Another Unusual $100,000 Birthday Present (Plus: Free Round-Trip Anywhere in the World) 279 Comments

Written by Tim Ferriss Topics: Filling the Void

Soon 35-years young… and still not acting my age. (Photo: Sir Garrett Camp)

35! I’ll turn a glorious 35 this week.

It’s going to be a great natal year–I can already feel it. Perhaps it will be good luck for you, too. In this post, I’m giving away a round-trip ticket anywhere in the world.

But back to that strange birthday gift…

Much to the chagrin of my momma-san, I’ve become quite difficult to buy presents for. Some friends even think I’m impossible to find presents for. Not so. I love handwritten letters, homemade brownies, and–most of all–when people do something nice.

You, dear readers, have a record of being nice and making it count. In fact, you’ve changed thousands of lives with small acts of kindness!

For my b-day in 2010, you all raised more than $100,000 for high-need public school classrooms in the US. Then, last year, you helped build libraries overseas (See the construction progress on Cambodia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka here, as well as the completed schools in Vietnam.)

In lieu of gifts this year, my birthday wish is to help poor youth in developing nations finish school. This breaks the cycle of poverty and creates problem solvers in places with problems that affect communities, entire countries, and the world at large.

And there are a few fun twists…

First, think Kiva.org for education. Unlike last year, we’re actually giving loans. By using loans, only the most hard-working and ambitious students participate. Vittana.org, the organization I’m partnering with, currently has an astounding 99.8% repayment rate! That means you should actually make your money back, and you’re giving a hand up instead of a hand out.

If you prefer to “donate,” you can opt to have the funds automatically reinvested in Vittana, which is what I do.

Here’s how it works:

1. Join my 35th birthday challenge by clicking here. It’s worth clicking through just to check out the site.

2. To get your engines started, I’ve put in $10,000 of my own money, primarily into women studying to be programmers and teachers. Under “Find a student,” you’ll see “Students we’re helping.” That’s the gang.

3. If the spirit moves you, please make a $35 loan (or whatever you can: $1, $35, $1,000, etc.) to the student of your choosing. Click on “Find a student” to search outside my group. Even a $1 can make a big difference to these students!

4. Over the next several months, your (and my) students will finish school. They’ll then find jobs and begin repaying their loans.

Vittana’s impact is incredible, and your good karma compounds over time. Take a girl like Ana Lizbeth for instance — with a $713 Vittana Loan, she became an IT administrator and doubled her income. I’m so excited about Vittana that I just recently became an advisor, joining supporters like Google, Tim O’Reilly, and Mitch Kapor, among others. It’s really awesome.

So, to get this party started in force…

Sweetening the Pot…

- If you all help raise $50,000, I will personally foot the bill for another $50,000. This means that if you get the total to $60,000 (as I put in $10K already), I will pay the remaining $40,000 to get us to $100,000. The deadline for this is 11:59pm PST on Friday, July 27th.

- I’m giving away a free round-trip ticket anywhere in the world that Star Alliance flies, which is just about everywhere. There is no expiration date on the trip, so no rush on deciding where or when to go.

Now, here’s how to get it:

- Spread the word however you can. Send people to this post or to my Vittana donation page.
- Leave a comment below telling me what you did (Facebook, Twitter, blog post, e-mail blast, e-mail signature, encouraged employees/friends to do the same, company donation matching, etc.). Measurement of any type gets huge bonus points. This comment must be put up no later than 11:59pm PST on Friday, July 27th, 2012.
- Lastly, answer one question at the very top of your comment: “What does education mean to you?”

I’ll pick the top five promoters, and you’ll all vote on the winner of the round-trip.

Fun!

But the best reason of all…

Beyond the bribes, you’ll feel awesome about yourself for doing real good for people who have so little. People who, without education, might not have a future at all.

Trust me. It feels great.

Will you pause for a moment and step up, even if for $1? It would mean the world to me. I’ll share updates as I get them.

Again, here is where to go to loan/donate $35, $1, $1,000, or whatever you can.

Thank you for reading this post. You are all rock stars, and I continue to write on this blog purely because of you.

Posted on July 19th, 2012

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279 Comments

Chef Mark Garcia — July 17th, 2012, 6:18 pm

Tim,

You continue to impress me with your “random acts of kindness”…love what you see doing here with this campaign and am happy to help support it!

Cheers!

Chef Mark
Reply
- Raechel Lambert — July 18th, 2012, 8:12 am
  
  Loaned $35 (happy B-day) wish it was more but I am an entrepreneur without any profit yet Shared on facebook 371 friends.
  
  Education means breaking the cycle. My mom was single and uneducated. Statistically I should be too. Instead I got in to college by the skin of my teeth and have been working towards my dreams since.
  
  Love what you are doing and glad to be a part of it. I can’t wait to see what Perla Concepción does!
  Reply
J.J. — July 17th, 2012, 6:18 pm

Awesome. Take THAT Frank Bruni!
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Fancy — July 17th, 2012, 6:27 pm

….. it makes the impossible, really very possible after all.

Sweet idea, Tim. Enjoy blowing out those candles.
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Jared — July 17th, 2012, 6:35 pm

Tim education means a lot to me. I recently graduated and doubled my income. The network I developed at school led to my job. I am happy to promote and support this cause.
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Jayson — July 17th, 2012, 6:40 pm

Really great site Tim! Happy birthday as well…
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- Tim Holmes — July 23rd, 2012, 3:11 am
  
  @Jayson: I find it interesting, that a person who’s comparing schools to prisons praises a post that advocates loaning money to students.
  Reply
Daniel — July 17th, 2012, 6:40 pm

To me, education means acquiring information that has the potential to create a better life for the next generation. Love the Vittana site, thanks for sharing Tim. BTW.. I turn 35 in 3 weeks.
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Jen — July 17th, 2012, 6:40 pm

Happy Birthday!

What a fun way to celebrate!

Here’s how I’ve shared so far:
Retweeted your tweet to all 121 of my followers
Shared link to this blog post with 615 FB friends.

Jen
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- Jen — July 17th, 2012, 6:48 pm
  
  I forgot to say what education means to me… it means learning a new way to look at the world – opening your mind to new ideas, information, and knowledge.
  Reply
Rob McQuade — July 17th, 2012, 6:43 pm

Education means empowerment–empowering a person to help him- or herself and then to go beyond and help others… Like this!

Frickin’ awesome, Tim. Thanks for getting folks involved. I updated the very beginning of my email signature (and as you can guess that’s a lot of eyeballs every single day) and am using this as a reason to reach out to my friends, clients, and mailing list. That’s 3,880 people right there. Let’s hope they do the same.

Rob
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Dominic Valdez — July 17th, 2012, 6:43 pm

Education to me means that one is able to achieve a higher state of awareness and self fulfillment. Education is an outlet that allows us to mature and develop. We can learn about things that intrigue us or learn skills to find success in life. Most importantly education is a opportunity, one that all people across the world should be given access to.

My contribution was a $5 donation. I know this doesn’t sound like much but as an unemployed recent college graduate living at home, it was hard to part with that $5, yet I know it is going to much better use now serving education. I have also forwarded this website to several friends and family. Best of luck.
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- Patrice — July 18th, 2012, 12:26 am
  
  Really agree that education is a huge opportunity, it’s a real shame that a lot of kids in the US/ UK don’t see it that way. When I hear stories of kids and families in developing countries putting everything on the line to get an education it brings tears to the eyes (in a different way to the school fees bring tears to the eyes in the UK!)
  
  Have you heard about PISA? Its the Programme for International Student Assessment and assesses 500,000 children across 70 countries. China is now topping the charts comfortably. In China education is viewed as a life changing opportunity. As President Obama said “the nation that out-educates us today will out-compete us tomorrow”, so we better learn quickly.
  
  How can we not support people who want to educate themselves! Great cause Vittana, will share on my blog, it may be a small readership but it’s about the steps I took to leave my office life behind (as inspired by the 4 hour work week bible)
  Reply
Panutat Khunachak — July 17th, 2012, 6:45 pm

I made a donation and shared with all my friends on facebook and twitter. To me, education = opportunity. Every child in the world deserves one!
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Jared — July 17th, 2012, 6:46 pm

1. Told VisionSpring office to donate (7 people)
2. Facebook status post (934 people)
3. Twitter (296 people)

Absolute collision of worlds – I’ve volunteered for Vittana for years and read you for years, and out of the blue, this happens. Hilarious and appreciated. Happy birthday.
Reply
- Jared — July 17th, 2012, 6:55 pm
  
  I will also have VisionSpring with around 1,600 followers on Twitter and around 800 or so likes on Facebook to post the news.
  Reply
- Sophie K — July 17th, 2012, 7:01 pm
  
  As Vittana Community & Culture Mgr (and volunteer mgr for the very translation team Jared mentions), it’s a huge thrill to see Tim’s community coming together like this for global education.
  
  New favorite hashtag: #EduMob
  
  Let’s make some serious change for students across the globe and graduate a generation beyond poverty! Thanks Tim, thanks Jared, thanks everyone!!
  Reply
Chad — July 17th, 2012, 6:49 pm

Tim, the Vittana donation link is giving a 404…
Reply
- Tim Ferriss — July 17th, 2012, 7:23 pm
  
  Just fixed! Thank you for the heads up, Chad, and all.
  Reply
Jincheng Lin — July 17th, 2012, 6:52 pm

Hi Tim,

This is really good. I may not have many friends to spread out the message but I’m very happy to show my support to your kindness.

Cheers.
Reply
N.C. — July 17th, 2012, 6:55 pm

Education means to me: freedom, possibilities, opportunity, adventure, hope, promise, dreams fulfilled, strength, experience, security and a insatiable hunger to learn more…
Tim, thank you for the inspiration. Not only have you inspired me to donate and to spread the word but to also remember what I appreciate most about my education and my parents’ sacrifices for my education. I have shared this page on FB, Twitter, via email and am sending to all of my friends asking them to support the cause by contributing in lieu of (early) birthday presents for me too. Tomorrow am presenting to my team at work as a team building exercise. I hope that I can help to increase awareness and that the students are able to reach their goals and realize their dreams.
Happy Birthday Tim!
Keep up the good work in helping all of us realize our dreams
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Deki — July 17th, 2012, 6:55 pm

Tim,

I believe that education is the one levelling tool for all of those around the world. It can bring people out of poverty and hard times, and by providing these people the opportunity to gain education, I believe that we are helping them to help themselves. I was once given this opportunity, and I stand by allowing others access to it also.

I’m 9 years your junior, but it seems that we share a birthday! So, on the eve of this day (I’m in Australia – slightly forward in time), I’ll spread the message to my Facebook followers, to my LinkedIn friends, the Google business groups I am part of, and through a company wide work email. I will also be pledging my own money to the program.

Let’s get this thing rolling!!

Deki.
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Josh Howley — July 17th, 2012, 7:02 pm

Love this idea. I rarely donate (trying to pay off student loan debt at the moment) but I told myself “Really… you cant afford 25 dollars to help improve someones chances at forwarding their education.” Thanks for bringing this site to my attention and the call to action as well.
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Dave — July 17th, 2012, 7:03 pm

To me, education is the opportunity for people to learn what interests them in a controlled environment, and then pursue a course of study in that field.

Spoken like a true Liberal Arts student who majored in English Lit and minored in Art History.

1) Tweeted post to 10,800 followers (@rtwdave)
2) Shared link on Go Backpacking’s Facebook page (4,050 fans)
3) Shared a link on my personal FB page (650 friends/subscribers)

I’m a big fan of Kiva, so this was a no brainer. And I liked how easy it was to create a new account with Vittana, in the course of giving my loan.

Welcome to 35, by the way. I’ve managed to enjoy 6 countries in South America since I celebrated my 35th last September!
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Kein — July 17th, 2012, 7:05 pm

Liked this post for Facebook, shared it on Twitter (mentioned you as well!). Doesn’t matter if I win or not, good to spread the word.

Happy birthday Tim! : )
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Chad — July 17th, 2012, 7:06 pm

and you guys don’t have to publish this comment, but do you know if there is a way to place tracking pixels on the donation thank you page?
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- Tim Ferriss — July 17th, 2012, 7:22 pm
  
  Hmmm… I have no idea!
  Reply
  - Chad — July 17th, 2012, 9:02 pm
    
    ha, no worries… oh ya Happy Birthday, gettin up there
    Reply
Wesley — July 17th, 2012, 7:09 pm

Amazing ideas as always Tim. I could not give much, but I gave some. And I used Rockmelt to share the message with everyone that follows me, or I am friends with on Twitter and Facebook. Hopefully will get some more of them to join in as well. Happy birthday!
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Jennifer — July 17th, 2012, 7:10 pm

Education means to me never having to settle for where you are at. Too many people feel like they are stuck in a certain life or doing something over and over again that they do not like. Education can change that.

Whether it is having the education already to pick yourself up an dmake the changes that you want to your life not matter what others say or going back to school to get the skills that you need to move on in life. Education is the key to it all.
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Jennifer — July 17th, 2012, 7:12 pm

Sorry my computer froze entering my comment above so I will add to my answer of what is education that so far I have

Tweeted about this post
shared it on FB
Google +
Stumble Upon
And I will tell my cowrkers tomorrow at work.
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Jonny Miller — July 17th, 2012, 7:13 pm

Crowdsourcing student loans love the concept and have a feeling it will be immensely successful!
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Chris — July 17th, 2012, 7:13 pm

Education is an investment in the individual student, their community, and the world as a whole. This won’t just help these students improve themselves, but all the lives they touch along the way, too… It’s a ripple effect of positive change.

Awesome idea, happy to join in. I shared your blog post on the Facebooks, as well as my donation.

(Totally stoked to see my student became fully funded while I was writing this!)
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Jorge Campos — July 17th, 2012, 7:19 pm

Education means a path to freedom.
Donated, Facebooked, Twittered, emailed.

Happy Birthday!
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Michele DeLima — July 17th, 2012, 7:21 pm

Dear TIm

Funny, I’ve been meaning to write you because a Google search for William Murray’s “Mountaineering In Scotland” led me to your site. I’ve had Mr. Murray’s famous quote (“The moment one definitely commits oneself, the providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.”) taped to my monitor since December 2008-ish and read it every day. I couldn’t find the book anywhere online but you apparently mentioned it in a blog post (but I couldn’t find the reference!). Of course, I’ve been dying to know if you have a copy of the book

As I was bumping around on your blog tonight, reading excerpts from your book, I went back to your home page and noticed you put up your 35th birthday challenge. Thank you! You’ve helped me make the first move to do something I’ve been thinking about many years and talking about specifically for the past two months but have been too crazy busy and hadn’t yet taken that all important step: taking action. You gave me the entry to make this commitment real, just the way Mr. Murray said it would. I pray that my gift to the student I chose to help will discover stars lining up for her as well:)

Here’s what I’ve done so far to assist: loaned $50 to economics student Blanca Analia Gimenez in Paraguay (I was an econ student too!) and posted your 35th birthday challenge info and link to my facebook page and on Marie Forleo’s B-School comments page which reaches all the wonderful, spirited, thoughful B-School babes worldwide (I’m so happy to be a B-Schooler myself!!!).

With best wishes to you on your 35th birthday, Tim:)
Kindest regards,
Michele
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Jason Ford — July 17th, 2012, 7:25 pm

I love you man, but I think I’ve been hanging around here too long. On one hand high five for radical efficiency. On the other hand… ah who cares, it was efficient. (Re: copy / paste of last year’s post)

So who’s got ideas? I came in third once, but that was because I had a popular YouTube video at the time, lol. The internet is a funny place. Ah well, back to programming.
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Erik Blair — July 17th, 2012, 7:34 pm

“Education means my daughter will have the ability to think her way to success. For me it’s more than my own education, it’s providing the example.”

Posted to LinkedIn, Facebook x3 accts, Twitter x2, and posted the donation link via Vittana after my donation as well. I hope my support influences others.

Every little bit counts… Aloha
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Jason Ford — July 17th, 2012, 7:45 pm

In reading the comments I have noticed a trend that most people are simply posting their follower size on social media as their form of measurement. As in… “Hey Tim I posted to my Twitter which has 40 followers and my Facebook which has 600 followers.”

A quick note on how to measure the exact number of people you refer to Tim’s page (he likes accurate measurements). If you setup a link over at http://bit.ly and then share the bit.ly link you will be able to see exactly how many people clicked your link. Use a new link for each social media platform and you can get your conversion rate which is the percentage of people that clicked the link out of the population the link was exposed to. Example: You setup a bit.ly link to Tim’s Vittana page and then post the link to your Twitter account that has 40 followers. When you log in to bit.ly a day later you’ll see 4 people clicked the link yielding a 10% conversion rate.

If you experiment with various wordings / imagery you’ll be able to compare your conversion rates. Focus on the wording / imagery that has the highest conversion rate and apply it to larger populations. The sky is the limit (haha, literally with the Star Alliance ticket you’ll win)!
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- James — July 18th, 2012, 8:20 am
  
  At first I loved this blog for the content – Tim is the Wizard of Odd – but lately I’ve learned to appreciate it even more for the community that it attracts! I learn something new every time I read the comments of his posts, and bitly was the lesson today. Thanks Jason!
  Reply
Jasper — July 17th, 2012, 7:45 pm

Education means a purposeful decision to learn and/or teach. Education means to create or sustain hope and opportunity.

1. Posted this link Facebook (296)
2. Twitter
3. Updated my Gmail e-mail signature with a link to the Vittana team page.
Reply
Anise — July 17th, 2012, 7:50 pm

Tim, I can’t wait to see you talk with City Arts & Lectures in December. You are on my brain because I’m on day 3 of four hour body…
Anyway, this project is amazing of course, and I am going to send it out to my social media sites – my only concern is putting the “gas mask” on ourselves first – the education system in the US needs major help too.
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Philippe — July 17th, 2012, 7:52 pm

Will share this on my facebook and twitter, and even better will get all my members at the gym where I work to check the site out! great job again Tim! From what I can see this project gives to the kids that really want to learn a chance. Educating the mass is the way to go, they will not only repay the loan but the return on what they may bring to the future of mankind is limitless. Think about it, by loaning out this money you in fact maybe giving a someone who would have never had the opportunity to land a great job to do so.

