Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:
Things YOU would like to have invented:

There are no limits to creativity

Click here!

Nine Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People:

The most successful people in business approach their work differently than most. See how they think–and why it works.

Many successful people, regardless of industry or profession, seem to share the same perspectives and beliefs. And they act on those beliefs:

1. Time doesn’t fill me. I fill time.

Deadlines and time frames establish parameters, but typically not in a good way. The average person who is given two weeks to complete a task will instinctively adjust his effort so it actually takes two weeks. Forget deadlines, at least as a way to manage your activity. Tasks should only take as long as they need to take. Do everything as quickly and effectively as you can. Then use your “free” time to get other things done just as quickly and effectively. Average people allow time to impose its will on them; remarkable people impose their will on their time.

2. The people around me are the people I chose.

Some of your employees drive you nuts. Some of your customers are obnoxious. Some of your friends are selfish, all-about-me jerks. You chose them. If the people around you make you unhappy it’s not their fault. It’s your fault. They’re in your professional or personal life because you drew them to you–and you let them remain. Think about the type of people you want to work with. Think about the types of customers you would enjoy serving. Think about the friends you want to have. Then change what you do so you can start attracting those people. Hardworking people want to work with hardworking people. Kind people like to associate with kind people. Remarkable employees want to work for remarkable bosses. Successful people are naturally drawn to successful people.

3. I have never paid my dues.

Dues aren’t paid, past tense. Dues get paid, each and every day. The only real measure of your value is the tangible contribution you make on a daily basis. No matter what you’ve done or accomplished in the past, you’re never too good to roll up your sleeves, get dirty, and do the grunt work. No job is ever too menial, no task ever too unskilled or boring. Remarkably successful people never feel entitled–except to the fruits of their labor.

4. Experience is irrelevant. Accomplishments are everything.

You have “10 years in the Web design business.” Whoopee. I don’t care how long you’ve been doing what you do. Years of service indicate nothing; you could be the worst 10-year programmer in the world. I care about what you’ve done: how many sites you’ve created, how many back-end systems you’ve installed, how many customer-specific applications you’ve developed (and what kind)… all that matters is what you’ve done. Successful people don’t need to describe themselves using hyperbolic words like passionate, innovative, driven, etc. They can just describe, hopefully in a humble way, what they’ve done.

5. Failure is something I accomplish; it doesn’t just happen to me.

Ask people why they have been successful. Their answers will be filled with personal pronouns: I, me, and the sometimes too occasional we. Ask them why they failed. Most will revert to childhood and instinctively distance themselves, like the kid who says, “My toy got broken…” instead of, “I broke my toy.” They’ll say the economy tanked. They’ll say the market wasn’t ready. They’ll say their suppliers couldn’t keep up. They’ll say it was someone or something else. And by distancing themselves, they don’t learn from their failures. Occasionally something completely outside your control will cause you to fail. Most of the time, though, it’s you. And that’s okay. Every successful person has failed. Numerous times. Most of them have failed a lot more often than you. That’s why they’re successful now. Embrace every failure: Own it, learn from it, and take full responsibility for making sure that next time, things will turn out differently.

6. Volunteers always win.

Whenever you raise your hand you wind up being asked to do more. That’s great. Doing more is an opportunity: to learn, to impress, to gain skills, to build new relationships–to do something more than you would otherwise been able to do. Success is based on action. The more you volunteer, the more you get to act. Successful people step forward to create opportunities. Remarkably successful people sprint forward.

7. As long as I’m paid well, it’s all good.

Specialization is good. Focus is good. Finding a niche is good. Generating revenue is great. Anything a customer will pay you a reasonable price to do–as long as it isn’t unethical, immoral, or illegal–is something you should do. Your customers want you to deliver outside your normal territory? If they’ll pay you for it, fine. They want you to add services you don’t normally include? If they’ll pay you for it, fine. The customer wants you to perform some relatively manual labor and you’re a high-tech shop? Shut up, roll ’em up, do the work, and get paid. Only do what you want to do and you might build an okay business. Be willing to do what customers want you to do and you can build a successful business. Be willing to do even more and you can build a remarkable business. And speaking of customers…

8. People who pay me always have the right to tell me what to do.

Get over your cocky, pretentious, I-must-be-free-to-express-my-individuality self. Be that way on your own time. The people who pay you, whether customers or employers, earn the right to dictate what you do and how you do it–sometimes down to the last detail. Instead of complaining, work to align what you like to do with what the people who pay you want you to do. Then you turn issues like control and micro-management into non-issues.

