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The cynic says one person can’t do anything. I say ‘Only one  person can do anything.
All good ideas start with one person. The creative, caring, believing person sends out waves of influence. One affects others who in turn affect others…
Celebrate, the Power of ONE

Happy Soul Food Friday!

The Story of the 3 Travelers:

A women noticed three men with long white beards standing outside her front gate.
May I help you gentlemen?, she asked.
We have traveled many miles and we are hungry, one of the men replied. Could we bother you for something to eat?
It would be no bother, the woman replied, please come in.

Wait, one of the other travelers said, Is your husband home?
Not yet, but he will be home soon, the woman said.
Then we will wait for him before we come into your home.
Very well, the woman said and returned to her chores…

A short time later her husband arrived home. She told him about the three travelers and they decided to go to the front yard together to invite them in for supper.
You can ask only one of us in, said one of the men.
I am Wealth, that is Success and the other fellow with us is Love.
You must decide which one of us can enter your home.
The husband pulled his wife aside and said, Let’s ask Wealth to come into our home.
Maybe he will bestow many fine gifts upon us.
The wife disagreed. We should invite Success. Success makes wealth possible and successful people always have lives filled with good fortune.
Just then the couple’s daughter joined the conversation. You should always choose Love. Without love there is nothing.

The couple thought about it for a moment and then walked to the gate.
The wife said, Love, we would like to invite you to have supper with us.

The husband opened the gate and the three men walked into the yard.

But I thought you said we could only invite one of you in, the husband questioned.
That is correct, one of the bearded men answered, but you chose Love. And wherever Love goes, everything else will follow.

(Thanks Sensei Leong for Bits and Pieces)

Creating Good Work– The World’s Leading Social Entrepreneurs Show How to Build a Healthy Economy

Is your work extractive i.e. taking from the greater good, or generative i.e. contributing to the greater good?

Here is a teaser from a new book by my friend Ron Schultz where deliberate disruptive design is the model, and nurturing resilience, creating good work (work that has meaning and purpose and is of benefit to others) and creating enough wealth (commonwealth) becomes the hallmark with respect to social innovation.

The book launched Tuesday and is already #32 on Amazon. Ron will be sharing this over the weekend at the Ashoka U 2013 Exchange at USD where more than 1,000 people from 150 institutions and 40 countries gather for a premier event on social entrepreneurship education. http://ashokau.org/exchange/

Read this

You can stay current on this topic at: http://www.csrwire.com/blog/posts/715-creating-good-work-identifying-commonwealth-building-healthy-economies

(thanks Ron S.)

Natural and Unnatural Wonders:

Savor this soul feast for the eyes. Here are some amazing pictures from around the globe

Check this out

(thanks Larry H.)

Al Gore (Blood and Gore): The Future

Speaking of book launches, recently, I was grateful to my friends the Warwick’s for an opportunity to hear former US Vice President and Nobel Prize Laureate Al Gore speak at his book launch- for his new book entitled The Future.

If you are not familiar with Warwick’s, it is the oldest family owned and operated bookstore in the US, that has been delivering the independent bookstore experience since 1896. Warwick’s is currently run by the 4^th generation sisters Nancy and Cathy. http://www.warwicks.com/ “Independent minds need independent books”

While I wasn’t sure what to expect, I was suitably impressed by Mr. Gore’s depth of understanding of a variety of subjects and his ability to passionately engage with and communicate to his audience.

Mr. Gore was introduced by San Diego Mayor Bob Filner who as an academic and a politician used self-deprecating humor to bridge the gap identified in his own joke, “Academics are all thought and no action. Politicians are all action and no thought.”

In his early remarks, Mr. Gore joked about his time in Investment banking when with his partner Mr. Blood he seriously considered naming their firm “Blood and Gore”. Obviously keener sensibilities prevailed…

On a more serious note, some of the highlights for me included:

• The Emergence of Earth Inc. where decision making authority is being pulled from politicians to markets,  and changes in the means of production are moving from subtractive manufacturing where you chip away at the excess, to additive manufacturing such as 3-D printing (interesting to consider in relation to extractive or generative work mentioned earlier)
• The Emergence of the Global Mind where millions of connected devices, sensors and machines are hailing a new season of creative disruption where of the 7B people on the planet, 5B have smart phones that are getting smarter every year
• The Emergence of the Artificial Intelligence Genetic Revolution that is altering the very fabric of life where as a stray example- spider goats can now produce silk in their milk (since it is hard to farm spiders)
• The Emergence of China as the largest economy on earth, and what this means for the US after more than 100 years in the poll position…

Mr. Gore got most passionate about his belief and experience that “democracy in America has been hacked” as big money, anonymous contributions and super pacs dominate the political process and how politicians have no choice but to cater to big money and the 30 second commercials that are critical to their elective process, as it is only human nature to do the calculus on how each decision I take as a politician will impact my campaign contributions. This means in our current  system, zero reform can occur without support and sanction from special interest groups, and how this flies in the face of the script that our founding fathers believed in, and how critical it is that we become more informed about, and restore the proper functioning of democracy in America.

