Feel Good Friday - League of Women Voters

It may be hard to believe but this Feel Good Friday we're going to talk about something both election-related and positive: the League of Women Voters.

As explained on their website, "The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy."

The League was founded in 1920 by Carrie Champan Catt, six months before the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote, was ratified. You can take a deeper dive into their history and click this link to see photos through the decades.

The mission of the League is "making democracy work". One of the ways they do that is through protecting voters. This includes ensuring compliance with laws like the Voting Rights act, as well as modernizing voting systems and expanding both early voting and online voter registration.

Speaking of which, "The League is one of the nation's largest and most longstanding community based voter registration groups." Once they've got you registered, they can get you educated. The website http://www.vote411.org/ will populate with detailed information for your area once you input your address.

You can also use this directory find a local league to get information on issues affecting your city and state. For example the League of Women Voters San Francisco hosts candidate forums as well as publishes both an Easy Voter Guide for the California statewide initiatives and a pro/con guide for San Francisco measures. I'm very happy to have found these resources!

Finally, the League directs additional efforts into reforming money in politics, defending the environment, advocating gun safety and more. You can get the complete breakdown of their work here.

The most current information can be found on their blog or by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @LWV and @VOTE411 for election info.

While I certainly have an opinion of who you should vote for on November 8th, what will give me the biggest Feel Good Friday feeling is knowing that people are engaged and participating so please, get out there and vote!

Feel Good Friday - Action for Happiness

Today's Feel Good Friday is a win-win. Not only do you get to feel good about the work Action for Happiness is doing, you can easily get involved and improve your own happiness!

Action for Happiness was founded in Britain in 2011 by Lord Richard Layard, Geoff Mulgan and Anthony Seldon, specialists in economics, education, politics and social innovation. Why? Because they want to use the ability to measure happiness "to increase well-being in our personal lives, homes, schools, workplaces and communities."

As explained on their website, this organization is "a movement of people committed to building a happier and more caring society. We want to see a fundamentally different way of life - where people care less about what they can get for themselves and more about the happiness of others."

The three fundamental values of the group are:
1. We can each affect our happiness and the happiness of those around us.
2. We need to prioritize the things that cause happiness (positive relationships, good mental health).
3. Helping others is essential for a happier society.

If it sounds a little too woo woo for you, fear not. Their approach draws on the latest scientific research, which you can learn more about in the recommended reading list or by checking out the section titled "answers to sceptics." (I know, skeptics but come on they're English).

There is a 9:07 minute introductory video about the organization you can watch to hear from Director Mark Williamson. You can also download a guidebook that list the 10 keys for happiness. If you like what you see, you can explore the ideas such as helping others, living mindfully and learning resilience by checking out the online resources. For each key you'll find facts, articles for further reading and actions you can take immediately.

If you want to join the movement, you'll be asked to make a simple pledge: "I will try to create more happiness and less unhappiness in the world around me." I think that's a pretty good policy whether you make it official or not.

In addition to all the resources on the Action for Happiness website, you can also stay informed by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @actionhappiness.

Finally, congratulations to those of you who made it to the end of this post. One of the 10 keys to happiness is to keep learning new things, which you just did. Well done!

Feel Good Friday - SCORE

Ever dream of running your own business and being your own boss? Today's Feel Good Friday organization, SCORE, can help you make it happen!

In their own words, "SCORE, America's premier source of free and confidential small business advice for entrepreneurs and small businesses, is a nonprofit resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). We have over 300 SCORE offices across the country offering free business mentoring and low- or no-cost workshops."

SCORE volunteers, now numbering over 13,000, have been mentoring small business owners, and aspiring small business owners since 1964! Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, there are chapters across the United States, including many in the Bay Area.

People who access the services of SCORE do so throughout the lifecycle of owning a small business. In 2014, 33% were considering starting a business, 30% were in the process of starting a business, and 37% were already in business and looking to take it to the next level.

There is a wealth of information on the SCORE website including the benefits of receiving mentoring, a series of training courses and workshops you can take, and reasons to put your own expertise to use and become a volunteer mentor.

If you're looking for some inspiration, you can read a variety of SCORE success stories here and even sort them by business stage and industry. As always, to stay in the loop with the national organization, like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @SCOREMentors.

SCORE has the goal of helping 1 million clients by 2020. Perhaps one of them will be you!