Living In Los Angeles...

“I know what you mean,” she says. “I lived in New York City for such a long time and when I go back I miss it more intensely than when I’m here thinking about it. That’s the way life is.”

“I just find myself crying randomly at stop lights or while on a run at how absolutely comfortable I feel, at how many memories come washing back over me, about how much of my life happened here.” I say, “It still feels like home. I remember all the shortcuts, I’ve randomly run into people at half the places I go.”

“All of that doesn’t go away because you’ve moved away. Who knows? You’ll always have friends and professional relationships and ties here. You’ll always have a reason to visit. Life might bring you back here, you just never know and the amazing thing about you is that you know that. You allow yourself to stay open to the experience.”

The wisdom of friends…

Walking along the bluffs of Palisades Park in Santa Monica overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the breeze and the sun mixing together like sand and suntan lotion on a summer day, my heart feels just about to burst as I talk with one of my closest friends who I’ve missed so terribly since I left LA in December, 2008.

Everything about Los Angeles comes flooding back to me. When I first arrived in the fall of 2003, October 16th to be exact, I was in love and felt like LA was this place where opportunity grew on trees and you could make your own path and create your own existence. I felt like anything was possible and moving into a one bedroom apartment two blocks from the beach in Venice, my (then) boyfriend and I were struggling to figure out what to do with our lives, what our mission was. We both felt like we had a greater calling, something spectacular beckoning us, we just weren’t sure what it was.

After my five exceptional years in Los Angeles, I still felt that way. That hope and excitement for the future. I created a full, rich and deep life. Not just the friends that crossed my path, or the rocks I overturned discovering and defining a city on my own terms but in my understanding of who I was in a city that would just as likely chew you up and spit you out as it would embrace you and call your name. It’s not an easy place to live, LA challenges you. The traffic alone is enough to send some people running back to where they came from.
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The Causemopolitan’s First Birthday!...

Please join me in wishing a very happy first birthday to The Causemopolitan. A year ago, all I knew was that it was time. Blogging for others always had its merits, using social networks and microblogging sites connected me with people, but I wanted a space to call my own. I had all these thoughts and ideas and things I wanted to share about the future of philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, what it meant to build cause into your life and stories about experiences I was going through.

I had owned The Causemopolitan’s domain name for awhile, and with the help and support of friends, I got her up and running in a just a few days.

The Causemopolitan was born with the post, It’s About Time, and in a lot of ways, I was reborn. Over the past year, I’ve come to be known by some as The Causemopolitan, and as a name takes on meaning of its own, having that moniker reminds me daily about the kind of person I want to be in the world. I have never wanted to change my name, the way a friend from middle school Katie is now known as Cate. I never knew nicknames as Sloane was never short for anything the way Jennifer becomes Jenn. A few close friends have terms of endearment that I got by, but nothing in my life could have prepared me for what it would be like to take on another name. The Causemopolitan has taken me quite by surprise. A wonderful, full of life, amazing surprise.

I know that blogs are like post-it notes on a gigantic wall, but that my little post-it just means the world to me.

I’ve thought a lot about how I want to celebrate the one-year anniversary and birthday of my blog. Who I want to thank, how I want to spend the next year, but as the past few days have gone by I’ve realized I want to just most sincerely say thank you. Thank you to everyone for reading, for reaching out in the comments, contacting me, saying hi, making donations to my campaigns, asking me to participate in panels, at conferences, involve and include me in the midst of what was at times, a turbulent and tumultuous and at other times a serendipitous and miraculous 2009. Through the clouds and smoke and the uncertainty of what was around the next bend, I always found solace in writing a blog post and putting myself out there, sometimes a little and sometimes a lot.

Here’s to another dynamic year of growth, both for The Causemopolitan blog and for me.

Ever yours,
Sloane

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I’m Staying, Just Can’t Stay Here...

So it goes. My first three months after moving to New Orleans (3 already really?!) have gone by and my current furnished sublet is coming to a close at the end of February. It’s been the perfect spot in the Lower Garden District, a cute little creole apartment of an artist and art curator. Walking distance to a few bars, restaurants and coffee shops. Walking distance to the CBD (Central Business District) and French Quarter and Uptown. Has a small home office I can work out of. Has a balcony I can walk out onto in the mornings with my tea look towards the Mississippi River. It’s been comfortable and felt like home about an hour after moving in.

