Heather Meyer, Work it Out!: How I Have Fun, Do Good

The twelfth guest blogger in my have fun do good series series is Heather Meyer.  

Heather is a passionate fitness expert, who loves to dance from her heart and inspire others to create their own beautiful! 

You can connect with her on Facebook, or her blog Work it Out!~Fitness with Heather, where she sends out weekly juicy tidbits on living a healthy, happy life (from drinking water, to easing body aches to laughter). If you're in the Bay Area, you can join her classes at Hipline and Inside Outside Fitness.

Heather Meyer, Work it Out!: How I Have Fun, Do Good

As a child, I remember literally throwing myself around full-force without thinking too much about the consequences; I had plenty of bruises to show for it. I vividly recall running in big circles around my front yard pretending to fly; and, then having vivid dreams about it actualizing. I fondly recollect choreographing my first piece to Flashdance, where I became conscious of the power of movement combined with music. I was uninhibited, inspired, and living lusciously as Wonder Woman at the young age of five. As a child, having fun was an easy, natural way of being.

As I got older, my relationship with my body changed. I internalized the subtle message that as a woman I should quietly take up as little space as possible. These thoughts changed how I moved, and dance became a self-conscious, self-critical experience, which was a bigger reflection on how I lived life and viewed myself within it.

It has been a lengthy process of reclaiming movement and dance. And, myself.

When I first started teaching dance fitness, I approached it with a more serious attitude, as I had found my strength studying martial arts. I taught my classes by mixing kickboxing with dance. There were bits of fun and silliness injected in here and there, but, overall, it was pretty serious business for me. Over time, I realized how much more enjoyable it was to 'have fun’ while ‘working out.’ I found myself dancing fully, expressing my heart through movement with as much humor, playfulness, and spirit as I could muster.

Heather with some of her students at Hipline

What I have noticed in this process is that the more that I allow myself permission to let go, to take up space, to be strong, to be authentically me; the more that others give themselves permission to do the same. I 'do good' by sharing this way of being with others. My dance classes have become a way for us to inspire each other by letting go of our inhibitions, enjoying our bodies for all the amazing things they do, and smiling and singing as we sweat and move.

It is my absolute honor to help people find pieces of peace within, while outwardly expressing this life process though dance with our bodies.  I invite you to find ways to reclaim being uninhibited, inspired, and to live fully and lusciously. Breathe. Smile. Sing. Dance. Repeat in a different order with other fun things sprinkled in, turning up your personal volume.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and NPtechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Allison Jones, Millennial Leader: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Beth Terry, Fake Plastic Fish: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Katya Andresen, Network for Good: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Kimberly Wilson, Tranquility du Jour: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Lisa Sonora Beam, The Creative Entrepreneur, How I Have Fun, Do Good

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Lisa Sonora Beam, The Creative Entrepreneur: How I Have Fun, Do Good

The eleventh guest blogger in my have fun do good series is Lisa Sonora Beam.  

Lisa is the author of The Creative Entrepreneur, an award-winning book on creativity and business for creatives who want to do what they love, and make a difference.  She is a lifelong artist, and was a therapist working in psychiatric hospitals before she made the leap into advertising (long story).  

In 2000, she realized that she could use her marketing and advertising superpowers for good, and founded Digital Hive EcoLogical Design, the first communications firm to specialize in promoting green and social products and enterprises.  You can follow Lisa on her blog (lisasonorabeam.com), Twitter (@lisasonorabeam), and on The Creative Entrepreneur Facebook page.

Lisa Sonora Beam, The Creative Entrepreneur: How I Have Fun, Do Good 

Buy art from artists. In your neighborhood...and all around the world!

One of the most fun ways to do good is to buy art and hand crafts directly from artists and artisans. The Internet makes this so easy now, but what's even more fun is to step away from the computer and go out and find artists where they work, live and exhibit.

I combine my passion for travel, art and teaching by taking people to off-the-beaten path places that have lively arts and handcrafts scenes. After many discovery trips to search out the artists and nearby accommodations, I put together a workshop that is part cultural tour and part art-making extravaganza for the participants. We eat, sleep and make art 24/7. To me, it's the best way to take a vacation and really recharge my creativity all at once.

Very often, someone attending my workshop is going abroad for the very first time. They need a passport! It's exciting and scary all at once. I absolutely love taking first time travelers abroad and introducing them to the wide and amazing world beyond the borders of our own wide and amazing country.