9. The extra mile is a vast, unpopulated wasteland.

Everyone says they go the extra mile. Almost no one actually does. Most people who go there think, “Wait… no one else is here… why am I doing this?” and leave, never to return. That’s why the extra mile is such a lonely place. That’s also why the extra mile is a place filled with opportunities. Be early. Stay late. Make the extra phone call. Send the extra email. Do the extra research. Help a customer unload or unpack a shipment. Don’t wait to be asked; offer. Don’t just tell employees what to do–show them what to do and work beside them. Every time you do something, think of one extra thing you can do–especially if other people aren’t doing that one thing. That might be hard… But that’s what will make you different. And over time, that’s what will make you incredibly successful.

Keeping it Simple:

How to close a bag without a seal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh4l7faJZUQ

Finally, Too Cute NOT to Share:

Horsing around…

Thanks this week go to Mohit, Larry G and Larry H

Keep Reinventing Yourself, Model Successful People, Keep it Simple, Leave Time for Horsing Around & Pay it Forward!

Love,

Neville

“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees”.–Amelia Earhart

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:

New Frontiers in Education:

In my travels in education I am honored to cross paths with so many interesting people advancing the art and science of education.

Recently, I was introduced to the Center for Human Development at UCSD where they are doing some breakthrough work “chasing the signal” of how to foster the right environment and motivational constructs for self-directed life-long learning. To that end on one project The UC San Diego Center for Human Development is working with local music instructors and martial arts communities to address an important question: How does involvement in the arts affect the development of children? Dr. Terry Jernigan and her colleagues are recruiting children under the age of 10 to assess their academic, social-emotional, and neurological development to help determine whether, and how, children may benefit from participation in music and martial arts.  The goal of the project is to acquire more empirical evidence about the effects of arts involvement during childhood, so that policy makers can make better informed decisions about support for initiatives that provide more children with opportunities to participate in these activities. The project is ongoing and The Center for Human Development (http://chd.ucsd.edu) is still recruiting families, so contact CHDStudies@ucsd.edu to learn more about participation and their interesting work.

As a Student of Human Behavior, Motivation is such an Interesting Subject:So what really motivates people? This classic might have you reconsidering…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc

You CAN lead from where you stand
Look at what this group is doing in their community…
http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=2476

To Keep a Sharp Mind:
Put your brain to this quick & fun test and see what YOU see…
Check it out!

If our lives are the dynamic tension between our Fears and our Dreams…

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

Speaking of Dreams, this is what Making History & Winning Looks and Feels Like!
Success takes a village in any language or arena…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KILU3oV39uw&feature=related

Creativity Comes in Many Flavors: The Fruit Parade:
Like the Rose parade in Pasadena, this is a fruit parade in Tiel, Netherlands. Check out these amazing floats made from fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds.
Click here

Finally, Soul Food Friday would not be complete without gracing you with a musical interlude that feeds the soul:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/GInf0lXsyKY?feature=player_embedded

Thanks this week to Conner and Terry, Steve H., Beth, Jiloo & Larry

Pay it Forward!

https://soulfoodfriday.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/soul-food-for-friday-june-29th/

Love,

Neville

“Your own soul is nourished when you are kind;

it is destroyed when you are cruel.”– King Solomon

Happy Soul Food Friday!
This week:

Mission 2 Volunteer and the Vital Importance of Volunteerism

This past week I had the privilege to honor volunteerism in education at the Cardiff School District, where for the past three years we have shone the spotlight on volunteers that make a difference.

In addition to a plaque that is visible in the school with the names of each volunteer on it, we also provide them with a modest stipend that they can apply to an area in education that they are passionate about at the school. This year’s nominee from the Cardiff SEA was Michelle Martini-Brown, who joins Pam Sylvor and Allison Wylot the 2011 and 2010 Mission 2 Volunteer recipients. Each are great ambassadors for the power and impact of volunteering.

http://www.cardiffschools.com/page/828
Please consider doing this for your school…

Yesterday, chatting with my friends and associates, CJ and Dania at the United Way whose tag line not coincidentally is: GIVE. | ADVOCATE.| VOLUNTEER.| LIVE UNITED® we were discussing the magic of volunteerism.I shared that in my experience, a critical metric from a social mission standpoint is our investment of discretionary energy-as expressed in our time, and no one typifies this better than volunteers!

