Money Can't Buy You Happiness

Wealth can make a person's mind work in many ways. Some may become more creative by becoming philanthropic and developing new projects to help their local community or a project in a third-world country. However, I believe that not having tons of money or even money to blow is what makes even more people creative.
I've never had a ton of money. Most of the time I don't even have money to freely spend on myself, so I'm forced to come up with new creations, new outfits, and ways to see things in a different light.



Not having wealth, I believe, teaches a person to use things they already have for a different use. Like above, you can take items that you thought about throwing away, like an old picture or mirror frame and some lace or corks and create a new jewelery holder or wall decoration.



Training yourself to think creatively like this and learning to see ordinary items in a different light can also increase your wealth because you would rather look for a way to re-invent an item/object rather than go buy something new that may be expensive. I believe that already having wealth takes this ability away from us because we would know that we have the money to access new items at any time.

It is not rare to come across a family that is happy because they work with what they've got even though they do not have much money.

http://voices.yahoo.com/how-being-poor-brought-family-closer-made-us-164427.html

I recommend reading the blog at the above link.
This blogger described how being "poor" made her family happier and brought them closer together. This made me realize that creativity doesn't always have to mean with material items. This blogger talked about how her family learned how to access resources. Being poor for them meant learning more. They had to do things on their own, reach out to the community and government resources. They learned how to "eat cheaply and creatively" by mixing foods together in order to create new meals. They came together because they spent time making each other happy, rather than buying materialistic items that could make them happy. This article represents the idea that "money can buy you something that'll make you happy for a period of time, but money can't buy you happiness." Money can't buy you happiness because it can't make you a happier person on the inside, it can only buy you things that can make you happy temperarily.

When you are poor, you learn to make do with what you have. You are creative with finding ways to do things in an economical fashion. You also know how to do without many things that other people consider necessities.

- A fellow blogger

http://voices.yahoo.com/how-being-poor-brought-family-closer-made-us-164427.html

If you're interested in ways that being "poor," or just not being "upper-class," is a way of living environmentally friendly, happier and healthier you should give it a read.

Money Can't Buy You Happiness

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.

When it comes to travel, I haven’t been out of Pennsylvania and Ohio except for twice. I have vacationed at Disney World in Florida when I was four years old and at Myrtle Beach when I was 17 years old. I wouldn’t say I’m sheltered because I haven’t been many places, though. For me, travel means escaping. You can travel a mile down the road to a place that is special and has meaning for you and it can become a vacation in itself.



My mini vacation will take place this weekend and throughout the entire summer. A group of friends and I get together and journey down to Jackson’s Hollow. The Hollow is a place where you won’t have any cell phone service, so no one can bother you, and you will probably be covered in mud, but the people that surround you won’t judge.



It’s an escape from reality for my friends and I. We can access the Hollow any time of the year, but there is a creek where we fish and the first weekend of Trout season is a true celebration. This weekend happens to be the first weekend of Trout season and I will be traveling to the Hollow to see everyone.

It becomes a place where we go to hang out, camp, make a fire, catch and cook our own food and enjoy each other’s company. Many of us bring our quads and dirt bikes in order to travel from campsite to campsite. The Hollow is hard to access with just a car and unless you’re riding on a quad or dirt bike you will need to journey around in a truck. There is a group of about 30-50 friends of mine that swarm the place this time of year and it is known that once Trout season rolls around, we will be there.

If you can image beautiful trees, green trails, walking and hiking trails, nature made rock walls (that I suggest you don’t climb, because you WILL get hurt), bonfires, a creek to swim, fish and wash off in, and plenty of people in their twenties, you can imagine Jackson’s Hollow. To many it doesn’t sound like a vacation or even a fun time, but to us it is a whole different world where we can just escape with each other and be ourselves. You don’t have to worry about being judge, looking good, being too loud, getting in trouble or not having anything to do. There is never a dull moment in the Hollow and if I could take everyone and let them experience what it is like to TRULY get away from society for a weekend, I would. You can go on vacation anywhere tropical, but you pay for things on vacation, you have cell phone service and no true escape of wondering what people think of you or if you look fat in a bathing suit.

