful feeling of hope when we are doing something we love and that is what we want to share with the world right now.

2. Use your creation to help someone else.  Anything you share will help others by brightening their day online, but you can do this with classes, churches, volunteer groups, or any other person and you can use your creation to help anyone who is less fortunate this time of year.  If this sounds like something you’re already doing, share your good deeds as part of this challenge so we can all see the collective good that is happening every day!

To show you how easy this is, Ian did it yesterday and he is VERY excited to be co-starring with me in this week's YouTube Video.  Be sure to check it out, share it and leave us some feedback.