Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:

Celebrate World Animal Day, the 100^th Anniversary of the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park & Making Sure ALL Kids Get to Experience the Animal Kingdom- Thanks Mission Fed!

Why Celebrate World Animal Day?

World Animal Day is an international day of action for animal rights and welfare celebrated annually on October 4^th the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

Throughout history, social movements (mass actions) like World Animal Day, have always been a major vehicle for ordinary people’s participation in politics, and key in fighting for social justice and reform. The lives of animals are profoundly affected by the actions of individuals, businesses, and nations.  It’s therefore essential that, as sentient beings, their rightful status as recipients of social justice is established and translated into effective animal protection.  Through increased awareness and education, we can help develop a compassionate culture which feeds into legal reform and social progress to make this world a fairer place for all living creatures.  A world where animals are recognized as sentient beings and full regard is always paid to their welfare.

http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/about_us

Kids Free in October- Thanks Mission Fed!

This past weekend, together with our friends at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, we kicked off Kid’s Free in October and celebrated the Zoo officially turning 100!

On Sunday, October 2 (the Zoo’s REAL birthday), the Mission Fed team was at the Zoo as part of the celebration and live via Facebook.

Our first live video, promoting our Food 4 Kids campaign, had over 1,300 views  and generated over $20,000 for the San Diego Food bank to make sure kids in need have food over the weekend.

This Facebook live experience captured this event’s energy, and highlights the partnership we have had with the Zoo since 2008.

We have sponsored Kids Free since 2011 and our commitment to giving back to the community and Kids Free in October allows all children to experience a fun day with their loved ones while learning about animal care and conservation science.

We hope every child, yours included if you live in San Diego can experience the beautiful wildlife and enjoy all the kid friendly activities that the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park have to offer. Look for us on Facebook.

The Morning After The Zoo’s Annual Holiday Party…..

Good Party Eh?

If You are Local:

Join us this Saturday, October 8 from 10 am – 3:00 pm for our upcoming clothing drive to benefit the YWCA’s Becky’s House domestic violence programs.  Together with our friends from Spanish radio stations Pulsar 107.3 and La Invasora 99.7, we’ll be broadcasting live next to Mission Fed’s Terra Nova branch and will be accepting women’s gently used casual/professional clothing in all sizes. Becky’s House offers a safe haven for women, men, and children to overcome trauma, improve their economic status, and ultimately achieve self-sufficiency.

Thanks this week go to animal lovers everywhere, & the Mission Fed team! Go for great. Own your game. Be kind. Get big things done.

Pay it Forward
Love,
Neville

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life”

-Saint Francis of Assisi

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change”—Carl Rogers

The Biggest Happiness Mistake:

WHAT IF . . . the best person you can be is you? RESEARCH SAYS:  The biggest mistake you can make when it comes to happiness in lifestyle, career, and relationships is not being yourself.  Here are some guidelines to help you be your authentic, genuine, awesome self from the folks at Pick The Brain: If you have positive intentions, don’t apologize for yourself.  If you do people will think you’re at fault when you’re not. Focus on being fully present in your external environment (rather than in your own internal world); react and create without over-analyzing. Quit worrying about how others see you, or it will unnaturally alter your behavior and probably make you seem insecure. Get to know yourself. Take time daily to reflect on your values and how you really want to live. Learn to appreciate who you are now – faults and merits – and others will too. TRY THIS: Make a list of the top three personality traits that make you . . . you.  How can you use these three things to strengthen your lifestyle, career, and relationships?

Also this week:

With all the political divisiveness in the country, as the Obama Presidency comes to a close, here are some apolitical opportunities to applaud the twin pillars of honor and humility with the Office of the President and First Lady

Honor-
President Obama Awards the Arts and Humanities Medals:

The National Humanities Medal is awarded to individuals or organizations whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the human experience, broadened citizen engagement with history and literature or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to cultural resources.

A real feel good experience as we celebrate artists and humanitarians that really make our souls sing!

Awards begin at around the 9-minute mark with Mel Brooks for making us all laugh and setting the tone and tenor for the event.