I support this
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Jennifer — July 17th, 2012, 8:00 pm

I like it, Vittana that is, its a good new angle on loans rather than donations. I’ve supported Kiva for years with a small initial contribution which has been repaid over and over again. What I like about both the Vittana site and the Kiva site is you pick who you want to help with a loan. May my small contribution help other girls and women take control of their lives, just as education let me.
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Ted Cory — July 17th, 2012, 8:10 pm

Well done Tim.

I donated to Juan Carlos in Bolvia. He wants to learn Civil Engineering. I chose Juan because not only will his life become better because of this loan, but also he will impact the lives of many other Bolivians with this type of profession.

Here’s what I did to spread the word:
I posted on facebook, I also enabled a message for my RSS feeds (~1,000 reach) that will repeat every 3 days for my RSS subscribers on kanji-a-day.com.

It feels good.

Ted

P.S. – Happy Birthday!
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Tina Hofer — July 17th, 2012, 8:12 pm

For me education is the wind that flutters your sails while you’re docked on shore wondering if you’ll ever find the courage to take off. Its the current’s push in the direction of your dreams no matter how treacherous the path might seem. It instills the confidence to stay your course & sail through the night knowing that just out of sight on the tip of the horizon the sun will eventually rise up and light your way.

Tim,

Happiest of birthdays yet!! I wish there were an infographic that could accurately display the number of lives that you’ve positively impacted with your books, blog posts, mentorships, investments & outreach initiatives (like this one). At this point you’ve probably changed the tides for hundreds of thousands of people in both subtle & completely transformative ways… so cheers to your first 35 years on earth you’re really making a scene.

I’ve decided to try and fully fund two specific girls in your group by sharing their stories & goals with my followers. The girls are Jesamine Mendoza (pg 9) & Jennifer Mendoza (pg 11) — you can find their info here: http://www.vittana.org/users/10561

Shout outs for help in reaching these goals went to Facebook (1172 followers), Twitter (675) & tomorrow I’m going to kick it girl-scout style and hit up my neighbors & relatives (5-10 depending on which cranky neighbors open their door)

I’ll keep you posted with our results!
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Thomas @ Mobile App Tycoon — July 17th, 2012, 8:15 pm

Happy birthday Tim!
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Lora — July 17th, 2012, 8:16 pm

Happy birthday, Tim.

Your stand is absolutely moving and inspiring. Thank you for what you do and who you are.

Education to me opens up a world of possibilities. I think of education as a natural part of life and less on conventional institutions although schooling does provide amazing opportunitires for people.

When we are open to learning and declare ourselves a beginner and learner of life, I believe we expand who we are and what is available and possible.

When we cease to learn, we become dull and uninspired.

Thanks for sparking this discussion and making a difference.

Blessings to you,
Lora
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tim — July 17th, 2012, 8:35 pm

Tim,

“What does education mean to you?”

I just started a new job this week. Wait let me back up. First off I’m an active duty US Air Force officer and I’ve served in this capacity for a little over 3 years now. It’s been a great experience so far and I’ve had the opportunity to do great things and touch lives around the world (due to the nature of my job).

However, I’ve just completed a 180 and switched career fields (still in the air force mind you). I have been graciously given an amazing opportunity from uncle sam to lead and mentor the next generation of military leaders in this country. As of a few days ago I’m now teaching at a local college as an assistant professor of leadership studies and loving it. To me, education is the most powerful weapon in which someone can use to change the world… Education is realizing that education must be passed on. I intend to do my best to use it (and teach it) in this capacity. It is very humbling to say the least.

Companies like Vittana and Kiva are truly doing amazing things and my only wish is that more people start to see the value in educating the next generation. After all, they are growing up in a world exponentially more open and free. They are smarter than we give them credit for! I can not emphasize this enough to anyone reading this. Donate!

ps. happy 35th tim! You have 10 years on me, thank you for being a true inspiration and leader for my “generation”
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Lora — July 17th, 2012, 8:40 pm

Just posted this on Facebook and twitter. Will spread by word of mouth, too. And will check out your other links to offer a donation.

Happy 35th!
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Philippe — July 17th, 2012, 8:43 pm

BTW HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM!!

Here is an idea for your b-day if your in montreal canada

http://www.dinnerinthesky.ca/en_index.php

amazing food and concept
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KellyVo — July 17th, 2012, 8:44 pm

Tim,

I just only can tell you that, I extremely love this project!! Education to me is just one word “great”, I have my own big dream about Education in my country (Vietnam). I hope I can make it comes true! Yes, One day!

Thanks for all you have done. I do really hope I can meet you outside oneday soon in the future then, I can get good advises from you for my big dream.
Best Regards,
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Chris Hughes — July 17th, 2012, 9:09 pm

Education is one of the most important things to me. I’m constantly learning and improving myself because I’ve found it’s the best way to have a positive impact on this world. The more I learn, the more I can help solve problems and provide solutions.

You’re awesome, Tim. I just donated as well as shared the post on twitter and facebook. Thanks for being you.
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Ali — July 17th, 2012, 9:11 pm

Education means freedom. Free from poverty, ignorant, and control of others. It allows one to stand on higher ground by becoming more and by becoming more, one is able to pay it forward – just like this birthday challenge. Have a Happy Fulfilling Birthday!
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Dan Fuenz — July 17th, 2012, 9:23 pm

Hey just made a donation. I’m a PE teacher and I plan on doing a fundraiser next year with the help of my students and that will help spread the word about Vittana. Students will be helping aspiring students, paying it forward while getting on the privilege of having access to education.

Education is opportunity, education is heritage. My parents were able to move to Canada from Chile and make a better living because they had education. I live a good life because of them. Education impacts more than one generation. Once education enters a family it usually sticks around. Helping one person get her education, will impact many more.
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Megha — July 17th, 2012, 9:29 pm

Tim,

Please make this easier for the givers. Why not simply share a link that allows me to donate the preferred amount without the hassle of choosing student. I trust you enough to lend to a pool rather than choose a student. and this way I am also more confident that my contribution is getting counted in your target.

I spent 5 mins trying to figure this out but either the login doesn’t work or task of choosing a student on the site seems intimidating or makes me unsure act whether its getting counted under your target.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!
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Mike Gray — July 17th, 2012, 9:29 pm

Education – continuous learning throughout all aspects of life. It never stops, for anyone. Keep getting better, keep showing up, keep improving your knowledge. Enabling your passions to become your occupation.

Posted to Twitter, Facebook, Google+. Donated $35 each to 2 different students. Hoping for “each one reach one, each one teach one” reinvestment from the students that successfully complete profiles, complete loan funding, complete graduation, complete repayment, and then help others to do the same. This can take time, but also be a game changer for the individuals involved, the individuals they then help, and the regions and countries they then help. Love the long-term payback potential at a large scale. Thanks for raising awareness of this Tim and happy birthday!
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- Mark Deatherage — July 26th, 2012, 1:35 pm
  
  Mike–I was on the fence about opting-in but since you recently unplugged and are re-setting, I am matching your gift. Thanks for inspiring others and slaying the enemy of happiness: BOREDOM.
  Reply
Jakub — July 17th, 2012, 9:33 pm

Hi Tim, it’s awesome website! Education means for me simply better world, happier people with a chance to fulfill their dreams! I think I know something about it as I’m now studying in Australia, over 16.000kms from all my friends and family.

I’ve donated only $25 for now as I paid my uni fees last week, and have nearly 0 on my account at the moment, but will donate more in few weeks.

I’m going to message all my friends on Facebook (just a bit over 300), and I’ll print out basic flyers to my part-time job – a luxury residential building in Sydney with median price for 1 bedroom about $1 million, and 206 units, so I hope it will help.

Happy B-Day Tim!
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Angelique Benrahou — July 17th, 2012, 9:44 pm

Education is so important! My father comes from Morocco and he was studying to be a doctor. However, he couldn’t pursue it due to extreme migraines and had to leave Morocco due to the stigma that he must be crazy if his head is hurting. If the community had been more educated, or there were more role models who had had opportunities to get an education, my father might have been the doctor he had always dreamed of.

I’m an art college student and I donated too! I’m bugging my family, my friends and any teachers I know that have some spare change in their pocket! I told them the best part is that they get their money back. Let’s say they’re saving up to buy an expensive radio or etc. They loan that money and when it’s returned, if they still want that radio, it might have gone on sale, or they don’t want it anymore and they have that $50 they loaned a few months ago.

Hopefully some of them do donate!

Thanks for posting this!
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Steven — July 17th, 2012, 9:51 pm

I’ve been thinking about getting involved with Kiva or Vittana for a while now…no better time than the present. Let the promotional cogs start spinning!
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greg doney — July 17th, 2012, 11:02 pm

Hi Tim,
I have donated, will share on Facebook as well

cheers
greg doney
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Arthur — July 17th, 2012, 11:16 pm

Tim,

First of all happy birth day week bro. You’re truly an inspiration but more then that I just follow you know for all the random interesting shit you find and post. I would have never heard of this company before but now I’m going to start alternating my Kiva donations with Vittana and be the “hand up not the hand out” (love that line)

Wish you all the best this year.

-Arthur
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Stefan — July 17th, 2012, 11:49 pm

Hi Tim,

as I read the comments I was stunned about the numbers of people you reach through your fans. And I love that you use your impact on people for such good causes!

To me, education is one of the best and most important things in the world. It is the means to change the world – may it be school/college education or “self-made” education by reading good books.

PS: It’s hard to pick a student (or 2)….
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Sean — July 18th, 2012, 12:00 am

Education to me is something that enhances your being, your experience of the world, and in turn, what you are capable of giving to others. .

Happy Birthday week, Tim. I think it’s great that you’ve made this the focus of your birthday – giving to others. I posted on my fb page, and encouraged my 2600 friends worldwide to give what they could. Hope you get some cool gifts, anyways.
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muriel — July 18th, 2012, 12:17 am

Bon anniversaire Tim! Wonderful what you are trying to achieve here, get the best out of people and make them feel good at the same time! Can completly relate to what you are doing, in the Thai tradition you have to do something for other people on your birthday. For my 30th I organized a party for the refugee school I was managing and got the best present ever, handwritten notes from laotian refugee girls telling me how much they liked the party!

Where to begin on what education means to me… I am a trained teacher, I worked for different Ministries of Education on gender equality and ensuring girls & women are benefiting from the system. So I would say Education is the key to everything or almost everything, I have seen first hand experience how scholarships could turn a girl’s life & family and the entire community for the better. How girls from rural villages became doctors, engineers ect… and in turn helped other children to get the same opportunities! My husband and I are already supporting a refugee family, but I’ll pledge to give a loan to an inspiring student!

Good luck in your project and continue to amazing work!
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Holger — July 18th, 2012, 12:23 am

Hey Tim,

I have a great idea that could boost the whole Vittana mission. Please contact me via email for details. It´s going to be AWESOME, I promise!

Best regards,
Holger
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- Holger — July 18th, 2012, 5:48 am
  
  To make it more interesting for you, I´ll give a small hint: It has to do with helping not only one student, but all of them by forming a strategic alliance in language learning.
  Reply
- Holger — July 23rd, 2012, 11:17 pm
  
  Okay, I see it is hard to make you interested…
  For me education is broadening my possibilities to achieve more at work, and live a better life wherever, and how I want to live it. Language is part of education, and speaking different languages on a ‘sufficient’ level boosts career opportunities.
  
  So, I would like to help setting up a co-operation between Vittana and Qooco. Students would have the possibility to improve their language skills, and therefore broaden their possibilities, and experience a new freedom of mobility. Maybe now is the time to clarify details…
  Reply
Anil — July 18th, 2012, 12:59 am

Education means a better-informed, knowledgeable person / partner / citizen / parent – which will lead to a better tomorrow for the next generation. A study in India says, “that first kid that’s able to complete graduation in the family ensures their family moves above poverty line”.

It’s that thing which “changes lives”!

It’s great to see you offer this birthday gift to support a noble cause. God bless us all with more of your kind. Have a great day
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Karel — July 18th, 2012, 1:01 am

Great idea! This will make a difference. I’m eager to follow up on progress of the protégé….
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Calen Beaune — July 18th, 2012, 1:02 am

To me, education is at the core of progressing humanity. Everything from mechanical fellowships to liberal arts Ph.D’s improves our world just a little bit more. Also, having struggled with the Canadian student loan system myself, Vittana helps put everything in better perspective.

Thank you Tim for exposing me to Vittana and then for your amazing donation. I’m proud to say I transfered some of my loan to a couple students in SA.

I then proceeded to dominate the timeline of all my friends on facebook, gave a shout out to Vittana on twitter, and harrassed each and everyone of my engineering classmates to join in on an engineers for engineers funding drive. Next step is to try and get the department/companies to sponsor the whole thing. I’m travelling right now but have sent updates home harrasing even more friends and family to donate. I think I managed to notify about 1000 people in total.

Best of luck, happy birthday, and great idea!
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[!v@n] — July 18th, 2012, 1:37 am

Hi Tim,

this is what I really like – when people who have achieved a large audience use their “power” to pursue great ideas. Education is one of them. There is nothing better to give somebody, not just young people, than an opportunity to study and learn something new and push the boundaries further. Boundaries of our own limitation. I really wish I could do stuff like you, like other “celebrities”, convincing people to do more than just live their lives without thinking there is more or better that can be done. Particularly for people that are not so lucky to live like we do. Once again, well done. Keep such things going on man!

All the best,

[!v@n]
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Robert Osborne — July 18th, 2012, 2:09 am

Education is the key to stopping violence, improving our environment and ensuring that our global societies are populated with good human beings! Helping students will be remembered by those students, who will then help others!

Great birthday idea for paying it forward!

I’ve only contributed $300, but expecting that matching contribution, Tim! I focused on African students, since I only recently moved to Nairobi!

I’m not looking for the ticket, but I have promoted Vittana to my friends and family via Facebook, with a request for belated birthday contributions (my b-day was only 2 days ago!).

I have also shared this with my new company, since we’re getting ready to launch a non-profit on the side that will be focused on IT education here in Kenya – perhaps we can even have our students setup with Vittana!

Go, Tim!
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Dror — July 18th, 2012, 2:28 am

Hey Tim, It seems that the share widget is also giving a 404 when clicking on the lend now button there… Tried to figure out how to fix that with no success. I hope you can get it fixed.

Thanks
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Rob — July 18th, 2012, 2:42 am

Virtually any form of education empowers- it liberates people out of whatever rut they’re in, or treadmill they be on,and gives them hope of a better future. A future that enables them to live a life more fitting with who they *really* are.

I’ve tweeted this out,and all the other social stuff, but have also convinced one of my clients to start a campaign where we’re raising awareness of illiteracy in the US (14% as of 2009). We’re getting plenty of bloggers on board, and companies to make donations of their relevant services/products, to get people talking, spur conversation and help those who need it most.

Nice work, Tim!
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Milan Balaban — July 18th, 2012, 2:42 am

I posted this on Facebook, Twitter (2k+ people) and will put it in a next week’s blog post.

However, I’m doing this (and donating) for those people who will have chances like I was offered once, not for the reward. So, please, don’t even consider me for that, give it to someone who really wants it.

May you help people even more for your next birthday!
Have a super fantastic day!
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Lars-Christian Elvenes — July 18th, 2012, 2:44 am

Education (whether formal or not) is an eye opener, it’s to develop critical thinking, expand your possibilities and understanding on both what and how you can achieve something, it’s developing your mindset, and not least, it’s a door opener in your career and way to hone your skills on something you love doing… and so much more.

Posted your challenge on facebook, twitter, and google plus so far.

I’ve made loans to Kiva several times, but never to Vittana. Thanks for making me aware of it. Will make it one of my regular stops, along with Kiva.

Happy birthday / Gratulerer med dagen (depending on your Norwegian), Tim. Love your work, mindset, and initiatives.

LC
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semara — July 18th, 2012, 2:53 am

Happy Birthday!

its cool way you done to celebrate it, will donate to
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Dror — July 18th, 2012, 3:03 am

Education is everything. Learning is everything. Everyone should make sure to learn something new everyday. I know I try

I shared this on Facebook and Twitter and also wrote a blog post about it at http://dbpmarketing.com/do-good-day-a-few-bucks-can-make-a-world-of-difference/.

I don’t have a big audience but I also made sure my big brother knows about this challenge and he made his donation and shared it with his much bigger audience

Great thing you are doing here Tim and I just wanted to thank you for making my day feel so GOOD.

Thanks and happy birthday
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Iarel — July 18th, 2012, 3:09 am

I’ve donated to Munaylla Davila Robert Smith in Peru.
Happy Birthday Tim !
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Jennifer Cartwright — July 18th, 2012, 3:35 am

Wow Tim, this is amazing! Education to me means bettering yourself as an individual, expanding your horizons, being a lifelong learner and following your dreams. As a single parent, I became a teacher so that I could help others to grow, learn and succeed, while doing so myself. Education is right, but it is also is a privilege that so many cannot afford. Your 35th birthday gift represents love, caring, opportunity & support to those who need it most. I strive to give back to my community. I hope that I am in the position to do this very same thing one day. Happy Birthday & many more!

Jennifer

P.S. I am going to share this on my facebook but also in person with a group of educators & administrators that I am meeting with today. I have already shared my love of The Four Hour Workweek with them and told them about your facebook page. Today I will encourage them to join your page to see the wonderful support that you are providing to education! Thank-you on behalf of all of us Tim! Cheers! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
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Peeta Banks — July 18th, 2012, 5:14 am

Education is the key that removes limits from your life. Basic skills – literacy & numeracy – are essential if someone wants to live a better life than their parents.

Excited to see how much we can raise – giving out these loans is addictive!

Happy Birthday Tim.
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JamesO — July 18th, 2012, 5:16 am

Education is the engine oil of life. The engine will work without it, but never to it’s potential.

Great idea and cause. Plastered over my Facebook wall for 200-odd people to exercise their consciences.
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JamesO — July 18th, 2012, 5:16 am

Oh, and $25 loaned and donated.
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Vrijheid Harnvoay — July 18th, 2012, 5:23 am

You inspired me to do favourite things differently.

