In 1968, as a 19 year old college sophomore, Dr. Kent M. Keith
 wrote a document called the Paradoxical Commandments. To our delight, we stumbled across it the other day and, although the word ‘relentless’ is never used, it is the very definition.

The truth is, it’s easy to get discouraged. Even easier to give up. It’s insidiously easy to stop believing in what you do, who you are and what you bring to the table. Trust us, we know. And yet, we all somehow find the guts to forge on because somewhere, deep down we know the right, the good and, in fact, the ONLY thing to do is be relentless.

This is true for us as individuals as well as for capital “U” Us. We MUST be relentless. Relentless about community. Relentless about caring. Relentless about kindness. Relentless about love.

When it comes down to it, the success of our civilization depends on one very simple thing: the relationships we build. Each and every one matters, from a simple interaction in the grocery store to the conversations of our world leaders… it is these collective interactions that create both our individual worlds and the world we all share.

Sure, there are forces that will try to break our spirit, mock our efforts, diminish our hopefulness, undermine our acts of kindness. And, as hard as it is, be relentless anyway!

THE PARADOXICAL COMMANDMENTS

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest person with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest person with the smallest mind.
Think big anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack if you help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you might get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

- Dr. Kent M. Keith

Thank you for not relenting.

That’s right, yesterday, Life Lift – The Oprah Blog, gave Boom Boom! Cards a shout out via a great post by Amy Shearn –> Start A Revolution: Say Hello – Boom Boom! Cards and the Kindness Revolution.

After we finally calmed ourselves a bit (and called all our family and friends), we were overwhelmed with a huge sense of gratitude.

It’s been an amazing journey as Mary Beth and I, two 40 something’s with the notion of making kindness fun & cool have found ourselves in the male dominant world of tech start-ups. We’ve learned a lot, worked really hard, played equally hard and continue to prevail despite tremendous odds.

And so, when acknowledgment like this article comes a long… it quite simply gives us a huge boost of emotional fuel.

In the spirit of Boom Boom! as well as Oprah’s new Thank You Game:

Amy, Oprah, lotus823 & all the other folks who made this happen,

Thank You!

A blog post may seem small, but to us it’s really quite big. In fact, it’s the very core of what we believe at Boom Boom! Cards… that it’s the small things, the small generosities and everyday acts of kindness that can truly have huge impact on people’s lives, on the world.

May 2012

Oprah’s Blog: Life Lift
Start a Revolution: Say Hello – Boom Boom! Cards and the Kindness Revolution
Review

March 2012

One Smiley Monkey
Boom Boom! Cards leave kindness wherever you go!
Review

Simply Stacie
Boom Boom! Cards
Review

Hi-Lights
Boom Boom! Cards attempt to change the world
Review by High School Journalist, Maggie Paese.
Thanks Maggie for the kind write up!

February 2012

How Interactive Design
Wishlist: Boom Boom! Cards

Mommas Bacon
Boom Boom! Cards Family Edition Kit
Family Edition Review

Toast of the Town
I want “Boom Boom” EVERY day!
Blogger Review

January 2012

App Wrap
Boom Boom! App on NY1 technology writer Adam Balkin’s weekly review of mobile apps
VIDEO Review of Boom Boom! App

Arizona Health & Living Magazine
Share Random Acts of Kindness
Review of Boom Boom! App
pg 18

HOW Magazine
Cards of Kindness
Featured in their “Look” section – pg 16
Print Only

Diane Magazine
Boom Boom Someone Today!
pg 8

Radio Spot – WHCR, 90.3 FM
“What’s In Your Hand?” with Ricky Young
Interview with Mary Beth Campbell

Tomorrow, April 26th, is Official Pay It Forward Day, sponsored by the Pay It Forward International of which Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of the founding members. Here in the Boom Boom! Room we couldn’t be more excited about a whole day dedicated to paying forward.

Of course, every day has the potential to be Pay It Forward Day, and still, we love the notion of an extra special day to call attention to this growing concept and spreading the word. The more the merrier…the more the kinder!

So, take a moment tomorrow (or two or ten!) to get your Boom Boom! on and pay forward an act of kindness that has been shown you. And, if you’re feeling inspired the next day, do it again!

Happy Pay It Forward Day!

Boom Boom!

According to Italian author, Piero Ferrucci, in his book “Survival of the Kindest,” “One of the reasons behind the success of evolution is that we’ve been kind to one another…Kindness is the most economical attitude there is.”

