Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week: The Science of Wellbeing, Women in Science & An Interview with God

The Science of Wellbeing:
Let’s Not Waste a Crisis. Here is Yale’s Course Available to All of Us For FREE!

You can engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits.

Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change.

You will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into your life.

https://bit.ly/3gzSb0r

 

Women in Science

Women in science are battling both Covid-19 and the patriarchy:

The pandemic has worsened longstanding sexist and racist inequalities in science pushing many of us to say ‘I’m done’, write 35 female scientists. Successful female scientists are, by definition, resilient. We have overcome well-documented barriers throughout our lives: discouragement by teachers, family and society to pursue careers in STEM fields; a lack of role models; hostile and sometimes abusive work environments; disproportionate domestic work and caring responsibilities; and biases against us in favour of men in every aspect of our professional lives – hiring, promotion, publishing, pay, service loads and grant allocation. These barriers are felt even more keenly by women of colour, who face the intersectional effects of racism and sexism.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/women-science-are-battling-both-covid-19-and-patriarchy

 

I Dreamt I Had An Interview with God:
Here is something to uplift your spirit. Asking existential questions is a gift of this challenging time, a byproduct of disrupting “ordinary reality” or “business as usual”…If the G’d word bothers you, simply replace with a higher self/purpose construct of your choosing, as this is timeless, universal wisdom, with amazing photographs. This works just as well if you are simply “communing with nature”.
Here’s to that higher power/self/knowing/being- regardless of how each of us conceive it, believe it, & ultimately, strive to actualize it.

INTERVIEW WITH GOD

 

Thanks this week go to Ruby B, Isabelle A & Larry H for this week’s submissions!
Stay safe and please pay it forward.
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
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‘When the Heart weeps for what it has lost, the Spirit rejoices for what it has found.’-Sufi saying

This week: Protecting Our Most Vulnerable & Taking Care of Each Other

Jokes aside, those of us that have raised children know the effort and undertaking required by all parties, to get to graduation.
Commencement ceremonies around the Country have been upended by Covid, and educators and parents are coming up with unique and creative ways to honor all the hard work that has led to graduations without “pomp and circumstance”.
Last weekend provided a national stage for a powerful celebration and genuine affirmation for so many that are entering uncharted waters, and these two short speeches in particular really resonated for me as I hope they will for you as well…

 

President Obama’s Speech to the Graduating Class
Obama’s Virtual Commencement Speech To Class Of 2020: ‘This Is Your Generation’s World To Shape’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta5anRPf8rQ

 

LeBron James’ Graduation Message to the Class of 2020: Stay Close to Home
LeBron James congratulates the class of 2020 in his Graduate Together commencement address, offering a message of inspiration as high school seniors around America look forward to their lives after graduation. In the celebration hosted by LeBron and President Barack Obama, LeBron encouraged students to recommit to their communities and set the world on a new path.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBjyLt9FhlE

 

Protecting Our Most Vulnerable:
Now more than ever, conscious leaders must deeply attend to their most at risk stakeholders. This is both a biological necessity and a moral imperative.
In work with Dr. Alan Daly from UC San Diego, we are supporting local school district leaders in navigating Covid while taking care of the most vulnerable in our communities.
The Emperor Penguins do this intuitively, forming a circle around their most vulnerable and forming a shield with their backs to ward off danger. Perhaps we can learn a thing or two from them!

Honoring Our Past and Preserving Our Future:
When we lose our connection to history we risk it all…
We would do well to acknowledge the land and pay respect to those of the First Nations on whose shoulders we are blessed to stand, instead of through ignorance and arrogance stepping on their heads!
Here is an example of both:

The Navajo Nation At Risk:
The largest Native-American tribe in the United States has the third largest infection rate of Covid-19 right behind New York and New Jersey..
Our dear friends created this video to raise awareness and support.
Please help by sharing this video with others, as they need help urgently…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s9pLNpKhlU&fbclid=IwAR3yVMM9OYw2TYR80JdMKKhkoNI1TI-x8LazcARIGyE4aangxNaEV-n5a7s

 

Speaking of Vulnerability-

No Words Needed…
The Wonderful Thing About Photographs Is That They Often Render Words Unnecessary…

Thanks this week go to Bob C, Alan D, Stefan Y-H, Larry H as well as preservers of tradition and protectors of the vulnerable everywhere!
Please pay it forward with purpose
Love,
Neville

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Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is life, fight for it.”

       –Mother Teresa

This week:

WE ARE NOT IN THE SAME BOAT:

An appeal to stay empathetic

I heard that we are all in the same boat, but it’s not like that. We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat. Your ship could be shipwrecked and mine might not be. Or vice versa.

For some, quarantine is optimal. A moment of reflection, of re-connection, easy in flip flops, with a cocktail or coffee. For others, this is a desperate emotional, financial & family crisis.

Some can’t stand the loneliness. Others are going crazy because their World has become smaller. While for others it is peace, rest & time with their mother, father, sons & daughters.

With the $600 weekly increase in unemployment some are bringing in more money to their households than they were working. Others are working more hours for less money due to pay cuts or loss in sales.

Some families of 4 just received $3400 from the stimulus while other families of 4 saw $0.

Some were concerned about getting a certain candy for Easter while others were concerned if there would be enough bread, milk and eggs for the weekend.

Some want to go back to work because they don’t qualify for unemployment and are running out of money. Others want to kill those who break the quarantine.

Some are home spending 2-3 hours/day helping their child with online schooling while others are spending 2-3 hours/day to educate their children on top of a 10-12 hour workday.

Some have experienced near death from the virus, some have already lost someone from it and some are not sure if their loved ones are going to make it. Others don’t know anyone who’s had it and don’t believe this is a big deal.

Some have faith in God and expect miracles during this 2020. Others say the worst is yet to come.

So, friends, we are not in the same boat. We are going through a time when our perceptions and needs are completely different.

Each of us will emerge, in our own way, from this storm. It is very important to see beyond what is seen at first glance. Not just looking, actually seeing.

We are all on different ships during this storm experiencing a very different journey.

–Unknown author

 

Reasons to Be Cheerful:
Humans have a built-in “negativity bias,” which means we give bad news much more power than good. Would the Covid-19 crisis be an opportune time to reverse this tendency?
This episode is not about the Covid-19 epidemic — unless you think it is…
https://freakonomics.com/podcast/reasons-to-be-cheerful/

 

The Choices Before Us: Can Fewer Options Lead To Better Decisions?
To many people, an abundance of options is a good thing, a symbol of freedom and control. You get to choose whether to spend your Saturday at a movie or a baseball game. You decide whether to try the new restaurant down the block, or to stay in and cook. It’s your call whether to take the job with higher pay, or the one with the better work-life balance. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic has eliminated these and other options that we used to take for granted. And for many of us, this sudden contraction of choice has been a struggle.
https://www.npr.org/2020/05/04/850104564/the-choices-before-us-can-fewer-options-lead-to-better-decisions

 

Long Live Little Richard!
Little Richard has died, aged 87. BBC Archive will never tire of his 1972 interview on Late Night Line-Up.
This is a classic interview!
https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive/videos/2691775331059950/UzpfSTE0NTAyNTU3ODY6MTAyMjA2MDQ4MDA4OTcyMTI/?from_close_friend=1

 

Thanks this week go to Paul S, Dr. Paul C, Arman S-B, as well as gratitude to NPR and KPBS in San Diego!
Please pay it forward.
Love,
Neville

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“I felt in need of a great pilgrimage, so I sat still for three days.”—The 14th-century Persian poet Hafiz

This week:
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”—Victor Frankl

Thank A Teacher!