My favorite interviewer EVER, Terri Gross is honored around the 24-minute mark for her artful probing of the American experience for over 4 decades…

National Humanities Medal and National Medal of Arts awardees include actors Mel Brooks and Morgan Freeman, composer and musician Wynton Marsalis, record producer and songwriter Berry Gordy, and two New Jersey residents acclaimed writer James McBride and religion scholar Elaine Pagels.

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/97407-watch-live-at-1145-am-president-obama-presents-terry-gross-with-national-medal-of-arts-and-humanities-

Humility-
Ellen and First Lady Michelle Obama Go to CVS:

This is hysterically funny and shows you why we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously especially as leaders…

If You Are Local:
A 30-Day COMPASSION IT Challenge http://compassionit.com/30DayChallenge

Finally, Some Good Apolitical Posters to Keep Us On Track:

Thanks, this week go to Will M, NPR, Aysha S-B, Larry H and YOU for staying soulful!

Pay it forward

Love,
Neville

“Teach thy tongue to say ‘I do not know,’ and thou shalt progress” –Maimonides

Happy Soul Food Friday!

As we celebrate more than 5 years of this blog, longer if you count our email beginnings, enjoy our new look and feel and do add your comments so we know what you care about most!

This week:

World Gratitude Day Sept 21^st
The awareness of the benefits of having time in one’s life for gratitude, appreciation and positive reflection have become increasingly apparent. The hope of the founders of Gratitude Day is that by taking time, one day a year, to reflect on the many amazing things we have in our lives, it would positively impact our well-being and make us happier, more contented people.
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-gratitude-day/

Character Day September 22^nd  and the Periodic Table of Character Strengths:
What kind of person am I and who do I want to be in the world?
A global movement we can all be part of…
http://www.letitripple.org/character-day/

The Science of Character:
What are YOUR Top 5 Strengths?

“The Science of Character” – new 8 min film from The Moxie Institute on Vimeo.

“Teachers need to attend to creating a sense of community in the classroom, where mutually respectful relationships are nurtured and prosocial behaviors are welcomed and rewarded.”

-DeRoche & Williams, Educating Hearts and Minds.

In the Character ED Business? The Purpose of Education in the U.S.
Americans do not agree. Academics? Work ? Citizenship?

• Less than half say “academics” (45%)
• Preparing students for work (25%)
• For citizenship? (26%)

Here is a caveat from the PDK Poll  (2016)–68% of Americans polled say local schools should focus on career-technical or skilled–based classes rather than more honors or advanced academic classes. What say you?

News You Can Use
News & Notes for those who Care and Share!

• References   •Resources   •Research  •Ramblings

September 2016 – Issue 1. Editor: Ed DeRoche. Co-Editor: Serena Pariser

21^st Century Skills

More than 250 researchers across 60 institutions worldwide categorized these skills into four broad categories:

• Ways of thinking: creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making and learning;
• Ways of working: communication and collaboration;
• Tools for working: information and communications technology and information literacy; and
• Skills for living in the world: citizenship, life and career, and personal and social responsibility.                                                                                                                                     21^st century skills require 21^st century people of “character.”

Class Culture
Excerpt from https://www.teachingchannel.org/class-culture

We all want to build a positive classroom culture. But sometimes it can seem so elusive! This Deep Dive is here to help you consider how you can build a class culture that promotes academic achievement and social and emotional literacy.  Class culture is the foundation of a successful classroom, setting the tone while communicating and maintaining clear expectations. It also sets students up to hold each other accountable in reaching the classroom expectation and their shared goals.

As you begin this school year ask yourself:

• How can I build relationships with students?
• What does a vibrant and engaging culture look like?
• How can I create, uphold, and share responsibility for classroom norms?
• How can I help students work together?

Goal Setting                                                                

As you begin a new school year take note of these recommendations.

ASCD Smartbrief (5-26-09) reports that teaching middle school students WHY doing well in school is important and then helping them develop EFFECTIVE WAYS TO STUDY may do more to improve their grades than homework help.

Researcher Nancy Hill says, ” PLANNING AND DECISION-MAKING SKILLS can make middle school an especially effective time to use such strategies to overcome students’ decreasing interest in school.”

http://www.goalsettingforstudents.com is where we found this useful acronym:
SMART—which should be useful to your students.

