There are a lot of challenges being sent our way at the moment. These are in no particular order, but all important in different ways.

Colour for a grey day

Haiti – this massive disaster challenges us all. Not just for our money and support, but our faith, and our belief in our own God. Why has it happened? How can our God allow this amount of death and destruction? How can little insignificant me help?

Well, I’m no theologian, but I guess this natural disaster is just one of those things. We, whatever faith we are, we all share our sense of responsibility towards our neighbours around the world. That’s why I guess it’s more difficult for us to accept. Here in the cosy UK, we do have poverty, but not on the scale of Haiti. But what we do have is our way of praying, and of giving. So, lots of people are doing what they can to help the survivors of the Haiti earthquake. Here’s a few ways you can help:

1. Become a Facebook fan of bras4mums, who will give 10% of their January profits to the Haiti appeal if they get 100 fans by 31st Jan. This doesn’t cost you a penny!
2. Give a little. Jane Hopkins @mumsclub has set up a JustGiving page for Mums to give £2.50 each. Can any of us imagine how it would feel to lose our own child/ren in a natural disaster?
3. Donate direct at the Disaster Emergency Committee Just Giving page
4. If you have your own blog, then pass the word on and tell the world that they can do something. You don’t have to just sit and watch.

This may not seem as challenging as our thoughts and response to Haiti, but most of set ourselves some challenges for 2010. Maybe we called them New Year’s resolutions, or business plans, or just things we wanted to achieve. Mine are set out in a previous post. @clairelancaster set me a challenge last week. Summing up my forthcoming year in a word – or

Themeword. Well, as a new blogger I had no idea what a themeword was. But as you can see from Claire’s post, it’s one single word that sums up the year you want to have – your theme for the year.

After much thought (and I think I would have liked to share Claire’s ENJOY), I think that my word my be FOCUS. Focus on my business, my leadership course, my websites and my customer’s needs. Focus on my family, my children’s activities and homework and their development. Focus on my friends who often need my support and care. Focus on my responsibility in the redevelopment group of thc church I’m involved in.

Quite a lot really requires my focus this year. But where there’s a will there’s a way. I’m using a few techniques and courses to help me, including Antonia Chitty’s Mumpreneurial Guide, which is taking me step by simple step to some actions for the year to keep me FOCUSED.

The final Challenge I’m setting at the moment, is that from @mumstheboss. She has challenged us to support business women in the developing world. Our focus on Haiti will naturally take away focus from other parts of the world that need our support. So, it’s all the more important to look outside our own sphere and help others. I’m sure there’s a quote somewhere saying “Give a little, receive a lot”. Must look it up!

We must all do what we can in 2010 to challenge ourselves in our own family lives, our business lives and our personal lives. We may have set goals for sport, business or income in 2010. But we must also take up the challenge our changing world is setting us – look wider; give what we can when we can; take note of everything that we do (from lightbulbs and washing powders) and change what we can. It all makes a difference, however small we think we are in this massive world of ours.