Isn’t it amazing that in our over-scheduled, over-achieving, time starved lives we find the discretionary energy to volunteer for those things that really matter?
When we give our time with purpose, we give our most precious asset- our energy, applying the law of concentrated attention, “That which we focus on manifests!”

It is true when they say, we are judged by the company we keep!
Hanging out with volunteers is a predictive variable in the quality of OUR life and that of those around you
Volunteers are:

• Intrinsically motivated people that are compelled by different things than basic reward and punishment, or the proverbial carrot and stick
• Powered by: autonomy, mastery and purpose

Volunteers see things differently and experience time differently. In other words, we have a different relationship to time. Most people consume or spend time, volunteers produce or invest time, and that investment becomes a legacy gift to the communities they serve.
Thanks Cardiff
—
Amazing Paths:
My son Arman graduated 8th Grade in the last week, and with other graduations of various flavors transpiring, I hope everyone finds their amazing path in life.
Here are a few for you to meander on…

Click this

May the path your life takes in the next year lead you to fun and adventure, love and peace.

Thanks Larry

What a Drag it is Getting Old…

For those of us that are wondering where the years go, rest assured that you are only as old as you feel…watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq4NfHZkXtA

Thanks Chris

Childcare:

As Summer begins and the parents look for babysitting options in earnest, here are some alternatives…

Check them out!

Thanks again Larry

Be present, Be involved, Be the difference

On behalf of our extended community, thank you for your active engagement!

Our world is a better place because of YOU…

Pay it Forward.
Love,
Neville

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Bless you Robert Frost

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:

One of the best ways to enhance academic performance – and assure children and families thriving – is to care for the WHOLE person. LinkedIn’s top ranked Parenting 2.0 group is leading the chorus in nurturing whole child development through sharing of The Life Skills Report Card and advocacy of proactive education for non-academic Life Skills. http://parenting2pt0.org/about/life-skills-report-card/

If you still accept the age-old paradigm “Children learn what they live”, the P20 Talks 2012 Conference at the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, which I have been instrumental in organizing, may be your wake up call. Fifty presenters from four continents will present on critical Life Skills that are too frequently tossed in the parental junk drawer and ignored by exhausted, overwhelmed parents.

Topics include: Digital Safety, Interpersonal Communication, Finance and Organizational Skills. Full details can be found at http://parenting2pt0.org 
In addition to being introduced to a new more dynamic and proactive narrative for “Raising Humanity.” This is a rare networking and career enhancing opportunity for Engaged Parents, Parent Coaches, Life Coaches and anyone passionate about nurturing a more dynamic narrative for raising humanity. Register at
http://parenting2pt0.org/p20talks-2012-conference/p20talks-registration/
Seating is limited so please act promptly if interested.

—

Sack Lunches: A Soul food story about Honor
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. ‘I’m glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,’ I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation.
‘Where are you headed?’ I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. ‘Petawawa. We’ll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we’re being deployed to Afghanistan. After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time…

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. ‘No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch.
Probably wouldn’t be worth five bucks. I’ll wait till we get to base.’

His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. ‘Take a lunch to all those soldiers.’ She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. ‘My son was a soldier in Iraq; it’s almost like you are doing it for him.’

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, ‘Which do you like best – beef or chicken?’
‘Chicken,’ I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class..
‘This is your thanks.’

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room.
A man stopped me. ‘I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.’ He handed me twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand and said, ‘I want to shake your hand.’ Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain’s hand.

With a booming voice he said, ‘I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.’ I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane.
Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. ‘It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.’

Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers.
As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little…

A veteran is someone who at one point in his life wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States of America’ for an amount of ‘up to and including my life.’

That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.’

—

Interested in Building Engagement and a Positive Team?