Do not stand at my grave & cry; I am not there, I did not die.

Saturday, March 25, 2012 is a day I will never forget. Followed by a week that I will never forget. I gained strength this week. I gained love for other and received it in many ways. The feelings I was overwhelmed with were lifechanging. I gained friendships, but above all, I had to say 'see you later,' to a great friend.



Joseph Paul Schneider, better known as Joey, JoeJoe to me, or Broseph to many, passed away tragically on Friday, March 24, 2012 when he drowned in Canonsburg Lake after a night out with friends. Though it may seem like Joey was just some drunk who made a bad choice by jumping in a lake that died, he wasn't, in fact, he was the complete opposite.

Many people called him Broseph instead of Joseph because he was like a brother to many of his friends. He was a person that could always be counted on. He was a person so full of life and love for everyone and everything in his life.

This blog was about mentorship and although JoeJoe was not a mentor for me during his time on Earth, he is now that he's in Heaven. It is true that you don't know what you have until you lose it, and although I didn't really lose Joey because he's always with me now, I didn't realize what a beautiful person he was while he was alive. He truly was a gift from God for me. He made me realize that life is too short and that anything can happen to you or the ones you love at any time. He taught me to love the ones I have and let people know every day that I was thinking about them and that I care about them.

I cried for days and still struggle with the idea that I'm not going to see him until my time has come as well. I talk to JoeJoe often and I feel his warmth now more than I ever have. I have a sense of inner peace because he shows me signs that he is always with me and that I will always have an angel protecting me and my friends.

I had asked for a sign one day from him to let me know that everyone who is struggling with his death with be okay with time. It would be tragic to lose someone else because they couldn't deal with the situation and I wanted to know that wouldn't happen. At that moment, the radio started playing the song "My Wish," by Rascall Flatts. I believe that that song was Joey's sign to me saying that 'everything is going to be okay, I'm going to make sure everything is okay, don't worry.' "My Wish," was one of our graduation songs.

Joey has made me into such a strong person in less than a week and I have so much to thank him for. I have turned my life around because he has been such an inspiration to so many and I want to have that affect on others like he did. I have been going to church every Sunday, praying often for others and much less for myself. I've taught myself to be happy with the life that I have, but to never stop striving for more. Above all, I've been taught to love each moment of life and live it to the fullest because you never know when you're going to take your last breath. Make sure each move you make is one you can be proud of and make sure you love with all your heart.

"Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft star-shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die."

-Written on Joey's card that I received at the viewing. The last few words could not describe him more. He lives on forever within each one of the lives he touched.

Thank you for everything JoeJoe.
I love you, I miss you, I'll see you soon.

As a college student I know I probably shouldn't blog about the new form of social media, Pinterest, but as a 20-year-old woman, I am going to do just that. I'm not blogging about Pinterest because the stuff is pretty and creative in order to make this easy, I'm blogging about Pinterest as a helpful hint and a way of acknowledgement for the site. Pinterest has helped me turn some of my old clothes that I thought I've worn out into crafts, or restyle them in a way to turn an old t-shirt into a brand new outfit. I have taken advice from Do It Yourself (DIY) crafts on Pinterest and remodeled my room. I've taken items that I've thought I was going to throw away and turned them into a completely new item, for free, in little to no time.





Above are simple tips for a girl to take clothes she probably already has, or can get for cheap at an inexpensive thrift store, and turn them into a brand new outfit or shirt, for little to no cost. There are an uncountable amount of Pin's showing women and men how to put together a new outfit or how to find different clothing and accessory items at stores and putting them together to create several outfits, so that you get more use out of what you buy.



Many turn to the site to find ways to solve problems or find ways to fix things around the house with little to no cost. Above is a way that you can melt ice cubes, which everyone has access to, to get rid of carpet dents from furniture that has been sitting for a long period of time.