Art is a healing force in the world, and on an individual level. Many cultures still view art-making as an integral part of their spirituality, culture and traditions. Art crosses so many of the barriers that keep people separate: not just geographical borders, but differences in race, religion, language and customs. When we connect with people through arts and culture, the sense of "other" falls away. We recognize how much we have in common. We bond over our mutual humanity.

Curiosity about other people and places promotes peace, understanding, tolerance...and very often lifelong friendships. Learning about an artist's work is the best history, sociology, foreign language and anthropology lesson you can get. All for way less than a college course! As a bonus, you'll take home adornments for home, fashion, beauty and style, bought directly from the people who made them.

When you visit me in my art studio, you'll drink tea out of cups I've bought from Marrakesh, and eat tapas from dishes handmade in Spain. You'll see a small oil painting from a favorite Parisian painter, and folk art from five continents and counting. All bought from an artist so grateful to be earning money from their work. All with a story (sometimes about how the stuff actually made it home) and an unforgettable experience that lives on in the sharing.

If you'd like to join Lisa on her next Creative Entrepreneur reTREAT in Mexico, click here to view more details. (Full disclosure: I am a member of Lisa's affiliate program).

If you liked this post, you might also like:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and NPtechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Allison Jones, Millennial Leader: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Beth Terry, Fake Plastic Fish: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Katya Andresen, Network for Good: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Kimberly Wilson, Tranquility du Jour: How I Have Fun, Do Good

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Katya Andresen, Network for Good: How I Have Fun, Do Good

The ninth guest blogger in my have fun do good series is Katya Andresen.  Katya is the COO of Network for Good and the author of Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes.  

She blogs at nonprofitmarketingblog.com and tweets at @katyaN4G.

Katya Andresen, Network for Good: How I Have Fun, Do Good

Britt Bravo is ahead of her time. One of the brightest thinkers out there – Seth Godin – recently posted about the importance of joy in the workplace.  For years, Britt’s been promoting this very concept - the idea of having fun while doing good. It’s a powerful idea, and I’m happy to share what I do to have fun while doing good in this guest post.

1. I act like a fan: It’s fulfilling to be an enthusiast of others. When I blog, I like to point to the good ideas of others. When I speak, I try to highlight the brilliance of new ideas that aren’t my own. I find the more I do this, and the more generous I am, the more happy I feel. It’s about approaching work from a place of sharing and abundance rather than self-absorption and scarcity. It’s more fun – and it’s more effective. Especially when it comes to the online world. We live in an economy of affection, not dollars, in the world of social media.

Psychoanalyzing how to have fun and do good

2. I consider myself a teacher: I take a few days off a year to teach at American University, and I do a lot of public speaking and training. It’s incredibly rewarding to help others, and teaching – or mentoring – gives me a sense of accomplishment. It’s also an act that is both vain and humbling. Vain, because if you teach, you believe you have something important to say. Humbling, because when you teach, you realize how much you don’t know. This brings me to…

3. I strive to be a perpetual student: I try to stay in a state of intellectual curiosity. I try to read every good book written about marketing, technology, behavioral economics, and I invite every expert who will agree to present to the Network for Good community. The mind is happiest when it’s in an expanding state. There is no better way to make work fun than to be learning all the time.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and NPtechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Allison Jones, Millennial Leader: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Beth Terry, Fake Plastic Fish: How I Have Fun, Do Good

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Beth Terry, Fake Plastic Fish: How I Have Fun, Do Good

 The eighth guest blogger in my have fun, do good series is Beth Terry.  Beth has been living plastic-free since 2007 and blogs about her adventures at FakePlasticFish.com.  She is also an advisor to the Plastic Pollution Coalition and a contributing editor for BlogHer.com.  You can follow Beth on Twitter at @fakeplasticfish, on the Fake Plastic Fish Facebook page, and on her personal Facebook page.

You can see her speak (via streaming video) this Saturday, November 6th at TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch in Los Angeles. Click here to find a watch party near you.

Beth Terry, Fake Plastic Fish: How I Have Fun, Do Good

When I tell people about my project to live without buying any new plastic, they invariably want to know if it’s hard. The answer? It all depends on my attitude. Yes, trying to protect the planet from plastic pollution and inspire others to cut their plastic consumption can be hard. But it’s also fun.