Data indicates that not everyone is engaged in their work, in fact here are the national stats:

• 31% are fully engaged
• 52% are not engaged (neutral)
• 17% are actively (toxically) disengaged

A few weeks ago I saw this…

A Positive Team: The Positive Pledge has now had over 10,000 people share it. As I was reflecting on the pledge I started thinking about all the teams I work with and the negativity that sabotages them. I realized that most of us are part of a team whether it’s a work team, school team, sports team, family team, etc. This inspired me to write a Positive Team Pledge for those who want to be their best and bring out the best in their team. Feel free to also share it with your youth sports team, high school team and/or work team.

I pledge to be a positive leader who sets the example for my teammates through my positive attitude and actions.

I promise to share positive energy and encouragement with my team.

I will not be an energy vampire nor will I sabotage myself and team with negativity, complaining and excuses.

When I make a mistake I will own it and seek to improve.

When I’m not performing well I will stay positive and strive to get better.

When I experience self-doubt I will remember a time when I succeeded.

When I feel fear I will choose faith.

When I face adversity I will find strength.

When my team experiences a defeat I will choose to stay positive and prepare to achieve another victory.

With hard work, determination and faith, I will never give up and will always help my team move forward towards our vision and goals.

Today and every day I will be positive and strive to make a positive impact on my team

—

You are never too old…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LOdmka4_90&feature=player_embedded

—

What great editing can do… Pick your musical genre
Staying Alive by the bee gees
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz3CPzdCDws

or Jump in the Line by Harry Belafonte

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJIFSB8owlM

—
Pardon my French, but have you heard about the price of gas over there?!

Click here to read all about it.

Stay Positive and Pay it Forward!
Love,
Neville

“Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working.”
— Pablo Picasso

“Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working.”
— Pablo Picasso

Happy Soul Food Friday!

It has been quite the season filled with end-of-the-year activities in both K-12 and Higher Ed. So far I have already enjoyed a Law School graduation at UCLA for my cousin Freyaan and a graduation at USD for my cousin Cowas.

Last weekend I was privileged as part of the UCSD Alumni Board to experience an amazing Alumni Weekend at UCSD, and meet the new Chancellor Designate

Pradeep Khosla who will begin his term as UCSD’s 8^th Chancellor on August 1^st.

In a season filled with new beginnings, commencement speeches can be brutally blasé or total triumphs

I got this one via my cousin in India and thought it was fantastic!

What say you?

http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=236

Thanks Kaiyoze

—

It’s not just what is said but what is heard that counts

This clip makes that clear in an unusual way…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-lN8vWm3m0&feature=player_embedded

Thanks Brian

—

Let’s go back to 1944.

Ride out the first minute of singing, and then I want to hear what you say. Unbelievable!

http://sorisomail.com/email/34321/a-flexibilidade-das-irmas-ross.html

Thanks Chris

—

Speaking of time travel, here are some oldies that made big “hits”:

Click here to see some awesome pics!

There is more to life that what meets the eye…

Don’t believe everything you see. Here we’ve been thinking for all these years that they were just heads. This just adds to the mystery of these amazing sculptures.  Maybe now they can get more information about them seeing as they have writings on them.

The Stone Statues in Easter Island have bodies !

Check it out!

For some lighter fare, enjoy some Chocolate Math:

Click this!

 Thanks Larry for these last few submissions

—

Are you crazy enough to believe you can change the world?

I know you are…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rwsuXHA7RA

Thanks Marlaine

—

Keep seeing with a new pair of eyes, hearing with your heart and stay sweet!

Pay it Forward…
Love,
Neville

“The day will come when, after harnessing space, the winds, the tides and gravitation,we shall harness for God the energies of love. And on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, we shall have discovered fire!”

–Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Happy Soul Food Friday!

As the school year winds down and summer looms, this week’s e-missive focuses on excellence (not success) at home and work.

Success is always in relation to someone or something else.

Excellence, on the other hand is invariably in relation to your own benchmark of “what is best”.

Recently I was asked about the difference between intelligence and wisdom. Here is my thought and I welcome yours…

Intelligence is the understanding that one has to balance the twin hats of self-acceptance and self-improvement

Wisdom is the ability to actually do it!

Here’s wishing you and yours a soul-filled journey on the way, with a little Hope and Faith sprinkled in for good measure…

At Home: Being a Good Parent Can Be So Darn Hard!

I don’t know about you, but parenting can be the hardest job you’ve ever loved.

Invariably, we are running hard and trying to be the very best parents we can be, feeling that no matter what we do it might not be enough.

