This morning, I had a short “conversation” with my professional speaker buddy Jana Stanfield. Jana is in India with another speaker friend John Crudele. They posted a VERY short video on YouTube that will make just about anyone feel incredible rich and very grateful for what they have. I’ll be interviewing them and posting that interview here. What the clip and let me know what questions you would like me to ask Jana and John. www.youtube.com/user/JCLiveoutloud.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, healthcare, and financial services. He is founder of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

Anne Mahlum is one of my new heros. I came across her tonight looking at nominations for  CNN’s Hero of the Year award website. There were many compelling stories of people who are making a difference all over the world but some how Anne’s story and her foundation really inspired me. I can remember seeing so many homeless people walking the streets of Philadelphia while there for a speaking engagement. I bought one guy dinner, helped him get some clean clothes and tried to encourage him to get work. I wondered how much help I really helped this man. Anne helps people like that every day as founder of an organization called Back on my Feet. Anne is an avid runner and most mornings she can be found running the streets of Philadelphia with homeless men and women. If you have ever been an avid runner, you know about the “runner’s high”. What better way to get people who feel hopeless a leg (pun intended) up. Run, Anne, Run.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies. He is founder of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

In this weeks USA Today, there was an insert titled Sharing in the USA. There were stories about Habitat for Humanity, movie stars Natalie Portmna and Lucy Lui, NFL player Warwick Dunn, and most intriguing 13 year olds Josh Hofing and Talia Leman. Josh is raising money to build a well in Ethiopia. Talia Leman started a non-profit called RandomKid.com. Incredible young people making a great difference in the world. 

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies. He is founder of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

Like many Americans, I tuned into the Vice Presidential debate with Joe Biden and Sarah Palin last night. While it’s obvious that they have divergent views about the Iraq situation, they share at least one thing in common - both have sons serving there. As I watched the debate, I was reminded of an interview I had recently with Bob Bergquist. Bob is the father of Brittany and Robbie, who at ages 12 and 14 started an organization called Cell Phones for Soldiers. Their non-profit has raised over 2 ½ million dollars by collecting and selling old cell phones using the proceeds to buy phone cards for the US troops. This year, they hope to convert the old cell phones that they collect into more than 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas. It would be easy to assume that because these two high school aged kids spend 20-25 hours per week on their 5013c non-profit, that is all they have time to do. The reality is that Brittany and Robbie are both honor roll students and excel in softball and soccer respectively. Through increased fundraising efforts, the Bergquist family hopes to raise more than $9 million in the next five years to fund new programs, such as providing video phones with prepaid service to allow soldiers abroad to see their families on a regular basis.

Robbie and Brittany Bergquist started Cell Phones for Soldiers with $21 of their allowance money. When I hear about kids like Brittany and Robbie, I am encouraged that our future will be bright. I see young people who care deeply, do the right thing, and find away around barriers to achieving their goals. Today’s young people are rich and many don’t seem to care about money. These “kids” are donating hours of time, they are leading others more than twice and three times their ages, and they are mobilizing people to unite for a common goal and common good. Perhaps one of them wil be a future Palin or Biden. 

Watch a You Tube video clip of Cell Phones for Soldiers

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies. He is founder of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

When you look around at what life has dealt so many people, it’s difficult not to feel RICH. I just finished speaking to participants at the Melanoma Research Foundation volunteer training weekend in Chicago. I’ve met so many people who have been impacted by Melanoma. Some are living with it’s cloud around them daily. Some struggle with low energy due to medication and chemo; others are reminded each day of the waging war with visible scars from an aggressive cancer with no cure.  These people are my hero’s and they are making the lives of others more rich with their giving. In the last twenty-four hours, I have heard about golf tournaments, comedy nights, walks, runs, nights runs, raffles, musical events and other ways people touched by melanoma are raising money and awareness. It’s rekindled a desire I have to use a foundation I serve to make an even bigger difference.