Never know travelling also can help those poors and unlucky ones.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Keep posting…Enjoy your life
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Adam Claydon-Platt — July 18th, 2012, 5:48 am

Happy 35th Birthday Tim!

To be honest, I didn’t go to Uni, so I don’t have much of an opinion about Education in the “traditional” sense…

But to me, Education means keeping your eyes, ears, and most importantly your mind open, every single day;

Continually learning about all the varied and wonderful things, people and perspectives in the world,

In order that we can make more informed decisions about the most positive and effective direction for us in life,

And hopefully as a result take more beneficial actions to make the world a better place!

Love your Birthday Challenge – thanks so much for making my life, and millions of others, so much better, in so many ways
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Ian Comaskey — July 18th, 2012, 5:49 am

Loan sent!
Great idea, really love it. Don’t forget Tim my Twitter offer- Alternatively, it can be a beer, in any city. My wife wants to come too!
Anyway, happy Mandela day and happy 35th!

Education is not homework, algebra, grammar, periodic tables, rows of neat little seats or believing everything our teachers tell us. Its a mentality that allows us to get things wrong, figure it out and try to get it right next time.

All the best,

Ian, Lynne and baby Finn
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Richard Hanley Jr. — July 18th, 2012, 7:02 am

To teach other’s how to learn on their own with the resources they already have.

Happy birthday Tim.
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Andy — July 18th, 2012, 7:13 am

Thanks Tim for this great initiative!

Education is about Raising Consciousness and Skill-sets of individuals so they can Serve their Community and World authentically and naturally.

I shared this post to my FB community of about 3000 friends/subscribers and 435 Twitter Followers.

All the best Tim and Happy Birthday! Here’s a special birthday quote for you

“There has never been a person like you before, there is not anybody else like you right now in the whole world, and there will never be anybody like you. Just see how much respect God has paid to you. You are a masterpiece — unrepeatable, incomparable, utterly unique. Even the hardest heart, the rock-like heart, will start melting in gratitude.” Osho
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David La Motta — July 18th, 2012, 7:29 am

I _bow_ at these random acts of kindness. Truly fantastic, selfless acts like these are inspiring. An entrepreneur in Ghana got my donation, so this goes down on the history books as my first VC investment

Now my birthday wish: please help feed hungry children in the world. Only a parent knows the gut wrenching void the idea of our own children going hungry can evoke. Help those children, and let us help you help them.

Happy birthday to you.
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Jen — July 18th, 2012, 7:33 am

Education means self-discovery, awareness, friends, freedom, confidence, and an appreciation for life. I am so grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given and those that cross my path each day.

Thank you for doing this and helping these students. It’s quite inspiring.

I posted my contribution to my facebook wall and shared on twitter.

Happy birthday!
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Melissa Rachel Black — July 18th, 2012, 7:45 am

Can’t believe it’s already been a year! Happy Birthday Tim and thanks again for last year–I used the ticket to fly to Bangkok, and I’m still on the big adventure, writing the book I said I would. (Hello from Melbourne!) What an awesome pay-it-forward system you’ve set up. I’ll be in touch when the adventure brings us round again to SF in a couple months. Warmest wishes, Melissa
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Jesse Land — July 18th, 2012, 7:49 am

Just donated $25 (it’s all I can swing at the moment).

Thanks for putting this out there Tim! I wish these hard working kids all the best!
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Brian Jones — July 18th, 2012, 7:49 am

Hi Tim,

Education to me means firstly, providing someone an opportunity to improve their lives, the lives of those in their community, and the lives of all of us. Education is about teaching someone how to teach themselves; e.g. one learns how to learn; a skill that takes someone far beyond learning a specific skill/topic. It broadens one’s perspective and helps one to see a world beyond their personal world view.

My physics degree has never directly been put to use, but the lessons on how to learn have been tremendous help as an ESL teacher in Taiwan, studying French in the south of France, and as an IT Professional for 18 years.

I posted your link on my Facebook status, posted it on the page of Manpower Group, printed copies of the first page, highlighted the URL and left them around the office for others to see.

Good luck with the campaign.
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Steve Faulkner — July 18th, 2012, 7:51 am

Great idea Tim and Happy birthday. Load made and what a lovely thing to do
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Mike — July 18th, 2012, 7:53 am

This is very cool! One of the few redeeming things about my time in Afghanistan was the positive impact we had on kids. I’m on board and spreading the word on Facebook and Twitter!
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- Mike — July 18th, 2012, 8:30 am
  
  I was also able to add an updating banner for the challenge at my own site! That’s great!
  Reply
Christopher Rees — July 18th, 2012, 8:15 am

Hi Tim, first off Happy Birthday!

Education is everything, in that it allows anyone to learn, grow and compete in the global economy. Anything that’s every been created, has been created twice.. once in the mind of the creator, and then again in the physical sense. That first part would never come to be without education… without the ability to be introduced to a variety of things, subjects and perspectives.. to be challenged to think and grow beyond one’s self, and to challenge others to do the same.

Secondly, thanks for doing this and bringing this awesome idea to the forefront. I think it’s an awesome idea, and I just made a donation and I will post to Facebook (500+), Twitter (2,000+), my mailing list subscribers (3,500+) and my YouTube Channel (4,000+).

I’m also going to talk about with my friends and associates, and do what I can to get the word out there. It’s a great thing to do, and I applaud you for continuing to make the world a better place!
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Christopher Rees — July 18th, 2012, 8:21 am

Tim, just a follow up comment.. when clicking on the link to post to Twitter, it’s incorrectly putting up the tweet as “Another Unusual 0,000 Birthday Present ” (the 100,000 is not showing up right)… Just an FYI.
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David — July 18th, 2012, 8:29 am

First of all, happy birthday Tim! Just started following your madness, I mean work, about a month ago. I’m a late bloomer. Talk about an education! You have completely changed my perspective on this world, for the better. Your teachings, experience, and wisdom has brought some much needed clarity into my life. Two books. Two books is all it took. I’ve got a long way to go to get where I’d like to be. But, I can see the road ahead of me now. This is education at it’s finest. My new found education has, and will continue to, significantly improve the quality of my life. Since stumbling upon 4HWW and now half way through the 4HB, I’ve been telling everybody, “you have got to read these books!”
In my opinion, education is the most powerful, most thoughtful gift you can give to anyone. Across the entire globe, education trumps all. You can teach kindness and compassion. You can teach a man to fish. You can teach civilizations to live together in peace. Education is just that powerful. Unfortunately, education doesn’t always reach the people who need it most. I am just some lucky jack ass that stumbled upon these books and your teachings. I am very grateful for this. But as this program points out, there are millions who are not as fortunate. To be able to give back in some small way, to make a small difference for someone less fortunate is the least that I can do.
I have posted a link on my Facebook and will make a small donation of $50.00 this Saturday after I receive my paycheck. It’s the least I can do for such a great cause.
Thank you for sharing this program Tim. And, thank you for generously sharing your education with the rest of us. It’s made a difference for so many. Let’s continue the goodness!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM
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Matt Coughlin — July 18th, 2012, 8:36 am

Tim,

Another inspirational post, how could I not donate!?

What education means to me: Education is the necessary means for improving your own life and the lives of those who are important to you. Education unlocks information, money, and most importantly freedom to direct your own life.

I posted a link on facebook, tweeted it, and did a blog post on two of my websites. I don’t know how many people that reaches, but it’s quite a few. I have also been spreading the word around my work, and there are quite a few interested, generous engineer types here, so hopefully that money goal will be history in no time!

Matt
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Joseph — July 18th, 2012, 8:40 am

Tim,

First off, happy birthday good sir. Second, thank you for laying out some baby steps for us on this project, as usual. It’s nice to have a linear checklist of items to cross off. FINALLY, thank you for this opportunity and for making service to others a top priority of yours. Very impressed and grateful for that.

I’ll be pondering what education means to me, and answer accordingly.
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Dave Robertson — July 18th, 2012, 8:50 am

Hi Tim, Happy Birthday – I donated $50. Someone mentioned they would prefer to donate directly and not select a student – that could be a nice option, but I enjoyed seeing the different students and their goals. In the end, I just chose a random student because it was too hard to pick among all the worthy goals. It’s also pretty humbling to think that an amount of money that is not that huge, in Western terms, can make such a big difference in different parts of the world. It’s nice to connect all of us like this so we can help one another on a global scale.
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Chelsea O'Brien — July 18th, 2012, 8:53 am

Education and travel…now THERE’S the way to open the door of possibility in one’s life.

With education, the imagination grows and begins to ask more questions. We become curious as we learn, wondering about other parts of the world and how to connect to greater ideas. With travel, we quickly get an education on many things at once, like culture, safety, navigation, languages, values. Education has been the fuel to my sparks of curiosity. It’s led me to figure out how to live the life of my dreams…and now how to teach others to do the same. Education gives one the ability to consider alternatives, to make comparisons and then to make choices in life rather than react to life.

Sharing this via emails to friends and my Facebook page right now until I can think of something more clever.

Thank you for using your influence to make a difference. Thank you for being a demonstration of what’s possible with focus, intention and motivation.

Happy birthday, T.
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Zen — July 18th, 2012, 9:25 am

Love what you’re doing! I’ve been looking for ways to contribute and supporting education seems perfect. I’m interested in finding out what kind of interest rate the borrowers are required to pay for their loans.
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eric — July 18th, 2012, 9:39 am

Very cool post Tim… Happy Birthday.

Education, in my experience is the daily experience of living. Adding intention to it, like the students listed in the Vittana site have … i believe their constructive eduction makes the entire world a better place. One moment at a time.
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Brian — July 18th, 2012, 9:40 am

Tim,

What you’re doing is very nice; it’s great that you’re willing to share some of your wealth and success with others, but c’mon, shouldn’t charity start at home?

There are plenty of under privileged students in US–just think of all the major cities to start with. Also, we have plenty of students that are recent grads who are drowning in student load debt. What’s worse, many of them can’t find a decent job due to the tough economy.

Then there’s the folks who are in school but are only taking a few credits per semester or are quitting because they’re stuck working 30-40 hour weeks at crap jobs to pay for it all instead of focusing on that degree.

It’s great to help people in other countries solve their problems, but don’t you think we should clean our own closet out first before we clean the closets of others???

Anyway, keep the great posts and info coming!
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Brooke Bell — July 18th, 2012, 9:48 am

Thanks for being such an inspiration Tim! I will be turning 35 myself quite soon and I appreciate your leadership: This year, I won’t be worrying about getting older or asking for gifts. Giving back, living in the moment and making my unique contribution to the world is the best gift I could ever hope to get. Pretty Hope Martin will be getting my support and I let all my facebook friends in on Vittana. Thanks again!
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Michelle Sears — July 18th, 2012, 10:28 am

Tim thank you for inspiring me to be a part of this great opportunity. I would not have found this on my own because I wasn’t looking for it. And that would have been tragic because I would have missed my chance to help change the life of a student. Thanks again rock star!
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Carole Stuart — July 18th, 2012, 10:30 am

Happy Birthday Tim!

Enjoyed your 4 Hr Workweek and Body books. You always make me think – now if I could just come up with a million-dollar idea!

I do have a recurring thought though. Like you, I love to travel and have been lucky to see various parts of the world. I’ve seen poverty and misery, different religions and dress and women walking miles for water. Tears at my heart. What makes me equally sad though is the way OUR country is slipping in education (and other areas). I worry for the future of our grandchildren. Will they have the future and opportunities we’ve had? Our country’s infrastructure is getting old and too many kids can’t spell.

It is very neat that celebrities and folks like yourself are helping poor African/Asian/other nation’s children to get an education and improve their lives. I’m not downplaying international adoption and assistance as a positive thing. But, how about matching a dollar for abroad with a dollar for the USA? Particularly to tutor or get kids into math and science and off any form of public assistance.

Since I read your emails and thoughts and have bought two of your books I don’t think it is asking too much to ask you to personally read this. (I know you have to have help sorting through all the mail you must get.)

Woud love to hear about what you might have done domestically…Big brothers and Sisters, a camp like Tiger Woods Summer Academy? A local restauranteur here in Anaheim, California makes dinners for kids who don’t have a home and wouldn’t eat otherwise. Bruno Serato serves 300 free dinners to homeless motel kids every night. I’m sure they need help with education and other areas too. Tim, your email has inspired me to send him a donation. Not what you asked for I know. But my birthday is in a few weeks and so I’ll do it as a gift to myself. Will send it with both our names.

If you wanted to send him a check too and say it’s from me too that would be okay

Best wishes and congratulations on your success!
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Peter J. Faletto — July 18th, 2012, 10:31 am

Education is critical to our nation and the world…I used loans to get through school and it took me years to repay them…and I’m still working on others but I am glad that I can help today. I worked 7 different jobs at the same time to get through school. It took me longer but I made it…now I am hoping to impact the world by creating a new approach to healthcare and living.

The returns of an education are so far reaching that they can never be measured. I posted on FB, sent emails and challenged my friends to make loans and donations as well.

I chose to support Rosbita Mariana Aguilar Céspedes with a loan and donation, I wish you well Rosbita!

Thanks for thinking of others on your birthday Tim!
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A Simple Life — July 18th, 2012, 10:42 am

Inspired. Music – I know that saved me (heart and soul). Inspired by El Sistema – I invited Stanford Thompsen to Philadelphia – requesting that he bring a version of this TED award winning program here. He walked with me and a retired music teacher through where I live in the “hood” of North Philadelphia.. He said yes..and that he would provide everything – teachers, funding… His program started in Philadelphia and completed its second year at school called St. Francis in West Philadelphia – promised that he will be city wide in another year with a award he received in May for more teachers. Education – is everything – education that satisfy’s the soul (music) and provides meaning, community, and compassion is priceless.

Thank you Tim – your work expands the space that I have to contribute to others, sometimes by connecting them with resources (like this example) or simply that I have time to volunteer, water trees, and encourage others to contribute. A (joyously unemployed for 3.5 years – home paid for, a sustaining passive income (roommates) – volunteer hours – more than 80 days last year). Artist – joyously living simply… Thank you for expanding the beautiful simple life. [currently traveling in Bay Area – $5.00 round trip + whatever it costs for milk shakes and bread pudding at Tartine – keeping travel within grocery budget). That trip – on wish list – would like to hang with Dali or go to Nepal..and go to Paris so when others ask if I have been I can say yes..instead of “no” – which is Annoying. “Happy Birthday….” and of course visit friends – and am photographing a wedding in Budapest next August..that would be perfect… Maybe I can sell a painting or Barter for Miles for …All of it….Laughter… Thank you for creating a space where I can show others how to also live a life they love. You (and that) is a Blessing.
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Carole Stuart — July 18th, 2012, 11:26 am

Check sent.
Happy Birthday Tim!

Enjoyed your 4 Hr Workweek and Body books. You always make me think – now if I could just come up with a million-dollar idea!

I do have a recurring thought though. Like you, I love to travel and have been lucky to see various parts of the world. I’ve seen poverty and misery, different religions and dress and women walking miles for water. Tears at my heart. What makes me equally sad though is the way OUR country is slipping in education (and other areas). I worry for the future of our grandchildren. Will they have the future and opportunities we’ve had? Our country’s infrastructure is getting old and too many kids can’t spell.

It is very neat that celebrities and folks like yourself are helping poor African/Asian/other nation’s children to get an education and improve their lives. I’m not downplaying international adoption and assistance as a positive thing. But, how about matching a dollar for abroad with a dollar for the USA this time too? Particularly to tutor or get kids into math and science and off any form of public assistance.

Since I read your emails and thoughts and have bought two of your books I don’t think it is asking too much to ask you to personally read this. (I know you have to have help sorting through all the mail you must get.)

Woud love to hear about what else you might have done domestically…Big brothers and Sisters, a camp like Tiger Woods Summer Academy? A local restauranteur here in Anaheim, California makes dinners for kids who don’t have a home and wouldn’t eat otherwise. Bruno Serato serves 300 free dinners to homeless motel kids every night. Tim, your email has inspired me to send him a donation. Not what you asked for I know. But my birthday is in a few weeks and so I’ll do it as a gift to myself. Will send it with both our names.
If you wanted to send him a check too and say it’s from me too that would be okay

Best wishes and congratulations on your success!
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Matt Walrath — July 18th, 2012, 12:04 pm

I love that the Kiva model is being applied to student loans! Thanks for bringing this organization to my attention.

I saw firsthand the positive effects that even basic education can have on the lives of children when I took a trip to La Chureca in Nicaragua to do some volunteer work with an amazing organization called Lacrosse the Nations (lacrossethenations.org). The juxtaposition of the lives of the children who attended the Hope School vs those who did not showed me just how much of an effect the institution of school can have on the lives of a child. Rather than spend their days searching for glue to huff in the trash dump, these kids were laughing, playing and learning.

I can only hope that all of the kids I worked with have the opportunity to receive further education and help themselves and their families out of the most extreme poverty I have witnesses.

To promote this campaign I have shared it with:

-My business is offering $15 discounts to any customer that sends a copy of their Vittana receipt- we promoted this to our 1366 people that like our facebook page plus paid to promote it to an additional 400 friends of our fans + I promoted a post to my 1133 personal facebook friends with the same offer
-376 of my business’s twitter followers
-My company’s email marketing will include the Vittana deal mentioned above + we will advertise the promotion on our site (30 unique visits/day)
-Promoted to my 148 personal twitter followers
-10 (and counting) family members via email

Small contributions from a small business owner, but its nice to take comfort in the aggregate power of all of the small influencers on this site!
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Jeff Nabers — July 18th, 2012, 12:31 pm

Really cool. I donated of course.

“Your loan will create $4,488 in impact in just one year. Over his lifetime, your loan will create over $210,936 for Hector Rolando and his family.”

Damn. That is an excellent way to frame the value of the transaction. I really dig this site. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Tim.

Oh yeah, and I’m 99.8% your picture is from Burning Man!

Happy Birthday
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Vic Dorfman — July 18th, 2012, 12:44 pm

This is too cool!