Wherever you find yourself in the political spectrum, I think Mr. Gore’s attention to the emerging trends is worthy of exploration, especially his important point that growth – the “holy grail” for countries, corporations and institutions without an “accounting” of the externalities not captured or measured in metrics like GDP including pollution, education, art, science and music, depreciation of natural resources, yes climate change and hyper inequality in income distribution (some inequality is a necessary condition of capitalism) but when the 6 Wal-Mart heirs are worth as much as 100 million Americans, and when since 2008, 93% of the income gains have gone to the top 1% of Americans- this is over the top, and collectively represents  an incomplete accounting with “off balance sheet” implications that could be deleterious for our species and our planet.

You can check out the book at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Future-Drivers-Global-Change/dp/0812992946 or better yet GO to Warwick’s!

(Thanks Cathy)

Who You Calling Dumb Animals?

This story is unbelievable…

After a mother chimpanzee who lived in a zoo died, one of the zoo’s employees took the baby chimp home to care for it. It never crossed his mind that his dog, who had recently given birth, would adopt the chimp and raise it with her pups. Judging by the look on her face at times, she is not quite sure why this particular offspring has hands to grab her with. Now that portrays unconditional love. Something to think about!

Click here!

PLEASE DON’T SAY DUMB ANIMALS…THEY HAVE MORE LOVE AND COMPASSION THAN MOST HUMANS!

Stay Loving and Compassionate.

Love,
Neville

“Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Happy Soul Food Friday for Valentine’s Day week!

This week in the heart department:

• A Love Story of a Hero and an Angel that is so good it hurts!
• A love of Music that begins early and will blow your mind when you see what a grounding in the fundamentals does for one’s trajectory toward mastery
• A love of Reading cultivated early by that soul food army- Volunteers
• A love of the seemingly mundane moment when the days seem long but you realize the years are short
• A love of art with a nice surprise at the end…

Ever wonder what starting to get a grounding in the fundamentals of one’s art would do for your “mastery” trajectory?
This should light a fire of inspiration…

Can you guess the artist?

http://www.wimp.com/oldschool/

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Giving the gift of reading and your love is timeless.

Learn about Rolling Readers with Mission Fed and SD Mayor Bob Filner and consider participating…

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The Days are Long but the Years are short

I got to hear this happiness guru speak last year at the Atlantic meets the Pacific event in La Jolla…

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Experience this speedy painter who throws in a surprising twist at the end.

Finally, a True Love Story (in 22 photos)

If he is a hero… She is an angel!

Thanks this week to Larry, Mission Fed and its righteous volunteers, as well as Heidi & Rex

Pay it forward, do it with LOVE, and bank on me!

Neville

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
–Margaret Mead

Happy Soul Food Friday!

Did you know that the Chinese Character for music and happiness is also the character for medicine?

I recently learned that the Chinese character for music, if pronounced differently, can also be read as “happiness”. The character for “medicine” is exactly the same as the character for “music” and “happiness” with the addition of the symbol for “herb” on top. This gives us a sense for how ancient the ties are among music, happiness, and health.

On that “note”, maybe we would do well to pay more attention to our musical diets so “hear” goes…

This Father and Son Story is a Soul Food Crescendo that will surely strike a chord!

You Country Rock Fans will appreciate The Graham Parsons story

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2012/03/14/gram-parsons-rock

Life is a Gift. The Zen of Bennett:

This radio interview with the legendary artist Tony Bennett is perfect pitch!

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2012/11/29/tony-bennett-zen

Now, let Andre’ Rieu’s Stradivarius violin and his world renowned orchestra at Radio City Music Hall, New York, stir your soul with a magical tribute to Frank Sinatra with My Way:

Finally, expand your musical horizons as this band, led by a Navy Vet sings an updated version of the Star Spangled banner: http://www.starspangledbannerchallenge.com

Thanks this week go to NPR/KPBS, Larry & Chris

Musically yours,

Neville

“If you have to ask what Jazz is you will never know” –Louis Armstrong

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:
Something Heavy
Something Creative
Something Authentic
Something Light and
Some Words to the Wise for the Volunteers in our Lives
Enjoy…

Something Heavy:

The Woman and the Fork

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So, as she was getting her things ‘in order,’ she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.Everything was in order, and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.
‘There’s one more thing,’ she said excitedly.
‘What’s that?’ came the Pastor’s reply.

‘This is very important,’ the young woman continued. ‘I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.’
The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.
‘That surprises you, doesn’t it?’ the young woman said.
‘Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by the request,’ said the Pastor.