Second guessing ourselves, projecting about the future, lamenting about the past. Maybe it is just me.

Then, just when you are reaching your wits end, you’re channel surfing on the radio, hear this song, and your soul is settled…

Enjoy “It Won’t be Like This For Long”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5zCaRaJ-kE&ob=av2n

Thanks Darius

—

At Work: 8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Bosses

I really liked this article and hope you find in valuable too

http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/8-core-beliefs-of-extraordinary-bosses.html

Thanks MC

Whether at Home or at Work: Great coaches know how to give feedback

Flexing our communication style to ensure the message is well received is a powerful tool in our interpersonal tool kit.

This clip can help…

http://pfl.thoughtrocket.com/post/feedback/

Thanks Will & Paul

—

We can Always use a Little Faith & Hope

First Hope:
Have you ever had a dream, and felt like life was asking you to give it up?

Have you ever lost someone or something, and did not know what to do?

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:

What if our personal & professional life’s challenges were not planning or implementation issues but design opportunities?

“Everything is designed. Few things are designed well.” — Brian Reed

Good design implicitly sees restrictions as liberators. In other words the very limits that we find imposed upon us, either internally or externally, RIGHTLY CONSIDERED  turn limitations into a design benefit! Over the last year, serving on the advisory board of the Agile Strategy Institute and doing a deep dive into strategy as design rather than planning, and most recently through my community engagement with UCSD’s Alumni Board and Division of Social Sciences I have had the opportunity to reframe most issues as “Design issues”!

Last year, UCSD’s Executive Vice Chancellor Suresh Subramani challenged the UCSD campus to identify strategic focus areas for future growth.  He asked the faculty to reflect on its interdisciplinary strengths in relation to society’s future needs.  Three focus areas were identified and announced for the next 50 years of UCSD’s distinctive contribution to higher education:  Quantitative Biology, Advanced Energy Research and Design.  The newly developing Design program will center on a core curriculum of basic courses in design as well as practicums in which small groups of students – working under the guidance of UCSD faculty with industry or community partners – work on design solutions to specific problems.

Fast forward the tape to this week, where along with other community and business folk I had the privilege at the Division of Social Sciences Dean’s Luncheon to learn more about the Design Initiative from its interim co-director David Kirsh. Professor Kirsh engaged us by outlining some big ideas with respect to design including:

Designing for Experience– Where one finds opportunities not requirements and design is “embedded, embodied, situated and differentiated”

Designing for Effectiveness– Where doing the right thing is key and it actually works in the way that people want it

Designing for Efficiencies– Where doing it the right way is critical and the right information in the right form, at the right place and the right time at the right pace, duration and rhythm is essential

Rightly considered, design is not a substantive area of inquiry as much as it is a process and way of thinking. Design is exemplified by a practical, problem-oriented focus that aims to develop real solutions. The unique contribution and promise at UCSD will emphasize the “human” element of design, that is, how people interact with objects, institutions, and one another with a particular focus on cognition and will also contribute to the evaluation of design, or how we know whether designs are “working” to solve the problems identified. Here the social sciences, which today still graduates the majority of majors, can play a powerful role in shaping the future both for the university and by extension for higher education.

How might we design our lives for maximum experience, effectiveness and efficiencies in fulfilling our passion and purpose?

Please add your comments and insights…
(Thanks UCSD Team)

Is Wellness Part of Your Life Design? This Woman is Something Else…
http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c2#/video/international/2012/05/15/pkg-vassileva-yoga-teacher-guinness-record.reuters
You have got to respect her when she told her doctor ‘don’t tell me what I can’t do’!
(Thanks Ruben)

Speaking of Design, Check out this amazing technology from Japan . . .

Click here!

On the Flip Side, New Designs in the Wrong Hands can be Trouble!

Still leaving valuables in your car?   View TWO ways that these thieves are operating…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgK6OWEDI-8

Speaking of the Wrong Hands, This Just In On Identity Theft:
Until I saw this, I did not realize how serious identity theft was becoming…
Pass this on to your loved ones.

Check this out.

Blessed are the cracked,  for they let in the light!

Finally, Bio mimicry is a great muse for Design
Hope you find these photos inspiring…
Watch this!
(Thanks Larry for these last contributions)

Stay Soul-filled and Design the World You Want to Live In!

Pay it forward!