Do you guys know why Paraguay and Philippines are the 2 countries with the most students? Just curious..

To me, education means having access to (good) information and having (good) people around, who BELIEVE in you, encourage you to follow your passions at any cost, and who support you no matter what you choose for your life.

But above all, freedom precedes education. My parents who grew up in the former Soviet Union were so well learned as to be ludicrous by today’s standards (in the US, anyway), but they weren’t educated about fundamental things like individual freedom and responsibility, free markets.

What good is it to be a doctor and have the standard of living of a peasant? Oh snap…it would seem I’ve just completed a bona fide rant. Haha! Ah, well, happiest of birthdays to you, Tim, and good vibes to tall!
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Jason Croft — July 18th, 2012, 12:46 pm

As far as what education means to me, if I may, I will offer two quotes, both from the great Ken Robinson:

“The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn’t need to be reformed — it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize education, but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions.”
? Ken Robinson, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

“Imagination is the source of every form of human achievement. And it’s the one thing that I believe we are systematically jeopardizing in the way we educate our children and ourselves.”
? Ken Robinson

Thanks so much the little kick in the ass this afternoon, Tim. I dig what you’re doing. I donated some dough, spread the word to my 1,000 or so folks in my networks (a paltry amount compared to yours, of course ).

Peace.
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Matt Walrath — July 18th, 2012, 12:49 pm

I just realized that today is my favorite teacher from High School’s birthday. He stayed around during spring break my Senior Year in HS to teach me Calculus- I was in the standard calc class and he believed that I had the ability to score well on the AP Calc AB test with a little extra coaching. So, every day in between my lacrosse two-a-days I would meet with the angelic Mr. Flint for 2 hours to accelerate my studies. His kindness saved me $3300 because I received 3 college credits for passing the AP exam. So, for his birthday, I made a $25 loan to a teacher in Indonesia.

There is nothing more valuable than a great teacher and Mr. Flint taught me that!
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Justin Wu — July 18th, 2012, 12:51 pm

“What does education mean to you?”

Dear Tim,

Education is what separates humanity from brutes. Education is what governments should consider their TOP priority. Education is the best investment you can make and the only thing that cannot be taken away from you. It enables people to become more, do more, and accomplish more.

I am an English teacher in Lisbon, Portugal, and many of my students want to learn English because it will help them be more attractive in the global job market, and because it is now the de facto universal language. I can see how education impacts people because I’m an educator. I love it when a light erupts in a student’s eyes that kindles understanding and inner growth.

Learning a new language (as you well know) unlocks a whole new part of the world for you. I want to give that to my students. Education is the key.

So, what did I do for your challenge?
I donated $10 each to two Chemistry students, Daissi María Candia Figueredo and Rafaella Barbudez Cámara, both from Paraguay. I chose the chemistry students because maybe one day they will create a medicine that will help save lives.

As for promotion, I liked this post on Facebook, reTweeted it, and posted the link on my blog, Expat in Lisbon.

Thanks Tim, for giving up a birthday present for yourself and instead helping to raise money for education.

Sincerely,

Justin Wu
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Johnny — July 18th, 2012, 1:05 pm

Education to me means having mentors, building contacts and lifelong friendships. It’s also good for building a workforce. But personally I learned more from life experience, traveling, and working than I did from school.

But I donated to a girl from Paraguay this year because of your birthday. You changed my life a few years ago and I’ll never forget it Tim.

Still living the dream.

-Johnny
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Ivan Staroversky — July 18th, 2012, 2:02 pm

Happy Birthday Tim. Thank you for improving my life over the past few years.

Education comes from the Latin word “Educo” meaning to grow from within. I think that education is an experience of matching the right circumstances with passion to learn, which helps a person to grow form within. Education does not come from universities or colleges. Education comes from the desire to learn and find the circumstances that will help you prosper.

I made a donation to someone who wants to be a teacher in Paraguay. Out of all the students I saw on the website, I liked this student’s purpose the most “My dream is to be able to teach and, through this line of work, be useful to society.”

I retweeted your post, shared it on Google+, and emailed it to my friends.
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Peter — July 18th, 2012, 2:23 pm

Hey Tim!

Love this shit! Happy Birthday and thanks for doing so much! You are an inspiration.

So here is the scoop:

We donated 70 bucks under your team. Then posted about you with a link to your team on Vittana to our sites FB page. There we have 6500+ fans.

But I wanted to take it a step further so we promoted the post (super effective if you have yet to try it) for the highest dollar amount possible. This will pay dividends to your cause as nearly 100% of our FB fans will now see the post and and many will participate in one way or another. I will follow up with a the results here when the promotion is over in 3 days.

Love you man and all that you do!
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- Peter — July 23rd, 2012, 2:38 pm
  
  Alright, the numbers are in:
  
  Full Reach: 13,026
  
  Hoping this drove a ton of donations under your team name from our huge Vegan community.
  
  Lets reach the goal! Looks like you are less then $8k away!
  Reply
Justine — July 18th, 2012, 2:25 pm

Happy Birthday!

Let this be the best one yet. I gave $42 but don’t want to participate in the retweeting and facebooking and promoting.

Love your idea though!
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Trina — July 18th, 2012, 3:11 pm

I’m getting an “long running script error” at Vittana’s website when I try to donate. Can someone decipher what this means and what I can do to fix it?
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Tim Ferriss — July 18th, 2012, 3:36 pm

Thank you all SO much for the loans, donations, awesome comments, and incredibly inspiring spirit!

Pura vida

Tim
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- Stewart Rogers — July 27th, 2012, 9:46 am
  
  “What does education mean to you?”, you ask?
  
  It is the difference between where I am now and where I know I can go in the future.
  
  Even at the age of 42, I’m still learning every day. I still read upwards of 200 articles a day in order to become better at everything I do, and as a result leave a bigger impact on the world – not just for me but for as many people as I can positively affect.
  
  Your latest initiative lit a fire under me. As well as loaning via Vittana (I chose a prospective teacher, so that the impact of my loan might be even greater), I’ve done what I can to spread the word:
  
  Tweeted several times via @TheRealSJR – my analytics tells me I reached more than 62,600 people via my tweets and retweets.
  
  Sent details of what you’re doing to my extensive networks, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+, and to specific groups, like UsGuys. In total, around 15k additional direct connections, and I know some of those people have shared the news too.
  
  We also set up a group and promoted the initiative in various forums, such as the Fitbit group I belong to. Just another 700 members or so, but it all counts.
  
  That’s all the measurable stuff. I’ve told everyone I can about it and hope they follow the instructions, and I put the widget on my charity fitness website – UsFitties.com – to drive extra clicks to Vittana.
  
  Between us all, we can make a real positive difference across the world…
  Reply
Jean-Luc — July 18th, 2012, 3:48 pm

Happy Birthday Tim!
Just donated 25$ to a student.
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Jordan — July 18th, 2012, 4:09 pm

I loaned $31 to Miguel Angel Torrez in Bolivia who is studying economics and eventually wants to start his own business.

Education (not schooling) = Empowerment. I am a college student myself. I am schooled in alot of subjects. Like most students, I cram like crazy usually the night before the test. Pass my test, then a month later forget it all. Most students are schooled in college but not enough are empowered to DO. We live in the Information Age. There is plenty out there for people to self educate adn to learn facts about anything but in order for someone to act on what they have learned they need to be empowered.

I spent 2 years in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico living in rural areas with the Mayan people, sleeping in hammocks and learning spanish/mayan. I was able to donate my time to help people financially, school them with facts, or do chores for them. but the best thing i ever did was learn to empower people, to believe in them so much that they would believe in themselves and make changes in their lives (ie quit alcohol, stop beating wives or children, read with their families, open a business…ect)

Tim I think you are an awesome educator because you empower people to do act. “If one does not act on what is being taught then they are not learning. Therefore the teacher is not actually teaching” — Aristotle. Instead of just teaching people facts we should focus on helping them implement those principles in their lives. If you just teach someone a fact they can throw it on their resume. If you empower them to act they can make a change in the world.

Tim you have empowered me to believe in myself so much i am on my second startup while in college, and I continue to work for the lifestyle I have always dreamed of. In my life I hope I can empower half the people that you have!

Thanks for everything man!

Jordan
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- Jordan — July 18th, 2012, 4:11 pm
  
  and of course I shared it on Facebook and Twitter
  Reply
Kristoffer Sandven — July 18th, 2012, 4:24 pm

Hi Tim – and happy birthday!
Just donated enough to get one student from the Philippines up to fully founded. Thanks for telling everyone about this great initiative!
I also see it as a small way of giving thanks for the inspiration I have found in the 4-hour work week and your other projects. Keep it up – can’t wait for the 4-hour Chef
PS.
Shared with 4500+ Twitter followers and 600+ FB followers.
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Nikki — July 18th, 2012, 4:43 pm

Happy Birthday Tim!
Gave $50 to someone who was yet to receive one!! Gotta start somewhere.

Education means EVERYTHING to me. On a Trip to Tanzania last month (gave up my 30th to go volunteer) I was chatting with a 22yr old local who was volunteering at the community centre while trying to finish primary school. I worked out that over my 30yr life I have been in formal education for over 24 years of it! Up until this conversation I had always taken that for granted! But now I realize the value of my education and the responsibility to use it for a purpose greater than myself.

I’ve posted this, shared this and emailed this everywhere I can think of… Including a blog on my own companies website… Im a university lecturer so im also planning to work it in to some of my lectures this week!!!
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James Rick Stinson — July 18th, 2012, 4:56 pm

Education is an opportunity to elevate perspective – to make better decisions and more valuable contributions in this short life time.

What you’re doing is fantastic – love the model.
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Abby — July 18th, 2012, 5:24 pm

Happy Birthday!
This is an amazing cause!
My mother was just out of high school when I came into her world, and I remember how important to her it was that she did not waste her talents. She and my father worked hard for her to finished he B.A. in English and eventually her M.A. She eventually end up teaching my high school English class. Raising three children and taking courses was difficult on my parents. My dad’s idea of dinner consisted of ground beef with a can of mushroom soup and a side of fries (which I think he still considers to be a vegetable). Sometimes we would pack up our toys and coloring books and sit in the lobby while my mom finished he classes. I don’t know how they did it, but both my parents have their degrees, my sister and I are both finished with post-graduate work. And now I have a great appreciation for the work that goes into furthering education and its importance in the world.
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Mary Baker — July 18th, 2012, 5:33 pm

Education is giving a person the tools they need to problem solve, to make life not just better or easier, but to advance on their particular life path.

Shared your post on my Facebook page …http://www.facebook.com/mary.baker.1420?ref=tn_tnmn

4600+ peeps, most in the culinary and wine fields. And people who produce good food and wine do love to nurture!

Thanks for sharing another GREAT birthday gift!
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Kate — July 18th, 2012, 5:34 pm

Hey Tim
Happy birthday! I wanted to thank you for offering up this challenge. I am a newly single mother with very little resources who despite having financial comforts at different points in my life find myself today 12 days before my next child support payment with $1.23 in my checking account. $1 of which just went to Senja in hopes that she can find her feet and run forward into her destiny. It truly IS the random acts of kindness that keep us all looking toward the future with hope in our eyes and love in our hearts.
Best
Kate
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tom mcgee — July 18th, 2012, 5:45 pm

Good work that man !

education = freedom
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Leon David Dunn — July 18th, 2012, 5:48 pm

Tim, this is a great idea. My buddy put me onto it and I have just sent a loan to a student in Ghana.

Keep fighting the good fight.

Leon
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Jordan Graham — July 18th, 2012, 6:20 pm

To me education is the most important factor in Human progress. It is the means by which every human individual can become informed and gain the ability to think critically. It is what will lead us to evolve both socially and technologically toward the best future we can dream of.

what I did (so far)
Tweeted 25 of the top Twitter users in the world this link asking for a re-tweet

“Author Tim Ferris Is having a birthday challenge to raise money for 3rd world education! Spread the word! http://www.vittana.org/teams/408”

shared on my FB with 542 friends
and I’m about to go to work (I work in a restaurant) where I can tell at least 50 people, some of whom already know who you are!

when I get back from work I’ll continue tweeting people with large fan bases in the hopes that the message will get through and that we can far exceed your goal!

much love, Jordan
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Isabella Testai — July 18th, 2012, 6:54 pm

What a beautiful idea Tim!!
I have just spread the news with twitter/ facebook/ stumble it and email and I hope with everybody’s support we will achieve the target.
From me I have loaned just 40 $ as I am a very poor designer and in Japan we have a lot of trouble right now(!!!) But I hope that my student of Paraguay, Lidys Aniela Campos, will become soon a good layer and help her community!!! Lidys Ganbatte!!!!
Well, Education really makes the difference for everythings.
I really mean it, it’s not just for your challenge.
My father growned up during the second war in a small village of Tuscany in a very poor family and even if he really wanted go school to learn, every time his father finished to sold his school-books for food, so he could’nt finish school and started working instead as icecream-seller for an american base near Pisa (Camp Darby). An official noted his strenght and capacity so he offered a full employement position if he would be able to took the diploma and notary specialization on evening school in very short time and, yes he did it, and he did it very well that when he retired at 65 years he was chief department manager, beloved from anybody around !!
Yes, my father showned me with his life that education is extremely important and that gives you a big chance to fullfill your dreams.
Thanks to him I have growned up with the same temper and even if we weren’t enough rich to let me study to Venice University the fields I was found about it (japanese studies) I managed by myself, I took a very difficult scholarship from Mombusho, I studied hard, and graduated successfully.
Now I am living in Japan (This was my target from when I was a child) still keep studying and doing what was my other big dream (graphic design)
and trying always to improve myself, also thanks to your book
(I’m also taking english lessons becouse I am always speaking only in japanese or italian that’s why my poor english! Sorry!!)
Anyway, Education is the key to make people feels better, to make their living better and ultimately making the all world better.
This are not just good words, this are facts.
Happy Birthday Tim, a big Hug and please contact me if you step by near Tokyo!
Isabella Testai (I becomed 35 on 12th of June! cheers!)
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Melinie — July 18th, 2012, 8:49 pm

I love this! It’s so important to show people that we care what happens to them and that we believe in their efforts to get educated. So often I think we forget how blessed we are, and I love that everyone who is funded is working toward being better in their field, and not expecting a hand out! What a brilliant idea!
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Gavin Doran — July 18th, 2012, 8:49 pm

Education is not a period of time that you are sitting in a classroom. Education is a lifestyle. Education is simply having someone to teach you things that will benefit you and help you navigate through this often times, cruel and unforgiving world.

Every tike deserves that. When even ONE CHILD doesn’t get that education, we are ALL to blame.

Because I BELIEVE in what TimTim stands for as a person, here is what I did:

I e-mailed this link to every news station in my area (Panhandle of Florida) and sent out e-mails to the local News Papers, encouraging them to write about something that actually MATTERS-Tim Ferriss’ movement of spreading knowledge and education across the world.

BUT;

MORE IMPORTANTLY:

I went and volunteered at an elementary school to help struggling students learn how to read and how to do basic math. Upon doing this, I realized the true meaning of education and how important it is for everyone to have that helping hand. At one point a little girl asked: “Why are you here?” I answered simply. “Tim Ferriss.”

IF I were to win this trip, I wouldn’t want to go to Paris or Switzerland. I would challenge Tim Ferriss to accompany me to a struggling country to tour and help volunteer at local schools and continue his movement of education for all.

If you win and I don’t, I encourage you to do the same.

Here’s to the mind of a child,

Gavin Doran
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Rory Hamblin — July 18th, 2012, 8:54 pm

Tim,
Just like the past couple years, this is such a great idea. It’s the type of giving that creates focused, real change. Today is actually my 35th birthday and although your check will be a little bigger, I’m happy to experience the feeling that comes with doing something nice for someone else on my birthday. Happy b-day and please keep up all of the great work,
Rory
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Tammy — July 18th, 2012, 9:03 pm

Education means great teachers, access to resources, a gathering of minds and challenging yourself.

I posted your Vittana link on my Facebook status, going out to 320 friends, and I made a loan of $50 to Astri Nuraeni of Indonesia.

Can you tell me how students can get nominated for a Vittana loan? I support a rural school in Cambodia and know of some outstanding students who would be eligible.

Wishing you a karmic birthday!
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Ryan Shepherd — July 18th, 2012, 9:33 pm

Awesome Idea Tim!

Done so far:

Facebook Wall Post: 141 Friends
Tweeted: 220 Followers

Plan to:
Tell everyone!!!
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Greg Ekkebus — July 18th, 2012, 9:42 pm

I am a student and know the difference an education makes. I grew up very poor and have had to struggle growing up to make the bare essentials. I was fortunate living in Canada where we have access to student loans and I know students in many other countries don’t have the luxuries we have. I know I couldn’t contribute a lot but I think giving up a cup of coffee for a while is well worth it.

I chose Blanca Analia Gimenez as I am finishing my Economics Degree and I hope that she receives as high of quality education as I am fortunate to have received.

Happy birthday Tim and I think the world needs more people like you.

Shared on Facebook
Twitter @Gekkebus
Spread the word around the University
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Natalie Bauer — July 18th, 2012, 10:25 pm

To me education means options, and I hope that is what it will mean for Cherry in the Philippines. I’m so happy to give back to a place and a people that gave warmth to me when I visited.

Happy Birthday Tim! Alles Gute und Liebe zum Geburtstag.

I have posts set up for the week to hit Twitter, Facebook and my Page – I’ll update metrics.

LG
Natalie
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Gary — July 18th, 2012, 10:51 pm

Tim and everyone,

Nice to know what Kittana is doing. Did you know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been doing this since 2001 with what they call “The Perpetual Education Fund”? Check it out at: http://pef.lds.org/?locale=eng

It is always great to help people secure an education and better future for themselves, their families, and is actually something that will affect generations.

I have done it on my own, as well as through the Perpetual Education Fund.

