WHY I'M WALKING AROUND BAREFOOT TODAY...

"You have two hands. One to help yourself, the second to help others."

Anonymous

**QUICK NOTE: If you get excited about what's going on here, contact me and I can help you get involved. It's so easy, and it's gonna be fun!

        So I'm going to tell you why I'm walking around barefoot today, but first I want to see if any of you have ever felt like this before: The older I get, the more aware I become of the world around me, and the more I realize how many people there are, who are truly in need of the simplest things that I take for granted everyday. For a long time, seeing so many people in need had me feeling uncomfortable. Here's why: One part of me had a huge desire to help ALL of these people, while another part of me felt so inadequate and almost worthless because I didn't have the slightest idea of how to even begin helping a single person, let alone the millions that need it. I remember thinking, What can I even do? There's nothing special about me. I don't have a huge influence in my community or on social media to gather a big group of people together and change hundreds of lives.  I was beginning to feel like I could never help people the way that I wanted to.

        But then I realized, I didn't have to do it by myself! I read a quote by Mother Teresa that helped clarify that for me, "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." Duh! I didn't have to figure out how to save the world by myself, all I had to do was figure out how to get involved with others to create those ripples.

           So that's what I'm doing now! I wanted to get involved with a humanitarian/service project that I was passionate about. If you know me at all, you know that I have an unnatural love for shoes, so I decided I would organize a shoe drive to collect shoes that could then be given to people around the world who don't have any to wear. I joined forces with the organization SOLES4SOULS, and immediately fell in love with their mission! I decided to organize the shoe drive through them because I love that they focus not only on providing shoes and clothing to individuals in developing countries, but also to those here in our own country as well. Check out this video to see what we'll be helping them accomplish!

          Notice how I said "what WE will be helping them accomplish"? That's because I want to invite any of you who have ever felt like I did; like you want to help in some way but aren't exactly sure how to get started, to get involved with us in this shoe drive. 

I remember back when I was collecting shoes, I used to tell people I had a "shoe problem" because of the amount of shoes I had. I've since realized the real shoe problem is that so many individuals have to live their lives everyday without even one pair of shoes. THIS IS WHY IM WALKING AROUND BAREFOOT TODAY! Today, October 16th, 2015, I and thousands of other people around the world are going #barefoot4them to raise awareness for people who really do have a shoe problem. Now I totally understand that me walking around barefoot doesn't necessarily help someone in need of shoes, but it does make other people interested in getting involved. And now we're going to get to work collecting the shoes for these people in need.

So here are the details:

We just recently started collecting the shoes, and will be collecting until December 31st, 2015. What I've learned is that people will run a drive through their school or with their organization that lasts 2-3 weeks, so if you or your kids want to organize a drive like that, this gives you time to organize it, and run the drive. I would love to work with anyone who wants to help us collect shoes. To get it started I'm partnering with my future brother-in-law, Austin Mitchell, who will be running a drive through BYU-I. I'm also working with the Central American Relief Club out of Chandler High School in Arizona. Even though we're all collecting shoes in different states, we're all working on this same shoe drive, and we would love to help anyone interested to head-up their own part of this shoe drive within their own community or organization. And don't think that just because someone is already collecting in your area, it means you can't collect there too. There are SO many churches, neighborhoods, schools, or organizations that you can collect your shoes through, and every pair makes a world of difference for that one person who receives them.

        Collecting these shoes won't dramitically change the world, but it will cast a stone that will create many ripples, I can promise you that. 

If you or someone you know is interested in heading-up a part of this drive with us, please contact me! We have everything you need to make the drive as smooth as possible.        

                                                              

Curtis Harding

801.922.0106 

curtisharding3@gmail.com

HAPPINESS OF THE FITTEST

"Most people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty."