The young woman explained. ‘My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that, when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, ‘Keep your fork.’  It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming… like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!  So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder ‘What’s with the fork?’ Then I want you to tell them: ‘Keep your fork ..the best is yet to come.’

The Pastor’s eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman’s casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, ‘What’s with the fork?’ And over and over he smiled.

During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.

He was right.

So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come. Friends are a very rare jewel , indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. Cherish the time you have , and the memories you share. Being friends with someone is not an opportunity, but a sweet responsibility.

Share this and this I’ll bet this will be an email they do remember, every time they pick up a fork! And just remember…keep your fork!   The BEST is yet to come, even in the middle of life’s darkest storms.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention:

Something Creative

Here are some creative minds and a not so thoughtful electrician…

Click here

Tired of Being Sold To? Here is an excellent counter-example

Something Authentic: Follow the frog…

Something Light:

The Brits Supply the Soundtrack:

More Animal Fun- We Supply the Caption:

Click here

And…as Sue Prelozni of Sustainable Surplus shared with me recently, “Remember to encourage and recognize those people who volunteer their help – Words of acknowledgement are worth triple the payment of any dollars earned.”

Check out their cool venture…

About Sustainable Surplus 2012

Thanks Larry, Arman, Paul, Michael & Sue…
If we are sustainable, there will be a surplus!
Have a great weekend…

Love,

Neville

Happy Soul Food Friday!

Hope you created a soul-filled week regardless of what came your way…

On Parenting:

On Teaching:

As many of you know, I teach yoga and martial arts and have done for over 30 years at UCSD. I also teach a yoga/wellness class at work at Mission Fed.

The wisdom traditions provide time tried principles for right living.

Sometimes growth comes in a flash. Most time it comes in slow incremental steps.

I think you will enjoy this story which speaks to the transformational potential of the human spirit when provided with the right conditions in which to thrive.

This is made up of both external factors as well as inner climate.

Enjoy…

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To Renew YOUR Hope in the Human Spirit:

Here is some High Calorie Soul Food Transcending Both Generations and Cultures

Never Give Up!

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How Do You Frame Reality?

You’ve got to love the English language, and no matter what side of the aisle you’re on, THIS is FUNNY!
Judy Walkman, a professional genealogy researcher in southern California , was doing some personal work on her own family tree. She discovered that Senator Harry Reid’s great-great uncle, Remus Reid, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. Both Judy and Harry Reid share this common ancestor.
The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows in Montana territory:

On the back of the picture Judy obtained during her research is this inscription: ‘Remus Reid, horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889.’

So Judy recently e-mailed Senator Harry Reid for information about their great-great uncle.

Harry Reid:

Believe it or not, Harry Reid’s staff sent back the following biographical sketch for her genealogy research:

“Remus Reid was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory . His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to government service, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed.”
NOW That’s real POLITICAL SPIN!!!

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Can a Simple Smile Boost Your Immunity and Your Mood?

What if you could fight the common cold by making someone else smile?

RESEARCH SAYS: The best part of my day is when I make someone else smile. And no matter how I’m feeling, I can’t help but smile too.

Smiles are contagious that way. That’s because bringing a smile to someone else’s face is good for you too. It is shown to produce immunity-boosting, stress-reducing chemicals (serotonin and endorphins) in the brain that instantly boost your mood.  So go ahead. Share a smile.

YOUR CHALLENGE: Go out of your way to make someone smile today, whether it’s a coworker, customer, friend, or family member. Really think about what would give them an instant charge of joy–would it be giving a sincere compliment, forwarding a funny video link, or walking up and telling them a joke? Tell us what action you took and the other person’s response.

Share your results on our Facebook page.

Did someone forward you this email? Want to receive tips like this and other great content directly in your inbox? Then sign up here to join our email list.

Past Tips from Will:
#24 – Beat the New Year’s Resolution Stress
#25 – Need a Vacation?
#26 – Talking About Your Stress Will Light Your Hair on Fire

Are Stories About the Birds and Bees Pumped Up?

Canadian photographer Patrice Laroche will have no trouble explaining the birds and the bees to his kids. During his wife Sandra Denis’ pregnancy, the artist created hilarious explanatory photo series titled “How to Make a Baby”.

The creative couple planned and carried out their project throughout the whole 9 month period, taking pictures in the exact same settings as Sandra’s belly expanded.

The pregnancy saga of Sandra and Patrice basically denounces all the traditional cabbage and the stork stories.

Stay Pumped People!