Great thing Tim. Thought you might want to know of other groups doing it too.
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David — July 18th, 2012, 10:56 pm

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a post I can wholeheartedly support.
Happy Birthday Tim.
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flosiv — July 19th, 2012, 1:39 am

I realized what education means, when i was arguing with some of my friends, which were refugees of the war in the Balkan area. They live here (Switzerland) now, have their university degrees and tried to start some business with their folks down in Kosovo. They couldn’t start any business, cause of the older generation, which always prevent the youngsters by realizing their dreams. This generation is bad educated and not open minded for any change! The only way to break this circle is a good education for the next generation and then is it possible, that something like the Arabic spring happens. It’s the same with the female circumcision in Africa, those people don’t know how cruel they are, cause they are victims of archaic cultural knowledge. There is only one path to solve all this problems in the world and this is the path of the education.

My thumb rises for Vittana!

Thank u Tim for bringing this up! And I wish u all the best for your b-day

greeting from Switzerland

Flo
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Guillermo — July 19th, 2012, 2:15 am

“What does education mean to you?”

Education is giving someone the toolkit so they can shape their own future and fulfil their destiny. Education means empowering, it means action, and it means improvement.

Education is how we, as a society, can really move forward.

Loaned, happy birthday Tim!

Shared on Facebook and Twitter, and emailed closest group of friends – will keep on pestering in person, this is an awesome initiative.
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Erin — July 19th, 2012, 2:42 am

Happy Birthday Tim.

Old Chicken Makes Good Soup.
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Emily — July 19th, 2012, 5:25 am

All answers to your education question can be boiled down to one answer: empowerment.

Thanks for inviting everyone to share in your birthday gift. I’m happy to be a part of it and I hope I can help rally people to do the same.

Quick question: Can the winner of the ticket give it away to someone else if they should so choose?
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- Emily — July 20th, 2012, 1:47 am
  
  Forgot to add how I spread the word:
  
  Posted link on FB status (632 friends), 1 share (364 friends)
  Posted on personal travel blog with own content about MFI’s (17 followers), and published new post to FB
  Verbally shared the idea with 8 friends in Ao Nang, Krabi, Thailand, current location
  
  Not much but I’m not a pro blogger; I just keep my friends and family updated. I know that it’s inspired friends and family to make donations to Vittana, so that’s cool enough for me.
  Reply
Russell Melvin — July 19th, 2012, 5:32 am

Done. x3. Good job, Tim.
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Michelle Roman Higgins — July 19th, 2012, 6:12 am

Hi Tim! Happy Birthday!!

I retweeted, blogged, and FBed your amazing education program. Kudos to you.

What does education mean to me? It’s a chance for someone to expand beyond what they thought were their boundaries. It’s a chance to now help others who are coming up in society behind them. It’s chance to now better the education system and the world…to use the tools that they were so generously given.

Namaste.
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Rich Harrison — July 19th, 2012, 6:35 am

Education is the greatest gift that you can give to yourself and that also benefits the world many times over. Without an education I shudder to think what my life would be or have been like.

I’ve invited my friends via private email, plus the members of my Rotary club in Little River, SC, plus my co-workers. Facebook and Twitter are next.
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Megan Pangan — July 19th, 2012, 8:10 am

Education for me is a big part of self love. To love yourself and understanding that there is so much in the world to know, to explore, to challenge. To educate oneself is to provide a means of improvement or change or confidence. Life is so much richer when you take the initiative to learn. Learning permeates through all of life, from the personal to the professional. I see it as a springboard to greater and better things. Education can teach the world humility.

Thank you for bringing Vittana to my attention. Again, I am thankful and humbled by my own circumstances and want to be a part of the positive change you are bringing across the globe. And happy 35th birthday Tim

To spread the word I…
Retweeted the RSS feed sent to me via email
Posted on FB after I had made my donation to Regin Duldulao
Tweeted again, after visiting the feed via blogsite
mass emailed my colleagues in Riverside County Environmental Health, where I had just quit my job yesterday as I was so inspired by 4 Hour Work Week
Sent to my parents via email and FB

Thanks again.

Big hug,
Megan
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Monica Jenious — July 19th, 2012, 8:18 am

Education means opening doors to the future of your choosing. Personally, I have benefitted tremendously from my college education – not only in the confidence, but the relationships and sense of accomplishment. I am happy to contribute to another student; and hope they reap some of the same benefits I have.

To spread the word I have liked to FB to 300+ friends and sent the link to my closest girlfriends via e-mail.

Thanks Tim for the opportunity to help in a way I would not have thougth of.
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Michael — July 19th, 2012, 11:34 am

Congratz on the B-Day
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Rick — July 19th, 2012, 12:40 pm

Education is the process of learning about things not readily experienced. If I would’ve known that bullies were committing tortious acts upon me in middle school, who knows how that might’ve changed my life? Also, it’s an excuse for me to owe $70,000+ to a bank!

Happy birthday, and thanks for the generous offer. I’m not trying to win – I’m happy in Miami – but I thought you might like to know that I posted a note on Facebook (1100+ “friends”), and I made a loan to help someone in Bolivia. Good luck with your challenge, and thanks for the wonderful blog and books.
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Jojo — July 19th, 2012, 1:35 pm

education cures!

thank you for introducing me to both websites, kiva and vittana, I was thinking about a similar idea the other day and didn’t know they existed. now that i know, i am happy to participate.
there is so much talent around the world, which sadly doesn’t get recognized. i hope we are all able to spread the word and connect support on the one side and talent and motivation on the other.

again, education cures!
even turning 35..congratz!
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Andrew Martin — July 19th, 2012, 1:58 pm

What does education mean to me?
I’ve been fortunate enough to have the chance to go to Stanford, and now I’m a rising senior studying design, psychology, and computer science.

Over the past 3 years, I’ve realized that education for me isn’t about personal gain, but it’s about learning the skills to give back more than I’ve taken away from the world. To leave the world a better place since having me.

How did I get the word out?
1) I posted it to Facebook (400 friends), and Twitter @amartinsu13 (500 followers)
2) My friend saw my post and offered to post it to his friends on Facebook (1600 friends)
3) Thelistserve.com is a growing email list of 20,807 people (and counting!). Each day, 1 person is randomly chosen and allowed to post a 250 word email to the list. By pure fate, the day before Tim posted this blog post, I received an email saying I was chosen and that I had 48 hours to write an email! Today (Thursday) it was posted to all 20,000 followers.
- I’ve already gotten tons of emails from followers of the list supporting, including an incoming Stanford freshman who said seeing it just made her even more excited for school in the fall

Here’s the email I sent to the Listserve:

SUBJECT LINE: How would you help aspiring teachers in the developing world?

BODY:

Tim Ferriss (of 4 Hour Work Week fame) is turning 35. His birthday wish is to raise $50,000 from the followers of his blog to help fund aspiring teachers. If we are able to raise $50,000, he will match that with another $50,000 donation! As of this writing, we have raised $27,181.

To raise the money, he is using a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Vittana. Donations to Vittana students are 100% tax deductible.

To donate:
1) Google “Vittana” and click on the first link
2) Choose “Lending Teams” at the top
3) Scroll down and choose “35th Birthday Challenge for Tim Ferriss!”
4) Choose “Join Team” in the right column
5) Connect with Facebook
5) Find a student, and donate!

I highly encourage you to consider making a difference in someone else’s life today!

Thanks for your time,
Andrew Martin
Stanford, CA

–

Who did I help?
http://www.vittana.org/students/2578
Pretty Hope Martin! I couldn’t pass up a girl studying to become a computer programmer (I’m studying CS at Stanford), with my last name, AND from the Philippines (I’m half Filipino). I also picked her out because she was stuck on the last page of students from the Philippines, and didn’t have any donations yet. I checked again today, and she’s now been fully funded!

Happy Birthday Tim!
Reply
- Jonathan L. — July 19th, 2012, 9:13 pm
  
  Andrew, the best comment I’ve read so far!! I could tell it was from the heart and I’d nominate you (if I had any part in it) for top 5 promoter!
  Reply
Mike Rudd — July 19th, 2012, 3:06 pm

Tim,
First off Happy Birthday man, enjoy a great year!! A great call to action hear, I truly try to make a difference every day and you are one of my top motivations for it.
I donated $25.00 (donation not loan) to Cherry Domingo because I enjoyed her story the most.
I tweeted your post out to 1,175 followers on twitter and wrote a blog today entited “What are you doing today?” praising you and others for random acts of kindness. You can find the full post at
http://www.marketingfunwithmike.com
But here is a snippet in quotes shouting you out with a link to your site.
“Laugh.

Smile.

Listen.

Engage strangers.

Send a friend a card.

High five a co worker.

Think about what Tim Ferris is doing”

Your name was hyperlinked to this post. I shared that on facebook with 900 friends, 1,175 twitter, and 379 LInkedIn connections. That’s all the friends I have in the cyber world I think!!

As for education…
Education to me is a means to be able to have a fair shot at doing whatever you want in life. In America 95% of us are giving that opportunity and some squander it away. In other countries not everyone is given the fair opportunity to make something out of their life, and it all starts with education.
Education is world equality, a means to life, a means to opportunity, a means to achieving greatness while on Earth.

Thank you! CARPE DIEM ALL!

Mike Rudd
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Gregoire — July 20th, 2012, 3:18 am

Once again, Tim you inspire and uplift people by your actions and your generosity.

Happy Birthday and may this continue way over a 100.

Education is the key to keep an open mind. It helps to grow as a person and to share to allow the world to grow. education is the seed planted in a soul that grows only when watered.

have an awesome day and always feel better.

Gregoire
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Kate Vasilyeva — July 20th, 2012, 4:26 am

Tim,

it’s one of the best ideas thet impress me and my friends.
I share yours idea with my facebook friends, google+ circles, e-mail to all friends in my contact lists, vk.com friends too…

Now i’m reading storie of students and plan to donate some money.

Education for me was a big chance to change my life and life of my family and it’s the same now. We are able to travel all around the world and find out new opportunities every day!

I really hope these people to whom we help we’ll use the chance as much as possible!
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Aroha — July 20th, 2012, 5:00 am

Happy Birthday to you Tim, big time …. I share the same birthdate too, although, a few years ‘more’ ‘young’;) …

I got your book ‘fourhourweek’ a week ago, and it’s transformational .. big time!!…

As a b’day gift, am supporting two young women and have added the vittana weblink to my email signature to spread the word.

What does Education mean? I think, well …. it opens the doorway of our mind, to follow the pathway of our heart to etch our contribution to the world.
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Jan — July 20th, 2012, 7:07 am

What does education mean to me? Well, I have homeschooled my children since their birth (they are now teens dual-enrolled in Community College for their high school years)…..so I guess you could say it means everything to me, my life….our life for the past 16 years has been dedicated to educating my children in ways that think outside the box and prepare them for LIFE not for next week’s quiz. It is NOT a 7am to 2pm classroom, our entire lifestyle is dedicated to learning….our vacations are learning experiences, our everyday life focuses on learning something new, listening to interesting people, learning a new skill or just reading about something we didn’t know before. Many people who worry about whether homeschooling is a good idea focus on “socialization”…..but my kids have been learning and practicing socializing skills with people of all ages their entire life, not just the 30 same aged classmates from K through 12.

Anyway…..education is utmost in my book. I work closely with the homeschool community and publish a weekly newsletter for them, with a headcount of 2,487 families. This week’s issue has a write up about your blog and your lifestyle. May you continue to be an inspiration to those around you!
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Len Williams — July 20th, 2012, 7:45 am

I chose to support Ernest Youngmann from Ghana. Education is what allowed another young Ghanian named Joe Danso to escape poverty and move to the States as an 18 year old. Who would have thought that same young man would one day start a successful business in Christian Retail and that I would have the privilege of working as his partner for the last 5 years. This donation is for Joe, in hopes that his spirit, courage, and enthusiasm will embody itself in Ernest as well. God Bless you Tim for spreading this initiative and happy birthday!
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Simon — July 20th, 2012, 8:26 am

Today is also MY Birthday Tim! Happy Birthday to us! I hope you have a GREAT Birthday (first time in a while I remember getting “Friday” as a gift! )

Simon from Cincinnati, OH
Reply
- Simon — July 20th, 2012, 10:06 am
  
  BTW Tim – I just got you and I a gift – a $50 loan and an $8 donation to Vitanna! It DOES feel good to GIVE on your Birthday!
  Reply
Cherise — July 20th, 2012, 10:03 am

Done. No blog, No zillion followers. Just a healthy respect for the life changing power of education and for those who are working so hard to get an education in conditions I can only imagine.

Happy Birthday!
Reply
Morgan — July 20th, 2012, 10:37 am

Love it! Great organization–great birthday idea! I have donated.
Reply
RacerX — July 20th, 2012, 10:51 am

Education: To me it distills down to Self-empowerment.

Donated. Donated again. Looks like a cool site Tim.

Oh, and Happy Birthday!
Reply
Sherri — July 20th, 2012, 11:04 am

Education means opportunity. It opens doors–not only to careers, but to further knowledge and wisdom.

What a great organization and a great birthday idea! I have made a microloan and shared the link to this article publicly on Facebook.

You continue to inspire me, Tim.

Morgan MacDonald
Writer-Speaker-Educator
Seattle, WA
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GJonesDreams — July 20th, 2012, 1:17 pm

Tim,

Been following you for a minute (since 4HWW) and you have been very inspirational to me.

Life is an adventure, and folks like you with a free mind and willingness to educate others are a blessing.

I want to wish you a very happy birthday, and say how much I appreciate your posts. My birthday is tomorrow and will be exploring Colorado somewhere (TBD when I wake up in the morning)

Keep the posts coming!
Reply
Francois — July 20th, 2012, 3:12 pm

Awesome idea!

I’m fortunate enough to be born in a country where everything is possible. I don’t need the ticket, thanks to your teaching my business is doing good, but I always need a way to remind myself that not all of us are so fortunate.

Thank you,
Francois
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Alex Heemann — July 20th, 2012, 3:24 pm

Happy birthday Tim!

I think education is the single best and most effective way to make this world a better place.
Education greatly increases tolerance and decreases poverty. Education helps to take luck out of the equation. It is the multiplier for our talents.
As a college student from Germany, education gives me the opportunity to share my thoughts with people from all over the world, even if they don’t speak my native language.

I think education is the most obvious answer to almost all problems our world is facing today and it can provide a path to a better future. As good as globalization and automatization in every industry is, they also can cause job problems. Education is the only way to solve these.
By solving the education problem we can fight poverty and deficiency at the cause instead of trying to defeat the symptoms.
We all should never cease to educate ourselves since the world is changing more rapidly than ever, and such arise new problems, but hopefully also more ways and opportunities to tackle these problems.
This whole project is beyond awesome, and I will do my best to contribute and make education available for more people.

Here is what I did so far:
- Made a blogpost on my tumblr blog (ilovetattoos.org) with 2000+ followers on tumblr.
- Posted the link on the Facebook page of said tumblr blog (6100 fans).
- Posted the link on two of my other Facebook fanpages with 19,200 and 7700 fans.
- Created a pin on the pinterest account for ilovetattoos.org (361 followers) that promotes the site.
- Lastly I also shared it on my personal Twitter and Facebook account.

I used bitly to shorten the majority of the links, and the stats can be found here:
https://bitly.com/LD8ojW+

I made a 35$ loan to Deidamia Martinez from Paraguay. She wants to be a teacher, and I figured that if she gets her loan she can not only escape from poverty, but also pass on education to other people.

Best wishes und liebe Grüße,
Alex
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Vaughn — July 20th, 2012, 5:15 pm

Education means choices which in turns means freedom.

I have two daughters and I can promise you that one of my number one priorities is to give them the best education I can-both in traditional “book sense” and “common sense.”

Great job Tim!

Not only did I make the donation, but I also shared it on Twitter (@lvgranger) which is linked to my facebook and sent an email out to select friends along with a text message….

Hope we kick ass and give people endless opportunities in life!
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Jen — July 20th, 2012, 6:37 pm

Dear Tim, I donated $35. It’s all I can spare at the moment. I am sharing this on facebook and twitter, not to win a trip around the world but to highlight the fact that many of the women are getting almost no funding. The women are usually far more repressed in these countries than men. They need our help so this is a call out to anyone who has a mother (all of you) to focus on the students getting less funding. I’m also asking my social networks to do the same. I truly wish I could give each one of them their funding.
Tim, I would also ask that whoever wins should have a stop on their trip to visit the person they helped fund and see what a difference Vittana is making in these communities.
You are a great person for doing this. I hope the $60k mark gets reached!
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Catalina Zegers — July 20th, 2012, 7:22 pm

Education gives people the ultimate tool to realize their dreams, passions, and interests. It is the gateway to a world in which you are the architect. It gives you that power! You can design and subsequently built your life as you wish because you have the knowledge and skills that make you valuable beyond your ability to perform manual labor. It simply gives one creditability, propelling one’s thoughts and ideas into the minds of others.

I am an upcoming college freshman who immigrated to the States 13 years ago. In my native country of Chile, financial aid can only be sought through heavy interest loans. I am grateful for the opportunities this country has given me and lucky to be able to continue my education (winning scholarships was my only way to finance my education). I only feel right in reciprocating the gesture. Since I only have a Facebook, I shared your donation page with my friends. I also shared it on the page and group page of the non-profit organization (U R Awesome Inc, a random acts of kindness organization) I am now interning for as well as on my college “Class of 2016″ group page. My loan went to Nadia Fabiola Fariña Silvero. I believe we share the common goal of one day running a business. Her work ethic also mirrors mine.
Reply
- Catalina Zegers — July 21st, 2012, 8:59 am
  
  I forgot to write my measurements.
  
  FB friends: 287
  Non-profit group page: 591
  Non-profit page: 918 (likes)
  “Class of 2016) college group page: 3,504
  Reply
Saulius — July 20th, 2012, 8:56 pm

Donated a little bit, I guess every little helps! Great post for a great cause!
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Adrian — July 21st, 2012, 5:23 am

Hi Tim,

I wanted to say happy 35th birthday. Not acting our age is definitely everyone must NOT do as long as they are delivering value to people and the world, and you definitely are.