-Tim Ferriss

           Darwin was right! In our world today, it's "survival of the fittest". But here's what I want to do, I'm going to exchange the word survival for the word happiness. Happiness of the fittest. Except, what does "fittest" mean? According to Darwinian theory the "fittest" will be the one who can evolve.  Now your's and my belief about whether or not humans came from monkeys is irrelevant here, because I want to look at evolution simply as the ability of an individual to adapt to a changing environment. Seems simple enough right? But if we really look at our personal life and the lives of those around us we begin to see that as humans, especially in the society in which we live, the ability (and willingness) to evolve is extremely difficult for most. Why? Simply because it requires change.

          Before I get into that, I've decided that once a month my post for that week will be relaying a concept or two that I learned from whatever book I read that week. If you read my last blog post, you know that'll I'll be reading a lot more, so I should have some awesome knowledge to share! Have you ever read the book "Who Moved My Cheese?"?  You've probably heard of it at least. I want to share with you the influential message it contains!
          Quick summary of the book: It's a story about 4 characters who live in a "maze" and look for "cheese" to nourish them and make them happy. The"maze" represents your life, while the "cheese" is a metaphor for what you want to have in life - whether it's a good job, a loving relationship, money, health, or spiritual peace of mind. In the story, the characters are faced with unexpected change. Eventually, one of them deals with it successfully, and writes what he has learned on the maze walls.

            Haw, the protagonist in the book travels with his friend Hem throughout the first sections. When their cheese runs out, Haw Challenges his amigo to get up and make some changes, but his friend responds, "No, I like it here. It's comfortable. Its what I know... Im getting too old for that. And I'm afraid Im not interested in getting lost and making a fool of myself. Are you?"

             Let's get real for a second. How many of us have ever said or thought something to that effect? Bottom line is, we're afraid. And what's worse, we're too proud to admit it. Author Tim Ferris explains, "We don't usually call fear by its four letter name. Most intelligent people in the world dress it up as something else: optimistic denial. Pure hell forces action, but anything less can be endured with enough clever rationalization." 

             As individuals, it's really easy to justify our own actions, especially when it allows us to stay within our zone of comfort. The problem with justification is that is causes you to never move! Now, that would be totally fine IF you already felt completely fulfilled in every aspect of your life, and are exactly where you want to be. But unfortunately, that's not the case for the majority of us. Most of us are still looking for something more. But heres the problem: we want something more, but aren't willing to do something more. In the book, Haw reflects, "Look at us. We keep doing the same things over and over again and wonder why things don't get better. If this wasn't so ridiculous, it would be even funnier." As I read this book, I realized I was just like these guys in the maze! Right then and there I started making changes(not decisions to change) but immediate changes. And let me tell ya, it's made a world of difference!

              I want you to be honest with yourself and think about an area(s) in your life where change is probably needed, but you've been so apprehensive about the consequences of leaving your comfort zone, that you never do. What are your impediments, either internal or external, that are preventing you from stepping outside your comfort zone? Now look at your life. Are you better off than you were one year ago, one month ago, or one week ago? If the answer is no(which was the case for me), its probably due to your fear of leaving your comfort zone. No offense, but it's true.

            Good news is, that's easy to fix! Start today, and make at least one change for improvement in your life. If you want this change to have a significant affect in your life, you have to do something that causes you to get out of that bloody comfort zone. I've seen the changes already taking place in my life as I continue to live outside my comfort zone. I promise you that if you strive to do that, you will see that the fears you've been imagining in your head, are just that, imaginations.

"I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."
 -Mark Twain

SO I SOLD ALL MY SNEAKERS! GUESS WHAT IM COLLECTING NOW...

An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.

-Ben Franklin

         I remember the day I started collecting shoes like it was yesterday. Almost three years ago I  watched a music video where the artist was rapping in a room with walls that were lined with sneakers from top to bottom! I've loved shoes forever, but never had the means to buy them. At this point I'd been doing doTERRA (see my last post) for about a year now, and could finally buy them for myself so that same night, I got online and bought my first pair. The high I felt unboxing every new pair was incredible, and I couldn't stop! I was years behind the collectors I now followed on social media and had to catch up! Before I knew it, not only was my closet full, but every shelf in my room was full of shoe boxes. It got to a point where I no longer had space to put them. And I LOVED it!