The terms of the sublet were through February and as Mardi Gras was coming to a close, I knew the time was coming to look for another place. I’ve been looking at Craigslist, but I find much more in life with targeted asks to friends. So I have an email going out to friends and I’ll utilize my blog and social networks to find a new place in the next 7 days.

Here’s what I’m looking for:

• 1 bedroom furnished apartment
• 3-6 month lease or sublet
• Starting March 1st
• Rent between $700-1000

I’m more flexible this time on location because I know it’s harder to find a furnished place than unfurnished, but I’m still just a few months off from being able to afford and have the time to bring my stuff from storage in California and Pennsylvania.

Location might be French Quarter, Uptown or Mid-City. It’s really more about the vibe of the place than the location. It would be nice to be near a park or running trail and have a nice neighborhood to walk around in with a few local spots nearby. And safety is a concern so I have to keep that in mind as well.

About me, for potential landlords…
My personal blog (here duh)
Website
Twitter (daily digest of what I’m up to)
Facebook

Thanks for any apartment/housing leads in New Orleans or e-introductions to friends. My email is sloane@thecausemopolitan.com

Round two of New Orleans on the way,
Sloane

P.S. I already know of one person looking for a new place in New Orleans too. I’m happy to share places that get sent to me so if you’re looking too, just let me know and I’ll forward places along to you too.

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Catching Up On New Year’s Resolutions...

In reflecting on my reflecting of 2009, I looked back at the resolutions I made a month ago and can’t believe the progress I made. I joked recently to a friend that January brought so much positive change and sheer brute force that I’ve flown through a lot of these. January was one of the best months of my whole life. I felt in control of my path, I got back on track and back to work. I received a paycheck again. I swooned and awed and danced little happy dances in my apartment when no one was watching celebrating life.

Nonetheless, one of the things I want to do in 2010 is sharing of my goals and the things I work on behind closed doors to make things happen.

First a note. My mom requires my sisters and I submit our New Year’s Resolutions to her in-person, by phone or email by 11PM EST on New Year’s Eve. No exceptions. I have dialed mine in from Cairo to Buenos Aires. My mom puts our Resolutions on paper and in a bottle in the back of the freezer to look at again the next year. I’m being bold sharing my resolutions with you here hoping that this mix of self-determination will lead to fulfilling my “official resolutions” for the year.

I develop many more goals as the year goes by, but these, well these are the starting point for the adventure and state of mind I wish to be in for 2010.

My resolutions (as I wrote them to my mom):

1) Adventure: Go skydiving, get a tattoo, visit Japan, learn to drive a stick (carry over from last year), visit one state I haven’t been to yet.

2) Professional: Attend one conference I haven’t been to before, give at least 10 talks on “cause-filled living,” publish at least 10 articles in magazines or longer form blog posts (separate from repurposing content), blog every day for one month. Write a book and get it published. In general write more, publish more, continue to build a brand around “cause-filled living.”
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Fancy Meeting You Here 2010...

2009 was intense. I saw a lot of change in my life. A lot of change. I geographically moved locations a lot, and I emotionally and spiritually grew and evolved. Sometimes felt like I was breaking through the stratosphere so fast my skin hurt. Sometimes felt like I was in quicksand and sinking slowly.

To all of those who supported me and believed in me, thank you.

Why am I writing this now? Because I’ve thought about YOU and about ME and about US for all of January. I wanted to take some time to reflect on how January made me feel, and in doing so, wanted to share some of the biggest highlights from 2009 as I look back on them and remark on my accomplishments in 2010 so far. It’s only been one month – but BOY has is been a wild ride. So I wanted to properly take a moment of silence for all the 2009 gave me to be able to openly embrace 2010 with all the gusty, heart and vigor that I’ve put out in the Universe the last 30 days.
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The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland...

Let me share something here that I’m not sharing over on the MySpace blogs. Rather let me gush for a second. Davos is truly spectacular. There is something about an invite-only conference that allows every attendee to walk up to one another and say hi, introduce yourself, make conversation. Everyone who is here has done something special to be here. Sure, there are a few lucky ducks (like myself) who have found there way here, but heads of states and CEOs and global leaders all under one roof make for very interesting conversation.