Love,
Neville

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:

A follow up from the Mother’s Day Fancy Dress Swim to combat Malaria

By the looks of it, these moms had an exhilarating experience doing good and celebrating motherhood!

(Thanks Marlaine)

—

“No man should bring children into the world who is unwilling to persevere to the end in their nature and education.”— Plato

Some of you were inspired last week by Peyton Goddard.

I even heard from one fellow soul foodie that she and her mom taught Sunday School with Dianne Goddard and that Peyton would attend.

This link of Peyton’s speech along with her therapist is inspirational, insightful & humbling and allows us to see how both the teacher and the student bring out the best in one another

“Great is EACH!”

http://www.peytongoddard.com/aboutpeytonmovie.html

(Thanks Barb)

If “your attitude determines your altitude” this little guy can’t help but make you smile…
Our attitude toward life defines not only who we are, but the quality of life we will have.

Click here!

Anything bugging you today?  

Doesn’t seem so bad anymore, does it?

“Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain”.

(Thanks Chris)

—

Want to know and overcome the 6 Enemies of Greatness and Happiness?
Read on…

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jessicahagy/2012/02/28/the-six-enemies-of-greatness-and-happiness/

—

Feeling a little snarky?

Here is a little wit with spit…

1. Never raise your hands to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected.
2. I’m not into working out. My philosophy is no pain, no pain.
3. I’m in shape. Round is a shape.
4. I’m desperately trying to figure out why Kamikaze pilots wore helmets.
5. Do illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup?
6. I’ve always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific.
7. Ever notice when you blow in a dog’s face he gets mad at you, but when you take him in a car he sticks his head out the window.
8. Ever notice that anyone going slower than you is an idiot, but going faster is a maniac?
9. You have to stay in shape. My mother started walking 5 miles a day when she was 60. She’s 97 now and we have no idea where she is!
10. I have six locks on my door, all in a row. When I go out, I lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three of them.
11. One out of every three Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of two of your best friends. If they are OK, then it must be you.
12. They show you how detergents take out bloodstains. I think if you’ve got a T-shirt with bloodstains all over it, maybe your laundry isn’t your biggest problem.
13. Ask people why they have deer heads on their walls and they tell you it’s because they’re such beautiful animals. I think my wife is beautiful, but I only have photographs of her on the wall.
14. A lady came up to me on the street, pointed at my suede jacket and said, “Don’t you know a cow was murdered for that jacket?” I said, “I didn’t know there were any witnesses. Now I’ll have to kill you too!”

(Thanks Larry)

Ready for some Magical Photos?

Check these out!

(Thanks Paul)

—

Finally a bit of levity, as laughter is a good tonic for the soul

Oh Lucille!

http://www.youtube.com/embed/kPvciIdDZAE

(Thanks Larry)

Stay Soul-filled!

Love,
Neville

Happy Soul Food Moments!

Teaching is a Calling and They Give Their Whole Being While Imparting a Love of Learning:
Last night I was privileged to attend the celebration of the New Department of Education Studies (formerly TEP) after 40 years of serving the educational community as a thriving academic program.

Sponsored by UCSD Alumni this event celebrated “official department status” in the division of the Social Sciences at UCSD.

Attended by hosts of graduates, supporters and practitioners of research, scholarship and practice it was reminiscent of when I was one of the students that successfully petitioned the Academic Senate to convert the Communications program into a full-fledged department at UCSD many years ago.

It was especially fun to hang out with many interconnected generations of student & teachers. For example one of my karate students Luz C. is now teaching in the Ed Studies program, and has as her PhD. Student Suzanne B., who is currently teaching my son Arman in Middle School! We truly are interconnected…

Did you know Chancellor Fox after getting her Masters in Cleveland taught 7^th grade math, and that Dean Elman was a public school teacher in a bi-lingual program at the early stages of his illustrious career?
Jeff Elman and Bud Mehan were true activists and advocates for that which is right and boy could I relate to their “all in” spirit and actions. They still have that rebellious nature too!

Congrats to Alan Daly for getting tenure- you so deserve it- and my hats off to Amanda Datnow for leading this group to new levels of greatness and impact in this most worthy of professions!

Thanks for including me in your celebration.

