Thoughful Thursday for March 31st, 2011

I'm actually going to be pretty busy today, so make sure you get your requests for help in early, by posting a comment here, on my Facebook page, or over on Twitter and I'll do my best to get to them.

I thought it would be cool to start off this week with a benefit drive that my good friend and fan Merle Chloe is involved with in Hawaii for the benefit of Japan in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. Merle was kind enough to send me one of these great T-shirts and it's a really nice design.

Cost for this great looking shirt is just $20 and 100% of the proceeds benefit the people of Japan.

You can order your own shirt online by going here.

Thoughful Thursday for March 24, 2011

Welcome back to Thoughtful Thursday - the movement that asks, quite simply, "How can I help you today?"

Whatever your situation, there may just be someone in your social network who can give you some assistance, or you may be able to help yourself. While this blog is about my own efforts to give a little something back, I hope others will take up the cause and ask their own social circles "how can I help you today?"

I'm not usually able to handle all the requests, but if you think I can help you in some way, then feel free to leave a comment below. Presumably, given the three areas of my life that I focus on most: writing, producing, and martial arts - your request for help or assistance should probably involve one of those. Maybe you've got a new story you'd like feedback on (I'll consent to read five pages of anything, but no longer due to legal reasons), or you've got questions about the film/TV industry, or maybe you need advice on self protection.

As always, you can comment here down below following this post, reach me on Twitter @jonfmerz, or jump on over to my Facebook page and leave a request there.

Thoughtful Thursday: because the world can use some more positive action.

Welcome to Thoughful Thursday!

About a year or so back, I experimented with launching Thoughtful Thursday as a hashtag project on Twitter. (#thoughtfulthursday).  The goal of it being to simply take a few minutes out of each Thursday and help someone (or even a few people if you had the time) in your personal social media network. 

My own workload increased dramatically last year and I was forced to set the idea aside for a while.  But I liked the thought of taking some time each week to try to help others.  Nothing formal, just a quick sort of "how can I help you today?" thing.  I was hoping it would catch on in a big way, and while some others did pick it up, it wasn't planned out all that well and was probably trying to do too much too soon.

So I'm revisiting this idea now - but on a personal level only.  If other people want to start doing this again, that's great - the universe can always use more positivity.  And if you end up committing to this (the way I hope to be able to) and want to link blogs, etc. then feel free to contact me.

In the meantime, I'm going to kick this off today.  I won't be able to handle all the requests, but if you think I can help you in some way, then feel free to leave a comment below.  Presumably, given the three areas of my life that I focus on most: writing, producing, and martial arts - your request for help or assistance should probably involve one of those.  Maybe you've got a new story you'd like feedback on (I'll consent to read five pages of anything, but no longer due to legal reasons), or you've got questions about the film/TV industry, or maybe you need advice on self protection.

Or maybe you'd just like me to let my network know that you're looking for a new job in Kalamazoo.  It's up to you.  I can also be reached on Twitter @jonfmerz or over on Facebook at The Jon F. Merz Page.

So, drop me a line, tweet, or comment here.

Thoughtful Thursday:  How can I help you today?

-Jon