I see Pinterest as a way to save money. I help myself to other enjoyments that I must pay for and I have money to pay my bills because I am no longer spending so much money on crafts and new clothes and items for my room. Above is a craft that I recently picked up with putting Christmas light in old wine bottles to light up the room and give it a touch that not many have seen or had.

I believe anyone can benefit from having a Pinterest account and can eventually benefit others by adding their own crafts and ideas. Many of these Pinterest pictures have directions on how to complete these projects or create new works of art, whether it is through clothes of crafts. The economy is tough but the future is ours and with the help of others we can save our money and create our own luxuries.

Fast food restaurants haven't always been known for using the most effective PR tactics or marketing campaigns. Some have been tacky, some campaign based on their children’s toys or their overly fattening cheese burgers, but when researching creative PR tactics, Burger King trumped all.



I came across a PR professional blogger that had written about a Burger Kind form of advertisement that did not involve media, television, radio or any form of wide-spread public advertisement. Burger King had simply "dropped wallets" throughout cities such as Chicago and Orlando. The blogger discussed how many times when someone finds a wallet they are inclined to return it to the owner, but these wallets were different. Burger King had stuffed these wallets with free money, Burger King coupons and any additional Burger Kind items that one could think of. The finders were told to keep the wallet and therefore, many were inclined to spend the free money at Burger Kind while using the coupons they found.
The author discussed how for many, finding a wallet with a couple extra bucks and some fast food coupons on a fast paced day could make someone’s life much easier, at least at that point in time. Like the author, I thought this was a good form of advertisement. Burger King was simply mixing good deeds, with advertisement, but subtracting the factor of publicity. They weren't trying to make a wide-spread audience show up to spend their money on gazillion of calories; they were trying to benefit others and their restaurant equally.



Although Burger King did a great job by "dropping wallets" to bring in customers without using any form of publicity during the advertising campaign, the restaurant has had their fair share of inappropriate, misleading and shameful forms of advertising and PR campaigns.



Recently, Burger King took the idea that "sex sells," to another level with their sexual, fast food advertisements. The advertisement above, along with many others (that are not school appropriate,) were created and put online for Burger King’s publicity. Many of these advertisements make it seem as though if you eat Burger King the opposite sex will find you more attractive, or if you eat Burger King, rather than getting fat, you will get sexy, luscious curves. Being a female, I find it repulsive that shoving a burger in to my mouth can be turned into a sexual pun. I also hate knowing that the ads are made to make it seem as though stars like Kim Kardashian obtain their sex appeal and shape by eating Burger King Whoppers.

As a PR student and woman, I see these sexual advertisements for a fast food restaurant unethical. That is not to say that I believe that all sexual advertisements are unethical because it is clear that within our society today, sex does sell. When it comes to cologne, perfume, jewelry and clothing stores, sex and body image are top sellers because we strive to have that connection that we see within the advertisement by purchasing the items. But, we will not find those connections by eating at Burger King, unless we find the love of our life there and end up falling madly in love while in line and get married and live happily ever after, body image and all.

All in all, Burger King should stick with the ethical PR tactics that make their business, as well as the lives of others, beneficial.

Now I'm hungry.

For more information on the Burger King "dropping wallets" strategy, visit the attached URL. There is plenty of information on this tactic as well as other creative PR tactics and advertising ideas found within the comments, where the blogger posted comments and other PR professional bloggers whom have made comments and suggestions regarding the subject.

http://progresspr.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/burger-kings-creative-pr-tactic/

Public Relations is a field I knew I wanted to enter during my Senior year of high school. I was working for a media firm, Creative Visions, where I worked to book clients/entertainers to perform at the night club we ran called DV8. Getting to know famous people, singers and performers was a highlight of the job, but the best part was getting to throw myself out there in ways I haven't before. I had to constantly step out of my comfort zone by conversing and entertaining these entertainers (no pun intended).
That's what PR is all about; always being thrown into new experiences and being outside of your comfort zone. Whether your job is in special events planning or reputation management you need to keep ideas flowing in your brain about how to solve situations and come up with new plans. Attached is a link from the textbook, The Handbook of Strategic Public Relations and Integration that would help any Public Relations major understand how to come up with creative ideas to solve your specific problems, how to relate to your problems and exactly what makes an idea creative.

