Month: November 2012

Happy Post-Thanksgiving Week!

I do love the JFK quote: “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

It reminds me that love and gratitude are verbs and constant and repeated practice means “behaving into them” regularly so they become habits not just fleeting feelings or seasonal rituals.

Practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect as my karate teacher used to love to say…

This week’s posts share some common themes:

• The law of reciprocity– where largesse begets largesse
• The abundance principle which contradicts the scarcity principle and trusts there is enough for everyone
• Attention as the currency of the new economy
• The Law of Concentrated Attention– where what you focus on manifests
• It is Better to Give than to Receive-The only things you keep in life are the things you give away

Post-Thanksgiving thanks giving…

First, my friend and bestselling author Steve Farber is doing something outrageously cool. He is sharing his greatest gift.

Steve’s bestselling book has inspired leaders, business people and educators alike.

Here is what one kindred spirit had to say about it. “The power of the principles within LEAP to change lives, organizations and communities is irrefutable. These principles are timeless and will work in any situation where hearts and minds are willing and unselfish. They will continue to transform me, my building and my community.” –David Pinter, Principal, Ft Caroline Elementary School, Jacksonville, Florida

I was with Steve recently at the California School Library Association’s Annual Conference Leadership Day in San Jose, where Steve generously offered a digital copy of this bestselling book FREE to every educator in the United States!

Here is what he has to say…

Personally, I’m deeply thankful for the educators in our world–those teachers, principals, superintendents, admins, librarians, and support staff who every day devote themselves to the nurturing and development of our next generations of leaders. I believe that’s what educators really do; they’re leadership developers in the most profound way. That’s why I’m happy to announce that my publisher and I have made my book, The Radical Leap Re-Energized, free to any and all educators. Some of my biz associates think this is…um…unwise–they can’t see the “business validation” in my doing such a thing. But that’s never stopped me before 🙂 So…If you’re an educator, or if you know an educator (you MUST fit in one of those categories, right?) please go and/or send your educator friends to www.LeapForEducation.com to download a free copy of the book. We have around 5 million K-12 educators to reach here in the US alone (Audacity!), so I invite you to spread the word far and wide.  Until next time with Love, Energy, Audacity, and Proof. Steve Farber

In the same spirit, can you help me spread the word and get this into the hands of as many educators as you care about?

If it is easy to do, it is easy not to do so don’t wait- ADVOCATE!

—

There are No Coincidences- New Discoveries About Happiness

Ok as I am writing this, I get the following message from Will Marre who graciously keynoted at our Annual Martial Arts Mini-Camp at UCSD earlier this month…

New discoveries about the nature of happiness tell us that happiness is not just the pleasant outcomes of fortunate circumstances. Indeed, we can all create deeper and longer lasting feelings of happiness whenever we want to. In fact our actual circumstances have a much smaller impact on our sense of well-being than our inner life and our outer actions. Happiness is actually something to be directly pursued rather than something to wait for. Here are the three top ways science says make us feel happy.

1. Thanksgiving, or actually gratitude: We can learn to be world class at feeling grateful for good things in our lives. This is not as easy as it sounds. Our default thinking takes the good things of our lives for granted while we focus our attention on what’s unpleasant. A tip to increase your feelings of gratitude is to focus on one specific thing at a time. You could focus on your health and energy, your children, a warm home, a loving friend, or a comfortable pair of shoes or the taste of chocolate. Whatever it is, you only feel grateful when you focus on that one thing. Now imagine your life without it. The contrast of feeling loss deepens our appreciation for what we have right now. Next, tell someone what you’re grateful for and why. Going public with inner feelings increases positive brain chemicals and brightens happy emotions.

2. Give: We now can observe brain activity of givers and receivers and it’s clear that it is the giver who feels more happiness through giving than the “getter.” I remember at age 5 receiving a red fire engine for Christmas. I wanted this fire engine so badly that I begged Santa for it. Repeatedly. Endlessly. Sixty years later my mother told me she still remembered that Christmas because I had been so elated. She told me I could not have possibly been happier in receiving the fire engine than the joy she felt giving it. Turns out that science backs her up. Givers have more positive brain activity than receivers.

