Justin Dawkins

Updates from January, 2010

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  Compassion Quick Notes (What the church can do to bring Haiti Hope)

  Justin 7:13 pm on January 20, 2010 | 2 Permalink | Reply
  

  So I hoped on the Pastor’s call for Compassion, to see how Social Saints could be a helping hand to the churches and pastors looking to aid Haiti in it’s time of need. The call was encouraging but also a reminder of how much needs to be done. I decided to share some quick notes from the call and a few thoughts of my own. Here is a quick list of things to consider as you pray or look to respond to the needs of Haiti.

  What to do…

  Right Now: The consensus is to pray and give (money) as often as you can. Where it’s Compassion, the Red Cross or any other organization, just make sure they are a reputable company/organization. Of course tangible goods are welcomed however be mindful that the infrastructure in Haiti is shambles so much of what can be sent won’t make it to a specific person , family or group, in need for quite some time.

  That was really all we covered on the call but I thought I’d share with you my thoughts on what we can do after the camera crews have left.

  In the coming weeks (6 to 12 weeks): Continue to pray, continue to give money and look to give specific things. As the dust settles and the rubble begins to be cleared, the need for specific things such as clothes, school items, tools, and even toys will become more prevalent. It is then that we should look to give tangible items and focus on the specific needs of people (outside of basic needs).

  In the future / Long Term (3+ months): Plan to go. Pastor Shaun King of Courageous Church gave a great message on Sunday, where he focused on being the Church (yea with a capital “C”) we should be, by focusing on what we can do, not what we can say. With that thought in mind, I encourage anyone who can go, to go and make it a personal mission to help with your own two hands. You can help rebuild homes, or churches, assist orphanages in the care of thousands of young people, or merely be a ray of hope to someone who feels alone. We have to remember that this country is starting over, literally so almost anything you can think of will be helpful.

  What are your thoughts? What do you plan to do?

 

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  10 things to consider for 2010 (in no particular order)!

  Justin 3:06 pm on January 9, 2010 | 2 Permalink | Reply
  

  HAPPY NEW YEAR! Typically I don’t make New Year resolutions because I don’t like procrastination (why wait for a new year to make changes in your life) but I thought I’d share with you my personal goals for 2010 to maybe consider for yourself. Now I didn’t plan for there to be 10 items, I just wrote what was on my heart and it just so happened to be 10 things. I’m sure I could find more but here we go; 10 things to consider for 2010.

  1. Let’s start by doing something different this year!
  2. Let’s throw out conventional wisdom and shock the hell out of the World (literally)!
  3. Let’s earn more but consume less.
  4. Let’s take steps to build healthy communities and destroy poor habits.
  5. Let’s expect less of the World and anticipate more from God.
  6. Let’s work smarter and harder (when it’s time to work).
  7. Let’s forgive faster than we forget.
  8. Let’s allow prayer to be our first, second and third option but let us not be afraid to ask for help.
  9. Let’s be faithful to those we love (family, friends, significant anyone) and honest with ourselves.
  10. Though every move you make changes the World, let’s make sure each move is divinely ordered!

  What do you think? Will you join me? What would you add to the list?

 
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  Treat Charity Like Business

  Justin 2:59 pm on December 26, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: philanthropy

 
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  3 reasons I would love to see you on Friday (11/20)

  Justin 9:35 pm on November 17, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: christians, events, professional networking, Social Saints (2)

  2 minute video on why we organized Savvy.Social.Saved!

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  Event Details
  Savvy.Social.Saved
  Date: Friday, November 20, 2009
  Time: 7:00pm – 10:00pm
  Location: The Archive Art Gallery
  Street: 583 Juniper Street Atlanta
  City/Town: Atlanta, GA

 
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  The first step to rediscovering yourself!

  Justin 3:24 am on October 25, 2009 | 2 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: dreaming, Entrepreneurship (3), Passion, self-discovery, startup

  Recently I’ve been approached by a few close friends requesting advice and insight into how to tap into their passions and strike while the irons hot! It is clear to them, and many others, that now is a perfect time to; start a new business, develop a concept, write a book or simply learn new things. Though the search for success in such troubling times seems to be a trending issue, I’ve simplified this pattern down to one things. People are simply searching for themselves and through finding themselves hope to discover true happiness. Now I’m sure we’ve all had moments where we’ve wanted more, prayed hard for it and wished even harder but most are not sure of where to start. Well I want to share with you what I believe to be the very first step to discovering yourself, finding that new job or simply pursuing your passion.

  The first step to rediscovering yourself is to move yourself out of the way and just dream. Don’t focus on your limitations, rather focus on envisioning how you want to impact the World. This means you don’t have to know how to build a social network to grow an online community, or how to cook to write a cook book. Yes you should focus on something that you’re passionate about but you don’t necessarily have to be the one to do it all. Some of the best entrepreneurs know how to own and run a business, but not necessarily how to do every function of that business. Donald Trump owns multi-million dollar properties but likely doesn’t know how to design skyscrapers. What Mr. Trump does do well is buy, own and manage real estate. He takes risk confidently and believes that the opportunity for his success is dependent on his vision not his personal ability to draw building schematics. He is not concerned about the how, he dreams first and works to execute on the specifics after his vision is complete.

  Don’t believe such an abstract methodology can work for you? Well try this; Think about where Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey or even Steve Jobs would be if they were forced to execute on every facet of their respective businesses. Oprah likely doesn’t know how to operate the latest motion picture camera, yet she produces movies. Donald Trump likely doesn’t own a personal sewing machine, yet he markets and sells a line of designer ties. The point I’m getting at is remove yourself from the equation and focus on the dream without the proverbial glass ceiling.

