Happy Soul Food Friday!
Surprise Yourself
This week:
Mysteries of the Unseen World:
This is amazing photography and brilliantly explained. We live in a
world of un-seeable beauty, so subtle and delicate that it is imperceptible
to the human eye. To bring this invisible world to light, filmmaker Louie
Schwartzberg bends the boundaries of time and space with high-speed cameras,
time lapses and microscopes. At TED2014, he shares highlights from his
latest project, a 3D film titled “Mysteries of the Unseen World,” which
slows down, speeds up, and magnifies the astonishing wonders of nature. Enjoy…
Slip Sliding Away:
This takes the Slip and Slide to a Whole Other Level!
Human Ingenuity at its best:
Some Out Of the BOX thinking
This NGO created as a Community Service Centre for marginalized families in urban slum and rural areas, Aarambh, wanted to help students who are not as privileged, with basic facilities, in order for them to be more comfortable at school. Most schools in Indian rural areas have two basic problems:
1) The schools didn’t have proper desks, which led to poor eyesight and a hunched back leading to bad posture and bad writing.
2) The students didn’t have school bags.
They came up with a solution which tackled both these problems at one go.
To make the portable desks they used discarded cartons which are economical and easily available. They then used a pre-set stencil design, which when cut and folded, created a slick desk which also served as a school bag. Amazing!
Make YOUR Life Into A Masterpiece:
Vision + Design = The Blueprint for the One Masterpiece that you will Create…
Make Your Life into a Masterpiece
The most important masterpiece you’ll ever create is your life. But to create your masterpiece you must first design it. You must have a vision of what it looks like. Once you have a vision and design it you can begin the process of building it.
To help you with your design you can ask questions such as:
What does your life look like when you are at your healthiest, strongest, and best?
What does your family situation look like while you are pursuing success in your work?
What matters most?
What priorities drive you each day?
What are you doing that makes you come alive?
What are you born to do?
What are you doing to live and share your purpose?
When you look back on your life what do you want to be able to say about it?
How do you want to feel?
What will you have wanted to accomplish?
What legacy will you have left?
I asked these questions at the peak of my unhappiness 13 years ago and realized that instead of creating my masterpiece I was building a piece of a junk. Over a period of a few weeks filled with a lot of walks and prayer the answers to these questions came to me and I began the process of designing and building my life as a writer.
For some the answers to these questions may lead you to a new career. However, for most, it will simply lead to changes that will align your life with the vision and design you have for it. For example you may need to exercise more and eat healthier to create your masterpiece. Or perhaps you may need to spend more time with your family because your masterpiece includes great relationships with your kids. Or you might realize that you are not spending enough time on your priorities and therefore your masterpiece is not developing like it should. Whatever your masterpiece looks like, your design will help you see what you need to do, or stop doing, in order to create it.
I also want to caution you to make sure you are building your masterpiece and not someone else’s idea of what your masterpiece should be. I know this well. My mom always wanted me to be an attorney. I planned on going to law school after college. When I didn’t get into law school, because my LSAT score was so poor, I gave up on the idea of being a lawyer. However, after getting my masters in teaching, opening several restaurants and running for city council of Atlanta at the age of 26 my mom’s vision for me still stuck with me. I ended up going to law school in Atlanta for a year and a half. But while taking my second year exams I had this strong feeling that there was something else for me. I stood up and walked out on my final exams and never looked back.
I recently spoke to a school where the wife of my friend from law school is the principal. My friend said when I walked out of the law school exams no one could believe it. He said it was legendary. But I don’t think it was legendary to quit. What I think is legendary is when someone stops trying to create someone else’s masterpiece and instead focuses on designing and creating the masterpiece they are meant to build.
You have one masterpiece to create and I want to encourage you to design and build YOUR masterpiece, not someone else’s.
I also want to encourage you to stay positive as you move from the design phase to the building phase. You will face challenges during the building process but always remember, negative thoughts are the nails that build a prison of failure, but positive thoughts will build you a masterpiece.
Stay flexible and adaptable through the process. It’s okay for your plans to change, especially when your plans must give way to the ultimate creator’s master plan.
And lastly, make sure you choose the right habits because what you do each day will become who you are. Your habits will transform your design, vision and plans into the masterpiece of your life.
Celebrating a Past Mission Fed Board Member- John Daily
This past I was privileged to be part of a donation to the American Cancer Society on behalf of long time Board member John Daily
Here are the poignant comments current Board member Ken Clark shared about John and his contributions…
John Daily used his wise counsel and gentle nature to help guide Mission Fed as a 21 year member of its Board of Directors – serving 2 – two year terms as Chair while our credit union grew from $121 million in assets with 29,000 members to $1.8 billion with 129,000 members at his retirement in 2008.
Dr. Daily brought honor to his beloved alma mater, USC, as he brought his best to everything he took on from Assistant Superintendent of San Dieguito Schools for 30 years, Board member of Mission Fed, Master Gardener with the San Diego Horticultural Society, volunteer with Quail Gardens, San Diego Fair & Solana Beach schools, and – most importantly – husband and father.
He was a smart, honorable, and generous man and I consider it an honor to have been one of his many friends.
Today’s donation to the American Cancer Society is to honor his memory.
This was a truly touching Mission Moment…
Enhance your personal brand with bling that is human-centered and soul-filled…
Check out: http://www.compassionit.com/
What is There to Say About the Dog:
Dogs have long ago stopped being just animals. To us, a dog is also a symbol – A symbol of endless loyalty, of love given without asking for it to be returned. We look to the dog and hope to find its strength and love in us. We look to the dog and learn how to be true friends and true members of a loving family.
Those of us who have had dogs in our lives, know that there is much to say about this wonderful animal, and so we bring you a few touching and oh-so-true quotes on the matter.
Thanks this week go to Larry H, Mohit M, John D and Ken C, Sara at Compassion IT, and sweet pets everywhere including our black lab Kailee!
Pay it forward…
Love,
Neville
“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future;
it is something you design for the present.”— Jim Rohn
Happy Soul Food Friday! 
Thank you for the great thoughts and the great laugh! Yes, I thought I would quietly check email at a short break during a marathon (and pretty darn serious) board meeting – and promptly burst out laughing when I saw the dog photo with ‘Holy Crap I’m Batman’ as the caption…. Everyone came over and when they saw it, did the same. That laughter (and the resulting bond that we now share – and now repeatedly quote) made the entire day more productive…. Thank you, Thank you!!