Eventually I decided it was time to save up and make a smarter investment by buying a house. Guess which room was completely moved in and set up first? Thats right, the sneaker room.

         KSL even ran a story about my collection on the news for Valentine's day this year. That probably would have made a normal person realize their addiction was getting a little crazy...  Haha but that thought didn't even cross my mind.

         So here's the irony. The thing that influenced me to buy my first pair of retro Jordans almost 3 years ago is the exact same thing that made me decide to sell them all: a hip hop music video. I found Akala, an English rapper, poet, and journalist, when I watched his TED Talk entitled Hip Hop & Shakespeare. That led me to his YouTube Channel where I watched this video, and was blown away! Never before had I heard a rapper, for 8 minutes straight, address issues including but not limited to violence, race, social status, economics, and education. And that was just one song! The following excerpts are just a few parts that made me really sit back and consider what I really value in life, and what my goals are.

"And I won't hang what I make around my neck

because I know from where the diamonds came,

but I do literally own a library 

that definitely costs more than your chain"

"But we aint studyin' history, too busy watching MTV,

and MTV said, wear platinum.

So everybody wanna go and wear platinum.

When MTV said, pop magnums,

everybody wanna go and pop magnums

If MTV said, drink prune juice,

we would start hearin' that in tunes soon."

"You gotta see what's really happenin',

who the enemy you should be attackin' is.

So read, read, read, read

Stuck on the block? Read, read.

Sittin in the box? Read, read.

Don't let them say what you can achieve.

Cuz when people are enslaved 

one of the first things they do is stop them readin'.

Because it is well understood 

that intelligent people will take their freedom.

Cuz if we knew our power,

we would understand we can't be held down.

If we knew our power,

we would not elevate not one of these clowns."

             I realized that while having a room full of over 100 pairs of "kicks" is pretty cool, those shoes would never be able to improve the quality of my life or the lives of others. I then had the idea, what if I were to sell these shoes and instead, fill those shelves full of books that would teach me about history, personal development skills, and other elements of the human experience? Who would I be, and what would my life look like if instead of collecting shoes for the next 10 years, I collected and read books? I decided I wanted to find out the answer to that question, so I started selling them all, pair by pair.  Im not going to lie, it was hard! Those were my babies! But I had a new focus, and I was excited about it. 

          Nelson Mandela said, "Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world."I know that to be true, but we must first educate ourselves, and that's what I'm doing now! Books like The Slight Edge, The 4-Hour-Work-Week, The Millionaire Next Door, and How To Win Friends and Influence People are already having a lasting affect on my life. I can feel such a difference in my personal development as I spend my time educating myself instead of scrolling through eBay. 

BEFORE                                                                             AFTER

I'm proud of my little collection of books I've amassed so far, but know that I still have a long way to go! I'll end this with on of my new favorite quotes by Epictetus, a greek philosopher, who said, "Only the educated are free." Which begs the question, 

what are you doing to free yourself?

Also let me know of any books you think I really need to have in my collection. Im always looking for a good book! 

WHY I DO dōTERRA. AND TRUST ME, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE MONEY

            "Don't aim for success; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally."

-David Frost

           So I don't know if it's because I'm a young guy who actually believes in natural medicine, or if it's just because I'm a male who works in the essential oil industry; either way I've gotten a lot of strange looks when people ask me what I do for a living and I respond by telling them I teach classes about essential oils with the company dōTERRA. Haha like I get some really weird looks. But then! When I explain to them why I chose this as my first job out of college, the weird looks quickly dissolve from their faces. So I thought I'd share it with all my friends on here. I promise this is NOT a "Why You Should Work for doTERRA" post. It's just me sharing how certain freedoms afforded me by dōTERRA have significantly changed my life.
            Also, in my opinion, if you can't write at least a 3 paragraph post about why you LOVE your current job, then you should probably call up your boss and tell him today's your last day, then go find something you do love. Why spend the best years of your life doing something you don't even like?! It just doesn't make sense to me.. So here are 3 reasons why I LOVE what I do:

