1. There is an astonishing ease to the things that flow from following your enthusiasm.

2. That ease doesn’t exempt you from hard work, but it does mean you never have to scramble.

3. You don’t always have to put your hand up. If your intention is strong and clear, the people who share that intention will find you.

4. Your belly will always tell you the truth. Listen to your stomach. Seriously.

5. Balance means very different things to different people. For me it means a softness in my belly and an openness in my chest and throat, no matter how ‘busy’ I may be. Balance comes in waves and cycles. It’s not about rigid routine.

6. Everything goes better with tea. Especially if the tea is vanilla roiboos with almond milk.

7. Grace is a comfortable bed you can fall back into, a place of accepting everything – including yourself. Unlike most beds, however, you never have to get out of it.

8. Kindness is one of the most powerful forces on earth. All the more so for how profoundly it seems to be under-estimated by most.

9. Singing, especially chanting, really is a shortcut to bliss. If you don’t think you can sing, I assure you, you can. If I can, you can. I promise.

10. You know that saying “We teach what we need to learn”? So far in my life, it seems to be true. Therefore, I teach the yoga of kindness and ease.

(Photo montage by Epic Change)

If any of you have read my ‘Zen Peacekeeper Guide to Twitter‘ you’ll know about Mama Lucy and Stacey Monk, they are the example I give of people using Twitter to do good.  If you don’t know anything about Mama Lucy, then read this inspiring interview with her now so the next part will make even more sense.

Well, that campaign was just the latest in a series of amazing efforts that Stacey Monk and her partner at Epic Change, Sanjay Patel, have made to help make Mama Lucy’s dream come true. Today I got an email from Stacey reminding me that sustainable positive change is possible when we work together. With three years of support from Epic Change and all of us, Mama Lucy’s school is now self-sustaining.

Ever since I first came across Stacey and Mama Lucy I’ve known that there was a reason I needed to know them. This is it, they are creating a new model of development partnership – one in which both partners are treated with equal respect and in which the goal is always to support grass-roots, sustainable change.

Please read on to be inspired (and please read all the way to the end for a very special request from Stacey).

“We did it.

When we arrived in Tanzania last month, we found a new classroom waiting for the sixth graders who will move on to their final year of primary school next January.  On our final day in Arusha, we opened the school’s first library, built from the gratitude so many shared last November during TweetsGiving.  Nearly 1,000 parents, students and villagers came together to open the building.

While we were there, we also invested $40,000 USD to build a home that will soon house over 100 children on Mama Lucy’s campus in Moivaro village.  Construction has begun and the home, which will be built from the love so many shared last Mother’s Day during To Mama With Love, is expected to open this year.

In short, we did it.  What we set out to achieve with Mama Lucy less than three short years ago – a primary school with seven classrooms, a school bus, a computer lab, library and a place to make sure that every child who attends has a nurturing place to call home – is now a reality.  Over 2,000 people have invested over $150,000 out of love, hope and endless gratitude to make it happen.  While there’s always more to be done, and Mama Lucy already has a secondary school in her sights, we’re confident that her growing tuition income from over 400 students, and the supportive community she’s built in Tanzania and across the world, will make it possible for her to move her vision forward for decades to come.

Paying It Forward

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing stories, photos & videos from our trip on the Epic Change blog and, soon, we’ll announce our plans for TweetsGiving 2010 and the next Epic Change fellow(s) who will follow in Mama Lucy’s footsteps.

Who will be next?

I hope you’ll subscribe to the blog to make sure you’re the first to find out.

Since Mama Lucy has already repaid nearly $17,000, those of you who have previously contributed will now be able to see your hopeful investment paid forward to another remarkable changemaker somewhere else on the globe.  We’ve now proven beyond any doubt that when we invest the very best of ourselves to amplify voices that need to be heard, together we can create Epic Change.

Praying for One More Miracle

Yesterday, my partner, the co-founder of Epic Change and my dearest friend Sanjay learned that his 37-year-old brother Raj has lung cancer.  I know from experience the incredible power that our shared love and hope can have, so I’m asking you to keep Sanjay, Raj, his wife Rita, their mother Savita and their entire beautiful family in your prayers.

On days like today, when I’m reminded that the universe can sometimes seem so capricious and even cruel, perhaps it’s best to reflect on how kind she can be too when we join our hearts together to make it so.”