S = Specific  M = Measurable       A = Attainable               R = Realistic      T = Timely

Have you considered goal setting using social systems for support in your classroom? Read about it here:
http://www.serenapariser.com/start-2015-off-right-student-goal-setting-using-social-systems-for-support

Narnia Virtues Project
The Center staff is pleased to connect you with a new educational project from our colleagues at the Center for the 4th and 5th Rs and the University of Leeds, UK.

The Narnia Virtues Project is a literature-based character education curriculum for students ages 11 to 13.   If you are an educator who teaches students in the 11 to 13 age -group, then you are eligible to join the Narnia Virtues project.  All teacher and student materials are free.  The project that will begin a pilot launch of its curriculum in fall 2016, and are looking for participants.

If interested, visit their website, http://www.narnianvirtues.leeds.ac.uk, for further information on this year’s pilot project, short videos, and sample project materials.

Celebrate Character Day
The Center staff  invite you to join us in celebrating Character Day on Thursday, September, 22^nd.

Check out Let It Ripple’s website, where you can find suggestions for activities, discussion kits, free materials, and videos for all ages.

September Freebie Caring Teacher Inventory

This inventory can be used in staff development or to have students assess their teachers’ caring behaviors, but the primary intent is for teachers to use it as a self-evaluation instrument

Why take the inventory? “Teachers need to attend to creating a sense of community in the classroom, where mutually respectful relationships are nurtured and prosocial behaviors are welcomed and rewarded.”-DeRoche & Williams, Educating Hearts and Minds.

A Fulbright Scholarship
Have you ever consider applying for a Fulbright Scholarship? Now is the time. Applications are currently open for 2017-2018. Read about one of our staff member’s insider perspective with Fulbright in Africa here:
http://www.smartbrief.com/original/2016/07/coaching-teachers-botswana-insider’s-perspective

Something to LINK To
Noisy Class = http://www.edutopia.org/blog/30-techniques-quiet-noisy-class-todd-finley?

How San Diego Is Teaching the Next Generation of Innovators:
“Our vision for leading the innovation economy leverages our unique competitive advantage rather than replicating what has been done elsewhere…”
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/

National Hispanic Heritage Month:
Paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society!
http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/

Practicing Focus in a World of Relentless Demands: The Energy Project https://theenergyproject.com/

Thanks, this week go to Ed DeR, Serena P, Laura K, David L, Tony S, Meg M and Grateful Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Characters Everywhere!

Teach AND LEARN for America and our WORLD
Pay it forward, please…

Love,
Neville

In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then… they came for me. ..And by that time there was no one left to speak up.
–Rev Martin Niemoller, January 1946

 

Happy Soul Food Friday!

People are Awesome:

Dogs are Awesome:

Love On A Leash:

You might say these dogs are in the love business. They give it, and they get it in return.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2016/sep/05/therapy-dogs-bring-love-leash/

Empathy- The Most Important Back to School Supply:

“Absent empathy, sincere kindness and unity, how useful are passing test scores for changing communities and an ailing world?”
http://us12.campaign-archive2.com/?u=d22785f089ea8dd144f3fa531&id=233d38b963&e=618c3f571f

Giggles for You:

 

Thanks, this week go to the Eric K, the EdTrans team & Larry H!

Please Pay it Forward…

Love,
Neville

“LOVE is our Soul Purpose”

Happy Soul Food Friday for Labor Day Week 2016!

Human Potential Through the Labor Of Sport:

• We’re The Superhumans | Rio Paralympics 2016 Trailer:This is fantastic!
  
• Kids Show Us How To Have Compassion in Victory:

The Lesser Known 4^th Olympic Medal:
A medal named after the International Olympic Committee founder Pierre de Coubertin is a rare award given to those athletes which display exceptional sportsmanship.

Laboring with Meaning and Emotion:
The capacity to process meaning and emotion in different parts of the brain and tie them together is not uniquely human.

This ability had already evolved in non-primates long before humans began to talk.

If this doesn’t make you smile, your smiler must be broken…

 

Local Events:
You are invited to the San Diego Nonprofit Association & TriNet “Access to Expert” Series on Wednesday, September 21, 2016
This event series has been designed in response to requests to help nonprofits navigate complex issues, share useful information and gain insights and access to experts.

