Doing it Differently Blog Carnival, 2nd Edition

Welcome to the 2nd edition of the Doing it Differently Blog Carnival!

This carnival is dedicated to the concept of stepping outside of the box and living our lives in ways beyond the “norm”!

Whether you want to learn unique ways to think or act differently, or if you want to share your own unique ideas, this carnival is for you!

There will be a new edition of the carnival posted every two weeks, on the 1st and the 15th of every month. You can click here to learn more, or click here to submit a post for the next edition, which will be posted on May 15, 2007.

Lots of people submitted great posts for this edition! If you submitted more than one post, I chose whichever one I felt fit the theme of this carnival the best. Enjoy!

1) In her post Life Balance Lessons: 7 Keys to Avoid Burnout, Hueina Su of Intensive Care for the Nurturer’s Soul points out the fact that you’ll have a hard time taking care of other people if you don’t also take care of yourself, and she lists 7 ways to do exactly that.

2) As we move into what most people are referring to as “Web 2.0,” staying up to date with the latest can be easier said than done. Prakash from A2Z Informative points us to A directory of Web 2 Sites that is visual and easy to use.

3) Damian over at Be the Change – Tread the Path has a unique take on meaning and the evolution of consciousness in his post Welcome to the Soul Terminal.

4) In the post Affordable Health Care on Every Corner, Wenchypoo from the Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket site brings us a GREAT way to combat the issue of health care!

5) Jonathan-C from SmartWealthyRich.com continues his saturation of the blogosphere with great content as he put ups the post Creative Zen – Your Left And Right Brain which includes some great ideas for finding that all-elusive state of total harmony.

6) Earth lovers will rejoice at The Frugalist’s HUGE list of eco-friendly ways to save the environment while saving some cash at the same time! Do your part to save the planet by checking out How to: Go Green AND Save a Boatload of Money – 57 Tips, Tutorials, and Ideas.

7) If you have ever broken out in hives over a few days away from your Internet connection, or if your idea of a good time involves something more unique that sitting around watching ‘American Idol’, then The Free Geek has you covered. Check out some geek-worthy vacations with the Top 20 (Inexpensive) Nerd Getaways! Fun stuff to read, even if you aren’t in touch with your inner-geek.

Having trouble getting motivated to do something with your life? Here is some great advice from JoLynn Braley of The Fit Shack – just give up! Okay, maybe not actually give up, but you’ll get the idea when you read her post How to Surrender to a Lack of Motivation.

9) Have you ever heard the naval saying “a girl in every port”? Apparently there is an actual cultural system behind that type of behavior called Polyamory, and Scott over at Scott Free Thinking brings us a very informative and impartial look at what a lot people would consider a very different lifestyle! Get your multiple partner information by reading up on The Ups and Downs of Polyamory.

10) Karen Lynch of Live the Power invites all of us to “un-plug” in honor of Earth Day with her post Earth Day 2007. Her list of ideas includes several great ways that we can all take care of the Big Blue Marble, and have some reverent appreciation for it at the same time.

11) I have opted not to use the actual title that was provided for this next post, as it has to do with a rather controversial sexual topic that not everyone will be interested in. However, the post itself which came from the Alfa King Memories website, discusses the very real political and religious issues of the changing face of sexuality, so if you can take the heat, pop on over there to check it out.

12) Who is better equipped to bring a new idea to market? The brash, young entrepreneur who just takes an idea and runs with it, or the properly-schooled MBA grad who can pump out a business plan with all of the trimmings? Decide for yourself by checking out the post The Entrepreneur’s Mind over at The BFU Journal.

13) Karl Staib at the Mind Body Blog brings us a post that carries a great message which explains a very different way to deal with the day to day grind. It’s really not a very long post, which makes the title that much more endearing. Check it out at This Water Pipe Story May start off Boring, but It’s Worth Reading because of the Ending.

14) In an interesting analysis of whether or not we are actually engaging the right mental processes in any given situation, check out You are intelligent; you cannot think over at Atlantic Canada’s Small Business Blog.

15) Have you ever wondered if there is a better way to deal with the IRS than filling in all of those little blocks in exactly the way you are supposed to? Anthony over at The Lives and Times… of Anthony McCune has a story about an honest answer to a tough question in the post Resumania – Installment 1.

16) Ready for a shocker? How about raising your kids by basically just letting them do what they feel is right, whil
e you do nothing but run around setting a wonderful example for them? Rory Sullivan over at Hamelife.com makes a pretty good argument for doing exactly that with the post Parents – If You Want Your Children To Learn Responsibility, Ditch The Daily Chores!

17) Chiming in with this edition’s second post about managing motivation, Debra Moorehead brings us the post The Motivational Trick that Works – EVERY Time. It’s definitely a unique idea, so check it out!

18) Do you think that you could bring a wild puppy into an art studio and not only keep the pup from eating the art, but from trashing the studio itself? Lexi Sundell of Energies of Creation came up with a solution that seems to work beautifully – even for the puppy! Check out her post Regulating Puppy Energy Fields.

19) Sean J. Vaughan of the Reason and Rhyme site brings us a post that points to the fact that we can effect changes on an unexpected level by simply using Little Bright Lies. Cool idea.

20) You’ve heard the term “Laughter is the best medicine,” right? Kevin Kinchen over at Creative Power of Thought ties that into the Law of Attraction and even put together a little mini-laughing meditation session! Check out his aptly named post Laughter is the Best Medicine.

21) Takuin Minamoto of The Rule of 5 asks the question How Do You Use the Rule of 5?, and then answers it with a very thorough look at the entire “rule of 5″ concept, and how you can apply it – and the Law of Attraction – to any goal you want to attain.

22) Kara-Leah Masina challenges us to think and feel differently about our very existence and our place in the grand scheme of things, and what our power is, with her post Smashing through the great Illusion.

23) In his post Seeking Security Can Be Dangerous, John Hill of the Universe of Success uses his own great success story to illustrate the fact that if you are not happy, there is a reason for that, and it may very well be a sign that it is time for you to take some action!

24) Over at The Digerati Life, the post The Economics of Cosmetics: Should You Invest In Your Looks Or Skimp On Makeup? does a great job of bringing to light answers to real-world questions about appearance, and – in Doing it Differently style – asks questions about how much emphasis should really be put on how we look.

That’s it for the 2nd edition of the Doing it Differently Blog Carnival!

Thanks to all of the authors who contributed their quality work to this post, and to all of you interested readers as well.

The next edition will be posted on May 15th, and the closing of this edition is also the official call for submissions for the next one! Get the inside scoop on what this carnival is all about and access the submission form as well by clicking right here.