Which leads me to my next point – the people here care very much. There are a lot of conversations about just about everything you could imagine. Water conservation and sustainable of global fisheries, the future of the middle east, what the World Cup in South Africa this summer can raise awareness of current hot topic issues in Africa, the crisis in Haiti. There are a million things happening in the world right now and chances are someone here is an expert in that field.

There is a dark side here too. Or rather a pessimism. Last year, 9 of the global CEOs of banks were no-shows. They couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t have shown their faces in the wake of such a catastrophic global financial meltdown and so weren’t here. Last year, the infamous and exclusive parties featuring vertical wine tastings or grand-cru french wines were canceled. It was deemed inappropriate to be lavish and thought to shed a negative light on the conference. CEOs of global companies meet here in Davos, this tucked away Swiss ski town and who knows what happens behind closed doors.

But let me say this. There is a line from a TED Talk that I love that goes, “It’s too late to be pessimistic. It’s too late to think we can do nothing. We must look forward to the future. We must look to building something greater than what we have today.”

That is the essence of Davos. Optimism that the work everyone is doing here is inspiring something greater for not just the next generation but 7 generations out. Among these leaders within their communities, I feel as if anything is possible for myself. I feel a freedom to be bold, to keep pushing forward, to have faith in what I believe is my own personal mission in life – helping people discover cause and ways to give back. Here, anything is possible and if I take away one lesson from Davos, it’s an almost “Santa Claus like spirit” where we believe what we want to believe. And so I choose to believe in hope. I choose to believe in the future. I choose to believe in you.

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Exciting New Press To Share!...

It’s been busy over at Camp Causemopolitan and there is some exciting press I’d like to share with everyone. I work really hard to help others and build community so to be recognized for that work is really incredible. I have gotten really amazing emails from people about each piece and it’s a great way to connect with new people either in the cause and philanthropy space or looking for a way to build cause into their lives, so for that exposure and opportunity to continue to help others and broaden my reach, I’d like to thank the writers of each of these four pieces.

Charities Look for Ways to Unlock the Benefits of Social-Media Tools, Chronicle of Philanthropy, December 10, 2009.

Sloane Berrent wanted her 30th birthday to involve more than sharing cake and drinks with friends. So she and a friend started using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to spread the word that their birthday celebrations would benefit Netting Nations, a charity that fights malaria.

The pair asked people in their online networks to hold parties in seven cities in as many days. Supporters could give small donations: $15 to buy bed nets to protect a family from malaria, or $75 to protect a village. Ms. Berrent, a former fund raiser and marketer who left her job last year to volunteer, flew with her friend from city to city on their own dime for the parties. In a month, they raised more than $19,000

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Dear FutureMe...

An “under the radar” online service I love (I mean obsessed-in-love with) is called FutureMe.org. It’s simple. You write yourself an email to be delivered to yourself at some point in the future. It can be next week, next year, I guess indefinitely as long as the service stays running and your email address is current. You can mark your letter private or public (your name isn’t included but then you might not want to write anyone else’s name which would show up in the body of the letter).

I’ve written the Future Me some powerful stuff (it seems I know how to push my own buttons) but this one below knocked my socks enough that I wanted to share it. Share it because, I believe, in the moment I was writing it that I was writing it to ME, but also to anyone knowing that change is a-coming and trying to come to grips with that and wanting to overcome potential fear but not sure how.

I received this letter on January 1, 2010 from myself written in November, 2009.

Here we go.

Dear FutureMe,

It’s the start of 2010. Another decade. And you’ve been in New Orleans one month now. Are you secretly freaking out? I just wanted to give you a little pep talk from yourself from one month before. Because tonight, I’m sitting at Hidden Valley DYING without human contact and you’re waiting for your life to begin.

There is much to be excited about in New Orleans, new job opportunities, new horizons, building friendships, possible relationships, a new place to called home. This is what you want. This is what you fought so damn hard for all year – clarity to make a decision about what you want to do with your life.