 

Ticket Without A Seat:
This movie has won an Oscar for the best animated movie, yet it is only 3 minutes long
See how life can change when our perception changes…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlfqFe9xyd8

 

How to Assess Trustworthy Leaders During a Pandemic:
For people deciding which leaders to trust during the coronavirus pandemic, examine their arguments.
During this pandemic, two types of trust have been guiding how we motivate, impact, listen to, and influence one another: affect-based trust and competence-based trust.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2020-04-21/commentary-how-to-assess-trustworthy-leaders-during-a-pandemic?src=usn_tw

 

Are You In ‘the space between’?- with Carolyn Tate:

n Zen, Ensō is a circle drawn in one or two uninhibited brushstrokes. It expresses the reality that everything that has a beginning also has its end. Some endings, such as the ending of a season occur gradually without us really noticing. Other endings, such as the loss of a job, are abrupt and traumatic and turn our life upside down in an instant. Yet other endings, such as the end of a marriage, occur slowly and painfully over time.

Absolutely everything that begins, has an end. Nothing is eternal. Some endings we choose. Many we don’t. Endings can be sad or joyful. They can offer relief or send us into despair. Nothing will stop an ending if it is meant to be. Endings occur because something new must emerge.

I think we all agree something new will emerge at the end of this virus, as does Charles Eisenstein, author of  The Coronation. It’s a most erudite and compelling essay that poses many questions and offers no answers. I loved every word and read it three times to let it sink in.

My good friend Angela Raspass loved the essay too, so we decided to record a podcast on it. I’ll share ‘Conversations on The Coronation: A woman’s perspective’ next week.

Now back to Ensō. Some are drawn or painted as closed loops, while others are left open as in the image above. Ensō symbolizes absolute enlightenment, strength, elegance, the universe and mu (the void). When I reflect on the void between the beginning and the end of the brushstroke, I think of the famous quote by Victor Frankl.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

Right now, many of us are sitting in ‘the space between’.  In this space we can rest and reflect on how to respond once the virus subsides – as citizens for society and as business leaders for the economy. We can ask ourselves the important question. What purpose do I want to serve in this new world?

How are you sitting in ‘the space between’?

Thank you so much for allowing me into your life. I don’t take your support lightly.

Yours on purpose

Carolyn Tate

 

“Forget Retirement – It is Time for You to Uncover and Live Your Passion and Purpose -The Next You” with Marcy Morrison and Eric Mowrey:

My dear friends & colleagues, Marcy Morrison and Eric Mowrey of Careers with Wings have just launched their free online course “Forget Retirement – It is Time for You to Uncover and Live Your Passion and Purpose -The Next You”. This course consists of 3 videos that are less than 10 minutes each, with easy to use worksheets to help you get clarity of what you love, the difference you want to make, tips on how to connect and collaborate with other leaders and how to map it out to take action now.   This is built on Marcy’s 13 years of helping 100’s of people uncover and live their passion and purpose through Careers with Wings.  Here is the link to the free course https://careerswithwings.com/the-next-you/.

 

Think About Our 4-Legged Friends And Not Just On Giving Tuesday:
Giving Tuesday is past but the need hasn’t’…

It’s no secret that I love dogs.  And like many of my friends, we love helping them experience a better life.

Tuesday May 5 was more than just Cinco de Mayo this year.  Giving Tuesday is a day when each of us can reflect on our good fortune and give back in many ways.  Every day is a perfect one to donate and every dollar we send to any of them helps a four-legged friend in need.

Here are some links below to some options. I hope you elect to choose your favorite.

 

HOME FOR LIFE
www.homeforlife.org

 

SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY
www.sdhumane.org

 

LAB RESCUERS
www.labrescuers.org

 

RANCHO COASTAL HUMANE SOCIETY
www.rchumanesociety.org

 

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GERMAN SHEPHARD RESCUE
www.socalrescue.org

 

HELEN WOODWARD
www.animalcenter.org

 

COASTAL GERMAN SHEPHARD RESCUE OF SAN DIEGO
www.coastalgsrsd.org

 

SAVE THEM ALL
www.bestfriends.org

 

Thanks this week go to Larry H, Paula C, Carolyn T, Marcy M, Eric M & Bob C.
Please Pay It Forward.
Love,
Neville

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“The future is not the result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created – created first in the mind and will, and created next in activity.
The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating.
The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.” –John Scharr

This week: Movement, Mindfulness, Mastery and Meaningful Connection
Laughter and Small Acts of Kindness can go a long way to keeping you well…

Reframing Challenging Times with Resiliency & Authentic Connection- Better Business  Bureau Webinar Recording from Last Week:

As several of you requested it, here is the YouTube link to the recorded BBB webinar from last week. Hope you find it useful as you navigate current turbulent waters and help yourself (self-care) and others (leadership) to plot a course to new ports of call.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AYp3VmYvR8 

Upcoming Webinar: Leading Consciously with Purpose: May 7 at 1pm PST a Think Tank Mastermind of Business Leaders 

Leading Consciously in the post COVID era is not just a nicety but a necessity, as for most of our stakeholders their worlds have been upended. Intentionality and purpose are more important than ever. This requires leading both ourselves (self-care) and others with:

• Our Head which is about tapping into wisdom not just smarts
• Our Heart where empathy & compassion are at the center of every business model
• Our Gut which requires courage and fosters a bias toward right action

As leadership is a decision not a position, everyone- regardless of your role or even your enterprise- can be equipped to be a “right responder” to help forge a new future for your employees, customers, community, and the planet through the power and promise of ethical choices.

Please register here to lock in your spot: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4DwtUB4-Tm-PSYxx9OmZ4g

Note: You don’t have to be a BBB member to register for these webinars. These are made available by the BBB as a public service to all leaders and organizations in the community.

 

Self-Care-
Be Kind To Yourself:

Today, where do you find yourself on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?

I’ve been seeing so many friends seriously beating themselves up because they aren’t “maximizing” their time in quarantine by organizing their closets, repainting, developing a side hustle, becoming a piano virtuoso, exercising themselves into a lucrative career as a swimsuit model, etc.

Everybody! Seriously. Stop. And breathe.

If you’re feeling adrift, there’s a reason. I’m about to drop some first semester nursing school on y’all. It’s Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Humans have basic requirements (the bottom of the pyramid) like food, water, air, shelter, sleep, etc. The biological basics.