Three years ago, I decided to collect and tally all the plastic waste I generated each week and post it on my blog. The project could have been an exercise in guilt and public humiliation, but instead, it felt like a game. How many points do I get each time I refuse a plastic straw? How many do I score for each small company I discover doing good: reducing their waste and creating ingenious products to help us reduce ours? I love stumbling across sources of plastic in our lives that most of us haven’t considered. For example, instead of getting depressed when I stumbled upon the fact that chewing gum is made from plastic (polyvinyl acetate, to be precise), I felt like I had made a big score.

I have a couple of friends, artists Richard Lange and Judith Selby Lange, who scour the beach regularly for plastic trash to include in their art projects. Their pieces are fantastic and beautiful, even as they depict the terrible problem of plastic pollution. But Richard and Judith make their beach excursions into a game, competing to see who can find the most interesting treasures. And that’s how I feel about my work. It may be hard sometimes, and the information I learn may be sad, maddening, or depressing, but it’s up to me to choose what attitude I bring to my work and to find the fun in it.

Photo: My friend Eli and I at the 2009 Bay to Breakers.  We won the costume contest.  Now that was fun!

Want to get involved? Beth invites you to join the Show Your Plastic Trash Challenge.

If you like this post, you might also like:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and NPtechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Allison Jones, Millennial Leader: How I Have Fun, Do Good

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Allison Jones, Millennial Leader: How I Have Fun, Do Good

 Good morning, Have Fun Do Gooders!  Welcome to the third week of my series of guest posts by bloggers sharing how they have fun and do good.

My seventh guest blogger is Allison Jones.  Allison is a Brooklyn based blogger and advocate for education equality and millennial leadership in public service.  You can find her on twitter @ajlovesya, on facebook, or visit her at allisonj.org 



Allison Jones, Millennial Leader: How I Have Fun, Do Good

How do I have fun and do good? 

I invite people along for the ride.

A group of us touring, studying, and volunteering in Cape Town, South Africa

Seriously!  Most people have a cause they are passionate about--they just don't know where to begin.  So I'm a bit of an investigator--I ask them questions about what they love, what they do, and what they would like to do. 

How is this fun?  Seeing people realize that they can do good no matter where they are is a blessing.  When people realize that change isn't something only special people can do, or that taking action doesn't look one way, it brings them closer to getting involved, and that gets me pumped.

From there, we build communities of people who care.  Of course, there will always be tension, but when we get involved with the world around us, we start having more meaningful conversations and pushing ourselves.  I have fun and do good by living as though everyone wants to have fun and do good.

If you like this post, you might also like:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and NPtechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer: How I Have Fun, Do Good

Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer: How I Have Fun, Do Good

 World Go Vegan Week (October 24-31, 2010) seems like a perfect time to highlight the sixth contributor to my series of guest posts by bloggers talking about how they have fun and do good.

Elisa Camahort Page is the co-founder and COO of BlogHer Inc, the largest community of women who blog, and the future of women's lifestyle programming...where women actively participate and can integrate their perspectives on everything from parenting to politics, food to finance. Elisa has seven (sorely neglected) blogs of her own, including Veggie Goes Vegan. The best ways to follow her are via Twitter (@ElisaC) and by all the headline feeds found in her BlogHer profile.

Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer: How I Have Fun, Do Good

Vegan meal from Candle 79 in New York City

The single most important way I have fun and do good is all about what I don’t do: I don’t consume animal products. Starting in 1989 I became a vegetarian. No fish, no escargot, no chocolate covered ants. Then I became what I liked to call “vegan outside my body” meaning: no wool, no silk, no leather or suede. And finally, 17 years after going vegetarian, I finally lived up to my own ideals and became a vegan.

When people ask why, as they inevitably do while we're eating a meal, and they're eating a big hunk of meat, I always tell this story:

It started with a donation to the ASPCA in NYC. That got me on every animal organization mailing list. (We're talking snail mail here...the Dark Ages.) I started getting lots of information about animal right issues. And I became galvanized. I’ve always been a voter, but you vote most often with your wallet. As I learned more, I realized I didn’t want my hard-earned money going certain places or supporting certain industries.

One day, as I walked through my neighborhood, I started looking at the butcher shops. They typically hung the animals in the window, with slits up their bellies. Not pretty. Then I walked by one unloading a delivery, and there were buckets of some kind of gross, meat-oriented stuff on the sidewalk and they were literally hosing off the blood running down the sidewalk.