Thanks this week to Larry, Will and all of you that Model the Human Spirit…

Love,
Neville

“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”

Happy Soul Food Friday

This Week, we wax whimsically with:

• Witticisms & Wisdom
• Wabi Sabi Love
• A cool history of Wrock and Wroll
• Women in the Military- one shining star
• and a Winter Wonderland in Quebec

Enjoy!
Wove,
Neville

Wabi Sabi Love

What if we could reframe life and see the beauty and perfection in our own imperfection (and relationships)? Check out this sampling of Wabi Sabi love, predicated on the Japanese aesthetic courtesy that I heard about through my friend and collegue Dr. Ken Druck

http://www.wabisabilove.com/gifts/v1.html

History of Rock and Roll

“I know… it’s only rock and roll but I like it, I like it, yes I do!”

Enjoy this thoughtful sampler of the art form by long time music critic Steve Morse, starting with its seminal beginnings and roots to predictions about the future and the next branches of rock and roll. While you can’t get the whole enchilada from the Berklee College of Music unless you sign up for the online course, this appetizer is great for any of you Rock and Roll lovers, and now you can understand Rock’s place in a historical context. Crank it up!

“The amateur borrows, and the professional steals…”

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/01/14/rock-history-online

Witticisms- SOME WORDS OF WISDOM:

While I don’t agree with all of them I certainly admire their way with words!

1. In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.– John Adams

2. If you don’t read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed. — Mark Twain

3. Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself. — Mark Twain

4. I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. —Winston Churchill

5. A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. – George Bernard Shaw

6. A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money. — G. Gordon Liddy

7. Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. —James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

8. Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.  — Douglas Case, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University.

9. Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. — P.J. O’Rourke, Civil Libertarian

10. Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else. – Frederic Bastiat, French economist(1801-1850)

11. Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving,  subsidize it. —Ronald Reagan (1986)

12. I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. — Will Rogers

13. If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it’s free! — P. J. O’Rourke

14. In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other. —Voltaire (1764)

15. Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you! — Pericles (430 B.C.)

16. No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session. — Mark Twain (1866)

17. Talk is cheap, except when Congress does it. – Anonymous

18. The government is like a baby’s alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other. — Ronald Reagan

19. The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery. — Winston Churchill

20. The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin. — Mark Twain

21. The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. — Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

22. There is no distinctly Native American criminal class, save Congress. — Mark Twain

23. What this country needs are more unemployed politicians —Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)

24. A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. — Thomas Jefferson

25. We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. – Aesop

FIVE BEST SENTENCES

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity, by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work, because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation!

Women in the Military

Bet you didn’t know this story…

Martha Raye endured less comfort and more danger than any other Vietnam entertainer.

The most unforgivable oversight of TV is that her shows were not taped.

Most are unaware of her credentials or where she is buried.

Somehow I can’t see this generation of entertainers doing what this woman (and the other USO women, including Ann Margaret & Joey Heatherton) did for our troops in past wars.

Most of the old time entertainers were made of a lot sterner stuff than today’s crop, with some notable exceptions.

The following is from an Army Aviator who takes a trip down memory lane:

“It was just before Thanksgiving ’67 and we were ferrying dead and wounded from a large GRF west of Pleiku. We had run out of body bags by noon, so the Hook (CH-47 CHINOOK) was pretty rough in the back.

All of a sudden, we heard a ‘take-charge’ woman’s voice in the rear.

There was the singer and actress, Martha Raye, with a SF (Special Forces) beret and jungle fatigues, with subdued markings, helping the wounded into the Chinook, and carrying the dead aboard.

‘Maggie’ had been visiting her SF ‘heroes’ out ‘west’.

We took off, short of fuel, and headed to the USAF hospital pad at Pleiku.

As we all started unloading our sad pax’s, a ‘Smart Mouth’ USAF Captain said to Martha…. “Ms Raye, with all these dead and wounded to process, there would not be time for your show!”

To all of our surprise, she pulled on her right collar and said ……”Captain, see this eagle? I am a full ‘Bird’ in the US Army Reserve, and on this is a ‘Caduceus’ which means I am a Nurse, with a surgical specialty….now, take me to your wounded!”

He said, “Yes ma’am…. follow me.”

Several times at the Army Field Hospital in Pleiku, she would ‘cover’ a surgical shift, giving a nurse a well-deserved break.

Martha is the only woman buried in the SF (Special Forces) cemetery at Ft Bragg.

Salute!

 

Finally, enjoy this amazing Winter Wonderland at the Quebec Ice festival : 2012

Please give it a few moments to load…

Click here!

Thanks this week to Larry H., Dr. Ken D. & KPBS

Pay it Forward People!
Love,
Neville

“All joy in this world comes from wanting others to be happy,
and all suffering in this world comes from wanting only oneself to be happy”
– Shantideva

Happy Soul Friday!

Hope your 2013 is off to a good start.

This week’s nuggets are designed to fortify you for another trip around the sun…

“All’s well that ends well” and “Practice makes perfect” are misnomers.