1. EMPOWERING OTHERS - The most important thing I've learned over the last couple years working with dōTERRA is that if you want to change the world, you have to empower people.  Because my uncle, David Stirling, is one of the 7 owners, and CEO of doTERRA, I've been allowed to see its evolution from the day it started to seven years later, as it enters its first year as a billion dollar company. This company's focus has never once shifted from helping people take control of their lives.
          How do they do it? Well they help people in multiple areas of life, but I want to talk about one.  Health is an aspect of life, which many people feel they have no control over. Whether it's weight problems, chronic pains and diseases, or just an annoying flu virus that won't go away, too many people don't know how to take care of themselves, and therefore become dependent on our healthcare system. Now don't get me wrong, our healthcare system is a huge blessing God has given us, BUT we shouldn't have to be dependent on it! Want to know my job description?  I educate people on how to use natural medicine to take care of their family's healthcare. A.K.A. I empower them!
           After 5 years, I have countless stories of people who have come up to me and said something to the effect of, "Now, when my family gets sick, I no longer feel helpless. I know what they need and I have the tools to provide it for them."
           This company isn't only empowering its customers, they are also empowering people around the world who live in places where they get the oils from. dōTERRA has created something called co-impact sourcing where they create jobs and improve income in countries throughout the world where it is very needed. I could go on for hours about the amazing affect it's had on peoples lives! But I figured 2 short videos would be a little more engaging. #yourewelcome




1st Video: Briefly describes how co-impact sourcing works. (2 mins)

2nd Video(Better video!): You can see how the Vetiver farmers and distillers in Haiti are benefiting from dōTERRA's co impact sourcing. This is just one example. Watch it! (6 mins)

         

2. FINANCIAL FREEDOM - This may sound selfish, but I'll show you why it's not. This is another way dōTERRA empowers people, and has empowered me. They offer me a chance to earn residual income. If you're not sure what residual income is, check out this article:
What is Residual Income and Why Do You Want It?

       
         But here's the thing, money isn't what's important here. Well it is in the sense that we need it to sustain ourselves, but the most important effect residual income offers is the freedom of time! Life is WAY too short to be trading our hours for money. Especially when those hours are usually spent doing things that don't fulfill us. I've been really blessed to be able to generate a residual income with dōTERRA that I never thought possible, let alone by the age of 25. But that's not that big of a deal! You can always make more money, but you can never make more time. It's the time that I cherish, not the checks. My income allows me to now spend my life doing things that truly fulfill me. I can become a high school teacher, one of my dreams, and not have to worry if I'll be able to support my family. There are so many other things I want to spend my life doing, like be with my family, become a motivational speaker for youth, orchestrate humanitarian aid trips, a be a crossing guard(don't laugh, I think it'd be fun!) These are all things it would be hard to have time for if I had to be at an office from 8-5 everyday. Financial freedom isn't about the money, its about the time. dōTERRA has given me an opportunity to create that freedom.

3. WORK ENVIRONMENT - This is a crucial element of any job. You can work for a great company but if the people, place, or circumstances in which you work are bad, it's hard to enjoy. A lot of companies have bad work environments, many have really good ones, but very few allow you to create your own. Imagine a job where you get to choose who your coworkers are, where you have your meetings, and how you're going to get your work done. (Insert heart-eyed emoji!) Well thats what being a Wellness Advocate for dōTERRA is like. You want your best friend to be your business partner? Do it! You want to make your business calls while waiting in line for a ride at Disneyland? I have multiple leaders who do that! A couple years ago, I started a team in San Francisco because I wanted an excuse to visit California periodically and work with my friends there. The point being, as my own boss I'm allowed to create an environment where I know I can thrive, and that's made all the difference!

Can you see why I love what I do?! Now please understand there's not only one "best job ever" out there. We're all different, so my "best job ever" is going to be different than yours. But I encourage you to define what yours would be, and then go get it!