Democratizing Nirvana-Stealing Fire and Hacking Non Ordinary States of Consciousness

“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:

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Galvanizing Our Democratic Privileges and Responsibilities & Standing Up for What We Believe
Please vote on June 5 and vote every day with your conscious choices June 1 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Santa Fe, We Will Stand Up With YOU! Wear orange June 1 and turn the ballot box orange on June 5!

If you are local:

VOTE!

June 5 is Election Day. Here is an online voter guide to make voting easier for you.
Just plug in your zip code and voila
VOTE! No excuses…
http://www.kpbs.org/news/election/voterguide/

Don’t Curse the Darkness, Light a Fire: Let’s Democratize Nirvana
As we raise consciousness both personally and societally be it through mindfulness training, meditation, yoga, martial arts, or even electronic dance music (EDM), burning man sojourns, base jumping, & micro-dosing psychedelics in Silicon Valley, some are making a cogent argument that striving for non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSC) is a 4th drive akin to our innate drives for food, water and sex!

The risk reward ratios are different; meditation takes months or years to cultivate and the benefits can be shorter term with no side effects and counter-indications v. base jumping where the risk is imminent death but the “high” lasts for weeks!

Recognizing the neurobiology behind these endeavors, humans are trying to hack NOSCs, getting to states north of “happy” and the emergence of this trend is evident in popular culture with recent books and podcasts.

Are ecstasis & flow, mystical states of being accessible to you?

If you are striving for something beyond happy and seeking that flow state of wellbeing, connection and purpose, you might enjoy http://www.stealingfirebook.com/

The vid on this site sets the tone for STER:

  • Selflessness
  • Timelessness
  • Effortlessness &
  • (Information) Richness all consistent with the highest states of consciousness aspired to by seekers of every time, tradition and culture

Note: I am not proposing we all go out and micro-dose or base jump. I am suggesting we pay attention to how we are getting closer to our own promethean drive to expand our consciousness and contribution to humanity…

On the same day as the passing of Tom Wolfe last week
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/tom-wolfe-dead-at-88-the-right-stuff-bonfire-of-the-vanities-author-1234504259557?v=a

I heard Terry Gross interview Michael on NPR (Fresh Air)…
‘Reluctant Psychonaut’ Michael Pollan Embraces The ‘New Science’ Of Psychedelics:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/05/15/611225541/reluctant-psychonaut-michael-pollan-embraces-the-new-science-of-psychedelics

His comments at the very end of the interview about enhancing the wellness of ALREADY well people struck a chord and might with some of you too…

If you found Michael’s experiences with the plants “out there” and you think plants don’t have feelings/spirit…IKEA Asks People To Bully This Plant For 30 Days To See What Happens, And Results Are Eye Opening
https://www.boredpanda.com/ikea-experiment-bully-a-plant-jessica-ones/

More on NOSCs…

The Blog of Tim Ferriss: Experiments in Lifestyle Design
Michael Pollan — Exploring The New Science of Psychedelics
His most recent book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence, might be my favorite yet. This is the first podcast interview Michael has done about the book, the science and applications of psychedelics, his exploration, and his own experiences. It is a wild ride.

June 1 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day from Students Demand Action
Wear orange June 1 and turn the ballot box orange on June!

Thanks this week go to the conscious leaders collective band of brothers, mama Marlaine and Parenting 2.0, and KPBS San Diego for the Voting guide to galvanize our other democratic privilege and responsibility- voting!

Don’t Curse the Darkness, Light a Fire & Pay it Forward
Love,
Neville

“The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make
ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy.
The amount of work is the same.”–
Carlos Castaneda

 

Striving for Purpose, Positive Community/Culture and Fostering Happiness

This week:

 Living the Last 24 Hours of My Life:
In the past 20 hours I have suddenly lost two friends and colleagues on opposite ends of this continent, reminding me that life is precious, finite and fleeting…
How would you spend your last 24 hours?
The second vignette will touch our heart…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUkNmLIMzzo


How to Hire with Company Culture in Mind:
If you are on either end of the interviewing table, these are thoughtful high calorie questions that will garner a deeper insight into what makes you or a prospective new member of your tribe both tick and triumph!
https://www.fastcompany.com/40567005/this-former-netflix-hr-execs-culture-focused-interview-questions


7 Habits of Incredibly Happy People:
It’s the little things that can have an outsized impact…
·         Be busy but not rushed
·         Have 5 close relationships
·         Don’t tie your happiness to external events
·         Exercise
·         Embrace discomfort for mastery
·         Spend more money on experiences v. material goods
·         Don’t ignore your itches
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/374fGJ/:rRG7Ah$2:qPzEfvGP/99u.adobe.com/articles/22557/7-habits-of-incredibly-happy-people


Thanks this week go to Stan S for the first link, and to all members of our global tribe that strive for purpose, positive community/culture and fostering happiness!
Love,
Neville

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

It is never too late to be what you might have been.
— George Eliot (1819-1880) English Novelist

Mother’s Day Weekend: Freedom of Speech, Cherishing the 1st Amendment and the Power of the Fourth Estate to Protect American Democracy

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This week:
Are You a Person who Cares about Freedom and the Truth?

Today journalists and their profession more often than not get a bad rap.
Last week by sheer serendipity I happened to be channel surfing and caught this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner on C-SPAN.
Little did I know it would be so controversial but wit and vim can cut both ways- we just don’t like it when the knife is turned in our direction.