All’s well that BEGINS well. Your imagination is a preview of coming attractions.

Practice makes PERMANENT. Perfect practice makes perfect. What you do you become.

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And You Thought Paying it Forward was Wishful Thinking and Wouldn’t Go Anywhere?

Check out this story where a chain reaction had people paying it forward for 3 hours and 228 orders!

http://consumerist.com/2013/01/02/tim-hortons-customer-pays-for-strangers-coffee-others-pay-it-forward-for-228-orders/

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Are You Lucky?

They say, “luck is when preparation meets opportunity” and they are right!

The Luck Factor shows you that lucky people actually create their own luck and that you can actually grow your own luck using four principles;

• creating and noticing chance opportunities
• making “lucky” decisions by listening to your own intuition
• creating self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations
• and adopting a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good

Click here

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Unsticking In the New Year Is Not Easily Done

Here is some help from Robin Sharma with my favorites bolded

62 Fast Tips to Get UnStuck
By Robin Sharma
Author of the #1 Bestseller “The Leader Who Had No Title”

1. Believe in your vision and gifts when no one else believes in your vision and gifts.
2. Start your day with 20 minutes of exercise.
3. Make excellence your way of being (versus a once in a while event).
4. Be on time (bonus points: be early).
5. Be a celebrator of other’s talents versus a critic.
6. Stop watching TV. (Bonus points: sell your tv and invest the cash in learning and self-education).
7. Finish what you start.
8. Remember that your diet affects your moods so eat like an athlete.
9. Spend an hour a day without stimulation (no phone+no FaceBook+no noise).
10. Release the energy vampires from your life. They are destroying your performance.
11. Write in a journal every morning. And record gratitude every night.
12. Do work that scares you (if you’re not uncomfortable often, you’re not growing very much).
13. Make the choice to let go of your past. It’s dusty history. And polluting your future.
14. Commit to being “Mozart-Level Good” at your work.
15. Smile more (and tell your face).
16. Do a collage filled with images of your ideal life. Look at it once a day for focus and inspiration.
17. Plan your week on a schedule (clarity is the DNA of mastery).
18. Stop gossiping (average people love gossip; exceptional people adore ideas).
19. Read “As You Think”.
20. Read “The Go-Getter”.
21. Don’t just parent your kids–develop them.
22. Remember that victims are frightened by change. And leaders grow inspired by it.
23. Start taking daily supplements to stay in peak health.
24. Clean out any form of “victimspeak” in your vocabulary and start running the language of leadership and possibility.
25. Do a nature walk at least once a week. It’s renew you (you can’t inspire others if you’re depleted yourself).
26. Take on projects no one else will take on. Set goals no one else will do.
27. Do something that makes you feel uncomfortable at least once every 7 days.
28. Say “sorry” when you know you should say “sorry”.
29. Say “please” and “thank you” a lot.
30. Remember that to double your income, triple your investment in learning, coaching and self-education.
31. Dream big but start now.
32. Achieve 5 little goals each day (“The Daily 5 Concept” I shared in “The Leader Who Had No Title” that has transformed the lives of so many). In 12 months this habit will produce 1850 little goals–which will amount to a massive transformation.
33. Write handwritten thank you notes to your customers, teammates and family members.
34. Be slow to criticize and fast to praise.
35. Read Walter Isaacson’s amazing biography on Steve Jobs.
36. Give your customers 10X the value they pay for (“The 10X Value Obsession”).
37. Use the first 90 minutes of your work day only on value-creating activities (versus checking email or surfing the Net).
38. Breathe.
39. Keep your promises.
40. Remember that ordinary people talk about their goals. Leaders get them done. With speed.
41. Watch the inspirational documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”.
42. Know that a problem only becomes a problem when you choose to see it as a problem.
43. Brain tattoo the fact that all work is a chance to change the world.
44. Watch the amazing movie “The Intouchables”.
45. Remember that every person you meet has a story to tell, a lesson to teach and a dream to do.
46. Risk being rejected. All of the great ones do.
47. Spend more time in art galleries. Art inspires, stimulates creativity and pushes boundaries.
48. Read a book a week, invest in a course every month and attend a workshop every quarter.
49. Remember that you empower what you complain about.
50. Get to know yourself. The main reason we procrastinate on our goals is not because of external conditions; we procrastinate due to our internal beliefs. And the thing is they are stuck so deep that we don’t even know they exist. But once you do, everything changes.
51. Read “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”.
52. Know your values. And then have the guts to live them–no matter what the crowd thinks and how the herd lives.
53. Become the fittest person you know.
54. Become the strongest person you know.
55. Become the kindest person you know.
56. Know your “Big 5″–the 5 goals you absolutely must achieve by December 31 to make this year your best yet (I teach my entire goal-achieving process, my advanced techniques on unleashing confidence and how to go from being stuck to living a life you adore in my online program “Your Absolute Best Year Yet”).
57. Know that potential unexpressed turns to pain.
58. Build a strong family foundation while you grow your ideal career.
59. Stop being selfish.
60. Give your life to a project bigger than yourself.
61. Be thankful for your talents.
62. Stand for iconic. Go for legendary. And make history.