If those are met, then the next rung of the ladder is Safety and Security. If we feel safe and secure, then we can climb up and start on our Love and Belonging needs and on up the ladder we go until finally at the very tippy-top is SELF-ACTUALIZATION which would entail all of the cool aforementioned activities.

The catch is, you cannot level up until the needs at the current level are fulfilled. If the needs remain unfulfilled, we remain stuck on our current level until the situation changes.

Friends, in the midst of a pandemic, we are dwelling in the basement of Maslow’s pyramid. How in the heck do you think you’re going to kick ass at the highest levels when we can’t even find toilet paper for Pete’s sake.

You physiologically and psychologically aren’t built to live your “best life” right now. Your only job is to live “a life” right now. A luxury that is being denied many which increases the pressure to really make every day count.

But listen.

Every day you are here counts.
Every breath you take counts.
Are you eating, drinking water, and sleeping at all these days? If so, that is a triumph right now.

Cut yourself ALL THE SLACK. Focus on the bottom level. Are you showering? Eating a vegetable once in a while? Getting some sunshine and fresh air? Keeping some semblance of a sleep schedule?

Start there. And be extra gentle and abundantly gracious with yourself. We’ll get through this. And right now, getting through is absolutely enough.

I love you all. Hang in there. ❤️

 

To this end, here are some self-care resources to help us get through and make the best of the weekend:

• Happiest Songs on Earth: With a Mathematical Formula
• Self-Care Bingo print copies and get your family/roommates involved)
• Work from Home Survival Guide -Self-Care Matters! No one is going to give you a badge of honor for sacrificing yourself and allowing yourself to run out of gas, in service of whatever or whomever has taken over your operating system.

Stay well…

 

Most Uplifting Songs List:

https://loudwire.com/queen-dont-stop-me-now-worlds-most-uplifting-song/

 

Self-Care Bingo:
Try this with your family or roommates.

In the same way that getting showered and dressed is a message to your brain, so is having a home-to-work commute, says the Asheville, North Carolina–based productivity expert Tonya Dalton, author of The Joy of Missing Out: Live More by Doing Less.

The best part is that now your commute gets to be whatever you want it to be.

“Sit outside with your morning coffee, listen to the birds,” she suggests. “Maybe take a walk, or read a chapter of a book, or do some yoga. Whatever it is, think of it as your transition time into working, the same as a commute would be.

The entire article can be found here: https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/your-work-from-home-survival-guide-for-self-care/

 

Now Here Is a Conscious Leader-

 New Zealand’s Prime Minister May Be the Most Effective Leader on the Planet:
Jacinda Ardern’s leadership style, focused on empathy, isn’t just resonating with her people; it’s putting the country on track for success against the coronavirus.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/04/jacinda-ardern-new-zealand-leadership-coronavirus/610237/

 

Finding Your Inner Strength with Erwin Pearl:

My Dear Friends,

For many years you have thought of me as a stylish gentleman who has brought you beautiful fashion jewelry.

It has been my great pleasure to have this role in your life.

But for this short time we must go through some tough times together and just for a few minutes I’d like to share some hope with you as your friend who has been fortunate enough to live a very long time.

By now you know exactly what to do to protect yourself physically from this new virus. Avoid crowds. Keep at least 10 feet apart. Stay inside your home as much as you can.

We know these things work.

They protect you and your friends and family.

But there is also an emotional toll we are all paying. Fear of danger and uncertainty. Fear for your livelihood. Upset at being kept cooped up away from friends and loved ones. Dread that this may never end. That’s what I’d like to talk about.

First of all I want you to know you are brave. It’s true. I don’t mean you aren’t afraid, concerned, confused. But even though you may not realize it yet, you have the inner strength to get up each morning and keep going. Human life has almost never been a nice smooth road. There have always been wars and famines and catastrophes. And it’s been that way for so long, that bravery and hope have become built in to each person.

Otherwise the human race would never have made it this far. Just would have given up.

One way to find that inner strength is to find things to hope for, things that mean something to you. Here’s something I know has meaning for you. You appreciate beauty. (I know that because you subscribe to my jewelry newsletter. Must be true.)

This is not the time to push your sense of beauty away. Instead, call on it to calm you and refresh you. Try that now. Whether beauty to you is paintings in a museum, vast trees in a park, wonderful music you love or beautiful things in the aisles of a fine store, close your eyes and go there just for a quiet moment. Leave the news and worry behind and, for
just for this whisper, travel somewhere beautiful. This is all going to be over.

Soon you’ll be going to the places you love just like before. No reason you should have to wait. Go there in your mind right now.
And in the calm you find there, you will find your inner strength, your survival.

You may think it’s easy for some old guy to talk about hope. But I think I’ve earned it.

When I was 14, I fled to America when the Nazi army marched into Austria, my homeland.

My parents put me on the train to Holland, from there to America to stay with my uncle.

My parents stayed behind because their visa was not called. They said they’d meet me in New York. When they didn’t come, didn’t answer, I grew afraid. Then when I was 15 ½ my Uncle passed away. I was alone. I feared for my future.

Didn’t know where my next meal would come from.

It was then I first found inner strength that I didn’t know I had.

I learned I shouldn’t keep focusing on big distant problems I couldn’t solve. That wears you down for no result. Just get up and place one foot in front of the other. Take care of what’s in front of you. Just keep going, just keep going, just move. Eventually, a kind man took me in as an apprentice diamond cutter, and I was on my way.

Even after that, life has given me challenges. I found my parents’ names on a list of victims of the Nazi gas chambers. I built businesses and lost them. Lost more loved ones. Stood on the roof of my office building and watched the World Trade Center fall.

Life is rarely perfect. But do I think it’s worth the trouble?

Yes! Absolutely yes!

I want to take a minute to talk about a simple but important worry some of you may have. What will happen to your job? I have to share something I know about my clients. About you. I know most of you are care about your work. Most especially, you care about doing a good job. This is what I want to tell you. When this quarantine ends, you’re going back.

How easy do you think it is to find people who really care about doing a good job?

Not easy. You’ll be back.

And to my friends who are a little older you’ll be back out with your friends and family, hugging your children and grandchildren.

Back travelling. Back at museums, theaters and concerts.

But for now, movies on Netflix and visits on Zoom will have to do.

History is filled with plagues and pandemics. This is just one more. And this time we are blessed to live in an era of modern medicine. Right now things seem confused because it’s just the beginning of the work.

But each day that goes by brings science closer to a cure.

Each day we survive the % are in our favor.

Please take care of yourself. I believe things are already starting to look better. But don’t go rushing out into crowded malls or clubs before your feel it’s safe. There are still joys and satisfactions big and small ahead of you in the years to come.

Stay well.

With my deep affection and love,
Erwin Pearl

 

Isolation Putting Some Stress on Your Relationships?
6 Easy Ways to Reset Your Relationship with Lisa Lapides Sawiki:
http://www.life-coach-san-diego-ca.com/relationship-stress/

 

Don’t hoard!
Our food calculator tells you how much you really need:
https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/FOOD/ygdpzjrwpwa/index.html

 

The Tenacity of Trees:
Every day is Earth Day

Thanks this week go to Vicente R, Deanna F, Elyce deB, Team Sawiki & Sanya D.
Please pay it forward so we don’t go backward!
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
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“If I can stop one heart from breaking I shall not live in vain.”–Emily Dickinson

Happy Soul Food Friday & Happy 50^th Birthday Earth Day!

