Taking An Idea A Step Further

Nearly a month ago, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, before Rita was on the horizon, I posted an idea about how to help others, while helping yourself.

More below the fold...

The basic idea? Give up one of your habits once a week, and donate the money saved to charity. It started as a response not only to Katrina, but to Peter Jennings death of lung cancer. Yes, the initial idea was focused on folks quitting smoking. But I expanded it to include any habit.

I received a fair amount of flak over it, generally from smokers, who believed I was persecuting them yet again. But I also received some encouragement. And my experience is that when you get both kudos and complaints in relatively equal numbers, you've probably hit on something worthwhile.

So, I'm taking the next step with this idea. I've dedicated a section of my blog to this idea, as well as any others that folks might want to share.

What the idea is not about

I'm not looking to tell people to quit. I am asking them to sacrifice their habit for one day a week.

I'm not looking to outlaw these habits. You want to smoke, drink, east junk food - go ahead. Just give it up one day a week to help someone else.

I'm not looking to make it more expensive. I don't want more taxes, or more cost. I just want folks to give up the habit of their choice one day a week, and donate the money they would have spent to a charity of their choice to help others.

So, I invite you to visit the new area of the website, post your ideas on what you might be willing to sacrifice - one day a week - and make suggestions on how you (and others) might donate the money you save.