This week’s voyage of discovery includes:

Collective Impact for Education
On Tuesday I was honored to be at a table with the San Diego Grantmakers Education Funder’s where 50 local groups have come together to explore and prepare for a collective impact approach to education in San Diego County. A big aha that struck me literally right between the eyes at this meeting, came during a discussion of the great work the Price Charities are doing with a cluster of schools in City Heights. When Principals were polled about their most urgent and pressing need to positively impact education at their schools, the #1 thing they needed in the schools, was wait for it…

GLASSES!

That’s right, many of the kids in this low income community did not have the ability to see properly, and glasses would fundamentally change the landscape of education for them.

The difference between looking and seeing is profound at many levels. Paying attention is one of the most powerful tools in our soul food tool kit.

A Soul filled interview with bestselling author Maurice Sendak and NPR’s Terry Gross
As you might have heard bestselling author of children’s books Maurice Sendak died this week at the age of 82. His classic children’s book Where the Wild Things Are is an award-winning favorite for generations of kids including my own.

Also on Tuesday, Terry Gross whom I consider one of the best interviewers of all time for her ability to be a great listener, to pay acute attention and ask delectable questions dedicated the entire show to Maurice and it epitomizes great journalism.

While listening to the entire 45 minute segment might not be in the cards, I would invite you to simply listen to the last section of the last interview as Maurice shares his experience of living, aging and yes even dying.

Pick up the audio at the 41 minute mark for a genuine soul-filled 5 minutes of full catastrophe living!

Listen to how Maurice esteems Terry at the end if you want to experience the power of paying attention and the gift you provide when you do this for others

This was a real “driveway moment” as I simply could not turn off the radio, listening to this in-the-moment experience and bawling my eyes out.

Click on the link below, click on listen to the story, wait for the requisite 15 second commercial, then toggle to the 41 minute mark and strap in for a soul journey…

I am in love with the world
It is a blessing to find the time
Live your life, live your life, live your life…
http://www.npr.org/2012/05/08/152248901/fresh-air-remembers-author-maurice-sendak

Confront the brutal facts, but NEVER give up hope!
Speaking of inspirational, this is a remarkable story…

Pat and his wife Diane have a 42 year-old daughter who was severely, severely autistic.  She never looked anyone in the eye, or communicated in any way with anyone until she was 22.  But Pat and Diane spent those 22 years always making Peyton a part of their family and life.  She was never excluded from any conversation, family gathering, or school event. Pat and Peyton took her to normal classes all through grammar school and high school. Still not any reaction from Peyton…

And then, at 22, Peyton very awkwardly picked up a computer keyboard and typed the words, “I am Intellgent”.

This is about her story.

Today, Peyton is following through on her vow to be an advocate on behalf of other devalued people.

Her inspirational life embodies the notion that “All people are vastly valuable. Treasure all because each is great.”

http://www.amazon.com/Am-Intelligent-Heartbreak-Healing–A-Daughters/dp/076277925X/ref=sr_1_1?i.e.=UTF8&qid=1334582016&sr=8-1 

(Thanks Remar)

“Learn, learn, learn. Be thankful for everything. Everything is a present”
Many of you loved last week’s article about Alice Sommer Herz. This 5 minute video shares more about here remarkable story.

Alice Sommer Herz is thought of with affection by hundreds of thousands of people in the world as both a sage and a saint. Her wisdom is evident in almost everything that she says. Her saintliness is seen in her almost unique tolerance and her compassion. She has the true gift of forgiveness. “Life is beautiful, love is beautiful, nature and music are beautiful. Everything is a present.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5VTkQKgxkY&feature=related
(Thanks Anne)

Elevate your mood with this blend of sound and moving pictures in nature that is positively transcendental:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk6_hdRtJOE
(Thanks Mique)

Finally, these pictures are worth more than a thousand words…

What is your fav?

Take a look!
(Thanks Larry)

“The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”–MARCEL PROUST

It’s Soul Food time again!

Considering a Soul-Filled Mother’s Day?

Join the Fourth Annual Mothers’ Day Fancy Dress Swim in Oceanside where 100 women will be swimming -though just dipping in works just fine- to help prevent malaria worldwide.

100% of each $5 donated, purchases an insecticide treated bed net and spares fellow moms around the world the agony of losing their babies to malaria.

After this powerful way to launch Mother’s day, spend the rest of the day getting thoroughly pampered knowing you have made an impact not just at home but for a complete stranger.