http://spot.colorado.edu/~moriarts/prcreativity.html

What stood out to me about this article is the word integration. All integration involves creativity. We learned in Creativity Theory class how to take an already established idea and integrate it to fit the current situation when we learned about the SCAMPER solution.
Another way that PR professionals have become creative and a way in which I strive for creativity is through green event planning. We're taught in our event planning class that green events are essential in today's times. We must teach ourselves to think green and plan for sustainability as well as for our events goals and objectives. Green even planning involves finding a way to creative less traffic flow to decrease pollution from vehicles, to use recycled materials and materials that can be used several times for our decorations. We're taught how to use as little food as possible and what to do with left-over foods. Green event planning involves creativity in such as way that you have to completely retrain your brain to be able to plan with sustainability.



When many professionals outside of the public relations field think of PR, they often refer to the profession as putting a "spin" to real issues." In a way, that is a realistic term for PR. As an aspiring PR professional I probably shouldn't admit it; however, when it comes to reputation and crisis management, which are the fields I would like to enter within PR, you do need to put a spin to the situation that your client or company is in. You must always strive to find the good in each situation. It takes an optimist to go into these fields of PR and come out with a successful reputation for themselves and their clients. On the drop of a dime, when something is found as shameful from the company or client you work for, you need to come up with ways to turn the situation around to make your client or company shine again.
A good example for creative reputation management revolves around the Tiger Woods incident. He was guilty of infidelity with several woman; however, his PR people were able to get the world focused on his career again, rather than the trials and tribulations he was having with his now ex-wife.
Word spreads fast in the world or Public Relations. Whether it be through social media, media or word of mouth, everyone will find out the good and bad of every situation and I can guarantee that it will be talked about. It is up to you, as a PR professional, to discover new ways to get the positive talk about your client out there and keep the negative opinions in. There are new and old forms of Public Relations that are excellent for each situation, but you must always, always be prepared and be able to think on your feet.

Fam[ily]

When given the task of writing about how families and my own family can make me creative, I didn't know what to think; therefore I felt as though my family didn't make me feel creative at all if I couldn't think of a single inspiration for the task.
Then my niece, Aubrey Olivia, was rushed to the hospital with breathing complications Tuesday night and my head was flooded with inspiration from that little girl. Aubrey means the world to me so I took the time to sit down and pray that she'd be okay and reminisced on the fun times I've had with her.



Aubrey, as well as my baby cousins, makes me a more creative person every time I am with them. When with children, whether they're in your family or someone else's or you're simply watching other people interact with children, you always see creativity in action. We all become different people around children. We can be whatever or whoever we want to be around them and they will not judge you, and we take full advantage of that. Around Aubrey, I'm a princess like Belle, and her dog is our horse. Around my cousin Bella, I'm a horse. Although we wouldn't, at least not usually, act like this in real life, we are these characters around children. I become a full blown princess or horse for hours at a time, like an escape from reality for a while.
You see, all children have is creativity and imagination. They don't know what it is like to deal with reality, have a full-time job or have a need for money and necessities. We all wish we could float through life as a child; however, when you're a child, you pray that you'll wake up an adult tomorrow. This irony is unbelievable.
According to Frost's Meditation, we all have the ability to maintain this playful child, we have to use classes like Creativity Theory and look at experiences and situations in a different light to discover the imagination and creative attitude that we never truly lost, just lost sight of.

"All children are artists, the problem is how to remain an artist when he is grown up." - Pablo Picasso



"Imagination will often carry us to a world that never were, but without it we go nowhere. - Carl Sagen

http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/aug2008/creativity_imagination.html
For more information visit the link and explore Frost's Meditations.