It seemed like a sign, and I thought: "I haven't eaten meat today...let's see how it goes. If I can't keep it up? Well, at least I tried." That was 21 years ago. It turned out to be not that difficult.

Of course now conscious eating is much more in vogue. We’ve all heard a lot about why veg*nism is better for your health and for the planet, let alone for the animals. But back in 1989 people weren’t talking about it very much. So my goal has always been to just be a happy, healthy, well-adjusted and non-deprivation oriented veg*n role model for people flirting with the idea.

I’m a believer in starting with a step. The more you take, the better, but no one takes every step. You do what you can, until you can do better. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of better. Even the Dalai Lama probably gets annoyed at drivers who don’t use turn signals, no?

If you like this post, you might also like:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and NPtechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good

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Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good

I hope you've been enjoying my series of guest posts by bloggers talking about how they have fun and do good. Today's guest blogger is Jennifer Moore.  Jennifer is a textile and surface designer, and owner of  Monaluna, a small business specializing in organic cotton fabrics.  You can follow her blog at http://monalunadesign.blogspot.com.

Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good

I find my joy from making things. Especially beautiful, useful things. Over the years I’ve worked in many different media, and made all kinds of things (some more beautiful and useful than others), but several years ago I found myself deeply in love with fabric. In my pursuit of the perfect fabric for one project or another, I began designing patterns that I wished I could have, and eventually began licensing those prints to a large fabric manufacturer.

Although the work was fun for me, it was also very fulfilling to see others respond happily to the fabrics, and to watch the prints fuel creativity in others. I feel that exercising the creative aspects of ourselves is vitally important, and I love being able to offer the tools that people can use to unleash that vision and joy.

The more I learned about the manufacturing of fabrics, though, the more I realized how significant the negative impacts are on the environment, and on the farmers who grow the cottons. Cotton uses vast amounts of pesticide, more than any other crop globally, and the health implications have been dire for cotton farmers in India, where my fabric is made, and also for the environment. As a result, I became committed to using my prints on organic cotton.

When the company I was working with wasn’t ready to take that step, I decided to do it myself, and started importing my own line of organic cotton fabric. Now, my business has grown to include several lines of organic cotton prints, and I try to keep it as green as I can, recycling, composting, minimizing waste and energy use and reducing transportation whenever possible.

If you like this post, you might also like:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and NPtechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good

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Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and Nptechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good

 Happy Monday, Have Fun, Do Gooders!  

The fourth guest post in my have fun, do good blogger series is by Amy Sample Ward.  Amy is a blogger and trainer focused on supporting and educating organizations and changemakers in the use of evolving technologies that cultivate and engage communities. 

She is also the CDI Community Development Manager for TechSoup Global where her work focuses on developing new programs and opportunities to strengthen and grow the global networks for changemakers, innovators and nonprofit organizations making our world a better place.  You can read her blog and learn more about her work at amysampleward.org, and you can follow her on Twitter at @amyrsward


Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and Nptechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good

For me, there are lots of ways of having fun and doing good. I have two rules of thumb I use almost always:

#1 Make it interesting

Because there are so many ways to "have fun and do good" I can fall victim to the option paralysis syndrome. So, to help myself narrow down the options, I look for the ones that aren't just fun and enjoyable but are also interesting, will use my brain, keep me engaged and even help me learn something new. Those are the things that are most fun to me, anyway! Often this means combining passions, so opportunities that use technology know-how, community or local people (especially new ones to meet), as well as real objectives and goals.

#2 Make it shareable

I also believe that a lot of what we do could be shared, repeated, and even improved upon, but often isn't because we don't really share with the world or even our neighbors information about just what we are doing to "do good." I like to find ways either in real-time, or after a project, to share. This can mean posting photos of our work and ideas, creating a short video interview with those I'm working with, or writing a blog post that documents our process and strategy while also including documents or resources. Sharing is caring, so they say!

With all the ways to have fun and do good, and option paralysis such a real thing in our information-overload-world, I'd love to hear any guidelines others use to help narrow down the choices and concentrate efforts for making the world a better place!

Image Credit: This is Michaela Hackner at the 2008 Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) participating in the Day of Service - a great way to have fun and do good with technology, and even an example of sharing!