“The Great Reveal”- Leveraging, Love, Conscious Leadership, and Resilience to Unmask Humanity’s Greatest Distortion & Manifest its Greatest Gift
“The greater the hiding, the greater the self-revelation”

Welcome to The Fourth Phase in Our Collective Evolution as a Species:
Phase 1-  Beyond Conscience (Primero Ne’)- our first birth whether by creation, evolution or both
Phase 2- Dependence (FATE/Destiny) – Came with our reliance on “high priests” of many stripes to decode truth for us, and leaving us dependent on their erudition and validation. “Conform or be cast out.”
Phase 3- Independence (Renaissance/Free Will)- our self-reliance to find and hold our own truth. Our Promethean nature thought we had it all figured out and our quest for fire branded us both evolutionaries and heretics
Phase 4- Interdependence (Love, Global Awareness & Eco- Consciousness) in the post COVID era, portends our inextricable reliance on one another to not just survive as a “superspecies” and planet but thrive. We recognize implicitly that we are better together. Antiquated mechanistic models of yesteryear are replaced with dynamic living systems theory. Ego-systems take a back seat to eco-systems. We > Me.

Note: Each phase had its adaptive and maladaptive function and features, that rightly understood and applied leads to continued evol-ution (love spelled backward) or improperly considered assures our continued MAD-ness and likely extinction (MAD- mutually assured destruction)

In phase 4 the great reveal is making it abundantly clear how interdependent and interconnected we are. And how self-centered tribalism while highly adaptive in smaller groups and different times is untenable with more than 7 billion people requiring huge resources that are quickly outstripped by demand and inequity.
Today’s confluence of conditions; climate emergency, economic disparity, mass migrations, and now a pandemic reestablishes what is “normal”, demands that we wake up and shed the old and dated view of our skin of self (wrongly identified as just us in individual or localized communal form) and ties us unequivocally on the same rope- which we can either use to pull ourselves up and out of this crevasse, or use to hang ourselves.

“We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately”- Ben Franklin

If/when the lessons, principles, practices and re-orientation of humanity hits critical mass, there will be no turning back to our ego-centric ways.
All of a sudden, the world was no longer flat. Bloodletting was not a best practice anymore.

Leading with head (wisdom not just smarts), heart (empathy/compassion) and guts (a bias toward right action) we will forge a new future for humanity and the planet, as soul subordinates ego and our new, deeper, more congruent and more accurate identification of self, unleashes our greatest potential and gifts. Love conquers fear, faith slays doubt, hope supersedes despair and herstory is rewritten for the better. Then and only then may we consider ourselves a superspecies (which I find arrogant, regardless)…

“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

World Care-

 One World Concert Finale: Let This Be Our Prayer
I can’t think of a more apt prayer/aspiration for our whole world today…
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=one+world+together+last+video&docid=13844920218950&mid=72DE6390AA4147225DEE72DE6390AA4147225DEE&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

 

 

Wouldn’t It Be Nice If We Recommitted to the UN Sustainable Development Goals?
When Will We Ever Learn?

Great Advice for Difficult Times: with Ozlem Brooke Erol:

😊to live life one day at a time 😊.

Otherwise it gets overwhelming. We don’t have all the answers yet. So it does not help to think so much about the future.

Here are other parts of my life here that help me:

💖Being surrounded by heart-centered people who are constantly working to bring humanity to a better consciousness level in my #humansfirst #greatworkcultures Future of Work Türkiye communities give me hope.

⭐️#purposeful living helps tremendously because even if we don’t have business coming in, we know what we are here to do. It keeps our minds and hearts busy. We pivot and see how we can be helpful in these times.

♥︎We all feel #grateful even more if all our loved ones are safe and healthy.

This is a picture I took in November when I was up in Morro Bay. It gives me peace to look at it.

I hope you love it too.

💙Thank you for making my life better by being here, sharing amazing valuable stuff, tagging me, including me in your meaningful conversations and even sharing what you learned from me. You keep me grounded and safe. 💙

Addressing the Strain the Coronavirus has put on America’s Food Supply Chain with José Andrés- 60 Minutes

Getting food to people in the U.S. has become an enormous challenge since the country has been gripped by COVID-19. Anderson Cooper reports on the charge being led, in part, by world-renowned chef José Andrés to make sure Americans have something to eat.

Andrés approach, speed to market and impact are completely awe inspiring!

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jose-andres-chef-feeding-coronavirus-impact-60-minutes-2020-04-19/

BTW in the same vein, our Mission Fed Matching Grant Campaign for the San Diego Food Bank, has already raised

$280,000!

Thank YOU San Diego!

 

Self Care-

Getting Back Pain While Working From Home? An Ergonomics Expert Offers Advice
Don’t wait until it is too late!
https://time.com/5821252/back-pain-work-from-home-tips/

Zoom Exhaustion is Real.
Here Are Six Ways to Find Balance and Stay Connected
https://www.mindful.org/zoom-exhaustion-is-real-here-are-six-ways-to-find-balance-and-stay-connected/

Wonder-
Seeing the World Anew and Hearing the World for the First Time:
Ready?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwGtw6EHbUQ

 Comic Relief-

Thanks this week go to Brooke E, Tamika F and Larry H for some of this week’s contributions.

Would you consider paying this forward?
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

“Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp,
but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
— Nathaniel Hawthorne

Greetings!
Rather than simply obsessing over the unearthly challenges and problems associated with the COVID pandemic, I am hell bent on seeking out the deeper lessons, both for us as individuals and our families, as well as for all of humanity. This means reframing and retooling our mindset, heart set and skill set for current times.

At home, it is about creating some semblance of normalcy while navigating the disruption of all our familiar routines and outlets, and addressing the close quarter social pressures most of us are facing.

At work, it is about effective communications, maintaining positive morale, and ensuring we are giving back to those who have it a lot tougher than we do.

In community, it is about staying virtually connected with all the social networks and groups that have contributed to our betterment and ensuring we support those that are taking care of us, including our first responders in all walks of life, including our educators, and the nonprofit organizations that strengthen the social fabric of even our most marginalized stakeholders, especially in times of need.

To that end, please join me next Wednesday, April 22 at 1pm PST, as part of the Better Business Bureau Webinar Series, where I will be hosting a zoom webinar on Wellness Wednesday-taking care of yourself and your business, entitled: Reframing Challenging Times with Resiliency & Authentic Connection

https://www.bbb.org/article/events/22100-bbb-pacific-southwest-wednesday-wellness-reframing-challenging-times-with-resiliency-authentic-connection

Resiliency and effective communications are new meta-competencies in the post COVID era. This wakeup call has helped us to recognize implicitly that we are better together. Antiquated mechanistic models of yesteryear are replaced with dynamic living systems frameworks. Ego-systems have taken a back seat to eco-systems.
We > Me.
Today, there is no turning back, any more than when we realized that the world was no longer flat, or when we realized that bloodletting was not a best practice anymore…

Now we must:

• Retool new resiliency and new connection systems
• Redesign how we foster authentic connection- often virtually
• Reimagine our work selves & workspaces

Together let’s reframe these challenges and turn our stumbling blocks into stepping stones to a brighter future, both for ourselves and our valued stakeholders.