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August is an important month on the calendar for many. It marks back to school for students. It signals the end of summer. The days are starting to get shorter and fall is creeping up on us. It also happens to be the 20th anniversary of starting my business full time and it marks the anniversary of the death of my grandmother Richardson who died five years ago this month. I’ve been thinking a lot about her and the legacy she left and I’ll be posting her story soon. I hope it will inspire you to think about the people in your life who have created a legacy and who made a difference to you.

What would you do IF you found some money that wasn’t yours? My speaking colleague and friend Barbara Glanz has a solution. See her blog post titled a lesson in giving. Barbara has the unique distinction of being the first professional speaker on record to speak on all seven continents. She also discoved Johnny the Bagger, and amazing story of a young man with Downs Syndrome who has touched the lives of many.

Tomorrow is the 2nd annual Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation Crit race in my little town of Maryville, TN. Tour de France it may not be but it is great fun and local entertainment IF you happen to live in the “ville as I do. It’s a great example too of the kind of people I write about - people who take tragedy and turn into triumph. People like Kathy Roth who lost her husband Jeff in a sensless cycling accident almost two years ago. No doubt, Kathy could have sat around and done nothing, been paralyzed with grief, and cried herself to sleep. She did have her moments but it didn’t take her long to raise above and do something. She is actively working to help prevent the kind of sensless deaths when people are careless on the road and DON’T follow the 3-Foot Rule. She and the foundation she started are helping young people know about cycling safety and educating drivers about sharing the road.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.

I read about a cool idea in the July issue of Guidepost magazine. New Yorker Meghann Stepan and her fiance John want people to spend a lot of dough on their wedding gifts for their upcoming marriage. Not for them but for charities like Safe Horizon, Improve Your Life Skills and others. Through an organization called changingthepresent, wedding guests will make donations to charities that Meghann and John support. Cool huh?

So if you are thinking about getting married and don’t want the oft used fondue set, the Ginzu knife set, or the Ronco Bamboo steamer, join John and Meghann and ask for something that keeps on giving - a gift for someone else. I am so inspired I want to get married again (to the same woman of course). 

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.

This story makes me feel greedy for wanting a house with one more bedroom and bathroom for my family of seven. Buried behind all the news of John McCain, Barack Obama, the summer Olympics, and Nicole Kidman’s new baby  is this story posted on www.CNN.com today. Thanks to my friend Charles for emailing me the link (Charles, if you read this in the next 60 seconds and email me the names of ALL seven dwarfs, you’ll win a brand new car!). Anyone else want to play?

Here’s the story:

Hannah’s Lunchbox was created by the Salwen family in Atlanta, Georgia, as a way to make a small difference in world hunger. Our belief is that we have more than we need while others don’t have enough; so we decided to sell our beautiful, large home (that’s a picture of it on the left side) and move into another one half the size and half the price.  We are giving half the sales price of our old house to a life-changing program run by The Hunger Project that is helping hundreds of thousands of people in Africa  move from poverty to self-reliance.

What financial worry do you have today? How could you think “differently” about it? You MIGHT not want to sell you house and give the profits away BUT there’s probably something you could do that would help others. Let me know what you are thinking…

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.

I was at a meeting tonight at my church where we discussed starting a new Saturday night service. As we discussed some possibilities, one of the things that came out was designing a service around needs that weren’t be met in other more traditional churches or services. One idea explored was to survery a few people, try some different things, and invite people at some level to give input on creating an experience that would keep them coming back. In that spirit, I’d like to hear from some of you including ”lurkers” who read but NEVER comment on this blog. You know who you are and it’s time to come out of the closet! If you don’t think you are a lurker ask yourself if you have been to the site more than once but you haven’t commented. If that is you, now is your time. What would you like me write about in this blog that fits under the theme of living rich? Would you like personal stories of people living rich in the ways that matter? How about some video clips? or more pictures? A little humor thrown in for good measure? Exerts from my upcoming book? What? Tell me, tell me!

Two more comments: 

 2) I j heard about a new social networking site for charities and charitably inclined individuals. Check it out at IsThereSomethingICanDo.com. It was started by Akon and Peter Buffett, son of Richest Man in America Warren Buffett. Looks like it’s worth a look…even for a lurker!

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.