Reading and hearing the audio version of the 4 hour work week many times (20 times and counting) over has changed my outlook in life completely and i am still figuring out how to create a great income stream form a muse. i am finding the marketing part a bit daunting to be honest and have failed partly because of it. I think I am getting closer and I currently working on 2 software projects (focusing on my strengths) to which i know the market exists but want to create a new product category.

I am of the year 77 too and seeing someone my age being successful and making a difference an honor and a great source of inspiration. I visit your blog often and learn a lot especially from other’s people case studies.

I wanted to send you a birthday card but could not find your mailing address anywhere I’ll be honored to send you one if i did.

Happy birthday

Adrian
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Cecille — July 21st, 2012, 10:05 am

Greetings from Manila! Chanced upon this blogpost, and it got me really excited to share the news about your birthday project in facebook. Microfinance in education is a great idea! It’s worthwhile investing on this project!

Education liberates us in so many ways, and the first step to liberation is the desire to learn, regardless of whether finances are available or not. Time and again the Universe affirms that it will send all the help we need whenever we strongly desire something for ourselves that will contribute to common good.

You and those who are part of this endeavor are blessed indeed!
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Antonio Fajardo — July 21st, 2012, 10:09 am

Just joining the party, starting today with the slow-carb and a donation!
For me Education is: among others, knowing there’s a sweet spot at one o’clock!

Stay young, stay foolish!
Happy Birthday!
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J. Burton — July 21st, 2012, 7:57 pm

Education is a light where before there was only darkness. I have seen the dawning of understanding in a child’s eyes and was blessed to be a part of that moment. Thank you for the opportunity to give today. Happy Birthday – thank you for all you do for others. Namaste. Shared on Twitter & Linkedin.
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Liam — July 22nd, 2012, 4:00 am

Hey Tim,
I donated some money to Vittana, and saw a box you could tick for a tax credit. If you “loan” enough and get a big tax credit are you actually making money since you get more back on your tax return? Just a thought.

-Liam
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Amir — July 22nd, 2012, 3:04 pm

Happy birthday Tim! I made my donation and I thank you for this project. It is truly remarkable how instead of a $5 starbucks coffee – we can make an impact. Not to say $50 or more..

I see formal education as a starting point. Jim Rohn says it will make you a living (which is more than most people from the third world could ask for), but self-education will make you a fortune.
Now, most of these people do not have all the books, libraries and other resources readily available like we do, which is why I think a project that will create an online library where they could read as many books for free as we could get in – would be invaluable!

Thank you again for organizing this project! I have shared it with my facebook team, my blog and my email list!

Cheers

Amir
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Jason Perez — July 22nd, 2012, 6:56 pm

Education isn’t just a requirement for a better job; it’s a fundamental tool for defining your path in life.

I loaned money to 3 students and posted the information on Facebook (432 friends). Next week I’ll forward to coworkers and see if we can build some momentum in the corporate space.

YOUR DONATED STUDENT LOAN(S):
Amount: $100
Date: July 22, 2012
Student: Daissi María Candia Figueredo in Paraguay

Amount: $100
Date: July 22, 2012
Student: Reyna Isabel Barahona in Honduras

Amount: $100
Date: July 22, 2012
Student: Laura Maribel Vargas Colman in Paraguay

Happy Birthday Tim! Your lifestyle design and evolving social awareness campaigns are truly inspirational!
Reply
Lauren HJ Koo — July 22nd, 2012, 7:35 pm

Hi Tim,

Happy birthday!

I’m South Korean attracted by your book and I found this website. Now I know that you’re doing great things to make the world better. I’m spreading this website as much as I can. I shared in my personal FB (544 friends), other pages I like (about 10,000 members), in Weibo (Chinese FB), and I’ll email this to my friends’ list. No matter I can get the tickets or not, this still makes me happier. Thank you!
Reply
Phillip Griego — July 22nd, 2012, 9:36 pm

What education means to me: Education is key to a successful life. Whether you’re studying at a school, home schooled, or are learning via self-study. No matter which avenue is taken, and in most cases multiple avenues are taken, a person must educate themselves to become what they want to me. Which, of course, will change throughout time and education. I know my life plans and views after totally shifted views for the better after reading the 4HWW. “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.” ~George Washington Carver, American Scientist.

Mr. Ferris I am spreading the word of our loan/donation team via Facebook, Twitter, and StumbleUpon and I am posting this at different times throughout the days to ensure my followers see this post and that I am serious about this!

I made a lovely $35 contribution to our effort.

I am unsure of where I’ll like to take my trip to, somewhere far from Afghanistan hahaha because after this army deployment I need a break lol
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Connor O'Brien — July 23rd, 2012, 1:05 am

To me education provides the foundation for individuals to chase their dreams.

I have just completed my loan/donation to M.Yogi Maulana of Indonesia who has an interest in Business Administration like myself. I have recently completed a business degree from a Canadian University and had the opportunity to complete my final semester on exchange in Thailand. Living in a country like Thailand and visiting surrounding countries has really opened my eyes to the value of education that is really taken for granted in the Western world.

To spread the word I have shared the link to 1000+ friends on facebook and posted on several educational based groups. As I am currently travelling throughout South East Asia and have been moving from hostel to hostel I have had the chance to speak with tons of different individuals from around the world. I have made an effort to bring up the Vittana Program when ever possible and have gotten some very positive responses. These backpackers and travellers tend to be grateful for the opportunities they have are often willing to try and make a difference.

Additionally, I have posted about Vittana in many of the hostels I have stayed in throughout Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. One example would be posting on the Lub D Hostel Facebook pages which is the default home page for all computers accessing the internet. Additionally the Hostel has over 4500 followers and even “liked” my post about the initiative. I will continue to promote Vittana beyond the deadline as I continue through Burma, Malaysia and finally Indonesia – where my loan will actually be utilized.

I also believe there is tremendous potential for the international exchange program at the University I attended in Thailand to get involved and I personally reached out to the international program director. Nothing may surface by the July 27th deadline, however, to me providing students the opportunity to gain an education shouldn’t have a time limit. Ideally, this could work towards a partnership in Thailand which I believe does not yet exist and become an ongoing source of student loans and donations from visiting international students who are realizing how lucky they really are to not only have the opportunity to gain an education but also study abroad.

Thanks,

Connor
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Jeymi — July 23rd, 2012, 1:36 am

Happy Birthday Tim and blessings to you and everyone participating in it.

Sorry for the long paragraph, but I get inspired.

Education is not just all the information and data you get from books and classes. Is all the experiences as a whole that really make a print somewhere in your personality and the way you think. It´s something you can hide or fake, it shows without making conscience of it. It starts from your family since you are born, the first strokes in a white canvas. No matter how old you are you always carry all those prints in your self, collecting them from different sources, since everything and everyone teaches you something. So it is the map that shows where you have been and where you aspire to go. Is the remedy of fear to the continuous change and the tool to understand your inner guidance.

I made my loan, great feeling. Share it through facebook and twitter, not many followers and friends but convince my boss to make a bigger doantion.
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Luminita — July 23rd, 2012, 2:51 am

Education was for me the gate for a better life and the key to dream bigger. Simply put – I know – but I mean every word of it.

Apart from facebook, I took the time to personally share it with my friends and acquaintances over social gatherings. Human interaction is a very powerful tool.

nevertheless – Happy Birthday, Tim! you are truly an inspiration..

Luminita
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Joseph R. Moore — July 23rd, 2012, 12:53 pm

Just a quick follow-up: How do we ensure the students we provide loans to on Vittana aren’t getting charged an interest rate above 20%. While 10-15% is pretty standard, according to the Vittana Q&A page, they do mention some loans go up to 25%. I don’t know how often this is the case, but at that interest rate it almost seems counter-productive to the student.

Do you know whether we can find out the interest rate our student is paying?
Reply
- Tim Ferriss — July 23rd, 2012, 2:08 pm
  
  Hi Joseph,
  
  Good question. I’ll ask Vittana to chime in here with a response.
  
  Cheers,
  
  Tim
  Reply
  - Joseph R. Moore — July 25th, 2012, 9:35 am
    
    Thank you Tim.
    Reply
Angela — July 23rd, 2012, 1:38 pm

Happy Birthday Tim!

Education to me is the tool to empower our youth to be future leaders of our world.

I shared this with 402 of my Facebook friends, and have also been personally mentioning this post as well as Kiva to friends and family.
Reply
Christopher Cuellar — July 23rd, 2012, 6:33 pm

Tim,

Great idea!! Thank you for helping to raise awareness for microlending, and especially our friends at Vittana. You’ve inspired a post this week on our blog, Rising Pyramid, and we’ve shared it with our Twitter and Facebook following (personal and Rising Pyramid).

http://risingpyramid.org/2012/07/23/microlending-made-easier/
Reply
h2neu — July 23rd, 2012, 7:22 pm

Hello! 404 LINK ALERT

To: TIM – Happy Birthday Cool Man-

AND

To: ANY thoughtful reader(s) who can help with an ANSWER
regarding the age requirement for participation…PLEASE ???

Auntie Holly here, that would be, me feels like an idot.

Yes, and thanks, but to save anyone the thought of going to the trouble of helping me with a presumed typo, in this case, I know how I spelled that. That word { Idot } is a ‘hybrid’ replacement of the obvious, coined and used by a great guy in Switzerland. He prefers it over the correct spelling, pronunciation, and general tone and sound of negative reinforcement. English is not his first language of the several he speaks and writes, so for a while, I too thought it was a charming, albeit small error. It isn’t.
I like it better too- but anyway-

And Much More Importantly:

I WAS SO JAZZED BY THIS YEARS CONTEST, AND THE COOL TWISTS THAT I THOUGHT …

IT WOULD BE AN AWESOME PROJECT FOR MY NIECES AN NEPHEWS, IMPRESSIVELY RAISED as ACTIVELY GOOD CITIZENS OF THE WORLD SINCE BIRTH.

*Active since they could talk and walk.

Sure, I am very proud of who they are, and I am their Aunt and all. But they really are some great examples as people go-

-and I still think this contest would be an awesome way for them to inspire more of their peers, other kids, more kids, to get involved, and learn some valuable things in this process.

Much to their credit, and to their parents, my sibs, they have been spreading awareness, and actively participating in countless great causes and fundraising since, on average, the age of 4 YEARS old.

From both sides of the continent, and lots in Washington,D.C.

Now, age’s 13- 17 yrs of age, they continue to impress me with how much they care, how much they care about, and what they do about all of the things their big hearts care about AND GET INVOLVED WITH, on a regular basis.

From local to Global.

Their stories would warm your hearts too. Anyhow, aside from my own interest, and spreading the word on this years really great and innovative contest,

Auntie here, who lives over the pond now, and wishes to stay involved in their interests and lives, thought…

“HEY!

What a super idea for the ‘kids’ to get involved with!”

I also thought the micro-loan twist would be actively educational for them, and their friends with like interests and minds.

Their reach with the organizations they are involved with, and their collective, crazy but true, thousands of ” facebook friends ” alone stood to make some promising impact.

SO- I thought… this was just a win win win all around.

I really didn’t want for, say, my sister, for example to come back with:

“Nice idea, Hol, and they did really liked Tim’s TED Talk you added, along with the other anecdotes you shared about Mr. Ferris’s lateral thinking and life, and book, etc…..

but after getting them all stoked and fired up to go-

I CHECKED the fine print… and they need to be 18 to participate according to the Vittana site………”

This hasn’t happened……..YET.

YES- I did think about this- and I am a fine print checker, however, I ran into “the 404″ message- which by the way is coming up tonight Too- last night, and as well, I was getting a

” cannot find blah blah page…message on Vittana’s link. Tonight- I got through on Vittana’s link.

OOOPS……………..sigh……

Well, sure, I absolutely should have taken further measures, but it was very late here, and I had some email’s to write, some Ferris facts to double check- and a TED talk to re-visit, essentially all I included in my email’s to sibs, and kids, all told in 3 other time zones from my own.

By the time I had finished, I was feeling really good about how good I knew they would feel getting involved in this great project. I imagined them getting excited about it. I was tired. It was crazy late.

I made another run at due diligence, sigh… and I ran into the same, with another link(s) check – when I had finished. I was falling asleep. Excuses, even though true.

So- I took my chances, and hit SEND(s)- not thinking enough- and worse, I REALLY should, and do know better-

about the loan twist, and the probable considerations this could entail, regarding age.

Instead, I thought the idea of KIDS helping other KIDS made for too good an idea to rule them out.

I know- they can still get involved, and their parents can send a donation- or loan.

But ….after how I explained it all, and rallied interests, It more than feels like I really have been an Idot Auntie.

Dam.

I AM HOPING THERE MIGHT BE SOME CAVEAT OR TWIST…Missed…?

BEFORE I FOLLOW UP WITH THE just less fun- since it has already been introduced, and all….

FINE PRINT-AGE OF 18 SITE REQUIREMENT NEWS.

WHICH I will have to do, and pretty soon. Of course the contest ends Friday night.

TIM- or any of you fine peeps out there-????
Have you got any caveats or such up your sleeves, or in mind – or fine print I missed since I got this headache- really- upon realizing my guffaw?

I hope someone has a great idea around this- or some other advice before I start writing- or keeping still crazier hours to call, which would be better- aside from the 3 aforementioned, and significantly different time zones from here in Europe, involved, being in the States, and China.

I expect I will be finding some way to try to make my inadvertent great idea for them not feel a bit like a bait and switch. Or, as much.

They are great kids, and do these great things they do, not for reward or prizes.
Not beyond doing the good things they do for the reasons that already inspire them.

BUT- THEY ARE KIDS- with their own wishes hopes and dreams, and like of course, they too like to win things, or try to, too.
Just more fortunate than the ones we have all been inspired to help.

SO- If anyone has any information I missed since I hit this qualifier small print- and needing to be 18 yrs of age to ‘use the site’-

and if this does disqualify them from the contest as well, which I am guessing it does- well-

My late night guessing hasn’t been been reliable at all, as it relates here- so if anyone has some better news to share before I go forth feeling a bit like – I do- I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

I am sure they will come to the same conclusion I have come to know them for, and want to do what they can to get involved and spread the word- assuming they haven’t already started.

Still, If there is some way they still have ‘a chance to win’ I would really love to be able to tell them this-

and they can tell there friends,

and so on…and so on…

And so it goes- !

Cheers to all of you – I have read many of your posts, and will read them all –

You are a great group of people.

I am glad to have met you all in this way! Thanks to Tim as well, and again.

Cheers!

and …THANKS! { for your time too- if you made it through this late night post}

Best Wishes,

h2
Reply
Michele — July 23rd, 2012, 8:40 pm

I posted to my Facebook page – 145 friends. Not as good of numbers as other folks. Sorry about that but hope it helps the cause. Education to me means the opportunity to pursue ones passion and hopefully be able to do some good with that opportunity. Thanks for helping providing this opportunity to so many!
Reply
J.C. Reeves — July 23rd, 2012, 8:47 pm

Education is a tool for broadening one’s mind, a pathway to good jobs, and a reliable road to financial well-being. Nothing’s a guarantee, but receiving a good education sets you up for success. Simply put, education is formalized learning and a vehicle for transferring knowledge to subsequent generations. It’s why I have a good job and am in the position to help others. Whether you read books and teach yourself or go to a top tier university, never stop educating yourself and others.

First off, thanks for creating this challenge, Tim. I’ve taken it to heart and am pumped about sharing it with others. Below is a brief overview of what Ive done to promote your “35th Give-Back Birthday”. For more in depth information, check out my blog.

*Donated $1,035 across 5 kids (3 are now fully funded)

*Wrote a comprehensive blog post on you, your birthday challenge, what I’ve done, and what others can do

*Redirected my blog to a static page with a custom made Tim Ferriss/Vittana image that leads to my post

*Ordered a custom magnetic bumper sticker for my car to raise awareness about this project throughout the next few weeks

*Changed my Facebook cover photo and shared on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Digg, and various message boards (detailed measurements inside my blog post)

*Contacted several very influential bloggers about promoting this challenge

*Created and passed out fliers to tell others about this opportunity at my office (my wife’s office too)

*Set up table outside grocery store, passed out fliers, and asked for donations

I’ll be updating my blog post as my efforts continue. Happy birthday, Tim!
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Lingaraja Sahu — July 23rd, 2012, 11:39 pm

Happy Birthday Tim!

Hi Tim

I am 33yr old from India, I read your book followed by your blog and i am so much touched and compounded with confidence that i have taken a decision to shift from Corporate to a NGO, which i doubt if not impressed with your thoughts (book). Though i had a goal to become a GM of a company but didn’t gave any deadline to myself. when I got an offer to join a NGO as a GM, who are working for child, women welfare and improving health and sanitation condition in the slums of kolkata, India, i afraid to take the offer though i was attached to this organisation as a volunteer for quite a few month. At the first instance, i never gather my strength to accept the proposal for India Operations due to simple fact that the existing corporate salary package and growth is unimaginable compared to NGO thus goal got subsided by the money primarily due to two reasons as i thought raising a fund for NGOs is a difficult task and i am not fit for that kind of work and the second one is monetary growth was less then what corporate offers.

But after reading your book i assume nothing is impossible unless it was put with good intention and with right strategy and to my second concern i only remember one line from your blog – “good karma compounds overtime”. Thanks for bringing in such a change in me, I will be joining the organisation from coming September.

Regards,
L.Sahu
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michelle eve llasos — July 24th, 2012, 12:30 am

Altruism is but a statement to this unselfish move, Mr. Tim. You made my heart do a dramatic leap as I became to excited to learn that there are actually some persons out there (like you! ) who has this pure heart to really make a difference in this complex world.
A lot of people have yet to realize that education is of prime importance to the young generation and we, who has the opportunity to learn what’s underlying in this poverty-stricken world will undoubtedly extend an effort.
This blog could be a tool for the realization of these dreams. keep up the good job!
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toby — July 24th, 2012, 3:49 am

Hi Tim. Could you please share some ideas how to rent a flat for a month or even more while being abroad? I just want to stay somewhere and don’t want to lose a fartune. Many thanks in advance.
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J.C. Reeves — July 24th, 2012, 4:59 am

The comment rules say, “Please do not put your URL in the comment text”. Is it OK to link to our blog to show what we’ve done? I noticed several others doing this, but wasn’t sure.
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Troy Devine — July 24th, 2012, 5:41 am

LEGO !!!! – Education to me is like Lego– Many colours,sizes and combinations etc.– where i stop building is up to me !!!- Everyone benefits from Lego…..