This is YOUR time. Now’s YOUR moment. Let’s do this! 🙂

Your fan,

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Thoughts from a Good Guy with a Gun

I couldn’t agree more…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dani-meier/school-shootings-guns_b_2411441.html

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Life with No Regret-A Nurse reveals the Top 5 Regrets people make on their Deathbed:

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared.
I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them……………..

When questioned about ANY REGRETS they had or anything they would do differently, Common Themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five REGRETS :

1. I wish I’d had the Courage to Live a Life True to Myself, NOT THE LIFE OTHERS EXPECTED OF ME.
This was The MOST COMMON Regret of All. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had Not Honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.
It is very important to try and honor at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard. 
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence. By SIMPLIFYING YOUR LIFESTYLE INTO LIVING NON-MATERIALISTIC LIFESTYLES, and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the Income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new Simple Lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the Courage to Express My TRUE Feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became WHO they were Truly Capable of Becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result. We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by Speaking Honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my True Friends.
Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of their old TRUE Friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let Golden Friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their Really TRUE friends when they are dying. It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let REAL friendships slip.. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to Love and REAL Relationships in the end.
That is all that remains in the final weeks, True love and REAL TRUE Relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one.
Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in Old Patterns and Habits…….. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of Change had them Pretending to others, and to their OWN Selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again. When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying. Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose Consciously, choose Wisely, choose Honestly. Choose happiness that gives YOU CONTENTMENT & PEACE OF MIND ON A DAILY BASIS

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A Mother’s Love Comes in Many Flavors and Sizes

Enjoy this lighter fare and photographic journey…

Click here!

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

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Educating Hearts

Thanks this week go to Ron A, Eva M, Mohit, Pat D/A, and Mama Marlaine

Stay Curious and oh yeah, Pay it Forward!
Love,
Neville

“I am larger, better than I thought,
I did not know I held so much goodness”
–Walt Whitman, ‘Song of the Open Road’

Happy Soul Food Friday!

They say life is what happens when you make other plans…
Sadly, my Dad had open heart surgery and our trip to India had to be postponed.
Dad is improving very slowly, but moving in the right direction
Thanks to all of you for your thoughts, support, prayers and love!

Is a Weekly Dose of Soul Food Meaningful?
Heidi, who helps me with the administration of the Soul Food Friday WordPress blog got this at the end of 2012:

• 600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 6,400 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 11 years to get that many views.
• In 2012, there were 49 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 65 posts. There were 111 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 173 MB. That’s about 2 pictures per week.
• The busiest day of the year was January 6th with 160 views. The most popular post that day was The First Soul Food Friday of 2012.

Thanks for your engagement in making this happen!

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What is in Your Cone?

We get what we put into it…

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Fantastic Photos to Start Your Year!

Click here!

There Comes a Point in Your Life when You Realize:

Who matters, 
Who never did,
Who won’t anymore…
And who always will.

***** Peace on Earth *****

Best wishes for a very Happy New Year!
Thanks this week go to Heidi, Larry, Bob and Manvinder
Pay it forward!

Love,
Neville

Happy Soul Food Friday!

As this is my final Soul Food for 2012, here are 12 Stories, one for each month of the year:

It is so hard to not to have your soul hurt deeply from the tragedy in Sandy Hook last week…

While the country reels from the event and hopefully makes systemic changes for the future as President Obama’s speech on Wednesday passionately portends, here are some resources to help us get through this enormously difficult time:

How to talk to youth about the shooting in Connecticut

By way of Margaret Iwanaga-Penrose, President & CEO of Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC) and a fellow member of the San Diego Non Profits Board

We have assembled a brief listing of excellent resources you can use to help in your efforts to talk with youth and families about the shooting that took place in Connecticut on Friday. Special thanks to the following people for rallying quickly and consulting with experts to identify a few key resources (There are a multitude of resources available but we think at this point in time less is more).

• Our gratitude to Alfredo Aguirre, Director of Mental Health Services, San Diego County & Network Advisory Council Member, Wayne Lindstrom, President & CEO, Mental Health America, and Robert Abramovitz, Co-Director National Center for Social Work, Trauma Education and Workforce Development, Hunter College.
• Review the resources and download what is most applicable to your needs.

Scott Bryant-Comstock
President & CEO
http://cmhnetwork.org

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10 Tips for Helping Children Cope:

Dear Supporter of Save the Children,

Following yesterday’s tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, the thoughts of all of us at Save the Children are with our neighbors in this community that is only about 20 miles from our headquarters.