3. Growth: Our sense of our personal power arises when we are confident we can select meaningful goals and achieve them. This is called self-effectiveness or self-efficacy. Self-effectiveness gives us confidence and generates self-respect which are directly associated with happiness. If you can imagine being a better, more capable person, take steps to advance yourself. Just starting on a more positive course will trigger optimism, inner resolve, and confidence — all happiness builders.

So now you have three things you can do intentionally to increase your happiness; gratitude, giving, and growth are the rocket fuel that launches us into a higher orbit of joy. These three actions are the core habits of happiness and life satisfaction. That’s why Thanksgiving is such a potent holiday. It’s a day to reflect on the large and small sources of joy. It’s a time to pitch in and help at whatever needs to be done. Don’t let the lower emotions of Black Friday bargain hunting become your theme music for the holiday. Rather mindfully promote gratitude, giving, and growth and see how you feel.

Being happy is something you create. Something you can do. Happy is a verb!
Will
—

Intrigued by Reciprocation and What it Fosters?

This happened to be in the news this week…

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/11/26/165570502/give-and-take-how-the-rule-of-reciprocation-binds-us

—

So Many Verbivores So Little Time…

Since so often we are time starved, let’s make the most of every moment…

It only takes one smile to offer welcome…
and blessed be the person who will share it.

It only takes one moment to be helpful…
and blessed be the person who will spare it.

It only takes one joy to lift a spirit…
and blessed be the person who will give it.

It only takes one life to make a difference…
and blessed be the person who will live it.

by BJ Gallagher

Finally, a Musical Leaf?

This is pretty cool…

Click here: YouTube – ??Musical leaf-Whispering Hope

Thanks this week to Steve, Will and Larry

Stay grateful not hateful and musical not whimsical…

Love,
Neville

“Talent hits a target no one else can hit.
Genius hits a target no one else can see.”

–Arthur Schopenhauer

Happy Soul Food Friday for Thanksgiving Week!

My heartfelt aspiration for you is that you have many things to be grateful for this holiday season, and that we all take a moment to share that attitude of gratitude with the people that matter most to us in our lives.

As the perfect antidote for the typical holiday season fervor of material spending and crazy consumerism, that begins with Black Friday and continues through Cyber Monday and now Mobile Tuesday, here are some soul food gifts to share with your loved ones. They cost nothing but are indeed priceless, validating that Einstein knew what he was talking about when he said, “Not everything that can be counted, counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” :

First the gift of humor (and lateral thinking):

The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and will tell you whether you are qualified to be a professional. Scroll down for each answer.

The questions are NOT that difficult. But don’t scroll down UNTIL you have answered each question!

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Did you say, Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the refrigerator?

Wrong Answer.

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend…except one.
Which animal does not attend?

Correct Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there. This tests your memory.

Okay, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true abilities.

4. There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and you do not have a boat. How do you manage it?

Correct Answer: You jump into the river and swim across. Have you not been listening? All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

According to Anderson Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong, but many preschoolers got several correct answers.

Anderson Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four-year-old.

—

Now for some other meaningful thanksgiving holiday gifts.

*** The FIRST gift is the gift of time.

“Just being with someone can be of great comfort to that person”.

*** The SECOND gift is the gift of good example.

Most people learn fundamental attitudes by observing other people.

*** The THIRD gift is the gift of acceptance.

People often begin to change when they realize they’re being accepted for what they are.

*** The FOURTH gift idea for those who are so often busy and distracted these days is the gift of privacy – that is, time of one’s own.

Too often, we smother people with questions and demands on them and their time.

*** The FIFTH is the gift of seeing the best in people.

“How can you see a ‘fine’ picture of someone close to you – when that person doesn’t always seem to be so fine?
*** The SIXTH gift is the gift of self-esteem

Not crippling others by nagging or criticizing – especially those we love. That’s particularly a tough one for millions of people every day.