Please register here to lock in your spot and add to the conversation: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lUY3sji3QDC8gC6EcGUgqQ

Note: You don’t have to be a BBB member to register for these webinars. These are made available by the BBB as a public service to all leaders and organizations in the community, far and near.

As part of navigating how we show up better in the post Covid era, I stumbled upon this fantastic article in The Atlantic that I felt compelled to share with you, especially if you have filed a similar flight plan to mine.

Here Arthur Brooks cites three powerful equations to help us both understand and enhance our happiness or “subjective well-being”.

What are the components of happiness and what role do genetics, circumstances and habits play in that equation?
What habits serve us best? Do faith, family, friends and work play instrumental roles in our happiness?

What is the role and purpose of our work which Arthur defines as productive human endeavor and “the sense it gives you that you are earning your success and are serving others”?

Is satisfaction based on the relationship between what you have and what you want?

If you want to regain more control over your circumstances, and move the needle toward happiness and fulfillment both for yourself and others, then this article is for you.

The Three Equations for a Happy Life, Even During a Pandemic:

“How to Build a Life” gives you the tools you need to construct a life that feels whole and meaningful with Arthur C Brooks

We’re stuck at home; our lives on COVID time have slowed to a near halt. This creates all sorts of obvious inconveniences, of course. But in the involuntary quiet, many of us also sense an opportunity to think a little more deeply about life. In our go-go-go world, we rarely get the chance to stop and consider the big drivers of our happiness and our sense of purpose. Here is a fantastic article based on a class on happiness that Arthur teaches at Harvard Business School…

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/04/how-increase-happiness-according-research/609619/

 

For Leaders-

LEADING THROUGH A CRISIS with Jon G:

We’ve been through challenging times before, but we’ve never been through THIS before. There is no playbook on how to deal with a global pandemic combined with a shutdown of the economy. There are, however, guiding principles on how to lead through a crisis, regardless of the cause. These principles don’t change based on the circumstances. They steadily guide you and your team to help you overcome your circumstances.

1) Tell the Truth and Communicate the Facts – In any crisis it’s essential for the leader to be honest and transparent about the situation. Explain the challenge you are facing. Communicate the facts. This is what we know. This is what we don’t know. This is where we are as a team, company or organization. These are our numbers and forecasts and while they don’t look good, we must confront the reality of the situation. I’ve found that even if you communicate bad news it’s still better than the negativity and uncertainty that comes with poor communication.

Remember, where there is a void in communication negativity will fill it. And whatever you do don’t sugarcoat the situation or lie. I once saw a superintendent of a school district get a standing ovation even though he had just announced that they were having to lay off 10% of employees. He spoke with compassion, he shared the facts, was always truthful and had earned their respect.

2) Lead with Optimism and Belief – Even when you are in the middle of a crisis and your circumstances are not positive you must stay positive and lead with optimism. After all, pessimists don’t change the world and neither will you if you let your circumstances define your attitude. This doesn’t mean you ignore the reality of the situation. It means you believe you will find a way to overcome your situation. Leadership is a transfer of belief and the optimism and belief you share with your team plays a big part in how you work together to overcome adversity.

3) Share the Plan – When Alan Mulally took over as the CEO of Ford in 2006 they had lost 12 billion dollars. He turned the company around in a few short years and many say it was one of the greatest leadership feats in history. He told me that everyone had to know the plan, embrace the plan and relentlessly work towards the plan. It’s essential that, as a leader, you share the plan and explain why the plan will work and how it will be executed. This brings clarity and clarity leads to focused action. As I think about what our country is going through, one thing I would like to see is a comprehensive plan that explains how we will restart the economy while saving lives. I suspect it is coming soon and it will be very helpful when it does.

4) Point Towards a Positive Future – After you tell the truth and communicate the facts, share your optimism and plan to succeed, you then want to share a vision of what success looks like in the future. “Yes, this is where we are now. This is our situation. But here is where we are going. This is what we are working to create.” What success looks like for each team and organization is different. The key is to define it and share the vision with your team. We all need something to hope for and work towards and when you share a positive vision for the future it engages, ignites and rallies your team to create the vision together.

 

For Educators-

Three Core Principles For Higher Education As It Prepares For Its Pandemic-Uncertain Fall

• Share Best Practices
• Stay Close to Students
• Focus On Competence

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2020/04/09/three-core-principles-as-higher-education-prepares-for-its-pandemic-uncertain-fall/#701dea53348f

 

“The world without music would be a mistake.” -Nietzsche

Music to Make Up for Easter and Passover Restrictions:
Andrea Bocelli- Music For Hope – Live From Duomo di Milano
https://youtu.be/huTUOek4LgU

 

Humor-
Subject: Dealing with Sequestration:

I used to spin that toilet paper like I was on Wheel of Fortune. Now I turn it like I’m cracking a safe.

I need to practice social-distancing.  From the refrigerator.

Still haven’t decided where to go for Easter —– The Living Room or The Bedroom

PSA: every few days try your jeans on just to make sure they fit. Pajamas will have you believe all is well in the kingdom.

Homeschooling is going well. 2 students suspended for fighting and 1 teacher fired for drinking on the job.

I don’t think anyone expected that when we changed the clocks we’d go from Standard Time to the Twilight Zone

So, after this quarantine…..will the producers of My 600 Pound Life just find me or do I find them?

Quarantine Day 5: Went to this restaurant called THE KITCHEN. You have to gather all the ingredients and make your own meal. I have no clue how this place is still in business.

My body has absorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately that when I pee it cleans the toilet.

Day 5 of Homeschooling: One of these little monsters called in a bomb threat.

I’m so excited — it’s time to take out the garbage. What should I wear?

I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to Puerto Backyarda. I’m getting tired of Los Livingroom.

Classified Ad: Single man with toilet paper seeks woman with hand sanitizer for good clean fun.

Day 6 of Homeschooling: My child just said “I hope I don’t have the same teacher next year”…. I’m offended.

Better 6 feet apart than 6 feet under!

Thanks this week go to the BBB, Arthur B, Devin V, Larry H, Bob C and Charles B for touching our head, heart and soul!
Please pay it forward
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“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

This week:
Getting into the Positive

Who Do I Want To Be During COVID-19?
This helped me take stock of my options and pick which Neville is going to show up…

Use Me with the Delectable Bill Withers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3hBYTkI-sE

SURVIVE AND ADVANCE with Jon G:

The NCAA basketball tournament is normally held every March and it’s called March Madness. While they didn’t host the event this year because of the Corona Virus, we certainly experienced our own different version of March Madness.