Even as adults try to come to terms with this unspeakable tragedy, we know many parents, teachers, grandparents and caregivers are concerned about how the media’s dramatic images and heartbreaking stories might affect the emotional well-being of the children in their lives.

To help you know what to say and do to support children at this difficult time, we want to share 10 tips for helping children cope, suggestions based on our extensive experience working with children in times of crises.

1. Limit television time.
2. Listen to your children carefully.
3. Give reassurance.
4. Be alert for significant changes in behavior.
5. Understand children’s unique needs.
6. Give your children extra time and attention.
7. Be a model for your children — they will learn from your behavior.
8. Watch your own behavior and make a point of being sensitive to the crisis.
9. Help children return to a normal routine.
10. Encourage volunteer work — doing something for others.

If you know anyone who might be helped by these tips, I urge you to please share the link www.savethechildren.org/cope.

As for our own efforts to be of service, we have already established a Child Friendly Space in a Newtown middle school — a safe haven where children can play, socialize with their peers and regain a sense of normalcy. We will, of course, offer any help we can in the weeks to come.

As I hugged my own 11-year-old daughter last night, I realized that the most important thing for all of us right now is to remember that children of any age can be affected by a disaster — and that they look to us to provide them with love, understanding and support.

Carolyn Miles
President & CEO

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While Gun Laws are one thing, our entire approach to and support for treating Mental Illness in this country is quite another.

With No Child Left Behind and Budget cuts, socialization skills as a core output of an excellent educational system, and social services as a necessary ingredient in the school team composition have taken a back seat to scores and grades.

Here is one article on what mental illness looks like from the parents point of view?

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/12/15/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother

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On Perspective

This deck certainly provides some…

Click here

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Whew…

Now for some lighter fare

Hard to believe that since Soul Food Friday’s inception there have been more than 60 blogs on this site and nearly a year’s worth prior to that via direct emails that eventually got too cumbersome to manage through large email attachments.

I do hope at least a few of them touched your soul…

As I leave on vacation today, this will be my last eMissive until the New Year which technically by nature’s calendar would be today on the Winter Solstice, after which the days get longer…

The Gift of Friendship:
If holiday season is about gift giving, one of the greatest gifts I received this year was the gift of support getting a travel Visa for India. After being shocked and devastated for being denied for an India Visa because I could not procure my Naturalization Certificate from 24 years ago- even though I have a US Passport and have travelled on that to India several times since- I called on my social network and asked for help. The outpouring of help from people that in some cases I have had virtually no contact with since I was 15 years old was inspiring & heartwarming. I thanked and salute them through a redux of our school song for the Cathedral and John Connon school- one of the oldest schools in India.

This tells the story in verse…

Prima in Indis Redux
Prima in Indis, Gateway of India
Door of the East with its face to the West,
Here is San Diego my Indian Visa I was yearning
So I called on my network to help with this test
 

Friends forged on maidans playing hockey or cricket
Throwing spit balls, in drama, or hiding my pen
Came to the rescue with contacts galore that
Lent me a hand; both women and men

School School Play up School
I found where my lot has been cast
Family first, Friends next, Self last.

External Affair Ministers, Ambassadors, Diplomats
Military Attaché’s and Staff on the scene
All were extracted, contacted, exacted
All were so sweet not a one was a mean

None of these knew me from Adam or Evie
But they knew You, and you knew them
Next thing I know, just missing one paper
No longer meant that my holiday was kutumb

Geographic distance or time filled spaces
Seemed not to matter to these Cathedralites
They’d trained and they’d strengthen that which really mattered
And for a friend they would put up a fight!

Now as I plan my family trip to Mumbai
They’ve taught me what matters, after all through I’ve been
Friends are our greatest gift, ours to defend them
Ours now to follow these heroes that seem
To have learned and practiced, not taken for gratis
That which is most important in life
It’s People that Matter, Living your Values, Lending a Hand with Other Folk’s Lives

I am no poet but I am so grateful
I hope that I see you when I am in town
If you’re around at the Club or at Sea Lounge
Take a few moments and do come on down

Now as our lives and the palm shadows lengthen
I know what it means to re-echo that old stirring cry
PLAY UP SCHOOL! Let it rip! Let it thunder!
Let it resound to the whole dunya’s sky
School School Play up School
I found where my lot has been cast
Family first, friends next, self last.