These ideas inspired me to learn how to make my immediate family for creative or imagination oriented. I came across a site of different thoughts from different people explaining just the opposite that Frost's Meditation discussed, that there is in fact no way to re-inspire creativity once you lose sight of it.

http://ask.metafilter.com/65741/Why-are-some-families-more-creative

The people on Ask MetaFilter gave credit to their beliefs that once imagination is lost it is gone forever by posting quotes from famous people and statistics.
One writer described their friend’s family as being very creative because members of the family are writers, song writers, poets, etc. but had wondered why their family was not as creative as their friends. They were answered by others with the idea that it takes money to be creative. I found this extremely interesting. They explained that well-known creative families that we hear of, such as the writer's friend, all have the money to spend free time being creative. These families are often wealthy and don't have to worry about working day and night in order to pay the bills. Those that can pay their bills without being a workaholic have the money and time to spend being creative. They have time on their hands to waste and therefore their creative juices get flowing more often than those that must be dedicated to their work.
I began to believe these responders. It became noticeable that most of the people we think of as being "creative" within society, other than children, are wealthy, such as famous singer and songwriters such as the late Whitney Houston. Whitney’s Aunt, Godmother and Uncle are all in the music industry. Another famous creative family is the Jackson's. The Jackson 5 established the late Michael Jackson and his brothers as some of the greatest singers and song writers to ever live.



I disagree that once you lose your creativity it is gone forever unless you have the money and time to spend recreating it. I believe we can all find the child inside us with an imagination and an adult with the ability to create whatever he or she sets their mind to. However, I do agree with the responders, that it is, without a doubt, much easier to do with the time and money that can be allotted to the cause.

Fly Over States

When I was told to blog about freedom the first thing that came to mind is how criminals that are in jail for a while get the opportunity to pay for the crimes they committed but also get to explore their creative side. Many people that I've met over the years that have been in jail are proud of what they were able to create and the way they were able to turn their life around while "doing time" through their drawings or songs they were able to write, or books about their life they want to publish some day. In the post attached about Prison Art and Inmate Artists the author describes how it should be no surprise that many of our images that we see on tattoos and famous works of art come from "outsiders" that were kept confined with nothing but their thoughts and creativity materials.


As the week went by I thought of other ways that freedom influences creativity and when listening to Pandora Satellite Radio on my way to Waynesburg University one morning, I realized that one of my new favorite songs (because I'm a girl and we have a different favorite song, or twelve, per month), Fly Over States by Jason Aldean was about the freedom that people have when they're in the country. We have freedom in the United States but that freedom can be used for many different purposes. The freedom to express yourself through your artwork in jail, of the freedom to travel a long, open road in the country with nothing but your thoughts, which has the ability to take you wherever you want to go.
Country music always talks about the freedom we have in the USA to do what we want, go where we want, think and say what we want, and how we should be extremely proud of that. This song explains that people that city underestimate the ability that people from the country have to go on a long drive with nothing but the wind in their hair, or lay on a blanket outside at night and come up with different patterns or images in the stars.
Country music can make me feel the sun on the dreariest of days. Country music has the ability to make the gloomiest of people feel happy about their life and proud of who they are, no matter their situation.

"Take a ride across the badlands, feel that freedom in your face, breathe in all that open space." - Jason Aldean

If you don't like the country, take the time to listen to the song; it just might change your mind. Like most country songs are very descriptive of what something feels like or looks like, Aldean uses the creativity of paintings to describe the atmosphere of driving into the sunset.
Copy and Paste the link below to watch a YouTube video of "Fly Over States" by Jason Aldean.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEwmDWcHKH4&feature=related