Every text and email and conversation with friends and clients seemed to begin with, “This is crazy.” It felt like we were living in a bad movie experiencing a surreal moment that made you confront the reality that this isn’t a game or a movie, but life as we know it. Each morning I woke up wondering if it was just a bad dream only to turn on the news and understand the seriousness of this situation.

The goal of basketball teams during March Madness is to survive and advance. Teams want to somehow, someway make it through one round to advance to the next. How they do it doesn’t have to be pretty. They may not play their best. They may not thrive. They just want to win the battle today to give themselves a shot to compete in the next round where they hope to adapt and ultimately thrive.

From a physical standpoint it’s the goal for all of us in April and the upcoming months. We have a new version of a virus that we haven’t experienced before. The goal, if you get it, is to survive with a strong immune system, win the battle today, advance and allow your body to adapt (develop antibodies) so you can ultimately be stronger and thrive in the future.

From an economic, business and career standpoint for most of us the goal is the same. This year is likely not going to be great unless you are a grocery store, Amazon, Wall Mart, and make toilet paper. The goal is to find a way to survive so you can advance. As you advance you can then adapt and seek to thrive in the future.

Survive. Advance. Adapt. Thrive.

It’s going to look different for each of us depending on our job, company, industry, situation etc. But the goal should be the same and I hope these four words help you. I keep saying them to myself each day as I take on this challenge with you.

If you watched my Positive Summit video I talked about The Shark and the Goldfish that I wrote during the great recession about my experience losing my job during the dot.com crash. It’s the story of a goldfish that has always been fed. He gets brought to the beach and a wave of change hits and takes the goldfish back into the ocean with it. He must learn how to survive, advance, and adapt so he can thrive. He meets a nice shark that teaches him how to find food and how to adapt so he can ride the wave of a change to a successful future. It’s a story for this time.

We’ve been hit by a massive wave of change. For most of us this is not a year that we are thinking about thriving. For many we are just trying to keep our head above water, pay our bills, feed our family, teach our kids, keep our homes, deal with the fear and anxiety, stay healthy and make it to another day.

In this spirit, let’s look at the ocean of possibilities and maintain optimism and hope. Optimism is not a supplemental way to think. It’s an essential way to think to overcome adversity and waves of change.

Let’s look for ways to survive and be creative and innovative so we can advance and adapt that will allow us to thrive once again in the future.

Through this process when we look back on this time we’ll learn that surviving allowed us to advance, our discomfort lead to our growth, the change made us adapt, and adapting made us stronger which helped us thrive as a result.

-Jon

P.S., If you’d like us to send you a daily positive message to help, sign up for free at DailyPositive.com

When The Motor Stops:
With СОVID-19 spreading in Michigan, ad agency Doner, headquartered in Detroit since the 1930s, chose to send a message of strength and resilience to its city in the form of its new video
https://youtu.be/W7C1GAPsPbI

The F-Virus with Prince Ea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBi85WjeDyg&feature=youtu.be

Helping leaders in college reboot with Seth Godin

We’re announcing a free intensive today, especially for people who are finding their college journey disrupted right now.

If you know someone in that situation, I hope you’ll forward this on to them.

We’re looking for some students ready to leap forward. To shift from education to learning, from following to leading, from holding back to leaning in.

The months and years after school are often fragile. The pressure is on, trajectories are being set, and most of us were probably without a clue. Doing that in the middle of this disruption has to be significantly harder, and we’re trying to help.

The typical reader of this blog skews older than that, but you might know precisely the right people for this program.

It’s a five-day sprint, a virtual program with daily zoom calls, an insane amount of group work and a shift toward a posture of possibility.

You can see all the details and the application here.

 

We can all be Right Responders, we can ALL Make a Difference:
Mission Fed set up a dollar for dollar match up to $50,000 to the San Diego Food Bank to support those struggling with adequate access to food in our community.
As of this writing we have already raised $79,765, thanks to generous support but the need remains mission critical! Here is a spot to get the word out:

 

Click the link below to donate any amount and help support fellow San Diegans.

 

 

Have you been watching Tiger King?
Would You Be Willing to Be An Animal Angel?

My wife and daughter belong to a wonderful organization called Lions, Tigers and Bears, a sanctuary for, you guessed it, Lions, Tigers and Bears!

Long story short, the organization is run by founder Bobbi Brooks – who serendipitously discovered that a huge exotic animal trade exists in the USA.  Bobbi uncovered this while looking in the “For Sale” section of New York newspapers years and years ago.  She was a restaurateur looking to purchase restaurant equipment and below “R” for restaurants she kept noticing under “T” – Tigers for Sale.  She became curious, started investigating the situation and here we are many, many years later.  Very importantly, Bobbi has been instrumental in passing legislation to end private ownership of exotic pets. Read more about Bobbi here: https://www.lionstigersandbears.org/meet-the-team  

So, to continue the story, Bobbi started rescuing privately owned exotic animals kept in terrible conditions and now has a beautiful 93-acre facility that houses more than 60 exotic animals in Alpine – just a short drive on Interstate 8 east.  When Bobbi uncovers an exotic animal that is kept as a pet, she firstly tries to place the animal in a zoo or other appropriate environment – but when that fails, she brings the unplaceable animal to Lions Tigers & Bears.  In fact, she has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles across the USA to rescue animals transporting them to Alpine in a trailer!  What I like so much about this shelter is the no touch, no breed, no kill policy.  Her facility is not a money-making amusement park, rather it is a last chance sanctuary and forever home for these exotic animals who would otherwise be euthanized.  Learn more about her sanctuary here: https://www.lionstigersandbears.org

Fortunately, these rescued animals have amazing habitats – spacious with pools and plenty of food to eat.  I’m sure you can imagine the cost — $20,000 a month! Lions, Tigers and Bears do have fund-raising events which as a family, we have enjoyed.  But, of course, these activities are suspended during COVID-19.  As such, I am asking you today for a donation.  Any amount that you can give will be a benefit.  Also, rest assured that 100% of what you give goes directly to food and shelter.

Please visit their website to learn more: https://www.lionstigersandbears.org .  And check out the amazing and beautiful animals.

My favorite animal is Bakari https://www.lionstigersandbears.org/our-animals/lions/bakari – the lion – such a handsome boy! Aysha, the future Anthro-zoologist, her favorite is Meatball https://www.lionstigersandbears.org/our-animals/bears/meatball – the bear.  Such a great story about Meatball. Thank you.  Be well!  Love Barbara and Aysha

You can donate here if you are so inclined: https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/LTB/BarbaraSedgwickBillimoria

 

Bill Withers of ‘Lean On Me’ and ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ fame dies at age 81 from Heart Complications:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/lean-on-me-aint-no-sunshine-singer-bill-withers-dies-at-age-81-2020-04-03?mod=nextup_bomw

 

 

Thanks this week go to Vicente R, Bob C, DJ K, Barbara and Aysha SB, Michelle G, and the inestimable soul brother Bill Withers!
Please pay it forward.
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“When your legs are tired, walk with your heart.”—Paulo Coelho

Deep gratitude to all of you on the frontlines taking care of vital services and taking care of all of us!