*** The SEVENTH gift,  might be the giving up a bad habit.

*** Number EIGHT is the gift of self-disclosure.

Bottling up feelings and resentments deprives the other person of truly knowing who you are.

*** The NINTH gift idea is the gift of helping someone learn something new.

It is an investment in their future happiness.

*** The TENTH gift is the gift of really listening.

“Few of us know how to listen in an effective manner”.

*** The ELEVENTH is the gift of fun!

It’s important to help those close to you to find the fun in ordinary, small events.

*** Finally, the TWELFTH gift is letting others give to us.

“When we let others give to us”, “and when we can accept their gifts in a gracious and mature manner, we may be giving them one of the most important gifts of all.”

—

A Thankless Profession? We can change that!

As we extend that attitude of gratitude to those that touch our lives most meaningfully, please let’s not forget our teachers who give so much, and get thanked so little. Take a moment right now to thank a teacher for their hard work, dedication, enthusiasm and willingness to go the extra mile for our students and their families. In addition to your priceless gratitude, Mission Fed will serve to memorialize their service and esteem them for their great work! It is easy, just click here: https://www.missionfed.com/im-thankful

—

We’ve highlighted Dogs and Cats but let’s not forget the Birds:

Enjoy these glorious pictures

Click here!

Thanks this week to Debra S., Larry H. and all the teachers that inspire me and make me a better person!

An abundance of blessings for you and yours as we enter the Holiday Season.

Pay it forward, you can’t take it with you…

Love,

Neville

“The influence of each human being on others in this life is a kind of

immortality.” –John Quincy Adams

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:

Musings from DreamForce 2012: The Largest Technology Conference on the Planet

Recently, I was afforded the opportunity to attend DreamForce 2012 the largest technology conference on the planet, which was held in San Francisco with over 95,000 registered guests and 950 breakout sessions. DreamForce completely blanketed downtown San Francisco including the Moscone Center and all the adjacent hotels and featured notable keynotes by the likes of General Colin Powell, Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin companies, Jeff Immelt, CEO of GE, Mark Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, Dr. Dean Ornish and Tony Robbins to mention a few.

It is purported that70% of businesses today are using social which in turn provides a $1.3B boost to the economy.

Social has become one of the two top ways to connect with customers, all made possible by the convergence of “cloud, social and mobile spheres”. Trust and transparency foster authentic connectedness and rightly applied the social revolution can become a TRUST Revolution as “what happens in Vegas ends up on Facebook.”

There are 6 ways to move the needle on your business imperatives using Social; Sell, Service, Market, Collaborate, Work, & Innovate- but they ALL begin with Listening. Sentiment Analysis, Crowd Sourcing, Collaborative Design & Intention Analysis all are made easier through the advent and application of social media. Brand is the sum of all these conversations. Today we call it Social Business but soon it will simply be referred to just business as usual…

DreamForce featured more than 75 sessions to choose from on the Marketing/Social Media track alone. Here I was forced to prioritize, schedule and then move maniacally like a presidential candidate from venue to venue in the final days of an election cycle- but it was totally worth it.

One of the most enlightening sessions was a session entitled Metrics that Matter in Social Business Innovation by John Hagel of Deloitte & JP Rangaswami Chief Scientist of SalesForce.

Here these two thought leaders helped me reframe Social not as an emerging fad but as the centerpiece of community in the digital age.  We are and have always been creatures of community. Eons ago, community occurred around the camp fire. Fast forward thousands of years and community was in the town square. Fast forward yet again, and community is engaging via social media. This is why if Facebook was a country, it would be the third most populated country on earth!

Social technology has brought a new age of interaction to the business world, turning nameless faceless data made up of social security, phone numbers and FICO scores into real people that demand to be treated as such.

