Valentine's Day 2006 (weekend) : I reviewed the Landmark Forum Advanced Course. The instructor opened the course with, "What are you up to?" I wrote something like, "I'm a Jedi in training. Working to be the best me I can be...." All the typical Type A stuff that my boyfriend claims is the reason he drinks too much.

Look, I'm not hurting anyone. I'm just really driven to grow -- break out my ego (or at least weaken it significantly) to realize my full potential. Sometimes, I just need to figure out how to channel my energy, which is why I reviewed the course. Anyway, after spending ridiculously long hours in a windowless basement on an uncomfortable chair, I reworked my response. And I'm glad I did. It made a lot more sense to me and I felt clearer about what I'm doing with my life.

What am I up to? "I am raising $25,000 for charity to help the children and families who need it most." I didn't know what charity. I'd never done any fundraising before. It was (and still is) a perfectly impossible challenge for me, as I know myself today, anyway. I love Landmark for that. It's a great wrecking ball for small and limiting thoughts and really helps fast-forward your bigger game plan. Anyway, leaving the course, the instructor told us to watch for miracles. They are happening in our lives. Now. Be awake.

There was one hell of a Blizzard that weekend in New York. And with it, there was magic in the air; you could feel it. I got home around 1am. I checked email. I had a new message from a planner in Grey London. He asked me to moderate four focus groups to test several creative concepts for a new global campaign. Since I had just resigned from Grey NY (advertising agency), I was about to recommend other moderators for the job...but then I thought, what if this is my first miracle-in-the-making? I boldly proposed that I go lead the groups -- for a fee -- and that I'd donate 100% of whatever he would pay me to charity.

It was kind of bold. We really don't do that sort of thing in advertising, er... or in the corporate world. But alas, he said he "loved the plan" and he said he'd pay the high-end of the going rate of $1,000 per group! In just a two nights work, I raised my first $3,070 ($30 got lost somewhere in the wire transfer) for my charity project. I'll put in the difference for a cool $5,000.

I didn't know it was going to "Raising Malawi" and I hadn't until recently officially collected it -- it was tied up/forgotten about in the finance department -- but i have it now and will post a note when i submit it to Raising Malawi. The site isn't accepting credit card payments right now. Not sure what that's all about. I'm told they're working on it.

I dedicate my first $5,000 donation to Martin and Dougie -- two guys building brands out of London who heard a good pitch and immediately signed on.