If you like this post, you might also like:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good

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Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun and Do Good

The third guest post in my have fun, do good blogger series is by Amy Potthast.  Amy is the Director of Service and Graduate Education Programs at Idealist.org, and lives in Oregon with her husband and two sons.  You can follow her on Twitter, @amypotthast

How do I have fun and do good? — Amy Potthast, Idealist.org

This year, this question is easier to answer than ever.

With a group of mom-friends in St. Johns — my North Portland, Oregon, neighborhood — I've been working this year on a new, all-volunteer mentoring program for local teen parents.

The St. Johns Village Project is a moms-and-tots playgroup that brings together teen moms and adult moms, with all our kids. The idea is for the moms to build friendships that outlast the teen parents's teen years.

We strive to support all moms to succeed in life and parenting, and to build the 40 developmental assets of teen parents and all our kids.

Moms and kids in planning mode

We're hosted by swapnplay, an innovative neighborhood community play space. We're working on becoming a member program of Oregon Mentors.

We’re launching with a Halloween party on Oct. 30th — inviting the teen moms to a pancake breakfast where they can also pick out Halloween costumes for their children to bring home with them.

In the spring, we plan to launch a garden plot in the St. Johns Community Garden where teen dads and other neighborhood dads can have fun growing vegetables together with their kids.

As an intentional by-product of the project, the moms (and dads) involved with planning have grown closer as a community and we only envision having more fun together as we get to know each other, and our kids better during regular playgroup gatherings in the coming year.

If you like this post, you might also like:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good

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Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good

I hope you all enjoyed the guest post by Marianne Elliott on Tuesday. She shared how she has fun and does good by making over gardens for busy young families. 

Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook will be the next guest blogger to share how she has fun and does good.  Goddess Leonie helps you see the goddess inside you.  You can download her latest little offering (for free) here: A Printable Pocket Goddess Gratitude Diary.  Follow her on Twitter at @GoddessLeonie and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/leonieallan

The Life is Fun and Good Checklist Leonie Style

I nurture my daughter as lovingly, joyfully and spiritfully as I can.

I create whatever needs to come through me.

I stay inside my own energy and don't bother comparing myself.

I make things with my babe in my lap or in the night as inspiration strikes: meditations, little hand painted soul workbooks + spirit-infused e-courses.

I photograph women as goddesses all around the world

I hold women's circles and sacred retreats where miracles work their way up to the surface of life until it becomes infused and glimmering with them.


I rest when I need to. I visit the cave often.

I make ridiculous gatherings: fairy picnics in abandoned parks, silly soirees in pancake galleries, pink hatted outings to Thai resturants.

I hold The Cheese Awards

And I make joy a transmittable disease.





  


If you like this post, you might also like:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good

 

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Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good

We write and teach what we want to learn, at least, I do.  One of the reasons I keep this blog is to help me figure out how to have fun, and do good, and one of the ways I learn is by example, so I've asked a handful of bloggers from my Have Fun, Do Good blogroll to share how they have fun and do good. 
 
The first guest post is by Marianne Elliott.  Marianne is a change-maker, a human rights advocate, a yoga teacher and a writer. She is the creator of 30 days of yoga: an online course to establish a regular home practice of yoga and build a kinder relationship with your own body. She is currently writing a memoir about her life as a UN peacekeeper in Afghanistan.  You can follow her on Twitter at @zenpeacekeeper.

All I’ve ever wanted from my life was to do good. As a small child I was profoundly affected by the glimpses I got into the injustices in the world so I became a human rights lawyer and spent a decade working in places like the Gaza Strip, Timor-Leste and Afghanistan.

When you are working on serious human rights issues it can be easy to think that having fun might be incompatible with doing good. But my experience has always been that I do the most good when I am doing what I love with people I love.

One of my favorite ways to do good and have fun is to get together a group of friends to do a garden make-over for a busy young family. In one day a group of five or six people can transform an over-grown yard or roof-top into a functioning vegetable garden.

I love this because it does good on so many levels. A vegetable garden reduces the expenses of a young family by providing them with fresh, organic healthy food. Vegetable gardens also have positive environmental impacts, especially if they are planted using biodynamic principles to promote, for example, regeneration of healthy insect life.

A day working in the garden is good for the mental and physical health of everyone who takes part, and working together to do good is a great way to deepen friendships and strengthen group bonds. Finally, in my experience, the sight of a freshly planted vegetable garden gives everyone who took part in the day a profound sense of satisfaction.

If you like this post, you might also like, How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good.

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