The reason why.

Why are we frustrated with many of our elected officials? (Some say a movement is gaining traction to vote long-term representatives out of office.) Why are so many credit unions struggling to survive? Because they are focused on WHAT they are doing instead of WHY! Loyalty comes when people are inspired by WHY you do what you do. Why creates trust beyond the immediate choice, the immediate law written, the immediate rate or loan product you provide. Why we do it conveys who we are that it is our choice to get up in the morning to be the best we can be. For many of us, the best our legislators can be is not just keeping their job by passing another law or spending more money. The best credit unions can be is not just making another loan. Any bank can do that.


I was contemplating this with Scott about why we get up in the morning excited to go to work everyday, building Credit Union Strategic Planning. Why we do it is because we believe the world is a better place with credit unions creating financial opportunity through the realization of the International Operating Principles. How many credit union's even consider the operating principles in their strategic planning? How can you have a plan that isn't defined by why you exist? 


So it is that we came to the logical conclusion:

"Our goal is not to do business with everyone that needs what we do. Our goal is to do business with credit unions that believe in why we do it." 

And that's why our clients are getting $500,000 grants from Harlem NYC to Hawaii and growing loans by 50 percent in a single year. 

This short, inspiring video provides more insight:

Over $1 Million in Blessings and Counting

Have you ever had a week so spectacular that your heart won't stop beating out of your chest? That's what is going on up in these parts! It is a mind blowing, miraculous affirmation that living a life of purpose, service and integrity creates both the community we enjoy and the reality we desire.

Sooo what's so mind blowing?  First, my friend Demaris has been praying for her grandson's spinal tumor to stop growing. And miracles occurred this week. Which really got me to thinking about how grateful I am for my son's health and my own.  Dylan celebrated his 11th Birthday this week, which I must say as a mom brings me more joy than any other event, accomplishment or affirmation. If my one success in life was to raise this fine human being, my life would be well spent. God's using my life for more is just the icing on the cake.


And the $1 million in blessings? That is how God is using my life. We, the Credit Union Strategic Planning we, (Melina, Scott and I) are actively inventing programs for credit unions to reduce poverty.  And it is a ton of work and months waiting on the sidelines to hear if our programs are funded. Today we heard.  The US Treasury granted our client, Hawaii First, $457,000! It is the only credit union in the nation to receive a CDFI NACA  grant. That large sum is the full amount we requested in the application they hired us to write. The money will be used to help low income native Hawaiians to move from debt to asset building. This follows on the heels of our client in NYC being one of only two credit unions in the nation that received a CDFI Supplementary Round funding- and ours was the largest. That award was also for $500,000, to help immigrants, the poorest of the poor for three generations to obtain micro-business loans. These two grants along with the others, places our total of funds secured through the US Treasury to deploy to low income people in distressed communities through credit unions well over $1 million in the last two years alone!

That, AND the US Congress is recognizing our separate project The American Debt Relief Challenge on the official House Record for saving consumers over $20 million to date. We've really saved consumers over $20 million. I think of that impact and I'm humbled about the days my insecurity gets the best of me. We all have those days when we are down or tired. What purpose or service is there for us to share and be in integrity with using our life as a gift?

If you ever want to talk about finding your purpose, email me.  I love that conversation. Then lets put action behind it. You can be any you, you want to be.

Happiness is Love

Dylan was happy to see me today. His little kid kisses were full of thanks to have mom back.  With no grant deadline or travel in sight, it's good to be back to normal life, being a mom and folding laundry.

I confess that I am guilty of  being a road warrior and grant junkie. For the past month we  traveled cross country from  Sonoma, CA to Columbus, Oh and NYC. This past week we submitted all of the poverty reduction U.S. Treasury Grants we labored over during 18 hour work days-  and held our final meeting in Louisiana, literally the beautiful bayou. The people, they were warm like an apple pie right out the oven. An old minister and college professor schooled this white girl on how to play dominoes. Scott (one of my business partners and a dear friend) and I left after eating the best gumbo, being embraced by a group hug and farewells from our new friends.

After sleeping for 14 hours, I woke this morning absolutely delighted to run errands to replenish the basics like TP and garbage bags, do the dishes and enjoy the connection of laughter, hugs and random conversation with the kids, my brother and the people round home that I love. It's amazing what being MIA from your own life will do to your TP supply. (Ponder that for a moment. It is meant to be odd.)

During the travel, I picked up a magazine, The Atlantic, founded by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who I admire for his logic, poetry and science based spiritual philosophies. Tonight, online I was steered to a video by the Atlantic about a Harvard research team that followed 269 Harvard students, 10 men through their entire lives starting in 1930 to document the keys to happiness and how to live well. The men are now in their 80s. The video is short and well worth the watch up to the final seconds.

I found the video while searching for the folloing quote:

“I am the happiest man alive. I have that in me that can convert poverty to riches, adversity to prosperity, and I am more invulnerable than Archilles; Fortune hath not one place to hit me.” 

Sir Thomas Browne

Life reflects back to us our own attitude. We experience what we expect to experience, because it is what we create. When we face adversity and view it as opportunity. The attitude shapes our sight. The adversity passes and we are left with: The Opportunity.

The Harvard Study's concluded that happiness is love. I believe our happiness comes from our way of being. When our way of being is loving, that is what the world reflects back.

As I center on this with faith in a loving God, I am the happiest woman alive.

Good Times

Dylan and I have hit our work hard, play hard stride. Dylan's grades have skyrocketed. He is taking caring for the pups seriously. And soccer is in full gear. My dear friend Karl Kilga (Claire and Travis' dad) is D-man's soccer coach.



Karl works the boys out so hard they come home EXHAUSTED.












The Kilga kids, Karl, Dylan and I have been close for years; I even taught Claire how to ride her bike. While the boys work the soccer field, Claire and I relax with the puppies, swing on the playground and taunt each other with double dutch jump rope challenges. With work in full gear (The US Treasury CDFI Fund opened a new $113 million round) and my promise not to work at all after picking Dylan up from school, Tuesdays and Thursdays have officially become my favorite days of the week.



Melina and I are embracing a tremendous work milestone this week. We are celebrating the one year anniversary of our business with gratitude for the amazing people we work with and good that we are doing. As I've said before, the world is reflecting our good intentions back at us. It is amazing. I never dreamed our business would be so healthy after one year. I cried tears of joy this week. The sustainability is awe inspiring as we add new clients from across the country every week including credit unions in Sonoma and Louisiana this last week. Thank God. Thank God. Good times.