Although I've found several ways that freedom and the lack of freedom has an influence upon creativity throughout the week, Anne Bannister had the greatest impact on me on Wednesday night.
Anne was a 2009 graduate of Waynesburg University’s Department of Communication and now works using her media skills to help non-profit organizations create awareness of how we, as brothers and sisters under Christ, can help each other to create a better world. She showed a video that she edited for the Edge of Seven foundation that helps girls in Nepal find liberation through education. The Nepali girls in this video were so eager to be educated, rather than married off and develop families. It had such an impact on me that the people of Nepal in the video had never even seen a shower before, or heard of a stove. They knew nothing about the items that I take for granted every day of my life.
This video and Anne's speech influenced my creativity and ideals for my future. I've always wanted to be in the music industry in order to work with artists in Nashville; however, after Anne's speech and the Edge of Seven video, I want to use my Public Relations skills and my love for music to help those in need. I want to use my skills and eye for talent to help discover those in other countries or in the United States that face poverty to understand that their talents, no matter what they are, can take them far, no matter what their current situation is.
I still want to follow my dreams with the music industry. Anne's program inspired me to work with current, well-known artist to help them understand the importance of donating to organizations like the Edge of Seven that help individuals in foreign countries develop in order better their families and communities.
Example of this:
Wyclef Jean, from Haiti, holding up the flag of Haiti as he considers running for President.

no shoes, no service, no problems.

Growing up with boys meant that I was constantly outside as a little girl. We were constantly getting dirty, playing games outdoors such as jail-break and football, or riding four-wheelers from dusk until dawn. Growing up in that atmostphere was probably my greatest blessing because it has made me into the adventurous person that I am today.
When growing up with the boys we would always find a way to have a "clubhouse" whenever we were kids. Having this clubhouse was a way for us to escape from our parents to a place where they couldn't go or find; a place that was all our own, like a hidden garden of eden for children. Though it sounds as if we built these clubhouses like many kids built theirs, ours was completely made by God and Mother Nature. Our clubhouses included nothing but trees, vines to swing on, water springs and creeks to drink and wash off in and paths to run on and our friends. Like any other kids, we had rules to get in to the clubhouse and roles that we each played; being the only girl, I was never the leader, I was always the princess.
Our clubhouse looked much like the picture attached of the opening in the trees with the vines that you could swing on to get from one "island" to another by swinging over the creek.
However unlike my childhood, at age 20 I most likely wouldn't look at a creek and an opening within trees in the woods and think of creating a clubhouse. I do not have the same imagination I did in my younger years, nor do I have the want to create a clubhouse. Although I do reflect back on the times I had in our clubhouse, I do not get the urge to create a new one.
I do still find a sense of imagination and creativity when I explore and find myself outdoors. When I see a tree standing alone, or several with sunlight shining through, or leaves falling to the ground, I see creativity and beauty everywhere. I get the urge to take a picture and find the creative ability to find the correct lighting and angle to capture the beauty. On top of pictures, my Public Relations interest kicks in and I find the creativity to want to host an event in a specific place found within nature because of its beauty and the effect it had on my creative abilities in hopes that it would effect others in the same "nature," pun intended.
The idea that I don't see nature in the same way I did as a child, and the fact that my imagination has changed so much but still exists within me, makes me wonder what other factors I see differently now than I did as a kid.
Now nature inspires the way that I decorate a home. When I spend time outdoors whether I'm hiking or fishing, I often find flowers that would inspire a picture to hang in my future home or the set up I would make with an earthy tone and a center piece. This type of nature brings out my inner peace and serenity. It gives me a calming feeling, it's almost as if everything dissappears when you're outsite exploring. It is just you in that moment where you are, you and your thoughts. The imagination and creativity you can pull from nature brings out who I am as a person. It brings out who I was growing up in a clubhouse, to my future PR career, to the way I decorate and relax when floating through the easy days of life. Nature can become inspiration for anyone, I believe. You just have to let yourself go, let yourself think about whatever you want and just notice everything. Notice the streams, the trees, the birds, the flowers and just allow yourself to be whoever you want to be, wherever you want to be, in that moment. Once you can enjoy that, I beliecve you can embrace your life as is a little bit more when you return to reality.