This week:

• Reactive brain or Creative brain- Can we leverage an infinite mindset and come out of this better together- Simon Sinek
• Giving Ourselves Permission to Not Know What to Do- Dr. Ken Druck
• Coping with Coronavirus Stress- Resources from UC San Diego
• Everyone Can Play A Valuable Role In This Crisis. Everyone Can Be A Responder- Mission Fed wants all of us to Step Up and is making it Easy
• Pandemic Sees Brand Leaders Putting Purpose Before Profit
• Creatives Helping Us Elevate Humanity through Empathy
• Beatles to the Rescue!

 

These Are Not Unprecedented Times with Simon Sinek:
Leveraging an Infinite Mindset NOW Because Together is Better!
This is the kind of leadership we need to see more of both locally and globally…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6spNnsD-XOY

 

Giving Ourselves Permission . . . to Not Know What to Do with Ken D:
How could we possibly know what to do? Pioneers crossing the deserts, plains, mountains, and rivers of totally uncharted territory with no map would understand. And they’d probably have more compassion for us than we’re giving ourselves.
https://medium.com/@info_85283/giving-ourselves-permission-to-not-know-what-to-do-2179e58404b8

 

Coping with Coronavirus Stress
Tips and resources from UC San Diego for (campus) community members to protect our mental health during the pandemic
https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/coping-with-coronavirus-stress

 

Everyone Can Play A Valuable Role In This Crisis. Everyone Can Be A Responder:
Mission Fed launches $50K Matching Grant to Address Food Insufficiency in San Diego due to COVID-19. The San Diego Food Bank is committed to providing food assistance and resources to the 350,000 people they serve every month and those affected by the COVID-19 crisis. In support of the Food Bank, during the month of April (1-30), Mission Fed will match all donations dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000. For every $1 donated the Food Bank can provide 5 meals.
If you would like to contribute please help us and double your impact here:
www.missionfed.com/GivingBank

 

Conscious Leadership-
Pandemic Sees Brand Leaders Putting Purpose Before Profit:
While the government stalls under pressure to provide necessary aid to the millions affected by COVID-19, a silver lining to this pandemic is being revealed as more and more businesses exemplify efforts to put people before profit.
https://sustainablebrands.com/read/walking-the-talk/pandemic-sees-brand-leaders-putting-purpose-before-profit?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl_200330

 

Creatives Helping Us Elevate Humanity-
Stefon Harris — Vibraphonist, Educator, Thinker — Teaches Empathy From The Bandstand:
Stefon Harris is about a lot more than creating music. “The vibraphone, in my opinion, is just a bunch of metal and wood,” he says. “It’s not that important. Instruments are just tools. What’s important is the mission behind the individual who’s utilizing the tool. My ultimate passion is about the proliferation of empathy.”
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/30/822024071/stefon-harris-vibraphonist-educator-thinker-teaches-empathy-from-the-bandstand

 

On a lighter note…
Beatles to the Rescue:
I Gotta Wash My Hands!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxOJ7hh3H-I

 

Thanks this week go to Jojo S, Ross G,  Ken D, Paula T, the Mission Fed Team, Malcolm A and Larry H.
Please Pay it Forward!
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“The most important aspect of the practice of grateful living is trust in life.
Every human being every day has to make a practical choice between trusting life or not trusting life.
Again and again in life, one is tempted to distrust and fear.
Fear and distrust—this is the same.”
–Brother David

Hope you and yours are staying safe, well and resilient in these challenging times.

This week:

• Reframing COVID-19
• An Imagined Letter from Covid-19 to Humans
• A Real Message from Bill Gates
• This is the Exercise Your Body Needs During this Outbreak
• Mental Comfort Food: 4 Ways Nutritional Psychiatry Can Help Alleviate Anxiety
• Magnify the Positives – Shrink the Negatives!
• The Power of Music- Neil Diamond’s Coronavirus-era Remake of ‘Sweet Caroline’ is What We Need Right Now
• The Power of Humor- Watch the Italian Politicians Dealing with Self Quarantining

 

While it might be harder than ever to remain positive right now, here a few ways to do just that.
Adversity doesn’t breed character, it reveals it and we owe it to ourselves and our loved ones to show up in the best way possible, especially in high stress times.
To a large degree, we can’t control external events, but we do have some semblance of control about how we respond to what happens out there, in here.

Can we use this as a wakeup call and turn this existential threat into an opportunity to recalibrate what is most meaningful and purposeful in our lives in this moment?Suspend your disbelief for a few minutes and give it a go…

 

An Imagined Letter from Covid-19 to Humans
This is making the rounds and it is pretty powerful!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-SyZiwXKs0

 

A Real Message from Bill Gates
What is the Corona/ Covid-19 Virus Really Teaching us?

I’m a strong believer that there is a spiritual purpose behind everything that happens, whether that is what we perceive as being good or being bad.

As I meditate upon this, I want to share with you what I feel the Corona/ Covid-19 virus is really doing to us:

1) It is reminding us that we are all equal, regardless of our culture, religion, occupation, financial situation or how famous we are. This disease treats us all equally, perhaps we should to. If you don’t believe me,
just ask Tom Hanks.

2) It is reminding us that we are all connected and something that affects one person has an effect on another. It is reminding us that the false borders that we have put up have little value as this virus does not need a passport. It is reminding us, by oppressing us for a short time, of those in this world whose whole life is spent in oppression.

3) It is reminding us of how precious our health is and how we have moved to neglect it through eating nutrient poor manufactured food and drinking water that is contaminated with chemicals upon chemicals. If we don’t look after our health, we will, of course, get sick.

4) It is reminding us of the shortness of life and of what is most important for us to do, which is to help each other, especially those who are old or sick. Our purpose is not to buy toilet roll.

5) It is reminding us of how materialistic our society has become and how, when in times of difficulty, we remember that it’s the essentials that we need (food, water, medicine) as opposed to the luxuries that we sometimes unnecessarily give value to.

6) It is reminding us of how important our family and home life is and how much we have neglected this. It is forcing us back into our houses so we can rebuild them into our home and to strengthen our family unit.

7) It is reminding us that our true work is not our job, that is what we do, not what we were created to do. Our true work is to look after each other, to protect each other and to be of benefit to one another.

8) It is reminding us to keep our egos in check. It is reminding us that no matter how great we think we are or how great others think we are, a virus can bring our world to a standstill.

9) It is reminding us that the power of freewill is in our hands. We can choose to cooperate and help each other, to share, to give, to help and to support each other or we can choose to be selfish, to hoard, to look after only our self. Indeed, it is difficulties that bring out our true colors.

10) It is reminding us that we can be patient, or we can panic. We can either understand that this type of situation has happened many times before in history and will pass, or we can panic and see it as the end of the world and, consequently, cause ourselves more harm than good.

11) It is reminding us that this can either be an end or a new beginning. This can be a time of reflection and understanding, where we learn from our mistakes, or it can be the start of a cycle which will continue until we finally learn the lesson we are meant to.

12) It is reminding us that this Earth is sick. It is reminding us that we need to look at the rate of deforestation just as urgently as we look at the speed at which toilet rolls are disappearing off of shelves. We are sick because our home is sick.

13) It is reminding us that after every difficulty, there is always ease. Life is cyclical, and this is just a phase in this great cycle. We do not need to panic; this too shall pass.

14) Whereas many see the Corona/ Covid-19 virus as a great disaster, I prefer to see it as a *great corrector*

It is sent to remind us of the important lessons that we seem to have forgotten and it is up to us if we will learn them or not.

 

The Importance of Exercise- This Is the Exercise Your Body Needs During the Coronavirus Outbreak:

How to stay safe and ensure that your workout boosts, rather than suppresses, your immune system. Even for elite athletes, now is a time to think more about your health than your fitness.

“Our data show that physically active people have a 40-50% reduction in the number of days they’re ill with acute respiratory infections.”
https://elemental.medium.com/this-is-the-exercise-your-body-needs-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak-8b924c92e861

 

 Mental Comfort Food: 4 Ways Nutritional Psychiatry Can Help Alleviate Anxiety:
Here are four ways to eat the nutritional psychiatry way, in order to help alleviate anxiety—because even after COVID-19 is behind us, optimizing our mental health still matters
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/4-ways-nutritional-psychiatry-can-help-alleviate-anxiety?mbg_mcid=777:5e7917d4102e510b037ba5d6:ot:5e5449265b099ce02fbdd88d:1&mbg_hash=ec91f68b02f1af9e815059343f09654d&utm_source=mbg&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_v2_20200324

 

Magnify the Positives – Shrink the Negatives! With JSJ

 Every day we are all likely to experience positive things and people, as well as negative things and people. What we focus on, is a choice we all get to make.

You can choose to magnify the negatives and allow yourself to get stressed out by your problems and challenges. When you choose this route, you will attract more negatives.

It seems as if you have a black cloud over your head if you choose to focus on the negatives.

Whenever you magnify the negatives in your life, you also shrink the positives. Or as motivational speaker Les Brown once said, “If you argue for your limitations you get to keep them.”

Don’t become blind to the good stuff, simply because you are focusing on all the crap! Remember, you can choose to magnify the positives and feed your spirit with great optimism and an energy force that will attract more of the good stuff into your life. It’s a choice we all get to make every moment of everyday.

Have you ever noticed how lucky some people seem to be? ”The harder you work, the luckier you will become!”

Experience tells me there is a lot of truth to this statement.

People that work hard at achieving pre-determined worthwhile goals and objectives, tend to focus on what they want in their lives. And are generally happier because of their excitement toward their goals. They soon begin to attract the people, situations and opportunities that bring the luck they need to become successful achievers. By focusing on positive personal growth, we tend to knock down our life goals accidentally as if by magic. The truth is however is there are no coincidences when it comes to becoming a world class achiever.

A good exercise for you to improve on in this area for the next seven days is to focus only on the positives in your life. Positive people, events, activities, language and positive actions. This may seem impossible during the Covid-19 situation but anything is possible to the willing mind.

OQP stands for Only Quality People. You will notice that quality people tend to focus on the positives. Negative people focus on the negative.

Like everything…Perfect Practice makes perfect!

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I was doing some good reading the other day and the message the author was sharing was “Anger is your Enemy“. This message appears to be one that many on Facebook need to learn!

I am very observant with a few years-experience under my belt…and I do see many people, especially on what little time I spend on Facebook (almost none actually) that are letting their negative emotions get the best of them.

Between the Federation, the Foundation, the Healing Warrior Society, and my coaching business, I have a pretty good eye for what’s going on. Whether it is amongst our highest ranking members, in the training hall, and or in our communities…I am concerned for the amount of negativity that is shared via Facebook and via email. I am also amazed at the amount of “look at me” that is going on. I am not sure what happened to humility but it appears it has gone the way of the Edsel.

I am encouraged however that not all have chosen to focus on negativity or what I call the “dark side”. I am also encouraged that sometimes just a bit of awareness is all people need to realize they may be letting the negatives sink deep into their subconscious where it can do the most damage for the long haul. Guard the temples of your mind my dear friends as the peddlers of doom and gloom are never far away!

Here’s some more food for thought. EVERYTHING IS ENERGY. Anger is hate actually turned inwards. Our martial way symbol or Moo Do represents stopping the sword.

The sword cuts both ways. We stop the sword to stop inner and outer conflict.

The root of anger includes self-pride and the root of self-pride is EGO.

Did you ever hear the best way to win an argument? Don’t get in one!

Choose not to participate…walk away come back another day.

Would you rather be right or be happy? Remember, there are three roads you can walk. The low road, the middle road, or the high road. I choose to walk the high road!

I’d rather be happy, which is why I usually concede to those who argue and must be right no matter what. I see the EGO for what it is which is Eternally Guaranteed Obsolescence! There is a great Chinese proverb that goes, “If there is no enemy within there is no enemy without.” The EGO is the enemy within and it prevents us from experiencing peace of mind. If you want more peace of mind and to reduce inner and outer conflict, let go of your ego. It is that easy and that hard.

I think you would agree that’s it’s so much more fun to smile, laugh and live life in a happy way.:-) Which is why I remind everyone that listens…

“Every day we train is a great day…which is why we train every day and please understand that training starts with the heart and goes through the mind before it gets to the body!” Lead from the heart first as that is where you center truly is. Then use your leadership or peak performance lessons to guide you to a higher level and then train the brain to make it automatic. If you are just training your body you become just another earthen vessel or “crack pot” who misses the bigger picture in my humble opinion. As we are all cracked as part of our human condition, it is our mind and spirit that helps keep it all together. For this reason alone, I encourage you to consider the mind, body, and spirit when you train and especially now during the Covid-19 pandemic.

There is no better workout for the mind, body, and spirit than emptying your cup, stilling your mind, and doing some serious hyung or kata practice. That is why I train hard and train often.  

Want to feel better, look better, and become better than you were yesterday? Train your brain, your body, and your spirit every day and do remember to magnify the positives and shrink the negatives.

 

The Power of Music- Neil Diamond’s coronavirus-era remake of ‘Sweet Caroline’ is what we need right now:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/23/entertainment/neil-diamond-sweet-caroline-coronavirus-trnd/?iid=ob_lockedrail_topeditorial

 

The Power of Humor-

 Hotheaded Italian Mayors and Regional Presidents Losing It at People Violating Quarantine:
Here’s an English subtitled compilation. “I hear you wanna throw graduation parties. I’m gonna send the police over. With flamethrowers.”
https://twitter.com/protectheflames/status/1241403715036291072

 

Thanks this week go to Mikel B, Bill G, JSJ, Neil D, Dan L, and especially to Cathy J for helping me get this missive out every week come hell or high water!

Pay it forward please. The world needs you now more than ever.
Love,
Neville

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“LOVE is our Soul Purpose”