It’s New Orleans. It’s always been New Orleans. You know when you fall in love it’s like getting hit by a bus. New Orleans captured your heart from that first visit. Don’t judge it, don’t make it into too much, just enjoy it. Some things CAN last forever. Don’t be scared of forever or of commitment. You can do this Sloane Victoria.
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Three Exciting Announcements!...

Well, I’ve been hustling and it’s starting to pay off! And I have a feeling this is only the beginning (cue backup singers). I have a few more exciting announcements on the way, and a few more projects to tell everyone about, but let me fill you in on three exciting new opportunities on my plate and ways you can get involved, give me feedback, and get engaged with my projects.

1) NOLAlicious. This is a collaboration project with Taylor Davidson and Carl Nelson. NOLAlicious is our take on New Orleans through the eye of a tourist and the emerging soul of a native.

NOLAlicious is a weekly newsletter that we’ve created to highlight upcoming events around town. Carl, Taylor and I all spoke on the same panel at TribeCon and at the time, I turned to them, my fellow digital-nomads-in-crime and we talked about what it would be like if we were all here, in New Orleans, in person together. Tired from our travels and reveling in the comraderie of experiencing this city together, we realized that intellectual curiousity came hand over fist in New Orleans and that could, quite possible, satiate our wanderlust. We would have each other and this amazing city and new friends and new experiences.

When we all did in fact land here by year’s end, we wanted to capture those experiences and share them. We wanted to force ourselves to continue to see New Orleans with a fresh perspective even after the initial newness wore off. NOLAlicious was born.

Sign up NOW to receive the very first newsletter which goes out tomorrow. And if you have tips, please send them over to me at sloane@nolalicious.com.

Other ways to connect? Our tumblr features photographs from around town, we have a Twitter @NOLAliciousness and a Facebook Fan page HERE.
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New Environments Are Hard...

Dream to reality. What a hard step and transition to make. It was a step that I was scared about moving to New Orleans, because after all, there is a reality line that I’m crossing, right? The step between “I love it so much I would love to move there” and the actual “Hey friends and family, I’m moving to this place I talked about all the time.”

Back in the spring, I had this inkling, this feeling, that New Orleans was the place for me. And it scared the living be-breejus out of me, but I let it sit with me. I kept on with my life and my adventures, but it sat with me.

And slowly, every place I looked there was New Orleans. A restaurant across from my hotel in Bangkok called New Orleans, the Tulane grad in Manila I met and became friends with. Scoring a 504 number with my magicjack. The list continues. It channeled me and I channeled her.

I can think of many B&B’s and trips I’ve taken through the years when I met someone and when prompted why they moved to the place they did, San Juan de Sol, Nicaragua to Chugchillan, Ecuador – usually the response is something like, “I just came here and knew.”

I never thought that would happen to me. I mean I loved living in Los Angeles. Don’t think for a moment I didn’t. And if I were a millionaire maybe I would have stayed forever. Lived in Brentwood and sent my daughters (future me wishing) to Archer and continued my yoga practice at Power Yoga and hiked Temescal every day. But it wasn’t sustainable. I wanted to buy a house. I wanted to be in a place where I could get from point A to B without calling for god to give me grace and forgiveness as I crawled along the 10. I wanted the IDEAS of these things even if I didn’t think I could have them the moment I arrived.

I miss my friends in LA terribly. I know I’ve been gone for most of this year but seeing as how I was traveling it didn’t really sink in how permanent my move was. I miss my shortcuts. I miss knowing what place I can go and grab a quick and healthy dinner. I miss being able to exhale at the knowing.

It’s all new. It’s scary. I made my dream a reality and it’s still sweet and it’s still amazing but the part that’s really real is how nervous, apprehensive and emotional the whole journey is. I’m doing it. I’m living every day. I’m out there “getting at it.” But it’s not easy and it’s not always fun. But it’s life. A wild and wondrous life and if I have to howl at the new moon sometimes to get through the night to see the next day, then so be it.

Because new environments are hard. The outcome can be that much greater, but it’s the risk that stops many of us from following through. Know that it’s hard for everyone. You’re not alone. I’m not alone. It’s just like our parents told us, one foot in front of the other. One day to the next. And we keep going.

16 days in New Orleans and counting.

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