Gloria -I congratulate you on “fighting for your goals..”

Qty Item Options Price
1 Gloria Elizabeth Vera Gaete $35.00 USD
1 Donation to the Vittana Foundation $5.00 USD
Amount $40.00 USD
”Thinking out of the box”
My Facebook ,and Ellen DeGeneres’s site will see this link
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Matt Bodnar — July 24th, 2012, 6:03 am

William Butler Yeats put it best “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

Loaned $50 to Miguel Angel Torrez (he got my donation because he wants to start his own business as well)
http://www.vittana.org/students/2464

Re-donated proceeds

Tweeted 2x to 5590 followers.

Tagline used:
“Loan $20 bucks to budding entrepreneurs in developing nations! (Plus: Free Round-Trip Anywhere in the World)”

Total clicks (monitored with Hootsuite)
9 clicks

Posted to 667 Facebook Friends (did not track)
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Adam Witte — July 24th, 2012, 7:23 am

I’m in– $25 U.S. on its way to Paraguay. Good luck, little green backs!
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Per Ihrelius — July 24th, 2012, 7:30 am

Happy B-day Tim!

For me living in Sweden where all education is free, all the way up to university level, I used to take education for granted. The schools I have attended have given me a very happy and fulfilling life. By numerous travels, mostly in Asia, I have realised that the situation is quite different in other parts of the world and when I saw this post I didn’t hesitate to enter Vittana and issue a loan to a girl in the Philippines.

I have for a long time been a huge supporter of Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen bank, also a microfinance organization focusing on getting poor people (mostly women) getting started with their own business. Getting businesses started is a really good thing and have changed the lives of many but when I come to think about it education might be even a more powerful weapon against poverty. I might be a real frog-leap for economic development.

I posted on Facebook where my 430 friends can see it. I will update with a progess tomorrow too.

Great initiative Tim!
Thanks
//Per
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DL — July 24th, 2012, 8:50 am

Tim,

Thanks for doing such great work to help other. I help fund Emelia Basoah Yamoah(http://www.vittana.org/students/2987) and it felt great. Education is what drives our world and the world around us. It enlightens us and prepares us for making a difference in the world and at the end of our days on earth the difference that we make is what’s important. Without an education, academic or otherwise, we cannot leave a legacy.

I helped your cause by sharing links on facebook and twitter.
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Paul — July 24th, 2012, 10:30 am

True education means learning – either the correct way or use their example as a warning of what not to do. I forwarded your post to my coworkers, family, friends and Facebook friends (about 50 people total). I hope the bribe helped some of them donate too. I gave to Carla Jhovana. I hope it helps!
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Mario — July 24th, 2012, 12:32 pm

Yo Tim,

Happy birthday.

My gift to you: a great read (http://www.theibanker.com/the-investment-banker-and-the-blogger)

Always get inspired by this blog. It’s like fuel-injection for my drive and determination!

Mario
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Valerie — July 24th, 2012, 1:30 pm

Education, to me, is mastering the skill of learning. I taught myself graphic design (using a Mac, starting in 1986) and successfully operated a profitable graphic design business for 20 years before I got a formal education in it. I’ve since re-invented my business to include web design, SEO, marketing, and teaching.

I attend classes online — at least 20 hours a month.

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. (The older you get, Tim, the more you’ll feel this, too!)

I chose to complete someone’s need rather than spread out my funds over several individuals (I did the same thing last year with the educational grants, which my husband–a school teacher–loved.)

I shared the link to your Vittana page with my 400+ friends and relatives on facebook, my 200+ LinkedIn connections (and potentially the 100k people they know). Tweeted too, but I’m not active on that platform. My blogs are kept strictly business in their respective venues, so I’ll stick with social media.
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Danielle Jacobs — July 24th, 2012, 4:56 pm

To me, education is an opportunity to change your life and by doing so gain the wisdom and means to help others.

My gift is in honor of my son Caden’s first birthday. May he grow up to be a man of empathy and action!

(Happy birthday to you too, Tim!)

I was happy to share this blog post through facebook with my 498 friends. I hope many people are helped!
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John Lester B. Maglinte — July 24th, 2012, 9:20 pm

As a parent myself, education, I think is the most precious gift I can give my children. The good thing about it is that no one can ever steal from you besides the fact that there is an intellectual property rights law and that its something you can look upon in the future and say “If I did not listen to my parents before about going to school, I wouldn’t have achieved this and that.” I salute you for your actions and since its my birthday today I would like to share this post to everyone out there who also think the way as I do.
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Noelle Buenaflor — July 25th, 2012, 12:39 am

Happy Birthday Tim!

It’s good that you are able to share your blessings to the needy. I think that the best treasure a man can hold on to until his death is education. It cannot be stolen or taken away from you and with something as light as this, you can even keep it in your brain. Haha I hope that God blesses you with more birthdays and that you would still continue to share your blessings. If I had a dollar now, I would’ve given it to you so that I can help in my own little way.

Good luck Tim! With your generosity, each child you have helped will always remember you in a box forever buried in their hearts, it’s the greatest gift you can receive in exchange for what you have done for them. Be strong!
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Amelia T — July 25th, 2012, 5:27 am

Hi Tim,

Education to me is about being inspired, fascinated and curious. It is satiating a thirst for knowledge. It is asking more questions than you can answer. The quintessential student of life is the one who uses all measures within their reach to find the answers to their questions. Enquiring minds change the world!

I have shared your vittana.org page with my 93 twitter followers, which will also appear on my website via a twitter feed. I am having issues with FB so I could not share there.

Thanks for reading Tim. Happy birthday brother
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R. Payne — July 25th, 2012, 10:53 am

Education means understanding and freedom from fear – whether that’s understanding another’s opinion, how the human body works, what another culture values and why, or what makes the world turn. In the end, education makes us peaceful because it increases understanding and limits fear.

First of all I made a loan to Huda Bawanehh under Tim’s Team page.

I posted the story to my TheGoodMuse Facebook page (almost 4,000 followers).

I wrote an article for TheGoodMuse.com and made Vittana my 74th Volunteer Activity.

I posted updates about Huda’s loan to both of my twitter accounts (over 11,000 followers each):
@raeganpayne
and
@thegoodmuse

I posted the story to my personal facebook page (+600) and to my Linkedin (+500) (Raegan Payne) account.

I wrote a different version of the same article above and sent it to my editors at Celsias.com and Celsias.co.nz. The story will probably post in the next few days.

Good Luck!
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Chris H — July 25th, 2012, 11:01 am

Education means taking your talents, interests, and hobbies and creating a living. It may not pay a lot, although sometimes it does, and you may have to work a lot, although maybe you don’t, but it should give you fulfillment while allowing you to create the lifestyle that YOU want. That last part is the most important. It should be what you want and not others.
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Jeff — July 25th, 2012, 11:01 am

Happy Birthday Tim!

One quick question, why do 99% of the students on the vittana site look so miserable?

Is this a strategy?
Do people give more money to frowning kids?
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Troy Devine — July 25th, 2012, 12:59 pm

***************************************************************************************************
Education = A Chance ,, ”A chance to create and build for something special”
***************************************************************************************************
Facebook- & The ELLEN DE GENERES SHOW. Page
There was a prob with my 1st donation so here is #2Reyna Isabel Barahona in Honduras.. *** I feel even BETTER 2nd time around.. Just turned 35 myself and reading your (4hr wrk week) I am soon to be successful Entrepreneur.. Look forward to meeting you Tim. !!
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Raegan Payne — July 25th, 2012, 1:55 pm

To me education means increased understanding and thus a decrease in fear.

First of all I made a loan to Huda Bawanehh under Tim’s team page on Vittana.

I wrote an article about Vittana for my blog TheGoodMuse and made you guys my 74th Volunteer Activity.

I posted the Vittana story and Huda to my TheGoodMuse facebook page which has almost 4000 followers

I posted updates about Huda’s loan to both my professional and personal twitter accounts, which each have over 11,000 followers.

I posted the story to my personal facebook page (650+) and to my Linkedin (500+) account.

I edited the above story and sent it to my editors at Celsias who will hopefully post it on both the US and New Zealand versions of the site in a few days.
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A M Collen — July 25th, 2012, 5:34 pm

Freedom is what education means. Education provides both the means and examples to enable us to freely choose the way we want to lead our lives. It gives us options, and lets us pick according to our own determinations of importance.
Unlike many of the other posters I have no ‘followers’ or facebook page; no electronic forum to re-post this call. I do riposte however, by sharing this opportunity to leverage our philanthropy with well over a long tonne worth of ballet dancers (and on average, they don’t weigh much). While this demographic is not known for an excess of disposable income, they do know what a big difference a little bit can make.

P.S.
I was going to put my answer to the question ‘what education means’ in the ‘Name’ field for the comment, so it would appear at the “very top”, but the comment rules are explicit that nothing but a personal name is desired– maybe I should have gone ahead, and begged for forgiveness later? Guess I’m still working on it…
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Paul Dennis — July 25th, 2012, 8:03 pm

Education, to me, means ultimate freedom. I fully believe the more we know about everything, the more we see that this is a truly abundant universe. We still have yet to discover many wonderful things, I know that. It starts with education!

I tweeted your blog post and liked it on Facebook, as well as gave a donation! I won’t tell you how much I gave on here since the actual number isn’t what’s truly important, but it is the impact it will make on the life of someone in another country with the click of a button. It is the feeling it gave me when I gave that money and saw the person’s face in the picture who I was helping. THANK YOU for giving us an avenue to help people, it feels wonderful to be able to do so.
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Myke — July 25th, 2012, 8:40 pm

I couldn’t help but comment on this interesting read! It’s interesting and inspiring to know that there are still people in this world as kind-hearted as you are, Tim. Although I don’t have the financial capacity to help you out with the fundraising stuff, let me repost this article so you can find more sponsors to help the kids out! We all know how much of a treasure education is, so please continue striving for this ambition of yours!

Also, Happy Birthday!
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Arige — July 25th, 2012, 10:02 pm

Education is a basic right. For me education is NOT an investment in people, trying to get the most out of everyone. But rather a human right that everyone should be blessed enough to enjoy. Education opens all the doors, shows a person all the possibilities life can offer.

I plan to do several presentations at schools to spread the word not only to collect as many donations as possible but to teach the students their social responsibility and to make them realize how lucky they are to be able to enjoy having an education.
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Jeroen H — July 26th, 2012, 2:20 am

Inspiring initiative Tim! As some other posters already mentioned: of course I donated. Great to see the impact a relatively small amount of money to western standards can have on someone living in Bolivia.

Education for me is similar to reading books. You don’t get to live just your life, but you get to live the life of so many others as you learn and gain new perspectives from their decisions and experiences. Think I picked that up in one of your book recommendations

Shared on facebook and sitting here with a smile on my face knowing that I hopefully made a big difference to someone’s life and that I was able to support your initiative!

Gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag
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jomar hilario — July 26th, 2012, 2:50 am

Education transforms unseen faith into active hope giving people more abilities to love.

Posted!
http://www.jomarhilario.com/2012/07/donate-or-loan-to-send-kid-to-school-at.html

W/c goes on to my FB Profile with oh 5000+ people in it.

But I activated tracking, so we’ll see how many people clicked on the link to your vittana page.

jomar, the tim ferriss of the Philippines.

OH! Anybody want template text from my blog:
Subject: Donate or loan to send kid to school at 98% repayment rate (they actually pay you back!)

Body:
Tim Ferriss, the dude who wrote the FOUR HOUR WORKWEEK has a birthday coming up. And here’s how he celebrates:
He wants people to donate OR loan money to kids around the world via Vittana.com — so that they can go finish school.

Let’s celebrate with him by helping kids! Even your $1 can be used. And funny that — if you opt for LOAN –the kids will pay you back at 98% repayment rate, too. The company Google, Tim O’Reilly, and Mitch Kapor and Tim are supporters of Vittana in doing this.

Please spread the word as deadline is July 27 Pacific time to raise $ 50,000. You may also read Tim’s Blogpost :

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2012/07/19/another-unusual-100000-birthday-present-plus-free-round-trip-anywhere-in-the-world/#more-7074
to find out how you can win a ROUND THE WORLD TRIP just by doing this.

As you know, Tim Ferriss has been in the forefront of international Virtual Assisted Businesses and Long Term World Travel mindset. Many people like to live like he does – including me -and when he does things like this Birthday Gift Giving to kids, it’s awesome.

Just go here: http://jhilario.com/TimsBdayGift
Reply
jomar hilario — July 26th, 2012, 2:59 am

Ok I was and still am nervous while im funding this girl from paraguay…specially when i pressed “fully fund!”

I already blogged about it and I placed a tracker on the post so we can get real stats + off it went to my fb account (5000+ people there).

and anybody wanting to use an intro text into their blog can use this:

Subject:
Donate or loan to send kid to school at 98% repayment rate (they actually pay you back!)

Body:

Tim Ferriss, the dude who wrote the FOUR HOUR WORKWEEK has a birthday coming up. And here’s how he celebrates:
He wants people to donate OR loan money to kids around the world via Vittana.com — so that they can go finish school.

Let’s celebrate with him by helping kids! Even your $1 can be used. And funny that — if you opt for LOAN –the kids will pay you back at 98% repayment rate, too.

The company Google, Tim O’Reilly, and Mitch Kapor and Tim are supporters of Vittana in doing this.

Please spread the word as deadline is July 27 Pacific time to raise $ 50,000. You may also read Tim’s Blogpost

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2012/07/19/another-unusual-100000-birthday-present-plus-free-round-trip-anywhere-in-the-world/#comment-130456

to find out how you can win a ROUND THE WORLD TRIP just by doing this.

As you know, Tim Ferriss has been in the forefront of international Virtual Assisted Businesses and Permanent/Long Term World Travel. Many people like to live like he does – including me -and when he does things like this Birthday Gift Giving to kids, it’s awesome.

Just click (link)
Reply
jomar hilario — July 26th, 2012, 3:03 am

Personally, Education is my means of leaving the poverty I grew up in.

Now Self – Education, thanks to books and internet, is a means from leaving the old mindsets of employment I was trapped in and now living in a freedom filled life.
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Chris — July 26th, 2012, 3:17 am

Tim,
Education means independence to me because it allows me the ability to create and provide for myself. Equally, but even more importantly, education provides personal comfort that unlike money or material things education is something that can never be taken from you.

Further Tim, I have spread the word by posting it on my works internal internet site. So anytime anyone from work logs in this would be the first comment they would see. “I would like to grow charitable donations to organizations like Vittana that have exponential effect on the dollars donated (link included)” There are 6,850 employees. To quantify, say 5% donated that would be 342 people and their average donation was $5 that would be $1,710. Then the kicker the company will match all donations for a total of $3,420.

Anyways it is awesome to donate and an awesome cause!

Cheers,
Chris for OZ
Reply
james — July 26th, 2012, 10:06 am

There should be more initiatives like this one. Education is an always will be our greatest heritage. We need to keep it in the forefront of our children who are so easily distracted today with all the change they grow in.

Thank you this initiative is not going unnoticed
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William — July 26th, 2012, 12:11 pm

Education to me means an opportunity. Educations empowers a person to improve their life, to think critically, and to make their own choices.

In my own life, education has allowed me the freedom to explore my interests and find my passion. I’m finishing my master’s degree now before I go to the real world to work and contribute in a meaningful way (I’ll be doing systems engineering to improve aviation cockpits).

Happy Birthday!

I happily donated. Cool idea.

I spread the word by sending a tweet to my 286 followers (probably 80% friends) and posting on my timeline for my 1,447 facebook friends. I used a google link pointing to this page to measure click through at least to this site. Surprisingly low (to me at least) at only 15 clicks. I also emailed my office (15 people).
Google link stats image: http://imgur.com/TQYzN
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Martin Koopman — July 26th, 2012, 12:15 pm

Your book, The 4-hour Work week is changing my life.

I am a teacher in South Africa and would like to know if you are able to assist us with our Prom (ball). Our learners are less fortunate and any help will be appreciated.

Regards,

MJ Koopman
Reply
Mahdi — July 26th, 2012, 4:07 pm

Education is the next step to a better future. But what I learned that is education isn’t what you learn in school, I mean that’s part of it but not the whole package. Education is something gained from experiance it’s gained from putting yourself into other peoples shoes, that’s where the real knowledge is gained. You can’t educate in a school setting and get everything you need to know.
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Al — July 26th, 2012, 4:36 pm

Education is exploration. You explore not only new endeavors, but more importantly, yourself. The more seasoned your perspective becomes to be able to understand, expand on, or develop new findings.

The reason we seek education is the same for why we meet new people or travel. Everything around us has the potential to teach us something, and our willingness to explore is what allows us to grow. We all need that strength ~ willingness to try, to fail, and to mentally or physically go somewhere we haven’t been. Education builds this open-mindset. Some people carry this mentality independently, but there is certainly a booster in a positive community that fosters success. Mix in support and passion for what you do, and suddenly the education becomes one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.

How many of us are truly educated? So many of us get caught in our own bubbles whether that be location, group of friends, or fields of interest. We may be a “master” in our field, but wouldn’t we be wiser and a unique asset if we also introduced skills and perspectives others around us have not had? It’s always a good time to explore.

I contributed by donating to a few students and shared what you’re doing via blog. I’m not going to be able to impress you with numbers (I’m not connected to as many people or have as much money as some of the previous donors). Just know that I support what you’re doing, and believe that everyone deserves a shot to further explore what this world has to offer.

