Anti-Bullying March Takes Place in Port Coquitlam

If you are visiting Port Coquitlam and you see hundreds of pink t-shirts and umbrellas without the pink ribbon, it's the anti-bullying march being done by the organization I AM SOMEONE.

This march took place last year in honor of Amanda Todd, a victim of bullying that made national headlines once she took her life. Last year, the march was  called The Snowflake Walk, but it's now under the new name.

The organizer Greg Moore wanted to change the scope of this year's event, simply because bullying has now made headlines with more incidents of suicide behind it.

Moore was rather sensitive to the Todd Family as they have created their own endeavors. Moore even changed the logo to exemplify the greater good for more teens rather than just one. Although, he always states that every life is just as important as the next.

The movement he is focusing on is one he works on with Carol Todd, the mother of Amanda. Prior to the start of the walk, there was music, other entertainers, and even motivational speakers present to help with the event.

One of the guests was Conrad Gray, another young man being bullied for his autism. He is plenty aware of the fact that others are being bullied for so many reasons, and as a result he wants to support this movement. So, what is the key to helping those that have been bullied? How can you create a strong anti-bullying effort?

Victims of bullying have said that the best place is to start at home. As parents, be involved in what your kids are doing. Talk to them, and make sure they know the door is always open. It's time to raise awareness, and there are still not enough anti-bullying campaigns to go around.

Events are great, support groups are great, and it's great to bring awareness out with some motivational t-shirts too. This is why we offer them here! We believe that bullying is wrong, and we support those that take a stand against it.

Will you take a stand? Check out our full line of motivational apparel, and make it a point to join up with the closest "anti-bullying" campaign you can find!

The Heroic Motivation of Karyna Douglass

Heroic motivation is the kind that you only see once in awhile, when someone does something because they want something so bad they will go to any length to accomplish it.

This is true for Karyna Douglass, a young woman from Portland, Oregon that wanted to join the Army.

Karyna was told that she had to lose 110 pounds for her to join and she did it. It is no surprise that an endeavor like this takes motivation and dedication.

Needless to say, Karyna did it and even during the holiday season right now she remains true to her plan to keep the weight off for her new adventure into the military. So, how in the world did she do it?

When Karyna was interviewed by Fox, she told her story about working out at the fire station with the guys she works with, and she avoids those situations where she might find the pie, cookies, and other culinary delights that we all see this time of year.

Naturally, the crew at Fox had their own questions about what stirred this heroic motivation in her. Was in people making fun of her? Was it health problems? Karyna dug a bit deeper than that. I tend to think of insults as something that we can all resonate with, and honestly, insults make it easy to go out and perform better to make changes.

It's having your own reason that most people struggle with. I know I had to learn that it was about doing it for me and NOT for other people. While going on a whale watching tour, she was amidst the Coast Guard. It was that reminder of watching them serve that made her refocus on NOT meeting the weight requirement.

She wanted to be admired, the way she saw others admired members of the Coast Guard and other members of the military. She wanted to be revered. While working at the Zoo in Portland, she just didn't get the physical activity she needed to get there. It was time for a change.

Karyna was on her own mission to complete this time, and knew that if she could do that she could do anything she wanted. Now that she has reached her goal, she is ready to be sworn in on December 12, which is just a few days away!

Do you have this same type of heroic motivation to accomplish something? What would it take for you to make a positive change in your life? Do you have to be pushed or does something have to go wrong for you to do something right?

It's time for all of us to make changes, but as you go into the holiday season, don't lose sight of living the way God intended us to live. Make it a point to live each day with "heroic motivation", and live courageously.

Inspiration for Monday-Autistic Children Get Time with Santa!

Generally, I enjoy looking for inspiration for Monday because it seems to be the hardest day of the week for me. After a holiday even more so, but that doesn't mean that I am NOT in the holiday spirit.

What I find I have to recover from is all of the hoopla about shopping Black Friday and people using stun guns on each other to get the best bargain. However, there are still some good folks out there that think otherwise.

This bit of inspiration for Monday I wanted to share with you, and I am sure you will agree that it's touching, and will inspire you and others to take action this holiday season.

Inspiration for Monday Out of Malls?

As it turns out, there are several malls in the US and Canada that have found a way to make some autistic children very happy. They get to meet Santa on their own terms. 

This is because they will have some time to meet Santa set aside for them, rather than their parents bringing them to meet Santa when the other children do. Great idea or what? This time with Santa is before the malls open, which means they won't have to be uncomfortable in crowds and loud noises which many autistic children don't do well with. 

If you are reading this and you are the parent of an autistic child, or perhaps you foster one, you know all too well what they often miss out on. As a parent, you struggle to figure it out and how you can find the balance. Lights and music are turned down too to help out with the setting for a calm visit with Santa for this Christmas season.

While you may still be in need of inspiration for Monday, there is no doubt that this story sheds light on how you can help those that are not only less fortunate, but those that just need to celebrate a little differently. It's all about the children isn't it? As well, it's all about putting a smile on their little faces.

Do you have a story to share? If you have your own inspiration for Monday, we would love to hear from you here in the comments below, and we would also love to hear from you on Facebook on our page for Courageous Life!