Love,
Neville

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While there is a lot of negativity in the News today, here is a striking counterexample, along with another uplifting story and innovative idea I thought you’d appreciate.

http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2013/dec/mercy-cards-121312.html

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Music is the language of the Soul and this link will resonate on the soul food frequency

The Landfill Harmonic

http://vimeo.com/52711779

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Security Cameras can help keep us safe, but sometimes they capture stuff you don’t expect:
Give a little bit…

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As we wind up the year, do PACE yourself over the holidays…

Pace =

Pleasure
Accomplishment
Contentment
Enthusiasm

Some like it fast- check out this link

Others souls are lifted when they take it slow…

S L O W   D A N C E

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last

Do you run through each day on the fly
When you ask “How are you?”
do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?

You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last

Ever told your child,
We’ll do it tomorrow
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
‘Cause you never had time to call and say “Hi”?

You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift….

Thrown away…
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

– Author Unknown

Bear Necessities:

Click here

Happy Holidays from Mission Fed!
https://www.missionfed.com/HolidayCard2012

Special thanks to all this Year’s contributors including this week’s that include: Margaret, the Cathedralites, Dana, Janet, Arman, Larry, Robin, Heidi and the Mission Fed team.

Blessings for the Holidays, and Love to you and Yours!

Love,
Neville

“LOVE is our Soul Purpose”

“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!

As I reflect back on the year and look forward to new beginnings on this unique day 12/12/12,  three emerging topics continue to rise to the surface; Leadership, Happiness and Resilience.

I am not sure where you stand on these, but for me growth in all three seem to call me and might actually shape the next leg of my life ad venture.

Why these three?

• Leadership because without it most groups, organizations, communities and cultures cannot actualize their true potential
• Happiness because without it why are we working and growing and yearning and earning so hard?
• Resilience because this competency rightly understood and well-practiced can help us survive and even thrive when life throws us a curveball

In the last week, I had the privilege to engage with the Vista Unified School District and all its entire Leadership team engaging in the important work of building a framework for the future as they shape their vision, mission and values.

Their Superintendent Devin defined them as:

Vision: Where do we want to go? Vision is Aspirational

Mission: What is our purpose? Mission is Inspirational

Values: What are our commitments? Values are “Perspirational”
Our work together was about the perspirational aspect of identifying what operationalizing our values looks like so we can behave into them and make them part of our organizational DNA.

Coincidentally, we are working on the same essential topics at Mission Fed as well, and it is always interesting to separate core or noble values from competencies…

At a recent high level belt test in our karate group, one of our Sensei Charles shared this example which I thought was exemplary:

“Integrity First, Service before Self, Excellence in all we do”- United States Air Force Core Values

This classic First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy, that Devin shared with the Vista team, and that I was first introduced to by Jack Abbott and Sonia Rhodes of TEDx San Diego and TEDx Youth,  might change your perspective on Leadership and who is the most important person…

What are Your Noble Values?

How do you operationalize them for yourself and build a culture where you and those around you can behave into them?

If Happiness is a key outcome you might want to check out:

Happier at Home by Grethen Ruben, http://www.amazon.com/dp/0307886786

Or The TRUE Happiness Recipe coming out soon by Will Marre http://www.thoughtrocket.com/the-true-happiness-recipe/

More on resilience in a subsequent post…

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Lighter Fare:

The Unusual Pairing touched my heart. Enjoy Tara and Bella

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Went Fishing, Caught 4 Deer:

Interspecies Kindness continues…

A once in the history of mankind kind of thing.

The Best Day Of Fishing Ever!

Some fishing stories are a little hard to believe, but this guy has pictures to prove his story…

I’ve heard of salmon jumping into boats, but never anything quite like this… Tom Satre told the Sitka Gazette that he was out with a charter group on his 62-foot fishing vessel when four juvenile black-tailed deer swam directly toward his boat.

“Once the deer reached the boat, the four began to circle the boat, looking directly at us. We could tell right away that the young bucks were distressed. I opened up my back gate and we helped the typically skittish and absolutely wild animals onto the boat. In all my years fishing, I’ve never seen anything quite like it! Once onboard, they collapsed with exhaustion, shivering.”

“This is a picture I took of the rescued bucks on the back of my boat, the Alaska Quest.  We headed for Taku Harbour . Once we reached the dock, the first buck that we had been pulled from the water hopped onto the dock, looked back as if to say ‘thank you’ and disappeared into the forest. After a bit of prodding and assistance, two more followed, but the smallest deer needed a little more help.”

This is me carrying the little guy.

My daughter, Anna, and son, Tim, helped the last buck to its feet. We didn’t know how long they had been in the icy waters or if there had been others who did not survive. My daughter later told me that the experience was something  that she would never forget, and I suspect the deer felt the same way as well!” I told you! Awesome… huh?

Thanks this week go to Vista USD, Charles, Jack, Sonia, Will and Larry.

Pay it forward… You can’t take it with you!

LOVE is all you need, while my sitar gently weeps…

We will miss you Ravi Shankar!

Neville

“Kindness is the language
the blind can see
and the deaf can hear.”
– Mark Twain