Happy 35th Birthday, Tim!
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Finbarr Smith — July 26th, 2012, 5:20 pm

Hi Tim,
Education to me is an opportunity to ignite a passion for learning, for self-improvement and achieving goals. We need more people who are focused on that, for sure.
just wanted to say this is a fantastic idea, and I love the idea of a hand UP, not a hand-out.
Count me in – tweeted to my 2,634 followers (@finbarrsmith if you want to check), and shared to my facebook homies.
I don’t have time to travel, though (too busy being the best michael buble tribute on the black haha), so please don’t count me in the contest.
Cheers and Keep rocking man!
Reply
kalio — July 26th, 2012, 5:24 pm

Hi everyone

As we speak about gifts and contributing please take a look at this IndieGoGo http://igg.me/p/187770?a=752421

Hope this is not bother too much people; if it is please mark it as spam

Have a good day
Reply
Tyson — July 26th, 2012, 5:45 pm

Tim,
How would someone qualify for you to follow them on twitter?
Reply
Kevin Chandler — July 26th, 2012, 8:43 pm

hey Tim- education to me means expanded potential, greater possibilities, and a happier world with more peace!
I’ve spread the word on your uber-cool 35bday giveback fun… and here’s a googledoc spreadsheet showing what I did: http://tinyurl.com/cpeeazk
rock on! -kevin!
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Nadine S. — July 26th, 2012, 8:58 pm

Defining Education, in many ways, is like defining love or art or any other ubiquitous necessity of life; what it’s defined as is largely dependent on the individual’s view of the world. But (also like love and art) it is universal, and has a specific intent, which I believe is: to obtain the tools you need to succeed in the world you live In. Whatever that world looks like, and whatever dreams it is composed of. Additionally, Education means having the confidence to use those tools. And, lastly, using those tools to benefit the world in a way that is meaningful to you.

I posted your Vitanna donation page on my facebook wall (777 friends).

I also made a $35 donation to Michelle Floritza Valle Cruz, and the funds will be reinvested to Vitanna.

Happy Birthday, Tim!
Reply
David H — July 26th, 2012, 10:23 pm

Education is a lifetime of potential.

I blurted out via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and encouraged friends to signup and make a contribution.
Reply
Niels Przybilla — July 26th, 2012, 10:39 pm

Dear Tim!

such a great idea to support ! It is so easy to spend 25$ or 35$ …
This is real entrepreneurial thinking … to bring the best thoughts in the world !

Best wishes

Niels
Reply
Sean Critchfield — July 26th, 2012, 11:07 pm

Education means to me a key to snap the binds of futility and powerlessness. It is a jug on a slab hold in the climb of life. A rocket pack when you are falling. I am not a formally educated man. I am a road scholar. What I have learned, I have done so by grit and determination. The power I have in my brain is the full realization of who I am and who have become. To aid someone else in that journey would be a true joy. I have been the climber. It is my turn to be the chirpa.

Tim,

I am forever a huge fan. Having lunch with you is on my bucket list. So, we will definitely meet one day.

Until then, I am a professional actor and performance poet. I have spread this via word of mouth. I have spoken about it at a Las Vegas arts festival called “First Friday”. I wrote and performed a spoken word piece about education and offered your link after. (I will gladly send you a video if you wish.) I am an actor on the Las Vegas strip and have spoken about education and this organization in our meet and greets afterwards. I am also working on a theater related “muse” with friends and am intent on including a permanent link when we go live. And also the regular avenues of Social Networks.

Thank you for your hard work and generous heart!!

Sean Critchfield
Reply
- Tim Ferriss — July 26th, 2012, 11:37 pm
  
  Thank you so much, Sean! I’d LOVE to see the video! Please respond with a link!
  
  All the best,
  
  Tim
  Reply
Anne A. — July 26th, 2012, 11:25 pm

What does education mean to me? It means not being a cog in a machine. It means not being a passive receptacle of the world around me, but being a critical thinker. It means having the opportunity to do better.

Wrote an article on this cause http://money-fest.com/article/helping-out-with-student-loans and shared it with my Facebook friends.

I told readers that if they win, they should forgo the ticket and instead ask you to relieve on student of the full amount of his/her student loan debt.
Reply
Alexander Berger — July 27th, 2012, 12:41 am

Hey Tim,

Happy birthday! I sent $35 towards the cause.
Looking forward to meeting you,

Alex B.
Reply
Alicia — July 27th, 2012, 6:44 am

Having the opportunity to learn sth. new everyday is what makes me feel alive.

My grandfather never had the chance to go to school because our country was suffering a war at the time and his greatest wish was that at least his children could be educated. Now my mother is a teacher and her wish is that I can learn more than she had the chance to.
I know that she would love Vittana’s website, but I realised she won’t be able to read it because there is no Spanish version available yet.

So my birthday present for you Tim, has been entering Vittana’s community and offering myself to translate the contents of the website to Spanish, so they can be accesible to the 400 millions of Spanish speakers in the world.

Besides that, I have also talked about the project with my friends and family, shared it on my 2 fb accounts, sent it by email, join Vittana’s community in fb, posted some messages there and make a small contribution to 8 students with great life projects.
I intend to donate $1 extra everyday as a reminder of what is trully important in life.
Reply
- Alicia — July 27th, 2012, 12:23 pm
  
  It seems Kushal C. liked my offer so I will be hopefully joining the translation team!
  Reply
  - Patricia BT — July 27th, 2012, 7:31 pm
    
    Alicia,
    
    this is a wonderful idea and I will send a similar email to Kushal, for french translation
    
    Take Care
    Patricia
    Reply
    - Alicia — July 30th, 2012, 1:55 am
      
      Thank you for supporting my idea Patricia! I imagine making the website accesible for French speakers will be also very helpful.
      
      Best,
      Alicia
James P. — July 27th, 2012, 8:13 am

What does education mean to me? Education is single greatest gift someone can give. It removes fear. Empowers people. The knowledge gained by education can’t be taken away, and can always be freely shared.

Happy Birthday, Tim! I have spread the word as far as I can and hope it is enough. I posted your wish on Google plus, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, indenti.ca, My Blogger, My WordPress, Xanga, and my personal blog. I am off to email blast my friends and family to give them the extra push.

Cheers,

James
Reply
James P. — July 27th, 2012, 8:13 am

What does education mean to me? Education is single greatest gift someone can give. It removes fear. Empowers people. The knowledge gained by education can’t be taken away, and can always be freely shared.

Happy Birthday, Tim! I have spread the word as far as I can and hope it is enough. I posted your wish on Google plus, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, indenti.ca, My Blogger, My WordPress, Xanga, and my personal blog. I am off to email blast my friends and family to give them the extra push.

Cheers,

James
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Victor Björklund — July 27th, 2012, 8:15 am

“Education to me is all about developing skills and gaining knowledge I’m interested in that will follow me where ever I go and do. That is why I’m doing a triple degree in fields that don’t have much incommon. ”

I started a facebook event and invited friends ( https://www.facebook.com/events/459418990758210/ ).

* Its in swedish since im from sweden.
* I did it with a libertarian theme by pointing out that you can help others help themselves
* I talked about one student from Bolivia that wants to study law since a big precentage of my friends and contacts are law students or lawyers.

I hope we all reach the goal!
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Dan — July 27th, 2012, 9:43 am

Hi Tim,

To me, education is about creating self-sufficiency and giving people tangible skills that they can use to get and maintain a job. In my experiences traveling in developing countries, there are so many people who yearn for just that shot, which we tend to take for granted here in the U.S.

Your post transported me back to time I spent in Ghana and made me think of some friends I made there, who were street vendors. All they wanted was to have the chance to hold a stable full-time job; I tried to help a few of them find that training, but resources were so scare. I think that’s why your contest really struck a chord with me.

Anyway, I wrote a blog post about those experiences in the context of your contest and also tweeted, posted it on Facebook and send it to friends via email. Thanks so much for what you’re doing.

Dan
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Margaret — July 27th, 2012, 2:58 pm

Education is a means to escape limitations you may be in, and with Vittana, it benefits the students and their community. Thanks from an email from Vittana, I’ve donated $32 to one of the students on your page. You’re going a great thing to celebrate your 35th birthday. Happy Birthday Tim!
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Ananda Kesler — July 27th, 2012, 2:59 pm

Education is the first step on the path of self-reliance and personal freedom.

Just contributed toward a microloan for Alejandra Denis Gutierrez Alvarado to study accounting.
Also posted your invitation to contribute on my fb page.

Thank you for your generosity and dedication to improving our planet.
Many wishes for a glorious year ahead!
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jamileh — July 27th, 2012, 3:22 pm

I just made my first microloan through Vittana fater reading your blog.
Posted this on my FB page and encouraged my friend to get their feet wet with microlending too.

Education is of paramount importance . Human life and its quality is an extremely wide multi demensional spectrum, and without sustained education we cannot navigate to the summit of this spectrum. It’s the best tool to elevate our conscience and mind closer to its potential.

happy birthday Tim!
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Trae Bailey — July 27th, 2012, 3:52 pm

Mr. Ferris,

Thank you so much for offering this contest in support of underprivileged children and education. Also, thank you for inspiring my poem. To help us reach our goal I posted your blog on all my social networks for over 950 people to see. I also included a post on my own blog http://thecuratedself.wordpress.com/. Thank you again for your inspiration and generosity.

An Education

A sunrise taught me to start anew

A father taught me to provide

A mother taught me that too

A multi-millionaire taught me to invest

A poor man taught me to take nothing for granted

A preacher taught me confess

An atheist taught me to question everything

An elderly man taught me to work hard

An elderly woman taught me to be forgiving

A child taught me to imagine

A grownup taught me that life gets difficult

A dog taught me to be a faithful companion

A cat taught me to be independent

A sister taught me to give a hug

A brother taught me to take a hit

A professor taught me to think critically

A student taught me to study and play hard

A wise man taught me to learn perpetually

A guru taught me a better way my time to spend

A mentor taught me to learn something from everyone and everything

A sunset taught me to let things come to an end
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- Ananda Kesler — July 30th, 2012, 12:27 pm
  
  lovely poem!
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Sue Faunt — July 27th, 2012, 5:38 pm

I love giving gifts that feel like I got way more in return…Happy Birthday Tim!!
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Moe — July 27th, 2012, 6:00 pm

My brother and I set up a table at our place of worship today at the Islamic House Of Wisdom. It is actually the second largest of its kind in the U.S. We picked 10 students who we felt the most inspired by and posted their pictures and stories around the edges of the table. I printed out Vittana’s mission statement and other information to pass out to the visitors and members after the lecture. I brought two laptops with me in case people were ready to donate on the spot!
I spoke with the congregation leader, who happens to be family, and he agreed to include your link and a small description to the 14,000+ people subscribed to their weekly emailing list. Furthermore, I posted the link on my fb and sent out a description of what I was taking part of to my contact list and included your link! I had my immediate family do the same. I just recently found out about this and I wish I could have done more.

Lastly, happy birthday Tim! Your book and especially your goal setting style has changed the way I approach creating my own goals. It’s made a permanent impact on my thinking. Thank you. Btw if you ever want to learn Persian, I’m your guy.

What does education mean to you?

Education is a verb that translates into value. It is a mental exercise of increasing one’s capacity and worth to bring more to the family, the enterprise or the nation. And the students we have the privilege of helping are a breathing representation of this process called education.
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Lee — July 27th, 2012, 6:19 pm

To me: Education helps people to reach their full potential, which in turn helps our world to reach its full potential

Congrats on doing this good deed, and thanks for turning me on to Vitanna.org. – this seems like a great charity and I was glad to donate.

Unrelated to the competition, I have a question for you: My main interest is supporting education both in the US and around the world, and I am always looking for organizations, like Vitanna, which try to make a wide, lasting impact. You also promoted Room to Read a couple years ago, and I have since become a supporter and have enjoyed watching it flourish. Currently, I am particularly interested in the potential for technology to change the face of and improve education in the coming years, but I need help identifying the organizations that will be driving forces behind these changes. Seeing that you have an interest in improving education, and that you are deeply engaged in the world of technology, do you happen to have any recommendations for organizations that you think will have a positive impact in this area in the future and which need support?

Ps – I have really gotten a lot out of your blog and books. They have helped me channel my attention and energy in productive directions, turned me on to a lot of new things, and been fun to read. Thanks, and keep up the good work.
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Patricia BT — July 27th, 2012, 7:29 pm

Education = helps women cause, fights poverty, improves living conditions (habitation, healthier surroundings, etc.), and there are better chances that the children of people having access to education will also get the same.

My websites not beeing ready I couldn’t share there, but did share with friends (online and irl)

I’m happy as I just got a mail from Vittana informing me that the student I chose to help is fully funded. She will be able to attend the finance school. I gave 35$ for her, and 5$ donation to Vittana. I’ll be able to give more in a few weeks to another student.

At the time of writing, the deadline for your birthday challenge is in 5 hours, and the goal is only 1000$ away. Fingers crossed.

I just read Alicia’s comment (a few comments above) and this is such a great idea I will propose the same to Vittana for french translation if it’s not already done by someone else.

I wish you a happy birthday ! Take Care

Patricia
Switzerland

(PS I love the interview you gave to Olivier Roland, the french blogger)
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- Patricia BT — July 27th, 2012, 7:41 pm
  
  oh, and something else, on my next birthday (february) I will do the same action as this one, mentioning you Tim
  
  let’s se if a “total unknown” person’s birthday can raise a little (or big amount, or maybe I will get known until that day lol
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Jaime Rothbard — July 27th, 2012, 7:51 pm

Education took me out of my tiny world and opened my awareness to everything that is beyond it. And then education gave me to the tools to get back inside. It reconfigured all of my settings and now I see the inevitable interdependence of everything.

Thanks for articulating this project and opening all of us up to this amazing opportunity. I told my friends, fans and followers about this. I don’t have many, but they are magnificent people and I know it doesn’t take much more than the sum of those things.
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- Jaime Rothbard — July 27th, 2012, 7:55 pm
  
  I should have mentioned that because I’ve already been so blessed to have a quite travel-happy life, I would make the award part of a contest I’d create in lieu of a product launch for my NGO this October.
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Jamal Williams — July 27th, 2012, 8:37 pm

Posted on
facebook (459 friends) https://www.facebook.com/JamalRWilliams
G+ (5,567) https://plus.google.com/105426743019195604827/posts
& did the $35 for your birthday but really like the idea and will do more later.

I grew up in a community full of educators: my mother taught special education, my dad was a school counselor and child psychologist, and the majority of my uncles and aunts were also teachers, principals and coaches in their areas (even the mothers of my both of my closest childhood friends worked for the school system). Growing up in that sort of environment, it’s easy to understand why I believe in the importance of schools and formal education. However, what may not be so apparent is that to me education is a lot more than a synonym for “school.”

I grew up knowing that every moment was a learning experience and that education is not only built in-between school walls. I don’t mean to say that formal education isn’t useful. In fact, I’m a college graduate and those credentials have served me well. But I will say that I learned the majority of the skills I use on a daily basis working in the IT industry as a teen trying to play computer games with my friends. I believe that learning is the most critical component of life. From the moment you’re born until you die, learning is how you find your way in the world. And without the drive to explore computers and the opportunity to do so, I may never have been able to earn a living in technology.

For me, an education is the collective sum of all experience and information a person amasses throughout his or her life. An education creates choices. I have lived a full life knowing a person can learn to do almost anything given the right information and enough practice. It’s only the subjects of study and the amount of information to which people have access that separates each person’s ability to accomplish great things. That belief has been the dominant thread in my life. It’s the reason I found the 4HWW and why I’m confident in my ability to build the life of my dreams. It’s amazing that vittana.org provides a platform that allows people to fuel their creative drive and gain access to the information they need to realize their dreams also.
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Emma — July 28th, 2012, 2:26 pm

What education means to me: A quote I really like- “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” Anthony J. D’Angelo. So education to me is a “passion for learning”. I try to live by that standard as I go through school. If you love learning, you will always create room to grow and learn. We all have it inside of us. We are all capable of this. We can all work on our level of passion, and I want everyone to get the opportunity to find their love of learning. We need the resources, however. That is what makes this website so amazing! Giving people the resources they need to grow and expand their opportunities is exactly what we need.

Hi! My name is Emma. I am a 15 year old girl who isn’t usually worried about anything but me and my perfectly average life. I got an email from my mom with a link to your blog post. My mom is a HUGE fan of these charity and education bloggish things and is constantly emailing me about them. I always check them out of courtesy, but I don’t usually donate or give a second thought about them. However, I got extremely motivated about this one in particular for some reason. I really wanted to contribute and get these students some help! I don’t really do that much social media (yes, what kind of teenager am I??), so posting about it won’t have much of an impact. Of course I posted on my Facebook and all, but it’s not enough. I really love this idea, so I donated $350.00 (in honor of your 35 years) with money from babysitting this summer. I donated to 5 different people, it will never be enough, but it is all I have. Thank you so much! Oh, and Happy Birthday
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John Gaskell — July 30th, 2012, 8:00 am

I’m late to the giveaway, but thought it was awesome anyway. I donated $100 to a young lady wanting to go into IT. I figure if I get paid to educate privileged kids overseas, I can push to karma points higher to help out someone not privileged somewhere else.

Happy late birthday.
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- John Gaskell — July 30th, 2012, 8:01 am
  
  *the karma points higher.*
  
  Must be the egg whites…
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SepiDeh — August 3rd, 2012, 11:32 am

Happy Birthday Tim =)

To me education is like discovering new things

P.S I’m reading the 4 hour work week,now I’m calculating the TMI and TDI =)
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Kia — August 8th, 2012, 9:12 am

Happy belated birthday Tim. Thank you for what you are offering the world. Many blessings.
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Raegan Payne — August 8th, 2012, 10:37 am

Update!

The article I sent to Celsias.com, international global warming blog, on Vittana and the environmental benefits of loans to students just went live.

Here’s the end of the address, hopefully it won’t come off like spam:

celsias.com/article/vittanaorg-student-micro-lending-better-world/

and Vittana is also now listed as a featured Celsias organization…

celsias.com/org/vittana/

Hope this helps,
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Lei — August 15th, 2012, 1:12 am

It’s late but still wanted to share a great quote (belated HBD btw ) :

‘It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor… that the child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation.’ –

Nelson Mandela
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Anuj Sethi — August 17th, 2012, 4:51 pm

Even after this is closed, I still found Vittana a useful way to make a contribution. Thanks for the introduction Tim.
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