But, as we all know, it’s not always that easy. Acknowledges Ferrucci, “We live in an ice age of the heart. A lot of people no longer feel connected. Nothing heals like meeting a fellow human being…make eye contact, start chatting about the weather. It doesn’t matter if it’s about nothing in particular. You’ll notice that something shifts…a block disappears. Believe me, it is vitally important.”

Taking a Risk for Kindness

Of course, it’s no surprise that we are fully in Ferrucci’s camp. In fact, when we first launched three years ago, we got one overwhelming piece of feedback from a lot of people, “Ditch the cards.” That’s what everyone said. “Make them virtual,” they recommended. “It’ll be easier if we can pass the cards around online,” we were told. Sure, we thought about it, but in the end, we just couldn’t do it. We moved forward with the cards, although we knew it was risk.

And we recognize it’s a risk for you too. While each card is an opportunity to connect with someone in real life, whether you’re doing the act of kindness, or passing the card on for someone else to play, it’s a risk to put yourself out there to do it. We get it. Perhaps that’s why, as Ferrucci states, today’s world lacks connection. Because it’s scary. It’s risky. And yet, as Ferrucci asserts, that kind of connection is vital to the survival of our species.

Thank You For Your Acts of Kindness

We’d like to thank you for taking the risk to play Boom Boom! Cards. We truly appreciate you for taking this leap of faith with us. And the next time you’re feeling shy about playing a card, whether you’re giving genuine compliments (Original Deck Card #5), or saying hi to everyone you pass (Original Deck Card #25) or introducing yourself to that person you see everywhere (Original Deck Card #17), think about this: you’re not just being kind, you are actually ensuring the success of civilization.  And that’s a pretty big deal.

So, on behalf of the human race, thank you!

Boom Boom!

Thanks to all who entered our “Boom Boom! Birthday” Giveaway!

We can’t tell you how amazing it was to read all your answers to the daily questions! Thank you for sharing with us the GOOD in your every day and showing just how much there is to celebrate on a daily basis, whether it’s pondering who makes you laugh the hardest, what you’re having for lunch or stopping to think about who inspires you. It was a real treat to read through them…the Boom Boom! Community is a rockin’ crowd!

* Please Note: the below giveaway is now CLOSED.

——————————–

It’s our birthday! The Boom Boom! Revolution is celebrating its three-year anniversary. How time flies when you’re being kind!

In the spirit of celebrating our birthday AND the ‘good in our everyday’, we’re giving away an iPod touch! We can’t think of a better way to mark this milestone than to give someone the opportunity to use our new Boom Boom! App on their new iPod touch. Here are the details…

Introducing the Boom Boom! Birthday Giveaway

One lucky entrant will win a Boom Boom! Birthday present… an 8GB iPod® touch, making it easy to download and use our new Boom Boom! acts of kindness App. And the perfect day to kick off this celebratory giveaway? Leap Day, February 29^th…a day which occurs only once every four years, AND will lead Boom Boom! into its fourth year of ‘be kind, track it online.’ Enter now at http://bit.ly/z6aEzc.

Our award winning Boom Boom! Cards combine real world and online social networking, linking players globally through generosity, intentional big-heartedness and random acts of kindness that are played forward. The Boom Boom! App’s “Good Stream” allows users to read all the latest acts of kindness played by the Agents of Altruism in the Boom Boom! community.  App users can contribute any good they witness or instigate, becoming a part of the revolutionary conversation that’s celebrating what’s right with the world.

Ready to take the ‘leap’ into the world of Boom Boom!? Learn how to enter our Birthday Giveaway below.

How to Enter:

Now through 3/9/12 at 12:01 a.m. EST, fans can enter the Boom Boom! Birthday Giveaway by utilizing the fancy, easy-to-enter widget below to complete the following entry opportunities (all worth one (1) entry):

• Mandatory One-Time Entry: It’s our birthday! Birthdays in the Boom Boom! Room are a really BIG deal… we throw parties, eat great food and sometimes break out the karaoke machine. Once, we even dressed as Birthday Superheroes. Leave a blog post comment answering this: What’s the most unique birthday celebration you’ve ever been a part of?
  • Note: Must use the widget below to submit (after posting your answer as a comment on the blog) for your entry to count
  • Note: You have to do this one in order to submit other entries!