National Philanthropy Day 2016: A Symphony of Philanthropy November 16, 2016

Supporting our Boys and Girls in our community: Back to school shopping event for children in need sff9-9-gs.

Thanks, this week go to Anu T, Isa A, Ralph S, Vicente R, Ron A, Larry H, Nonprofit Igniters and Philanthropists (lovers of humanity) Everywhere!

Pay it forward

Love,
Neville

“Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically on their environment and especially on their children than the unlived life of the parent.”- Carl Jung

 

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:

Nurture-
Heroic Labrador Rescues Two Dogs Trapped in Canoe:
When two dogs trapped in a canoe, begin heading downstream, an unexpected friend rushes out to save them. See what happens…
https://www.facebook.com/rumblevideo/videos/520433234782635/?pnref=story

Nature-
The National Parks Celebrate its 100^th Anniversary:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/america/national-parks/2016/08/24/national-park-service-100-years-anniversary-centennial/89274734/

Love-
What Jesus Would Do: Love Donald Trump
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/08/21/jesus-teaches-love-donald-trump-column/88966600/

Education-
Tips for Students and Their Parents Navigating the Start of College
This is not a Hollywood experience here…Coach don’t Rescue
http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2016/08/25/emotions-college-students

Wake up to the benefits of a later school day…
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/wake-up-to-the-benefits-of-a-later-school-day/article21504081/

One Answer to School Attendance…Washing Machines:
http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2016/08/school-attendance-washing-machines/496649/

If you are local:

Compassion Cultivation Training:

My friend Sara Schairer is leading a course developed by Stanford University, and its purpose is to help people cultivate compassion for themselves and others.

The course, Compassion Cultivation Training, is a mindfulness-based and science-backed approach to practicing compassion, and it’s great for anyone who feels stressed and overwhelmed or is interested in developing more self-compassion and compassion for others.  Many participants have said it is life-changing!

The 8-week course meets each Wednesday from 6-8pm, and it begins on Sept. 7.

Bring a friend, and you each get $50 off registration! Use the code CCTFRIEND16 at checkout.

YOU CAN REGISTER HERE –  http://compassionit.com/courses/ or check out their Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/Compassionit.world/photos/a.213255955425028.54060.109770099106948/1092417924175489/?type=3&theater

Save the Date for MANA’s Latina Success Conference Saturday, Oct 15^th, 2016
Workshops on Leadership, Business, Finance and Health that are transforming! Download the pdf to learn more ESTD.MANALSC_English2016.

Thanks, this week go to Vinny R, Sara S, the team at MANA, and everyone nurturing their inner nature through love and education!

Pay it Forward Compassion It-ly,

Love,
Neville

“LOVE is our Soul Purpose”

Happy Soul Food Friday!

“Let one who would enjoy a good future waste none of their present.”
– Roger Babson

People have personalities & Companies, and Countries have cultures

Our shared beliefs, values, mores and memes shape how we see and experience the world, suggesting that while we think the world is out there, and the mind is in here, it is actually the opposite! The world is within, and one of our making and the mind is out there shaped and influenced by our social systems.

How hard it is to own your mind…
Don’t believe everything you THINK!

This week’s submissions reveal some of our social conditioning/hypnosis and invite us, in Bob Marley’s words -in my opinion still a bigger legend than Usain Bolt- to “emancipate yourself from mental slavery none but ourselves can free our minds”.

If I have been “down so long it looks like up to me”, I am liable to make poor decisions and behave into personal, professional and even political decisions that may not be in my/our best interest…

This week:

Why We All Need to Practice Emotional First Aid”
http://www.ted.com/talks/guy_winch_the_case_for_emotional_hygiene?utm_source=tedcomshare&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tedspread

Of Airports, Kit Kats and Brainlessness:
A great story with a surprise ending!
http://www.stevefarber.com/blog/2012/02/23/of-airports-kit-kats-and-brainlessness/

Who Controls Your Moods?
When you are with positive, supportive, and loving people, you feel happier and more content, and you live longer.

This is not only intuitively true but research has demonstrated it again and again…
http://www.amenclinics.com/blog/who-controls-your-moods/

“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery none but ourselves can free our minds”:
Bob Marley- Redemption song

INNER PEACE:
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones
are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without alcohol,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
Then You Are Probably The Family Dog!