  I can go on and on but I think I’ve said enough. What do you think? Can you get out of your own way so that you can discover the path to true happiness? Can you dream without focusing on your personal, often times least insignificant, short-comings? How will you rediscover yourself? What will the World remember you for?

 
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  The sky fell and now we have to clean up!

  Justin 2:31 am on September 24, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: atlanta, atlanta-flood-relief, flood, hopeatl.com, how to help, relief

  Most of you who know me, know that I am a man of few words unless I want to talk about something near and dear. Well today you all get to read me go on and on about how we need continue to give and support those affected by the recent weather in Atlanta.

  Actually… I’ve changed my mind. I was going to take the time to dig deep and express my deepest thoughts but I’ll keep it short so that I can do more and say less.

  Just in case you missed it, our city is hurting right now and the media and news outlets just don’t do it enough justice. The images you see are merely glimpses into what people are experiencing. Remember that water is real… this is not a movie! The simple truth is we need to do more. I know we’re all busy but that doesn’t relieve us of our responsibilities as neighbors, Atlantans, Americans,and Christians. A good friend of mine, Jasmine Bacon, said something that made me think while we were talking about donating. After making mention to the fact that very few people have responded to emails and text she said; “Well tell them to look at the news all day like I did and it’ll get a reaction out of them!” My initial thoughts were yea that’s true, but then I asked myself does it really take the news to get people to react? Are we programmed to shake our heads at the screen and then go on with our lives? People have lost EVERYTHING! These are not damp floors, we’re talking water levels that would completely cover most of us if we were standing straight up. Now no offense to Jasmine and the first part of her message, because there is some truth in that, but I would like to believe in the second part of Jasmine’s message where she said; “It just hit too close to home for me!” Now that’s real, and that is what should fuel us. I mean think about it. Some of us live less than 10 miles away (and work even less) from some of the most devastated areas. If the wind was blowing just a few miles per hour in our direction, it could be us standing in need.

  So for those of you who have given your time and money, on behalf of all Atlantans I want to say THANK YOU!! But guess what you can do one more very simple thing. Tell someone else about how much OUR city needs us and get them to respond too!

  For those of you who haven’t had the time or taken the time, I just ask that you do something… anything. Below are some really easy ways to help and remember it’s not all about quantity (when it comes to time and money). Help out for a few hours after work or donate 5 or 10 dollars… the point is do something!

  For those of you who want to donate money, know that Social Saints has set up fund (via Paypal) and you have our commitment to making sure 100% of the proceeds to those in need. No middle man, no bureaucracy. We will take the money, buy supplies or gift cards and get them to those in need. Period.

  http://socialsaints.org/give/atlanta-relief/

  You may also check out http://www.hopeatl.com/ for additional ways to donate your time and resources to those who NEED you to respond. As it say in the title of HopeATL.com It’s REALLY BAD!!!

  Ok this turned out longer than I really want but I want to thank you for reading and responding to this! Remember to forward this to friends and post this to your wall! I love and appreciate you for taking the time to read this now… Let’s RESPOND and answer the call!

  -Justin
  P.S. If you have questions feel free to call or email me directly.
  email: give@socialsaints.org
  call: 404-425-9968.
  You can also follow us on Twitter for additional updates and information (http://twitter.com/socialsaints. We’ll share the information we receive as we get it!

  Also If you think home owners insurance and the Red Cross can handle it all… you’re wrong.

 
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  Stress: How I view and manage the ups and downs

  Justin 10:42 am on July 28, 2009 | 1 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: blessings, faith, stress

  I’ll keep this brief so that you may carry on with your day but I want to share with you a particular perspective of mine, in hopes that it may help you manage your stress level a little better.

  Let’s face it, stress is an everyday part of life and to be honest some types of stress can be good for you. Sometimes stress (good stress called eustress) can lead to innovation, radical improvements in productivity and even a better perspective on things. What I’ve come to realize, personally, is that I can have all of those things without necessarily having the physical burden put on my body. I won’t turn this into a health seminar but stress has been linked to all kinds of health problems, and according to Dr. Michael Roizen (yes he was on Oprah) can add years to your “real age” (the age in which your mind and body operates at – not your calendar age).

  So you’re thinking just get to it already Justin… you said you weren’t going to make this long! Well you’re right so here you go.

  My View of Stress

  To me stress is a distraction. Stress is one of the many obstacles that we receive into our lives and we just kinda deal with as best we can. For a long time I felt that way but I realized that my mind and body was paying the price for something that I often times don’t have control of. Like many, stress leads to several thing including; lack of mental and physical rest, poor eating habits, and a very poor attitude. With so many “negatives” and too few “positives” I decided to pray a little more and do something about it. With that intitiave and insight from God I figured out that stress, for me, is merely another form of shallow faith. “How so?” you may ask. Well if I am to believe that God can and will handle it all then what am I really doing when I “stress out!” Well for me stressing out equates to wasted time, and being an entrepreneur wasted time equals wasted productivity (and money) further pushing my mind and body into a vicious cycle! So, since I’ve pretty much concluded that stress equals wasted time… I’ve simply decided to stop wasting my time and continue to keep my eyes fixed on God’s kingdom. You may be thinking that’s a fairly shallow explanation but the truth is… that’s it! If you disagree here’s an additional way of looking at it. As a believer, allowing stress to consume you does 4 things;

  1. Erodes the connection between you and our Father
  2. Distracts you long enough to miss God’s next blessing and opportunity
  3. Prohibits you from being completely faithful
  4. Causes harm to your physical temple.

  I don’t know about you but #2 alone is enough for me to stay focused and to worry less. I absolutely hate feeling like I missed something. Anyway what are you thoughts? How do you manage stress? Let’s come up with a plan to maintain our focus and keep our minds, bodies, and spirits free and clear.