The 4 ways to measure the true impact of social media include:

• Financial:Has revenue or profit increased or costs decreased?
• Digital: Has the company enhanced its owned and earned digital assets?
• Brand: Have consumer attitudes about the brand improved?
• Risk management: Is the organization better prepared to note and respond to attacks or problems that affect reputation?

The collaboration of shared knowledge, shared experiences, and shared content are the core of social business value. However, interactions in social media aren’t here today and gone tomorrow. They can remain in recorded history in perpetuity. Clearly, the expressed sentiment of customers and employees is critical to the successful design and implementation for any business. Social will provide new vistas of value in the future as well as open the organization to new risks.

Here are some interesting social media stats-

• More than 600 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each month with average user spending 20 minutes per visit & 23% of Facebook users checking their account five times or more every day
• 1 million accounts are added daily on Twitter & average time on site is 13 minutes
• Twitter handles more search queries per month than Bing & Yahoo combined – 32 billion
• Pinterest is the fastest growing social media platform to achieve 10 million unique visitors & average time on site is over 14 minutes
• LinkedIn gains two new members every second & average time on site is 8 minutes/session
• YouTube handles 20% of the entire internet’s traffic and has over 4 billion views per day

Side Note: “Four more years.” A short enough message, but one that has set Twitter’s record for the most new tweets-per-second record, reaching 327,000 a second at its peak. The message was sent from U.S. President Obama’s Twitter account at 4.16am GMT, once Obama’s re-election to the White House for another four years became certain.

Technology is a great servant but a horrible master. With smart phone adoption the fastest of any technology in human history, and today with more smart phones on the planet than toilets and toothbrushes, access to information (resources) is unprecedented. It is our resourcefulness in using these technologies to inform, educate and shape our workplaces, educational systems and customer experiences that becomes critical. To quote Rangaswami, “Health services will not get better if we design better thermometers.  Measures don’t work to make things better in Healthcare and Education. It’s how we do it that changes the quality of the outcomes.”

The more things change the more they stay the same…Human constants such as valuing trust as the basis of all real relationships, the importance of connectedness and community and the need to be heard & valued remain constants.

These constants however meet the dynamic and disruptive forces of globalization & emerging digital technologies at unprecedented rates of change that in turn are upending our business models, dis-intermediating conventional systems and processes, and creating new opportunities for innovation and value creation.

Brand no longer resides in the purview of one brand manager or brand champion, and now is shaped by thousands of customer encounters and experiences that good or bad will be shared across the digital community and ecosystem in a heartbeat. The best we can do is create the conditions for an authentic brand experience, then listen well and act quickly as the era of the connected, self-directed consumer and empowered citizen continue to build steam and shape our collective future, redefine the nature and contract of work, and add another step on the ladder of the history of that social, relational, communal being we call human.

Who Am I

Interesting what each of these young people turned into. See if you can guess the answers…

Click here!

15 characteristics of an excellent entrepreneur

Adapted from a recent blog written by Tim Bell

Kelly O’Neil, in his “The Secrets of Success” blog, outlined 15 characteristics of an excellent entrepreneur. This is a result of his association with extraordinary and successful entrepreneurs. In his blog, I learned that excellence is not inborn–it is something you have to work at. A high performing entrepreneur values his word and looks for ways to improve himself and his business. Unlike others who dwell on problems, he finds solutions to them. He learns from his mistakes, considers suggestions from others, and excels in his undertakings. He is willing to take risks and to do what needs to be done. These traits eliminate mediocrity. More specifically, O’Neil identifies these 15 traits as markers of true excellence. Great entrepreneurs…