And you thought I was going to get all spiritual on you…

Thanks, this week go to Alexis C, Steve F, Daniel A, Bob M & Larry H.

Pay it forward!

Love,
Neville

“I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being.” ~ Hafiz

 

Happy Soul Food Friday!

It is back to school season and with a son off to college and a daughter off to high school I could sure use YOUR help…

What soul-filled pearls of wisdom would you have for all these young people starting new chapters (or for us parents for that matter)?

Send us your GEMs (genuine encounter moments) and we will aggregate and post them in a subsequent Soul Food so we can all benefit from the collective wisdom of this ecosystem.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of related links to energize you and keep you smiling…

Can’t Stop the Feeling:

It’s back to school time and our friends in Cajon Valley Union School District made a welcome back video that is going viral with almost 17,000 views in 3 days!

Check it out here:

Why Kids Need More Empathy:

If you are greatly concerned about our kid’s emotional and moral health…

http://micheleborba.com/why-kids-need-more-empathy-my-answer-to-time/

Back to School: 4 Ways to Prepare for Your Child’s School Year:

Is the back to school frenzy making you feel a bit stressed?

Here is something for kids, parents and educators alike…

http://www.chopra.com/ccl/back-to-school-4-ways-to-prepare-for-your-childs-school-year

If you are local:

Documented: A Film by an Undocumented American:

Dear friends and colleagues,

As a San Diego Grantmakers Board member and co-chair of its Social Equity Funders collaboration, I wanted to personally reach out and ask you to attend The Equity Event on September 9.

Equity is embedded in all of our philanthropy – whether you focus on education, homelessness, foster youth, workforce and the economy, health, the environment…need I go on? So it is critical that we all pause to consider our own role in improving equity – or said another way, eliminating inequity – through our grantmaking. How can you increase participation and leadership by people of color in the projects and programs that you support? Who are you listening to and are you acting on the feedback you’re given? Can your organization’s internal policies and practices on equity be improved?

These are just some of the ideas we’ll tackle at this half-day event featuring local and national experts in preparation for going deeper next year on issues like intersectionality, structural racism, implicit bias, gender discrimination, mass incarceration, and more.

And to kick off the event and get us thinking about one group’s perspective on equity, we’ll be hosting a special evening reception and screening of “Documented: A Film by an Undocumented American” on September 8.

Please join me at one or both of these important events.

Kind Regards,

Steve

P.S. Early bird registration ends this Friday, August 19

BLACK GIRLZ ROCK SAN DIEGO CONCERT TICKETS:

Dear Friends & Family,
I’m excited to be a featured performer for San Diego’s 1st Black Girlz
Rock Concert!

The details are below, & I hope to see your beautiful face in the
audience when I’m on stage singing my heart out!

When: Saturday August 20, 2016

Time: 8PM (Doors 7PM)

Where: Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier 1000 North Harbor Drive SD, CA 92101

Tickets: https://bgrsd.splashthat.com/

Scroll down to where it says: BLACK GIRLZ ROCK CONCERT TICKETS

Love.
ISHE

If you are National…

Thanks this week go to:

• Cajon Valley Union School District & Meg M for forwarding the link
• Sara S and Compassion IT
• Steve E and the San Diego Grantmakers team
• Starla and Ishe
• Dean Johnson at SDSU and the team at the National Excellence in Urban Education
• and Andrea M for helping with Soul Food Friday for many years!

Don’t forget to send us your GEMS so we can pay it forward, backward and sideways!

Love,

Neville

 

“Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do…

But how much love we put in that action”

–Mother Teresa

 

Happy Soul Food Friday!

“For the next phase of ‘her-story’, men simply can’t stay quiet!” –Neville

Which narrative consumes you?

Divisive, negative, if it bleeds it leads, sensationalism and fearmongering as we are currently experiencing in our Electoral Politics?

Or

Heroic stories of hard work, triumph, impossible odds, and the triumph of spirit over fear as we are currently experiencing with the Olympics?

With both dominating the airwaves and digital screens which one calls you?

Given the choice of a political rant or a Olympic cheer which energy resonates most with you?
What does that say about us as a people or as a country?

There are two stories of his/her story; one of inadequacy, fear and division, and the other of empowerment, love and unity.