Note: Non-swimmers can simply donate if they prefer not to get wet.

This is organized by OneSanDiego.org and the coordinator is Marlaine Cover who can be reached by Cell: 760.803.0837 or by email Marlaine@Parenting2pt0.org

http://www.worldswimagainstmalaria.com/Fundraiser.aspx?ProjectID=13&FundRaiserID=6471
(thanks Marlaine)

Life isn’t always Fair!

Here are 7 life lessons from the oldest holocaust survivor in the world that will really inspire you…

Do share which of the seven lessons resonates most for you in the blog comments…

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/19/my-take-7-life-lessons-from-a-holocaust-survivor/
(Thanks  Ruben)

With that reset are YOU Ready for the Real Rules of life?

The greater the hiding the more the self-revelation…

We are brought up to believe a certain set of rules: The early bird gets the worm. Slow and steady wins the race. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Good things happen to good people. Keep your faith, work hard, and all your dreams will come true. But then we grow up. We learn that life isn’t really fair. There are no fairy godmothers, and not everything works out in the end, no matter how good we have been or how hard we’ve tried.

Why, then, are these myths perpetuated? Because clichés and over-simple recipes for living provide a soothing way to manage our daily lives without confronting the harsh reality that some parts of our lives are out of our control.

For several decades, local expert and my friend – Ken Druck has been willing to stand up and write about what we have hidden from ourselves for so long: we need to confront life as it is, not as we want it to be.

We cannot magically wish things into reality. We cannot expect happiness or success to manifest from daily affirmations. By embracing the real rules of life, we discover life’s terms and learn to balance them with our own, preventing costly psychological debts and developing the life skills, underlying wisdom, and emotional freedom essential for fuller, richer lives.

Ken’s new book will resonate with what readers know to be true about how life really is. Readers will discover themselves in vibrant teaching stories from the front lines of Dr. Druck’s pioneering work with individuals, families, communities, leaders, and cutting-edge organizations. They will push the refresh button on long-held myths and limitations, turning them into empower truths, redirecting their lives in much more effective and purposeful ways, and reinvigorating the pursuit of their dream.

Sound interesting? Check out “The Real Rules of Life: Balancing Life’s Terms With Your Own” during their May 14th Bestseller Campaign Launch.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Real-Rules-Life-Balancing/dp/1401939716

Ken Druck, Ph.D.is the Founder of The Jenna Druck Center

www.jennadruck.org
(thanks Ken)

Ready for some good PunoGraphy?

Here goes…
I changed my iPod name to Titanic. It’s syncing now.

When chemists die, they barium.

Jokes about German sausage are the wurst .

I know a guy who’s addicted to brake fluid. But he says he can stop any time.

How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.

I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.

This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I’d never met herbivore.

I’m reading a book about anti-gravity and I can’t put it down.

I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.

They told me I had type A blood, but it was a Type-O.

Why were the Indians here first? They had reservations.

Class trip to the Coca-Cola factory. I hope there’s no pop quiz .

Energizer bunny arrested. Charged with battery.

I didn’t like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.

How do you make holy water? Boil the hell out of it.

Did you hear about the cross eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn’t control her pupils?

What does a clock do when it’s hungry? It goes back four seconds.

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

Broken pencils are pointless.

I tried to catch some fog. I mist.

What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus.

England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.

I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.

I dropped out of communism class because of lousy Marx.

All the toilets in New York’s police stations have been stolen. Police have nothing to go on.

I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough.

Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.

Velcro – what a rip off.

Cartoonist found dead in home. Details are sketchy.

Venison for dinner? Oh deer.

Earthquake in Washington obviously government’s fault.

I used to think I was indecisive, but now I’m not so sure.

I do not enjoy computer jokes. Not one bit.

Be kind to your dentist. He has fillings, too.
(thanks Larry H. )

HandShadowGraphy:

Now this is really creative!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryFQFzN6AMk
(thanks Larry G)

Planning Some Vacation Travel?

Enjoy this quick trip to the Greek Isles- no packing, lines or Euro crisis involved…

Click here!

Be Well, Laugh Lots, and Stay Soulful

Pay it forward!

Love,
Neville

“You are the only person on earth
who can use your ability.”

— Zig Ziglar