-Aren’t just working for the money. They care about their company beyond the profits and take great pride in its performance, impact on society, and ability to help others through its offerings.
-Are truthful. They do what they say they are going to do, when they say they are going to do it.
-Embrace opportunities. They look for — and find — opportunities to improve themselves, their work, and their business.
-Are focused on solutions. They don’t bring problems to the table without recommending a solution.
-Focus on CAN. High performers focus on what they can do rather than what they can’t accomplish.
-Don’t blame. When they make a mistake they own it, fix it, and learn from it.
-Are busy, productive, and proactive. High performers are out there getting the job done.
-Are life-long learners. High performers constantly work at educating and improving themselves.
-Consistently do what they need to do. No matter how they feel or what curves life has thrown their way, they get it done.
-Have a desire to be exceptional. They will typically do things others won’t do.
-Accept feedback. High performers aren’t just open to feedback, they are more likely to act upon it.
-Set higher standards for themselves. The result? Greater commitment, more momentum, a better work ethic and (of course) better results.
-Are more interested in effective than easy. High performers look for the course of action that will produce the best results over the long term.
-Finish what they start. Even when it’s not fun.
-Are resourceful. They figure it out and get it done….

In summary, excellence is the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution, and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities.

A Commercial On a Building in Berlin

Amazing

Click here!

More to Learn from Dogs and Cats

Click here

Thanks this week to DreamForce, and to the imitable Larry H for innumerable sharing and excellent pairings!

Pay it Forward…

Love,
Neville

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” – Nelson Mandela

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:

Have You Checked Out BizTown?
This week, after a prideful morning exercising my civic duty and being grateful to be able to vote on election day, I had the further good fortune to join my daughter’s 5^th grade class at Junior Achievement’s BizTown in San Diego.

http://www.jasandiego.org/2012/educators/elem_biztown.php

If you have never hear of it or been there, it is quite the experience as these 10 and 11 year olds invest many weeks at their respective schools prepping for “a day in the life of work”, in a real setting with real jobs getting real checks that get deposited at real credit unions (and of course banks).

5 years ago I was at BizTown as a parent volunteer with my son Arman, as Mission Fed launched our first ever Thank A Teacher Campaign with Cox and JA.

Here we are 5 years later on the 5^th Anniversary of the hugely popular Thank a Teacher campaign, that has generated more than 25,000 thank you notes to thousands of teachers at hundreds of schools all over San Diego county, and now we have a gorgeous Mission Fed branch in BizTown, where half the 12,000 kids that attend BizTown every year do their banking and cash their paychecks all year long.

Here are some pictures memorializing and personalizing the occasion with our daughter Aysha:

• Working as a Nutritionist at Kaiser
• Hanging with her pals Marina and Trinity on lunch break

• With her 5^th grade teacher Sue Yant in front of the Mission Fed Thank a Teacher table
• Making her charitable contribution at the San Diego Foundation to help Animals 
• With Joanne Pastula the President/CEO of Junior Achievement, San Diego

(Thanks Mission Fed, BizTown and Ada Harris Elementary)

For more information, here is a recent media story on the feel-good Thank a Teacher Campaign:

Thank a Teacher:

http://lajolla.patch.com/articles/local-students-thank-their-teachers
Be sure to spread the word as we share the love with our teachers!

(Thanks JA, Cox and Mission Fed and EVERY Teacher out there!)

Coping with Natural Disasters and Stress by Will Marre:

Last week one of Will’s clients asked him to develop a quick guide to help their employees deal with stress caused by hurricane Sandy. I thought you might be interested in what he sent out as I was.

Natural disasters are usually sudden, shocking, and stressful.  You are normal if your feelings range from disbelief and anger to numbness so don’t get down on yourself for being human.

Symptoms of stress overload are:
Recurring feelings of fear, worry, and anxiety

Difficulty making decisions
Feeling powerless and depression
Achiness and stomach pain

If you are feeling this way, please consider some dos and don’ts.

First don’t:
Isolate yourself from others
Overeat, drink alcohol, or take drugs
Watch too much T.V. news about the disaster which may deepen your sense of helplessness and upset
(disturbing visual images are the most re-traumatizing)

Do:
Create a daily routine that includes 7-8 hours of sleep, light exercise, stretching, and healthy food.