Winning the Story Wars is a great way to understand this dichotomy and choose the narrative that reflects your best self.

WinningTheStoryWars_PreviewBooklet

Which story line will reflect your life and contribution.

Whatever slice of the equity, diversity and inclusion pie that matters most to you, it is time to take a stand…

If I am not a perpetrator and not a victim then I can’t just be a relegated to a bystander for that suggests I am a tolerator

Trigger Warning: This Soul Food Friday contains potentially distressing material for some, but the Meet Bob pictures at the end should reset your energy…

This week:

Politics Aside, this is What a Feminist Looks Like:

It is absolutely men’s responsibility to fight sexism too.

The most important change may be the toughest of all – and that’s changing ourselves…

http://www.glamour.com/story/glamour-exclusive-president-barack-obama-says-this-is-what-a-feminist-looks-like

Sign in Copenhagen right by a strip club

Human Trafficking Right Here in San Diego: A Study

These are our daughters, sisters, friends and mothers…

https://www.sandiego.edu/peacestudies/research-fieldwork/human-trafficking-study.php

Some Key Findings:

• Sex trafficking is San Diego’s 2^nd largest underground economy after drug trafficking. The underground sex economy represents an estimated $810 million in annual revenue
• At least 110 gangs are involved in commercial exploitation of people (CSEP).
• Our sample of traffickers in prison contained roughly an equal number of white, black and Hispanic facilitators
• 15 years old is the average age of entry into child commercial sexual exploitation (CSEC)
• Sex trafficking facilitators control 4.5 victim/survivors on average
• 42% of first-time prostitution arrests are in fact cases involving sex trafficking
• Domestic trafficking accounts for the majority of CSEP
• Transborder criminal networks are involved in trafficking minors and adults between Mexico and the United States. 20% of trafficking victims referred to service providers come from Mexico and 10 other countries
• Female recruiters and pimp/sex trafficking facilitators are perceived to be a significant and growing feature of the underground sex economy
• Significant CSEC recruitment is happening on high school and middle school campuses

https://www.sandiego.edu/peacestudies/research-fieldwork/human-trafficking-study.php

To Prevent Sexual Assault, Schools and Parents Start Lessons Early:

Experts say the sooner parents broach the subject the better. College, they say, is usually way too late.

http://www.npr.org/2016/08/09/487497208/to-prevent-sexual-assault-schools-and-parents-start-lessons-early

Be Counted Join He For She:

See who else is leaning in…

http://www.heforshe.org/en

Meet Bob and his friends

If I am not a perpetrator and not a victim then I can’t just be a relegated to a bystander for that suggests I am a tolerator

Elevate awareness for and help us help ourselves!

Thanks this week to Rex H, all the women (and men) of Aoinagi Ken Shu Kai celebrating 35 years in the wisdom traditions with a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion as well as all you peaceful warriors everywhere!

Pay it forward…

Love,

Neville

 

“The education of attention would be an education par excellence.” –William James

 

Happy Soul Food Friday!

In a democracy it’s your vote that counts; in feudalism it’s your count that votes

 This week:

• Puns for Educated Minds
• Stop Being So Hard on Yourself!
• The Power of a Positive Attitude
• Healing Racial Divides and Building Resilience
• California’s Most Beautiful Places

A Crazy Dog Vid:

If You Are Local…

• Mana Latina Success Conference Oct 15^th 2016

Puns for Educated Minds:

1. The fattest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian .

3. She was only a whisky-maker but he loved her still.

4. A rubber-band pistol was confiscated from a geometry class because it was a weapon of math disruption.

5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.

6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

9. A hole has been found in the nudist-camp wall. The police are looking into it.

10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: “You stay here; I’ll go on a head.”

13. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

14. A  sign on the lawn at a drug rehab centre said: “Keep off the Grass.”

15. The midget fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

16. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

17. A backward poet writes inverse.

18. In a democracy it’s your vote that counts; in feudalism it’s your count that votes.

19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

20. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris , you’d be in Seine .

21. A vulture carrying two dead raccoons boards an airplane. The stewardess looks at him and says, “I’m sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.”

22. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says, “Dam!”

23. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly, it sank proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too.

24. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, “I’ve lost my electron.” The other says, “Are you sure?” The first replies, “Yes, I’m positive.”

25. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root-canal? His goal:            transcend dental medication.

26. There was the person who sent ten puns to friends with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

Stop Being So Hard on Yourself:

I hope you’re having a good week so far.
The topic today is a common way to get things done, to achieve and to motivate yourself.
But it also comes at a price. It can tear yourself-esteem down. Suck the fun and excitement out of things and make you perform worse and worse over time.
So what can you do if you want to stop being so hard on yourself?
Well, three things that have helped me to do that are…

1. Remind yourself of the negative effects of this attitude.
To just remind yourself of how damaging being hard on yourself has been is in my experience a very effective way to replace the old habit with going easier on yourself.

2. Go for more human and smarter standards for yourself.
Movies, books and the people around you may push standards on you that are just pure fantasy or some kind of perfect dream.
But life is life, not a fantasy or dream and to set such extremely high standards that no one can live up to just leads to what you may see as failure and disappointment in yourself and in your life.
Instead, relax a bit and accept that everything and everyone has flaws and things don’t always go as planned.
Accept that you can still improve things but they will never be perfect.
And realize that you won’t be rejected if things or you aren’t perfect. At least not by reasonably well-balanced human beings, like most people actually are in reality.

3. Focus on the positive and helpful feedback in setbacks.
It’s very common to be hard on yourself when you make a mistake or fail.
But it is also a very destructive habit because it can magnify one such event into something that makes you feel depressed for weeks or makes you quit altogether.
So when you are hard on yourself for a failure or mistake then relax a bit and go a bit easier on yourself. Remind yourself of why this is a much better strategy to keep the motivation and self-esteem up.

And ask yourself:
What is one thing I can I learn from this situation?
How can I use what I learn from this to not make the same mistake again and to move forward in a better and smarter way?
Have a self-kind week and joyous summer!

The Power of a Positive Attitude:

Healing Racial Divides and Building Resilience

As we mourn so many deaths recently, President Obama reminded the nation that we should live up to our highest ideals, have an open heart with one another, learn to stand in each other’s shoes and see the world through each other’s eyes.

• How do we systematically develop that sense of interdependence and interconnectedness?
• How do we heal deep racial divides and trauma that have been passed on for generations?

We know that if we want our communities to be peaceful and loving and empathetic, each one of us has to find peace, love, and empathy within ourselves.
Chronic stress is a common denominator among everyone involved in the recent killings across the nation. For example, we know that just as inner-city residents are chronically stressed, so are inner-city police officers. The more stressed we are, the lesser our ability to pay attention, regulate our emotions, and feel empathy.

• Inattention is the difference between seeing and perceiving, and that difference (reaching for a wallet or a gun), as we have seen, can be a matter of life and death.
• Emotion regulation is the difference between reacting and consciously choosing an optimal response, and that difference (relaxed and alert, or angry and afraid), as we have seen, can be a matter of life and death.
• Lack of empathy is the difference between feeling separate and feeling interconnected, and that difference (us versus them), as we have seen, can be a matter of life and death.

Practices, such as Dynamic Mindfulness or mindful movement, done regularly, develop our capacity for resilience in the face of chronic stress and trauma. These tools are for all of us – everyday citizens and police officers, parents and children, teachers and students. These practices compliment, enhance and enable all our efforts at system change.
It is time to come together as community members, neighbors and families.  In the face of chronic stress and trauma, let’s practice the transformative life skills available to us, to help us become more resilient.  Empathy and compassion for others will abound in communities that are resilient. It is on us to live up to our highest ideals, and empower others to do the same.
In Peace,
BK and all staff at Niroga

California’s Most Beautiful Places:

http://patch.com/california/encinitas/s/ftmqn/california-tops-list-of-50-most-beautiful-places-in-america?utm_source=newsletter-daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=outdoors&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_content=article-topstories

Crazy Dog Vid:

If you are Local…

Save the Date

Mana Latina Success Conference Oct 15^th 2016  

2016 Latina Success Conference

Thanks this week go to Larry H, Henrik from The Positivity Blog, Eric K,  BK & all staff at Niroga, and the amazing Mana team…

Pay it Forward!

Love,

Neville