Are you a positive thinker or do you make the worst of situations with negative thinking? Do you see the glass as half full or half empty? In today's society it is becoming increasingly easier to jump on that "no hope" bandwagon. Let's see, the economy is in the tank and 15 million Americans are unemployed. Crime in most of our cities are at record highs. Resources at the local and state levels are at bare minimums. So yes, it would be easy to "throw in the towel" and say it's out of my hands. Or, you can stand up today and decide to get involved in your community. Decide to be a leader who evokes positive change daily. Taking a proactive and passionate approach to making a difference is contagious; others will be quick to follow your lead. Remember the old saying "There is power in numbers...". Each day more people across the US receive "pink slips". Most of these people were living paycheck to paycheck. The bills continue to come in. The result in many cases is home foreclosure. Homes are abandoned which can cause immediate problems with "blight", drugs, and crime. Chances are this is happening in your community, maybe even in your neighborhood. Remember, power in numbers; start or join a community outreach organization and focus on personal safety, home security, neighborhood cleanup or anything else that comes to mind. In my opinion, what you do is not nearly as important as just doing! One of the most damaging effects of the recession we're in is the way it is quickly changing lives, communities and cities. Many businesses, small and large, are gone; along with them go the jobs of the people the once employed. All of a sudden you find a part of your business community boarded up, in addition, the homes that the employees once lived in are for sale, foreclosed upon, or simply abandoned. That's why it is so important to do our best to preserve what we have and constantly set the bar high. This will help encourage some positive things, first it will deter drugs and criminals, second it will make the community much more attractive to investors once things settle down (and they will), third a sense of pride and ownership will take root. You can make a positive impact in a relatively short amount of time. Organize a fundraiser with the proceeds going to a community project(s). If you need help finding a product(s) to promote, consider selling non-lethal self defense products. You will be selling items that could save someones life and the proceeds are going directly into the community you live in!. Consider purchasing a few different types of pepper spray. Buy purchasing in bulk you realize a nice wholesale cost savings. So lets say for example, you decide to purchase a total of 150 key chain pepper spray units. Lets also assume you purchase at $4.50 per unit. During your fundraiser you sell to community members at the retail price of $10.50 and realize a $6 per unit profit. That is a $900 in funds available for your first project. If you organize just four events per year, your organization and the community it serves will quickly see the fruit of its labor. Now go get involved in something!