• Optional One-Time Entry: Follow @boomboomcards on Twitter
  • Note: Must be done through the widget below for your entry to count!

• Optional One-Time Entry: “Like” us on Facebook
  • Note: Must be done through the widget below for your entry to count!

• Optional One-Time Entry: ‘+1’ this Blog Post on Google+
  • Note: Must be done through the widget below for your entry to count!

• Optional Daily Entry: Tweet about the Giveaway
  • Note: Must be done through the widget below for your entry to count!

• Optional Additional Entries: Come back daily to join the Boom Boom! Conversation on our blog (*During the giveaway, on our Facebook and Twitter, we’ll be notifying our fans when a new topic is up to chat about!)
  • Note: Must use the widget below to submit (after posting your answer as a comment on the blog) for your entry to count

a Rafflecopter giveawayWinner Selection:

One (1) winner will receive a “Boom Boom! Birthday” prize pack, including one (1) 8GB iPod touch player.

Winner will be announced on or shortly after the Giveaway End Date (3/9/2012) and will be notified via email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Good luck all you Agents of Altruism! Thanks for celebrating this milestone with us!

Wouldn’t it be great if there were some kind of prescription or formula to just plug in that would answer this question? Generally, those kinds of answers are hard to nail down unless, of course, you consult…Facebook. There’s constantly an abundance of answers, remedies and pop-culture wisdom circulating on Facebook in the form of quotes, posters, pictures and lists. Recently, a particular list was going around and, for whatever reason, it struck a cord with us…maybe because this time of year calls for inspiration of this nature. Or maybe it was the title, “How to Kick Ass.” C’mon, who doesn’t want to know how to do that?

We love this list because, while it IS a list about kicking ass, it IS NOT a list about kicking someone else’s ass. In other words, this list has nothing to do with being the best IN the world; rather it’s all about how to be the best FOR the world. Now that’s a list we can get behind.

So, here they are… 11 Rules of Kicking Ass. There’s no credit given here because the list was posted without an author. No, these rules aren’t rocket science and chances are, on some level, you already know them. Nonetheless, they’re a good reminder and something to shoot for every day:

* HOW TO KICK ASS *

1.    Make it about others.
2.    Be human and approachable.
3.    Stay curious, stay interested.
4.    Pick your projects well; choose ones that give you more joy.
5.    Have courage.
6.    Be grateful.
7.    Practice.
8.    Give credit.
9.    Leave your comfort zone occasionally.
10.    Put skin in the game.
11.    Accept what happens with grace.

Not bad, eh? Still, chances are you read this and thought, “Wow, this list totally didn’t mention…” Don’t keep it to yourself. Let us know! We’d love to hear the rule(s) you’d add to this list. You’re full of good ideas. That’s one of the reasons we like you so much.

Boom Boom!

Breaking Ground, and Giving Back, in Mexico

Because she saw the need, in January 2004, the Washas opened the doors to La Gloria English School with three teachers, 50 students and a cadre of volunteers, offering classes to children, teenagers, and adults with emphasis on spoken English. Using their own money, they purchased a piece of land in La Gloria, Mexico and built the 1,400 square-foot building that houses the school.

According to volunteer teacher, Kate Pichotta, “I love doing this, and I think I can make a difference in their lives. Because of what they learn here, these children will be able to get better jobs, to be paid more, to have the incentive to climb the ladder.”

And for their generosity, the Washas are rewarded with a continual flow of pay it forward acts of kindness from all over the island and beyond. Those who know of the La Gloria English School project send donation packages with travelers who have trips planned to the island. The packages get dropped at La Gloria “courtesy of an ever-widening circle of people willing to act on their love for Isla.” Talk about paying it forward! For more information about La Gloria English School or to help their cause, check out their website, www.folges.org.

Traveling? Got Vacation Plans? Leave Some Boom Boom! Behind!

Want to leave some kind behind next time you’re traveling? You don’t have to build a school (although, we’d certainly cheer you on if you decided to!), simply start by bringing along your Boom Boom! Cards to play it forward with the locals wherever you are. Help spread the Boom Boom! love near and far!

Island hopping? Share your play it forward tale with us by Tweeting your adventure to @boomboomcards, or posting on our Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/boomboomcards.

All the best to you in the New Year…may it be filled with joy and, of course…

Boom Boom!

Happy Holidays and Boom Boom! to you all!