My friend Charles Townsend lost his 28-year old sister in an accident that nobody was prepared for.  Lauren Huddleston died doing what she loved.  While running on Katy Trail in Dallas last Friday, she collided with a bicyclist.  She was taken to the hospital but could not survive her injuries. 

I did not know Lauren but we have a lot in common.  We went to the same university and both worked for the same firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers.  Charles told me that thanks to a co-worker from PwC who happened to be running along the same trail, Lauren was identified immediately.   This gave her family time to get to the hospital and make the necessary arrangements for Lauren to share her organs with so many others, something she had always wanted to do.

So I’ve been doing this green thing in earnest for five years.  At a rate of 4 hours per day (some days more, a few days a little less), 6 times per week, 52 weeks per year, I’ve logged 1,248 hours per year.  Multiplied by five years, that equals 6,240 hours. I didn’t subtract vacation time because I took none.  

So where has it brought me? 

 So far, I am drawing the returns of time well spent: steady client work, a book, interviews/mentions/opinions across far-flung media channels, TV spots, etc.  Five more years of this almost guarantees an international stage.  This is not an opinion, at least not my opinion.

We hear all the time about the power of positive thinking, but what about the power of positive speaking?  No matter how bad our thoughts may be, at least we can keep them to ourselves. Words, on the other hand, can never be taken back.  Who can forget the sting of words that hurt?  Negative words, even offhanded remarks directed at nobody in particular, can weaken our bodies and deflate our spirits. In his book The No Complaining Rule, author Jon Gordon reveals this about the power of negative words:

• Negativity increases stress and pain, and reduces energy and success.
• Ninety percent of doctor’s visits are related to stress, a consequence of negativity.
• One negative person can create a miserable environment for everyone else.
• Negative people have fewer friends.
• Costs the U.S. economy between $250 and $300 billion per year in lost productivity, according to the Gallup poll.

Our communication style even reflects our spiritual health (visit my extended post on SustainLane.com to learn why).  As a practical matter, positive communications is a necessary life skill, an essential part of emotional intelligence, a way to get ahead, and a way to be decent to others.  Positive communications also boosts your influence. Here are some powerful statements on the power of positive words from a very diverse set of leaders:

Can green living save you money and make you healthy?  Absolutely.  Without a doubt, I can vouch that living a little lighter on the planet can be easy, fun and fruitful.  But there are still times when it feels like sacrifice.  For example, I was dining at a favorite restaurant last week.  I considered the lasagna but went for the eggplant parmigiana instead. Pleased with myself for selecting a vegetarian option, I proudly announced to my dining companions, "Did you know that if we Americans ate just 10 percent less meat, there would be enough grain left over to feed 60 million people?" Julie and Nancy sort of looked at me like, "Where did THAT come from?" I continued, "And look at you two eating your salads. Way to make a difference!"  This was apparently too big a leap for Julie. "Are you actually saying," she exclaimed, "that by not eating meat today, we are helping solve world hunger?"  Laughing, I said, "Well, it's a bit idealistic, but sure."  The whole thing launched a pretty interesting exploration of the different perspectives that liberals and conservatives (I hate those labels) have on the green movement.  We made pretty good progress though. By the end of our lunch, Nancy said, "Anna, the way you describe 'green' sounds like nothing more than the Golden Rule.  Share your resources with others as you would want them to share with you."  I think Nancy really nailed it. 

By eating salads instead of steak, whether intended or not, you are "thinking globally and acting locally."  In short, you may be greener than you think.  I don't know how many small acts it takes to reach a tipping point, but change has to start somewhere. I can't go to Africa tomorrow with a bagful of food, but today I can make the choice to eat a little less meat to save a little more grain so that somebody, somewhere might benefit.  If enough of us did that, we could feed the world.  I was thinking about this when a friend from church sent me this story: