In an effort to proactively be of service to all stakeholders in my life, recognizing the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the range and severity of current external factors and conditions that extend beyond the current health crisis (environmental, economic, political, etc.) and the variety of responses internally, we as individuals, organizations and communities are exhibiting (fight, flight, flee) from denial on one end of the spectrum to panic or paralysis on the other end- both of which are equally ineffective- we owe it to ourselves to take control of our mindset, heart set and skillsets to pull ourselves together and find that place, somewhere in between those two extremes, that is beneficial, solutions-oriented and can help us make the best decisions and take the best actions in these times of stress and uncertainty.

In the wisdom traditions we understand the difference between jitsu (calm concentration) and kyo (disrupted mental equilibrium) and much of our mental training/conditioning is to be able to practice calm concentration regardless of the external circumstances and especially when everyone around you is a disrupted or disbalanced state.

I am reminded of two poems:

Desiderata By Max Ehrmann © 1927

GO PLACIDLY amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

And If… by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with wornout tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run –
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a (hu)man my son!

 

Right now, so many of us are currently experiencing cognitive threshold; where one’s capacity to process and sense-make exceeds our ability to adjust.

This is compounded by saturation where our psyches are no longer able to absorb any more and things just start to overflow out of control.

Our mindset; Calm concentration or mental disruption- i.e. how we show up- has a material effect on our ability to respond effectively to threats of this magnitude and exceptionality.

One theory to help us understand this is the Threat Rigid Response

When people, organizations or systems are under threat, they tend to close down, and restrict the cognitive novelty that is available to them in their own world.

Threat–rigid responses tend to limit options and information flow, constrain decision making, and increase stress. The question then becomes, what can mitigate this?

Trust and leadership dimensions that support empowerment and involvement will predict an organization’s ability to minimize a threat–rigid response, and flexibly negotiate new demands as Dr. Alan Daly has identified in his research in 2009.
Under threat we tend to:
Circle the wagons and cut off your boundary to the outside. We see this now with flights from Europe being cancelled or the Canadian border being closed as examples.
Make reactive decisions that are made by just a few people. This is also evidenced right now with a few people making the same very stereotyped repetitive decisions that may or may not be in the collective’s best interest.

With a big threat looming, we unfortunately tend to respond in very rigid ways that don’t open up the space, rather we tend to close down.

Mitigants to the Threat Rigid response supported by trust and leadership dimensions are conditions such as a sense of belonging (think Maslow) , a sense of caring (Empathy and Compassion), and feeling like you are part of something bigger that others also care about (a sense of Purpose).

What is paradoxical about the threat rigid response is that in a time of urgency and crisis like we are in right now, when we need to be at our very best, our blinders are on and some could argue we end up behaving at our worst…

We need to recognize, reflect, reframe and respond in better ways to ensure better outcomes!
In one word- resilience…

Stay informed. Be proactive and prosocial. Hope for the best but prep for the worst…

The condition-

The U.S. Isn’t Ready for What’s About to Happen

Even with a robust government response to the novel coronavirus, many people will be in peril. And the United States is anything but prepared.
https://medium.com/the-atlantic/the-u-s-isnt-ready-for-what-s-about-to-happen-f9023687fc37

7 potentially deadly errors the US is making in its coronavirus response

Public health professionals at the CDC and elsewhere need to speak with the public every single day.
https://www.vox.com/2020/3/16/21181025/coronavirus-covid-19-us-testing-pandemic

The response-
Resources to Staying Informed and Remaining Resilient:

John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/
It includes an interactive map
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

The Latest on the Spread of Coronavirus Around the World:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-latest-factbox-idUSKBN2140K1
For interactive graphic tracking global spread: tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7

Harvard Health Publishing Coping with Coronavirus Anxiety:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/coping-with-coronavirus-anxiety-2020031219183?utm_content=buffer2508e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=tw

Social distancing prevents infections, but it can have unintended consequences.
Social distancing does not have to mean social isolation
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/we-are-social-species-how-will-social-distancing-affect-us

Get out in nature in your neck of the woods while you still can:
Download the All Trails app from your favorite location and get in the great outdoors
https://www.alltrails.com/

Finally-
Exercise your sense of humor-
For some relief rely on our Aussie friends with this little ditty…
The Ballad of Dunny Roll:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia0bfWbOLjY

No worries in Kona apparently…

Thanks this week go to Alan D, John I, Paul S, Ron A, Bob C, Larry H, and all of you taking care of one another.
Pay it forward.

Rightly considered, this could be a chance to change how we connect with and behave toward one another. Can we forge a new sense of global and social unity built on facing serous adversity together?
Love,
Neville

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

“Out of all-inclusive, unconditional compassion comes the healing of all mankind.”— Dr. David Hawkins

“Here’s to strong women: May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.” –Unknown

This week:

• Celebrating Women While Recognizing We Still Have a Long Way to Go to Create Gender Equality
  • Generation Equality, International Women’s Day 2020 Campaign, 100 Quotes to Inspire Us, and a Century of Women and Their Influence
• Getting Real- Strong Women Facing Indescribable Struggles All Around the World
  • Six years ago, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls. Where are they now?
  • The struggles of a young woman, who’s was a Principal and is a mother in Idlib
• The Coronavirus Pandemic
  • What We Can or Should Do Now
  • The ‘One Planet, One People’ Coronavirus Corrective with Dr. Ken D
  • Coronavirus Scams to Watch Out For
• Gun Violence Prevention Through a Racial Equity Framework
  • Join this Webinar next week

I Am Generation Equality:
Realizing Women’s Rights
Twenty-five years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action—a progressive roadmap for gender equality—it’s time to take stock of progress and bridge the gaps that remain through bold, decisive actions.
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/international-womens-day

International Women’s Day 2020 campaign theme is #EachforEqual

An equal world is an enabled world. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day.

We can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women’s achievements. Collectively, each one of us can help create a gender equal world.

Let’s all be #EachforEqual.  https://internationalwomensday.com/2020Theme

Share These 100 International Women’s Day Quotes to Support Women’s Rights:

If you’re not familiar with it, International Women’s Day began in the early 1900s and is a “a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.” To help you spread the word and capture the spirit of IWD all year long please read—and share (using their hashtags, #IWD2020 and #EachforEqual)—this list of 100 International Women’s Day quotes. https://parade.com/975103/marynliles/international-womens-day-quotes/

Why TIME Decided to Revisit a Century of Women and Influence:

Throughout its history, editors of TIME aimed their curiosity at those who broke free of gravity. Week after week, year after year, the magazine featured an individual on the cover, often from Washington but also from Wall Street or Hollywood, from foreign palaces and humming factories, all outstanding and almost always men. The “great man theory of history,” so aligned with the American gospel of bootstraps and bravado, meant that power boiled down to biography, and to be on the cover of TIME meant that you had, literally, made big news.

I wonder how different those weekly assessments would have been had there been any women in the room where they were made. It would be many decades before TIME’s leadership included many women, 90 years before a woman ran the whole thing. Likewise in Congress and courtrooms and corner offices and ivory towers, it was largely men who were writing the first draft of history, deciding what mattered, and who mattered, and why. So now that we are marking anniversaries, it was an irresistible exercise to go back and look again, at different ways of wielding power, and the different results derived. Women were wielding soft power long before the concept was defined. On the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, TIME’s editors and collaborators revisited each year since 1920, looking for women whose reach transcended their time. Their influence in public and private life was not always positive; part of this exercise is acknowledging failures and blind spots as well as genius and vision. https://time.com/5793734/time-100-women-of-the-year-issue/

 

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” – Socrates

 

Strong Women Facing Indescribable Struggles All Around the World-

Six years ago, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls. Where are they now?
The ‘Chibok girls’ kidnapping sparked international outrage. More than a hundred are still missing. Today the survivors are trying to rebuild their lives.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2020/03/six-years-ago-boko-haram-kidnapped-276-schoolgirls-where-are-they-now/

 

Despite Syria-Turkey Cease-Fire, Life is Difficult for Civilians in Idlib
The struggles of a young woman, who’s was a Principal and is a mother in Idlib, reflect the hardships faced by millions of Syrians as their city came under a new round of attacks.
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/10/813941954/despite-syria-turkey-cease-fire-life-is-difficult-for-civilians-in-idlib

 

What We Can Do About Coronavirus-
Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now: Tomas Pueyo – Medium
While a long read with a high level of urgency call for immediate action, this is a thorough assessment from one point of view.
I will leave it to you quant-masters to poke holes in the data, methodology, or recommendations.
https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

Scam of the Week: Exploiting the Coronavirus: Watch out for These Scams!

Look out! The bad guys are preying on your fear and sending all sorts of scams related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Below are some examples of the types of scams you should be on the lookout for:

1. Emails that appear to be from organizations such as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), or the WHO (World Health Organization). The scammers have crafted emails that appear to come from these sources, but they actually contain malicious phishing links or dangerous attachments.
2. Emails that ask for charity donations for studies, doctors, or victims that have been affected by the COVD-19 Coronavirus. Scammers often create fake charity emails after global phenomenons occur, like natural disasters, or health scares like the COVID-19.
3. Emails that claim to have a “new” or “updated” list of cases of Coronavirus in your area. These emails could contain dangerous links and information designed to scare you into clicking on the link.

Remain cautious! And always remember the following to protect yourself from scams like this:

• Never click on links or download attachments from an email that you weren’t expecting.
• If you receive a suspicious email that appears to come from an official organization such as the WHO or CDC, report the email to the official organization through their website.
• If you want to make a charity donation, go to the charity website of your choice to submit your payment. Type the charity’s web address in your browser instead of clicking on any links in emails, or other messages.

Stop, Look, and Think. Don’t be fooled.
The KnowBe4 Security Team
KnowBe4.com

 

“Out of all-inclusive, unconditional compassion comes the healing of all mankind.”— Dr. David Hawkins

 

One Planet, One People
The ‘One Planet, One People’ Coronavirus Corrective with Dr. Ken D:
From the moment Seals and Crofts sang “One Planet, One People, Please” in perfect harmony, I was enamored by the Bahai Faith’s declaration that we’re members of the same family. The survival of Earth’s inhabitants is, in large part, based on our ability and willingness to realize that we’re living on the same anthill, so showing one another kindness and compassion, we make the most of being interconnected, and our better angels prevail.
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/486429-the-one-planet-one-people-coronavirus-corrective

One Planet, One People, Please by Seals and Crofts
A musical interlude…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYSpChQPkro

 

If You Are Local-

SDG Webinar: “Gun Violence in California: Intervention and Interruption Strategies”
On March 17 (9 AM – 10:30 AM), SDG is partnering with the Hope and Heal Fund to host an informative webinar for California funders, on how to address the public health crisis of gun violence, through a racial equity framework.

Learn how we can make our communities safer. Webinar speakers will be subject-matter experts on gun violence and the many drivers of this issue, including intimate partner violence, community violence, and suicide.

Speakers include:

• April Zeoli, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University. Dr. Zeoli conducts research in the prevention of intimate partner violence and is currently studying the implementation of firearm relinquishment procedures for those intimate partner violence offenders who can no longer legally possess them.
• Bishop Cornelius Bowser, Co-Founder of Community Assistance Support Team (C.A.S.T.). Bishop Bowser is a former gang member and gang expert. He is a volunteer for the San Diego Compassion Project, which ministers to homicide victims’ families, and one of the founding members of C.A.S.T., which helps to reduce gang violence in the City of San Diego.
• Stan Collins, a suicide prevention specialist with more than two decades of experience. Stan currently works as a consultant, focusing on technical assistance in the creation and implementation of suicide prevention curricula and strategies. He participated in the development and roll-out of the “Stop Firearm Suicide San Diego” campaign.
• (event moderator) Brian Malte, Executive Director at Hope and Heal Fund: The Fund to Stop Gun Violence in California. Created in 2016 by philanthropic leaders, Hope and Heal Fund is the only collaborative fund solely dedicated to preventing gun violence in California.

CLICK HERE to register for this webinar.

Thanks this week go to all the strong, compassionate and amazing women in my life who inspire me every day, and who count on me to be a strong ally in creating a gender equal world.
Thanks also to Ken D for the One Planet, One People reminder.

Would you pay it forward this week? Our world needs You.
Love,
Neville

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

“There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise.” –W.E.B. Dubois

This week:

5 Quotes from Major Philosophers Guaranteed to Make You Think

“Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not.

It is only after you have faced up to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish between what you can and can’t control that inner tranquility and outer effectiveness become possible.”

Centuries old wisdom still speaks to us today … if we listen…

https://medium.com/@stevenyates/5-quotes-from-major-philosophers-guaranteed-to-make-you-think-d04002f09b85

 

5 WAYS TO MAKE TODAY GREAT:

How you see the world determines the world you see.
That’s why it’s especially important to start each day with a positive perspective.
Remember… positivity is like a muscle, the more we exercise it the stronger it gets.

Today let’s:

1) Attack Today with Enthusiasm – If you want an exciting life, get excited about life. Many of us wake up and just go through the motions. Our lives become routine. It doesn’t have to be like that. Remember your WHY today. We don’t get burned out because of what we do. We get burned out because we forget why we do it.

2) Stay Positive – Instead of focusing on your problems, focus on your purpose. Instead of seeing yourself as a victim, see yourself as a hero. Heroes and victims both get knocked down but heroes get back up, and armed with optimism and a greater purpose they create a positive future.

3) Be Thankful – When you are grateful for the things in your life, big and small, you always seem to find more things to be grateful about.

4) Replace “Have to” with “Get To” – Live life as a gift, not an obligation. We GET TO, we don’t HAVE TO. This simple shift can have a dramatic impact.

5) Be a Blessing to Others – We are blessed to be a blessing. This doesn’t have anything to do with material things (although it can). It’s about loving, serving and caring. It’s about choosing to make a difference in the lives of others each and every day.

 

Valedictorian Shares Important Life Lesson:
In this valedictorian speech, Kyle Martin gets struck by the wisdom of the 16th second.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJNh_A-LlvA&fbclid=IwAR3KcY-NAkPRqQQY5j6VnIGkkOHPRNGdyAkp_0BsHxj7NNJDbAcZHRlZ1jI

 

Habit of Giving your Best Effort…Reaching for Your Full Capacity!    

This week’s focus is the Habit of Giving your Best Effort and Reaching for Your Full Potential.

Whether we are talking about martial arts classes, study habits or work…you will always succeed at a higher level if you develop the habit of giving your best effort and treating others as you yourself would like to be treated.

Nobody achieves greatness by being lazy or giving a half-hearted effort. Equally, nobody ever succeeds with a negative attitude toward others.

If you study the training of champions in any sport, you will see them putting in hours of dedicated practice and giving their best effort daily.

When you give your best effort and consistently push to exceed your previous best, you will get better and you will improve.

Never allow Minimums to become your Maximums & Always Maintain High Character!

 In the martial arts, we live The Martial Way. We call this “Living the Art”.

“Warriors are special people. Since they understand the concept of honor, they set their ethical standards above most of the rest of society.”   Forrest E. Morgan, Maj USAF                                                                                                      

When you push yourself to your current maximum, and then strive for 10% improvement or better, you will constantly raise the bar on your personal best.

The difference between ordinary and extra-ordinary is one word…”extra”!

You will take yourself to new levels of excellence if you will decide in advance to give extra effort and especially extra service.  This is especially true if you maintain a high level of character in the process.

“A man of character will make himself worthy of any position given.” Mahatma Gandhi

On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you get in the habit of giving a minimal effort and accept less than your best, this can also become habit.

If you’re not careful, before you know it, your minimum will become your maximum. Ultimately, your life will become ordinary or even less. To some this is normal, to peak performers, warriors, and champions this a place they avoid like the plague.

Look at everything you do, on and off the mat, think about how you can give your best effort and do it better. What could you do different today to take it to a whole new level?

In the training hall (Dojo or Dojang)…what can you do to pick up the pace to improve your skills and conditioning? At work or school, what could you do to exceed expected and provide extra-ordinary service? What could you do in your relationships to make a profound and positive impact on those around you? What could you do at your school to ensure to ensure students are fully plugged in!

At work…can you arrive a little earlier, stay later, improve your effort and increase your overall contribution?

Habits we Train…are Habits we Gain!

With Gratitude Always!!!

JSJ

 

Thanks this week go to Larry H, Marlaine C, JSJ, and men and women of character everywhere!
Please pay it forward
Love,
Neville

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

“A man of character will make himself worthy of any position given.” Mahatma Gandhi

“Wonder is the beginning of Wisdom”– Socrates

This week:
Take a Nanosecond to Stop and Experience This Moment:
NANOSECOND  PHOTOS

SO – Are You Going To Share these awesome nanosecond photos with your friends…

 

OR…

AM I GONNA HAVE TO COME LOOKING FOR YA?

Hope you are feeling a bit more centered…

 

15 Psychological Facts That Will Blow Your Mind!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pDxQPWD3L4

 

A Musician Played her Violin while Surgeons Removed her Brain Tumor
She has played to countless audiences in the 43 years since first picking up a violin aged ten, but nothing could prepare Dagmar Turner for the most intimate performance of her life. The musician has become the first person in Britain to have a brain tumour removed while she was awake, sitting up and playing the violin. As she played George Gershwin’s Summertime to the operating theatre surgeons monitored the quality of her performance to make sure they were not damaging the parts of her brain
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/musician-performs-while-surgeons-remove-brain-tumour-0698n0qc9

 

5 WAYS POSITIVE LEADERS CREATE POSITIVE CHANGE with Jon G

I received a call about a year and a half ago from Evan Spiegel, the CEO and Co-founder of Snapchat (Snap). Evan had read The Power of Positive Leadership and invited me to speak at an offsite meeting for his leadership team.

I researched Snap and discovered there was a lot of negativity surrounding the company. Experts said Instagram was coming after their business and they were getting bombarded with negativity and criticism from the media, financial investors, Wall Street, and much of the marketplace.

As I prepared for my talk, I asked Evan what he wanted me to talk about. I knew the people in the room would be many of the most brilliant minds in the industry and I expected to hear words like “research, analytics, case studies, cost-benefit analysis.” But instead he simply said, “Help us stay positive. We need to stay positive in the face of all this negativity. We can’t let it get to us.”

In my talk I did share research, case studies, the cost of negativity, and the benefits of positivity. I find it’s helpful when dealing with smart people to make a logical case for positivity. But most importantly I shared how Positive Leaders stay positive to create positive change… and today I want to share a few of these principles/practices with you and your team.

1) Control What You Can Control – It’s simple but it’s true. You can’t control what people are saying and thinking about you. You can’t control the competition that is coming after your business. You can’t control most things in life but you can control your attitude, your effort and your actions.

2) Create Inside-Out – As I wrote in The Coffee Bean, the world can be like a pot of boiling hot water. You can be like a carrot that gets weakened when placed in the pot or you can be like an egg that gets hardened (bitter, angry, uncaring) in a tough environment. Or you can be like the coffee bean that transforms the water into coffee. Instead of being impacted by the heat and difficult conditions, it instead transforms the environment it’s in. The noise, media, negativity, and criticism only have power over you if you let it. If you know the truth that you create from the inside-out, not outside in, then you won’t your circumstances define you. Instead you will be like the coffee bean and work to define your circumstances. When you know the power is on the inside and you create the world with your beliefs, passion, positivity, purpose, work ethic, soul and spirit you become a powerful force in the world.

3) Focus on Solutions instead of Complaints – When things are not going well and you are being bombarded with negativity it’s easy to complain. But great leaders don’t complain. They focus on solutions. If you are complaining, you are not leading. If you are leading you aren’t complaining. Instead of focusing on where you are, think about where you want to go and what you want to create. Instead of complaining about what’s holding you back, think about solutions that will propel you forward.

4) Embrace Change – There’s a myth that people don’t like change. We actually like what change produces. We just don’t like the messy transition required to create the change. Individuals and organizations that thrive embrace the entire process of transition and change knowing it leads to improvement and growth. Throughout history we see that individuals and organizations that embrace the waves of change ride it to a successful future. Those who resist the wave get crushed by it. Leadership is a transfer of belief so it’s essential that a leadership team shares their positive belief about change with everyone in the organization.

5) Stay Positive and Do the Work – It may sound cliché but it’s a huge key to success. Through challenges, adversity and negativity you must simply stay positive and continue to do the work. You control what you control. Tune out the noise. Focus on solutions. Work hard every day. Embrace change, work together as a team, and create positive change from the inside out. Over time performance improves, the numbers rise, confidence grows, people feel and see the change and then everyone starts talking about why you are succeeding instead of failing.

Do These Ideas Work? 

Well, I recently interviewed Evan Spiegel on my Positive University Podcast and asked him about the importance of positivity. He said it had a big impact. If you followed Snap over the last few years you can tell from their growth that they stayed positive, worked together as a leadership team and improved their business. They were no longer letting negativity affect them. They were affecting their company with positivity and Evan said it had the added benefit of recruiting great people to come work for the company. Turns out positive leadership doesn’t just help you improve and grow your business. It also attracts great people to it.

-Jon

 

How to prepare for coronavirus in the U.S. (Spoiler: Not sick? No need to wear a mask.)
The Washington Post spoke to epidemiology experts and they said the most important aspect of preparedness costs nothing at all: calm.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/02/26/how-to-prepare-for-coronavirus/?arc404=true

 

Remembering Our Heroines…
Katherine Johnson of “Hidden Figures” Fame Dies at 101
The pioneering NASA mathematician overcame racial barriers to help humans reach the moon
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/katherine-johnson-of-hidden-figures-fame-dies-at-101/

Thanks this week go to Cathy J, Larry H, Sanya D,  & all you modern day Socrates out there making our world better!
Please pay it forward
Love,
Neville

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

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” – Socrates

This week:

Extending Valentine’s Day attention, affirmation and action beyond just one day per year
Couples Who Stay Together Do This Small Thing for Each Other 86 Percent of the Time
What makes a marriage or long-term relationship work? You may think it’s all about romance such as giving great gifts or planning wonderful celebrations on birthdays and anniversaries. Or you may think it’s about great sex and keeping the passion alive. Not so much…
https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/marriage-relationships-attention-turn-toward-gottman.html

 

Fostering Inclusiveness
You Can’t Say You Can’t Play with Seth Godin:
Lenny Levine was a great kindergarten teacher. And he ran his class by this one rule.
It’s a bit like giving every kid in the class a valentine’s day card…
https://seths.blog/2020/02/you-cant-say-you-cant-play/

 

Getting Real On The Climate Emergency
Where are We Metaphorically On the Scoville Scale?

 

Nature Doesn’t Lie
Satellite images show iceberg bigger than Seattle break away from Antarctic glacier:
Satellite images from the European Space Agency show when a massive iceberg split from a glacier in Antarctica on Tuesday.
Combined, the images demonstrate how icebergs — the size of major cities and small countries — are breaking off into the ocean at a faster rate due to the earth’s changing climate.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/satellite-images-show-iceberg-bigger-than-seattle-break-away-from-antarctic-glacier/?ftag=CNM-00-10aac3a

 

The Man Who Called the Financial Crisis Has Another Warning for Investors
The Financial Implications Of the Climate Emergency Are Dire…
An interview with GMO founder Jeremy Grantham
https://www.barrons.com/articles/jeremy-grantham-called-the-financial-crisis-he-has-another-warning-for-investors-51581532462

 

Meet The Man Who Thinks Humans Should Go Extinct
It’s not new information that global warming is slowly but surely destroying our planet. However, as most of us frantically start recycling everything in sight, one person thinks he knows the best way to potentially fix the problem.
That person is American substitute teacher, Les Knight.
https://www.unilad.co.uk/featured/meet-the-man-who-thinks-humans-should-go-extinct/

 

Stay informed and stay active.
Thanks this week go to Cathy J, Moshe E, and all you lovers of humanity that are willing to confront the brutal facts while always maintaining hope!

Please Pay It Forward and Happy Birthday AYSHA!
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.”

This week:
“This World Does Not Want To Be Saved. It Wants To Be LOVED. That’s How You Save IT.”
So, Get Real, Counterprogram Your Reality with Delight, Build Trust and Enjoy the Process Palooza!

Let’s Get Real!
We are only as sick as our secrets and sometimes victims of our own ignorance.
Minimizing trauma of any kind doesn’t allow us to authentically understand and effectively address challenges that so many individuals, families and communities face in our world today.
This story is both deeply person-centered and data-driven and will open your heart.
Kate Kemplin studied military resilience for years – long before her husband experienced a traumatic brain injury in Iraq, and later killed himself. Now, Kemplin is using her expertise to dispel the “myth” that TBIs are “just headaches.”

https://www.pri.org/file/2020-02-11/traumatic-brain-injury-expert-describes-her-personal-loss

 

In these dark, combative times, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day and expressing love, enjoy the most radical counterprogramming you could imagine: a show made up entirely of stories about delight.

Choose Delight in This American Life!

• Understanding delight through American pop culture
• The discipline and rigor of seeking and holding onto delight
• Doing something delightful for the very first time- getting to ride the school bus
• Discovering delight late in life
• Follow the night zookeeper at the Denver Zoo as she doles out snacks and tucks the animals in

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/692/the-show-of-delights

 

11 WAYS TO BUILD TRUST:

Here are some thoughts about how we can build the trust that is essential for great relationships. Many of the suggestions you are already know. Many ideas I share are common sense. However, I’ve found that so often amidst the chaos of life and work we forget the simple and powerful truths that matter most. So here are 11 thoughts about trust. Feel free to share these simple reminders with your leaders, colleagues and team.

1. Say what you are going to do and then do what you say!

2. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Frequent, honest communication builds trust. Poor communication is one of the key reasons marriages and work relationships fall apart.

3. Trust is built one day, one interaction at a time, and yet it can be lost in a moment because of one poor decision. Make the right decision.

4. Value long term relationships more than short term success.

5. Sell without selling out. Focus more on your core principles and customer loyalty than short term commissions and profits.

6. Trust generates commitment; commitment fosters teamwork; and teamwork delivers results. When people trust their team members they not only work harder, but they work harder for the good of the team.

7. Be honest! My mother always told me to tell the truth. She would say, “If you lie to me then we can’t be a strong family. So don’t ever lie to me even if the news isn’t good.”

8. Become a coach. Coach your customers. Coach your team at work. Guide people, help them be better and you will earn their trust.

9. Show people you care about them. When people know you care about their interests as much as your own they will trust you. If they know you are out for yourself, their internal alarm sounds and they will say to themselves “watch out for that person.”

10. Always do the right thing. We trust those who live, walk and work with integrity.

11. When you don’t do the right thing, admit it. Be transparent, authentic and willing to share your mistakes and faults. When you are vulnerable and have nothing to hide you radiate trust.

 

If you are local…

Complimentary Passes for the 3^rd Annual Process Palooza at UC San Diego where I am Keynoting on March 25^th 2020:
The Process Palooza returns to UC San Diego!
Join us on March 25 for a high-energy, day-long conference that celebrates a commitment to business excellence, operational efficiency and continuous improvement.
Process Palooza features engaging keynotes and workshops, an expo area with awesome prizes and the opportunity to network with change leaders from UC San Diego, other universities and the local business community. UCSD executives and our keynote speaker, Neville Billimoria, will kick off the day.
Workshops topics cover Lean Six Sigma basics; continuous improvement success stories from campus, health and local industry; the student experience and more…

Interested?
You’re invited!
Visit processpalooza.ucsd.edu to learn more, and contact angelamiller@ucsd.edu to request a complimentary pass for local non-profits. Space is Limited.

 

Thanks Mission Fed!
This week I celebrated my 18^th year at Mission Fed.
Thanks for the opportunity to serve and transform lives both in our community and through the power of education!

Thanks this week go to Larry H, Rex H, Team UC San Diego and Team Mission Fed!
Please pay it forward…
Love,
Neville

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

“Love is misunderstood to be an emotion;
actually, it is a state of awareness,
a way of being in the world,
a way of seeing oneself and others.”
–Dr. David Hawkins

This week:

• Remember Who YOU Are
• An Open Letter To The Comfortable CEO
• Women Now Outnumber Men On U.S. Payrolls
• Where Do Good Ideas Come From?
• Can Slowing Down Help You Be More Creative?

REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE with Jon G:

I live in the Jacksonville, FL area, which has the distinction of being the largest city in terms of geographic area in the United States. We are also home to the St. Johns River, one of the few rivers in the world that flows north. While much of the world’s rivers flow south the St. Johns River flows north.

I believe our identity works the same way.

Most people live from the outside in.

They allow their circumstances, job, role, money, and uniform to define them. They believe they are who society says they are. They believe their identity comes from what they do, not who they are.

They believe that what people on social media say about them defines them.

Unfortunately, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Your identity doesn’t flow outside in. It flows in a different direction. It flows from the inside out.

Your identity comes from who you truly are, not what society says you are. The world shares one message but your true identity doesn’t come from the world. It comes from the truth that you know in your heart and soul. It comes from who you are on the inside. It comes from God who put greatness and love and purpose inside you.

While much of the world will continue to flow one way, my hope is that you will flow in the opposite direction. Never let the opinion of others define you. Critics write words but they don’t write the future. You do with your optimism, belief and actions.

Gandhi said, “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet” and when it comes to social media don’t let anyone walk through your mind with their dirty Tweet.

When Superman took off his superman outfit who was he? Many say he was Clark Kent but the truth is he was still Superman. It wasn’t his uniform or cape that defined him and made him powerful. It was the power that existed inside him.

It was his identity that no one could take away.

Remember who you are and remind yourself that no one was the power to take away your identity and define you unless you let them.

When you remember who you are, you will be your most powerful and positive you.

And who are you?

You are a child of God and you are loved.

It’s not politically correct to say it. But I’m saying it because it’s true and I care about you. I know that when you know this you will flow north and flow more powerfully in the direction of your dreams to create the life you were meant to live.

-Jon

 

An Open Letter To The Comfortable CEO with Shannon McCrary:

Dear CEO, as we head toward the middle of the 21st century, I write this letter to shed some light on some blind spots within your company, that may ultimately prevent a successful transition towards a brighter future. While the foundation of your company may appear in safe standing, the reality is that you could be slow dancing in a burning room with your employees and the wider community severely affected. This letter is intended to inform, and hopefully disrupt, the status quo of your organization with a few key points:
https://real-leaders.com/an-open-letter-to-the-comfortable-ceo/

 

Where Do Good Ideas Come From?
Earlier this year, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk decided to give away his company’s patents for free. It might seem like a strange business move, but Musk said he wanted to inspire creativity and accelerate innovation.
Writer Steven Johnson says this is the way great ideas have been born throughout history.
https://www.npr.org/2014/06/27/322920914/where-do-good-ideas-come-from

 

Women Now Outnumber Men On U.S. Payrolls:

“It reminds us to take a moment and think about the kind of strides women have made in the labor market,” Stevenson says.
“But also, the future of the labor force is going to involve greater women’s equality.”
https://www.npr.org/2020/01/10/795293539/women-now-outnumber-men-on-u-s-payrolls

 

Can Slowing Down Help You Be More Creative with Adam Grant:
Despite being a self-described ‘pre-crastinator, psychologist Adam Grant says those who slow down — even procrastinate — tend to be more creative, original thinkers.
https://www.npr.org/2016/08/26/490625260/can-slowing-down-help-you-be-more-creative

 

 

If you are local…

Mission Fed Members…

We are showing our appreciation by rewarding lucky winners weekly. All year, we will choose winners each week at random and award $1 Million by year end.

You could win in 2020!

Thank you for choosing Mission Fed! We are showing our appreciation by rewarding lucky winners weekly. All year, we will choose winners each week at random and award $1 Million by year end.

Weekly Drawings:

First Prize
$2,500 1 winner

Second Prize
$1,000 1 winner

Third Prize
$100 160 winners

We make it easy

No need to enter—you automatically get one entry each time you make a purchase with your Mission Fed Debit or Credit card and each time you make a qualifying direct deposit or loan payment. We will choose weekly winners at random. This could be one of your Mission Fed moments!

Please visit MissionFed.com/MoneyMatchPlus for Official Rules. No purchase necessary. See Official Rules for eligibility and alternative method of entry.

 

Thanks this week go to Larry H, Shannon Mc and all of you challenging orthodoxies and making our world better!
Love,
Neville

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

“Communication is the real work of leadership.”– Nitin Nohria

This week:

“Blessings for a New Position,” To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings

May your new work excite your heart,
Kindle in your mind creativity
To journey beyond the old limits
Of all that has become wearisome.

May this work challenge you toward
New frontiers that will emerge
As you begin to approach them,
Calling forth from you the full force
And depth of your undiscovered gifts.

May the work fit the rhythms of your soul,
Enabling you to draw from the invisible
New ideas and a vision that will inspire.

Remember to be kind
To those who work for you,
Endeavor to remain aware
Of the quiet world
That lives behind each face.

Be fair in your expectations,
Compassionate in your criticism.
May you have the grace of encouragement
To awaken the gift in the other’s heart,
Building in them the confidence
To follow the call of the gift.

May you come to know that work
Which emerges from the mind of love
Will have beauty and form.

May this new work be worthy
Of the energy of your heart
And the light of your thought.

May your work assume
A proper space in your life;
Instead of owning or using you,
May it challenge and refine you,
Bringing you every day further
Into the wonder of your heart.

– John O’Donohue, “Blessings for a New Position,” To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings (2008)

 

TOMORROW ISN’T GUARANTEED:

My mom answered the phone and all you could hear was a woman’s voice yelling “Get up here. Get up here!” After the woman calmed down my Mom found out my Grandfather had a heart attack while sitting on the porch of their country cottage in upstate NY.

I watched as my Mom and Dad raced upstairs to get some things and ran to the car and took off in a panic for upstate NY from Long Island. My Dad was a former NYC cop so he turned a usually 2-3 hour trip into 90 minutes by driving 100mph.

When my Dad called that night I asked how Grandpa was doing and he just said in a soft scratchy voice, I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. I was in 8th grade at the time and went to school the next day thinking everything was going to be fine.

Just after lunch I got called to the Principal’s office and was told my Dad was waiting for me in his car outside. When I got in the car I saw tears in my Dad’s eyes. I don’t think I ever saw him cry before so I knew the news wasn’t good. “How’s Grandpa,” I asked?

“Grandpa didn’t make it,” he said choking on his words. “He died last night.” Those words still bring me to tears even now as I write this 36 years later. I just broke down and cried and cried and cried.

When I walked in the front door my Mom was there waiting for me. We hugged and just cried together.

I never had anyone close to me die before. It didn’t seem real. My mind couldn’t accept it. Each day I woke up thinking it was just a bad dream… but it wasn’t. He had a massive heart attack while my Grandmother was cooking in the kitchen and he died instantly.

I learned that day about the fragility of life. One minute you are here and the next you are gone. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.

Yet over time you forget. You forget about the temporary nature of life. You forget about your own mortality. You forget that life can be lost and your world can change in a moment… until a day like yesterday when the world learned that Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash along with his daughter and several of their friends.

When I heard the news I felt once again like that 8th grade kid… shocked, sad, heartbroken and hoping and praying it wasn’t true. I hate when we’re reminded of the fragility of life. I always think people are going to live forever until they don’t. Even after my Grandparents passed away I never thought my parents would die until I saw them go. I hate it even more when it’s so sudden. I never got to say goodbye to my Grandfather and my heart breaks for Kobe’s family and friends that didn’t get to say goodbye to him and his daughter.

Life is fragile. We don’t know when our time is up. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for any of us. So let’s not go through the motions. Let’s care more and put our heart and soul into our life and our relationships today.

NOW is the time to create our masterpiece.

-Jon

 

Letting Music Speak, When We Have No Words…

Here is a set list that might allow you to feel what words cannot say.

Filled with both rebellion and surrender, emotional honesty and spiritual release, heartbreak and loss as well as hope for a better tomorrow and a better self and from a variety of genres to appeal to many palettes, I hope something speaks to your heart, mood and deepest of feelings…

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/739DCRruBbOCj7bQVrMdvE?si=53Z2PxpmScuOmuzozJBGOg

Don’t have/use Spotify?
Here are direct links to the set list:

• We are not gonna take this – The Who https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqmC1T9rukk
• Why Me? – Kris Kristofferson and others  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f38gW5Jm-Hs
• If I needed you – John Williams and Emmylou Harris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHoAg-LlVVM
• If this is goodbye – Mark Knofler and Emmylou Harris   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK_9ppta_M0
• Wildflowers by Tom Petty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AldoDm2bV04
• Wild Montana Skies – John Denver  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wztUGHnSmAM
• Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrLk4vdY28Q
• My Sweet Lord – George Harrison   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qJTJNfzvr8
• Give me Love, give me Peace on Earth – George Harrison https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-KAvPbO8JY

 

Why in this Modern Age do we Venerate Action and Vilify Reflection?
We can learn a thing or two from the animal kingdom…

 

Stay Healthy!

CORONA VIRUS UPDATE (2019-nCoV)

Risk Assessment
Outbreaks of virus infections among people are always of public health concern. The risk from these outbreaks depends on characteristics of the virus, including whether and how well it spreads between people, the severity of resulting illness, and the medical or other measures available to control the impact of the virus (for example, vaccine or treatment meds). Investigations are ongoing to learn more, but person-to-person spread of 2019-nCoV is occurring. Chinese officials report that sustained person-to-person spread in the community is occurring in China. Person-to-person spread in the United States has not yet been detected, but it’s likely to occur to some extent. While CDC considers this is a very serious public health threat, based on current information, the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV to the general American public is considered low at this time. CDC is taking proactive preparedness precautions.

There is currently no vaccine to prevent 2019-nCoV infection. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus. Right now, 2019-nCoV has not been found to be spreading in the United States, so there are no additional precautions recommended for the general public to take. However, as a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• All maintenance and cleaning staff should wear appropriate PPEs while cleaning or servicing public areas.

CDC Recommends

While the immediate risk of this new virus to the American public is believed to be low at this time, everyone can do their part to help us respond to this emerging public health threat:

• For everyone: It’s currently flu and respiratory disease season and CDC recommends getting vaccinated, taking everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs, and taking flu antivirals if prescribed.

Safety and HR are monitoring bulletins and information from CDC and the World Health Organization. We will update the situation and advise as appropriate.

 

Thanks this week go to John O c/o Danny F, Jon G c/o Larry H, Eric K, & Bob C
What can you do today to pay it forward?
Love,
Neville

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

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

This week: Don’t Believe Everything You Think!

Celebrating MLK:

Was Martin Luther King, Jr., a Republican or a Democrat?

Political parties are always looking for endorsements from community leaders and other influencers. Having support from prominent figures can make or break a candidate or party. It’s no surprise that sometimes political groups will also try to claim affiliation with historical figures of note.

https://www.britannica.com/story/was-martin-luther-king-jr-a-republican-or-a-democrat

 

‘A Nation Unsettled and on the Brink’ by Dr. Ken D:
Relationships are built on trust.
Families and nations falter or thrive depending on the willingness and ability of members and citizens to learn how to live with their differences, find common ground and trust one another.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/478930-a-nation-unsettled-and-on-the-brink

 

Forget What You Believe!
Inspiration for Conscious Leadership with Eric K:

When I started reading Krishnamurti’s teachings, it wasn’t just my mind that caught fire, my heart lit up, too. Krishnamurti in the early 1900’s, you see, was groomed from childhood by the Theosophical Society to be the world’s next great Spiritual Prophet.

But by his mid-20’s he awoke to Truth and rejected this role. Instead, he called for a revolution in the psyche of every human. He taught that the revolution of consciousness wasn’t affiliated with any outside entity – with any religious, political, or social sect. He taught that meditation, inquiry, and relationships lead to an experience of Truth. For me, he’s the granddaddy of Conscious Leadership – he was a passionate advocate for the need for a radical change in society.

This radical change, I believe, isn’t possible from governments – they’re concerned with holding power, protecting their people, and tending to a massive bureaucracy. This radical change isn’t possible from religious bodies – they’re focused on being right, maintaining control, and advancing a singular ideology.

The radical change that humanity is aching for is available – surprisingly and even shockingly – from leaders of companies. You, business leader, have become the shaper of society. You, business leader, have become the de facto influencer of ideas, ideals, norms, and culture.

So you, my dear leader, are now carrying a mantle of responsibility for your team and organization, and also for the future of mankind. Are you ready for this? Are you ready to see your role in the unfolding human story? Are you ready to upgrade your consciousness to be a better steward of this responsibility?

Krishnamurti has powerful advice for upgrading our consciousness. “Any conclusion or hypothesis – Individualism or Collectivism, Capitalism or Socialism or Communism, Reincarnation, etc. – is a belief. By accepting a belief, you exclude all other forms of thinking. Belief in God does not mean understanding God. A mind tethered to a belief, hypothesis or conclusion – whether based on its own experience or the experience of others – cannot go far; it is not free but conditioned. Therefore, belief is a hindrance to understanding.”

Krishnamurti’s suggestion – question your beliefs – is a terrifying idea. What am I if not my beliefs?
Or as Stan, an experienced COO, put it, “My beliefs are right, they’re not random. If I doubt myself then the world is just mad and chaotic!”

But the conscious leader journey passes through the gates of doubt, travels the path of uncertainty, and enters the arena of Truth. You might begin your conscious leadership practices with recycling, fair trade, and diversity and inclusion, but you have to continue into the practice of Truth.

And I ain’t talking about some highly personal version of truth. In fact, I’m really concerned about a prevalent sickness that’s on display when a leader insists that their truth is “the Only Way.”  It’s a sickness called PSYCHOSCLEROSIS. It’s a hardening of the mind. It’s a stiff, brittle, and rigid mind hardened by too much certainty and too little curiosity.

This condition excludes new and conflicting ideas. And when we exclude ideas, we also exclude people. Leaders and executives with this sickness inevitably generate groupthink, restriction, discomfort, and, ultimately, decline.

Don’t get me wrong, you’ve got to have core values. And guiding principles, of course, are critical. And, you and I blossom with clear purpose and ideals.

No, you don’t need to walk around all day denying every belief every moment.
This could make the simple task of buying a cup of coffee quite maddening.
But refusing to budge from your position isn’t powerful, it’s childish, based in fear, and unconscious.

There’s more power in questioning than in fixed answers.
There’s more power in examining your precious ideas than in killing other’s ideas.
There’s more power in including dissenting voices than in homogeneity.

Einstein, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Bill Gates, Marie Curie, Pablo Picasso, Steve Jobs, Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Andy Warhol, Amerigo Vespucci.
These are beacons of genius that shine because of breakout discovery and achievement.
Breakout.
They dissented from the normal, familiar patterns of others around them.
They questioned their tradition, culture, and beliefs.
Their enlightenment came at the cost of their compliance and conformity.

I say, REBELLION IS THE SEED OF ENLIGHTENMENT.
Enlightenment is understanding the non-personal truth.
Rebellion is rejecting the norm.
If the Truth were obvious, we’d all agree.
But we don’t.
Truth isn’t obvious.
If the truth isn’t obvious then we have to seek it away from the norm.

In Zen we call this Beginner Mind. This state is one of curiosity and inquiry. This is a practice of gently and consistently noting our cherished beliefs, opinions, and notions, and setting them aside.

This willing questioning, this suspension of our certainty, this opening to possibility, this mature rebellion, is departing from your comfort zone.
Beyond the comfort zone is innovation, possibility, growth, understanding, and perspective.
Beyond the comfort zone is access to deeper truth.

Beyond the comfort zone is expansive contact with Life.

And “expansive contact” is fancy words for LOVE.
Love is connection. Love is inclusion. Love is endless and holds everything within it.
When we love we don’t judge, we receive.
When we love we don’t push away, we pull closer.
When we love we don’t hurt, we nurture.
When we love we don’t belittle, we value the other.

Love is the most powerful of all the gifts of Beginner Mind.
Love is the most powerful of all leadership principles.
Love and curiosity are the sparks of conscious leadership.

The power you seek in certainty and fixed ideas isn’t sustainable.
The power you seek lies in questioning.
The power you seek lies in Truth.
The power your seek lies in loving.

There’s a trick to being a breakout and conscious leader and person – express your beliefs passionately, but hold them quite lightly.

The path Krishnamurti illuminates for us is the path to a radical and positive change for mankind.
Take his guidance, question your beliefs and reach further with love.
This is the ticket to sustainable power, creative expression, and a thriving society.

In the spirit of leading and learning.
Eric

This Bud’s For 3 and Dwyane Wade:
While a commercial (and this is only made evident at the end), this spot speaks to not just the professional role we play in life, but the personal role and impact we can have that transcends that professional capacity, however we choose to define ourselves…
https://biggeekdad.com/2020/01/bigger-than-basketball/

 

Thanks this week go to HHDL, Dr. Ken D, Eric K, Stan S, Larry H and MLK!
Please pay it forward, choose love and redefine yourself!
Love,
Neville

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

“An individual has not started living
until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns
to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This week: Be Like Basho

“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise, seek what they sought”— Basho

The Master Student- Life Lessons from the Mind of the Dragon:
At the end of last year, I picked up a magazine as part of an impulse buy at a local grocery store featuring Bruce Lee- cover to cover.
https://www.amazon.com/BRUCE-LEE-OFFICIAL-COLLECTORS-VOL/dp/B082BWZJCD/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_2/142-9993011-2490252?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B082BWZJCD&pd_rd_r=26d4290d-81fc-451f-b023-c2f059a33c89&pd_rd_w=2DhKi&pd_rd_wg=igMxv&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=7340DYGF15NXXBGNSZ2D&psc=1&refRID=7340DYGF15NXXBGNSZ2D

As many of you know, I have been practicing traditional martial arts for over 40 years and still feel like a beginner.

Anyway, some of the articles were really good and the concept that stuck with me most, and that resonated most deeply was the idea of the Master Student.

This is in lieu of striving to become a “Master”, which invariably comes with all its ego-driven elements- regardless of your field of interest from martial arts to music or from science to spirituality.

Last week, with the untimely passing of Neil Peart the virtuoso from the rock band RUSH who was nicknamed “The Professor” for his genius as a percussionist and wordsmith, both artistic worlds that I enjoy deeply, in the last few days, a lot of articles about him are revealing other aspects of his life experience.

Clearly, there are no accidents and it was very validating and serendipitous to see this quote on his home page: https://www.rush.com/band/neil-peart/

“What is a master but a master student? And if that’s true, then there’s a responsibility on you to keep getting better and to explore avenues of your profession.”

This approach explained a lot about Peart’s path to greatness, founded on the same lifelong learning orientation that Bruce Lee’s life and success was built on.

His band mates used to tease Peart about his insistence on doing a month of solo preparation before group practices begun, telling him he’s the only man on Earth who “rehearses to rehearse”.

Neil Peart liked to ask himself a couple of key questions.
One is “What is the most excellent thing I can do today?”
The other query, posed in the face of any moral dilemma, is “What would my 16-year-old self do?”
Ultimately, Peart wanted the freaky, purist kid he once was to be proud of him. “It’s about being your own hero,” he says. “I set out to never betray the values that 16-year-old had, to never sell out, to never bow to the man. A compromise is what I can never accept.”

Instead of Moving like Jagger (no disrespect intended Maroon 5) , maybe for this new decade we can “Be like Basho”

 

Finding Secular Spirituality Through Literature:

This week, Here and Now host Robin Young has been exploring secular spirituality, defined as being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material things. Unless, of course, those things are books. People often turn to them to answer life’s big questions: How can I be a better person? How can I find joy? How can I process grief? Here is a great interview and some amazing book selections to kick off the new decade.

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/01/14/secular-spirituality-books

If you are local:

Preparations have begun for Remake Learning San Diego with exciting family events across the county highlighting innovations in education.
The goal is to highlight the great work already happening here in San Diego.

We Need Your Help!
We encourage you to check out and then post your event information on the Remake Learning San Diego website by Sunday, February 2. Events posted by early February will be included in the Remake Learning national marketing strategy. Please help build the excitement of ReMake Learning by including your events in this inaugural initiative. Our goal is to have 35 – 50 San Diego events populated into our database by the time our website goes live. Please let us know if you would like assistance posting your event; we would be happy to help. Remember, advertising on our website is not only wonderful for our families, it is also great publicity for your organization.

Micro-Awards
Micro-awards, to help defer the costs of events, are still available for up to $500. Applications are available on the Remake Learning website.

We are sending a follow-up newsletter later on this week, so stay tuned! Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Warmest regards,

The San Diego ReMake Learning Initiative Team

Erin English, Ed.D.
Executive Director of Innovation
San Diego County Office of Education
erin.english@sdcoe.net

Lisa Dawley, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education, University of San Diego
ldawley@sandiego.edu

Alina Mitchell, M.A.
Learning Experience Specialist
Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education, University of San Diego
alinamitchell@sandiego.edu

Katie Martin, Ph.D.
Educator, Author of Learner-Centered Innovation
Vice President of Professional Learning, Altitude Learning
katie@altitudelearning.com

Remake Learning Days in San Diego County is an initiative facilitated by the Innovation Division of the San Diego Office of Education, the Jacob’s Institute for Innovation in Education of the University of San Diego and Altitude Learning.

 

Thanks to all the aspiring master students out there!

Please pay it forward…
Love ALL!
Neville

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“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise, seek what they sought”— Basho