Invest time with your friends, family, and co-workers.
Encourage people to share their stories and feelings but don’t dwell on them or repeat them over and over.
(Repeatedly retelling of terrible events causes your brain to create deeper, more disturbing memories.)

Encourage conversations about:
– What you’re grateful for in spite of the disaster
– Acts of service, help, and heroism
– Any positive things you’ve learned or will do differently

Watch (if you have power or internet access) humorous shows or movies that actually make you laugh.
Laughing creates feelings of optimism.

No matter how busy you are snatch 30 minute breaks to do something you enjoy—read an inspiring book, play a game, call friends who are out of the disaster oven and talk to them about the good things in yours and their lives.

Help others.  One of the most stress resilient activities you can do is help others using your strengths and gifts.
We are each wired to offer help in one of five ways:

Teach: Teach the people you can touch these stress tips, how to make sure their water is clean, how to get their power back on, or any other helpful information.

Take Charge: Organize people so they can use their strengths, knowhow and resources to do the most good.

Create: Create methods, processes, and tools to help people get their lives back to normal.

Help: Directly lend a hand in helping others clean up their property, get an insurance adjuster, or any other direct way.

Fun: Spread joy.  Encourage gathering, organize parties, be the activities director to get people re-engaged with their fun side.

So are you primarily a teacher, leader, creator, helper, or party planner?  If you take a minute, you’ll see your gift among these five.  It’s what you do well that brings you a great sense of satisfaction.  Give your gift.

Enrich your private life.  Take time to meditate on what you’re most grateful for now.  Tell others what you’re grateful for.  Stay fully present with others, hug, hold hands, enjoy moments of sacred silence where feelings of love are shared without words.

Every disaster is an opportunity to grow, serve, and love.  The quickest way to heal is to both give of yourself and take care of yourself.

We don’t need to wait for a natural disaster to engage on some of these life enriching activates. Any time your life feels overwhelming is a good time to recharge your personal vitality.

(Thanks Will)

 Finally, the Gift of Dog:

These quotes will touch your heart!

Click here

(Thanks Larry)

Stay Soul-Filled Everyone!

Love,
Neville

There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. 

One is roots.  The other is wings.

~Hodding Carter, Jr.

Happy Soul Food Friday!

Today for your Soulful Pleasure:

Did You Know that this week is the actual  500^th Anniversary of the Sistine Chapel?

With talk of restricting access so the art will be preserved for the next 500 years, here is a panoramic, up close way to view this masterpiece in a way never possible even if you are there.

This virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel is incredible and purportedly done by Villanova at the request of the Vatican.
Virtually view every intricate aspect of this MICHELANGELO’S MASTERPIECE.

JUST CLICK AND DRAG YOUR ARROW IN THE DIRECTION YOU WISH TO EXPLORE
In the lower left, click on the plus (+) to move closer, on the minus (-) to move away.

The choir sets the tone so make sure your speakers are on.

http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

I shared this at the very beginning of Soul Food Fridays but it definitely deserves a revisit…

So, what’s your masterpiece?

 

The Public Purpose of Public Education

While from an un-expected source this is a terrific and thought-provoking article that is worth reading!

http://www.ucc.org/justice/public-education/pdfs/Message-13-web-version.pdf

Thanks Wayne O.

 

What’s going on in the garden?

This tremendous state of the art photography from a TED talk on the Beauty of Pollination will blow your mind!

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/xHkq1edcbk4?rel=0

Thanks Larry H.

 

There is Art and then there is ART!

Enjoy the depth and complexity of a one-of-a-kind genius in Victor Molev

Click here

Thanks again Larry H.

ESCAPE FIRE Opening Today in San Diego:

I mentioned this powerful documentary on how to save our broken healthcare system in a previous blog. This movie specifically addresses a variety of critical issues, including integrative practices.

Click here

Here is a link to the theatre:

http://www.fandango.com/townsquarestadium_aaawj/theaterpage

Thanks Nancy J.

Stay Soul-filled and BE SURE TO VOTE next week!
Love,
Neville