If you are sensitive or incensed by foul language or barbed humor you might want to skip Michelle Wolf’s scathing remarks. (in the 3rd link below)

But if you value freedom of speech and want to see a courageous display of speaking truth to power and as Colin Powell’s leadership primer states, “leadership sometimes means pissing people off”, then here is a remarkable example of the courage to speak your mind.

Regardless of whether I put wings under your sails or pricked your balloon with this topic, I would invite you to watch the introduction by the President of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Margaret Talev which regrettably got overshadowed by the Michelle Wolf powerful and incendiary remarks.

Margaret reminds us about the role of journalism in a democratic society and when she speaks of her own families travails at the end of her remarks -at the 13 minute mark in the 15 minute opening in the second link-you see the purpose in both her and other’s work to live up to and preserve the legacy of the 1st amendment.
This alone is worth it!

 

How do you stand the heat and fallout once you’ve stepped onto the ledge?
Terry Gross Interviews Comic Michelle Wolf on the Correspondents’ Dinner:
“I wouldn’t change a single word. I’m very happy with what I said, and I’m glad I stuck to my guns.”
http://freshairnpr.npr.libsynfusion.com/comic-michelle-wolf-on-the-correspondents-dinner

 

WHCA President Margaret Talev addresses the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner:

Margaret reminds us about the role of journalism in a democratic society to and preserve the legacy of the 1st amendment.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4727103/whca-president-margaret-talev

 

If you are game, put on your seatbelt and brace yourself for
Michelle Wolf COMPLETE REMARKS at 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner (C-SPAN)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDbx1uArVOM

 

Plus… 4 Brain Tattoos by Robin Sharma:

Brain Tattoo #1: No idea works unless you do the work.

–A lot of winning starts with beginning. Ideas are awesome but you absolutely must start the process of acting on the ideas you learn to get the results. Otherwise, it’s all just a fantasy.

Brain Tattoo #2: All change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.

–Often, we start to install a new habit and then quickly retreat at the first sign of discomfort. But please remember that our growth–and mastery–is built around our discomfort, not our ease. –Change is hard at the beginning as you tear away old patterns and ways of being. And then it gets messy as you’ve let go of all you were yesterday for the sake of someone even better tomorrow. But—after 66 days [remember The 66 Day Rule of Habit Installation based on the recent research at University College London], you’ve reached automaticity. And the habit becomes automatic.

Brain Tattoo #3: The finest way to get respect is to give respect.

–It speaks to a beautiful truth: treat people incredibly well and you’ll give them a reason to treat you incredibly well.

Brain Tattoo #4: To have what few have, do what few do.

–To rise to world-class, each of us on this path we’re on must leave the cult of mediocrity and enter The Club Of Mastery. And think, behave and live as very few are willing to do. Yes—the world will then call us eccentric and different. But all progress depends on those of us with the guts to pursue our own paths.

Speak YOUR Truth, Pay it Forward & Love your MOM!
Love,
Neville

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

It is never too late to be what you might have been.
— George Eliot (1819-1880) English Novelist

Chasing the American Dream- History, Culture, Identity and Bending the Curve on Upward Mobility which is Clearly on the Down Swing

Happy Soul Food Friday! May the Fource Be With You…

This week:

If an integral part of fulfilling the American Dream is Upward Mobility then wouldn’t you like to know how we are doing and what we can do to increase it?
Structural racism is part of many country’s history and the US is no exception.
Know thy history and then seek ways to create a more equitable and just world for all!

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Did you know…

In America in 1940 your likelihood of having a better quality of life than your parents- measured in upward mobility- was 90%
In 1980 just 40 years later this dropped to 50% -basically a coin toss
Most recent data from 2016 indicates it is down to 7.5%!
Statistically, this means less than 10% of Americans living today, will have a better quality of life than their parents.

Is this the future you want to leave for your kids and theirs?
What will it take to reverse this trend for future generations?

This week we get a glimpse into the caste system from South Asia, and ways to realign our livelihood, values as well as the promise and possibility of education to advance upward mobility in the US.

  1. Recognize structural racism and historical realities that we carry forward by default or design…

When Caste Discrimination Comes to the United States- Equality Labs Commissions Caste Survey for South Asians in the US:
At over three thousand years old, caste hierarchy is one of the oldest forms of social stratification in the world: the community you’re born into in places like India, Pakistan and Nepal has designated where you can work, who you can marry, and what your reputation is in life. “Caste in the United States,” finds that caste discrimination is playing out in the United States as well…
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/04/25/605030018/when-caste-discrimination-comes-to-the-united-states

  1. Cultivate 21st century leadership skills

How to be a Conscious Leader- Cultivate Wisdom, Love & Courage:
A conscious leader organizes and influences people to achieve meaningful results, but with a particular spirit and mode of conduct.
You’ve got to love it when the Wisdom Traditions and Neuroscience intersect!
This article is especially poignant as both the author Eric and the featured conscious leader Matt are dear friends of mine…
https://consciouscompanymedia.com/personal-development/leadership/how-to-be-a-conscious-leader-cultivate-wisdom-love-and-courage/

  1. Reinvest in the power and promise of education

Why Bill and Melinda Gates Invested $1B to Put 20,000 Students Through College:
America, built on the dream of upward mobility, has become a country of deepening divide between rich and poor. The surest way to narrow the wealth gap is to earn a college degree. Now major universities like Princeton are working to lower the price of admission through a new kind of affirmative action, not based on race, but on low-income status.
It began with two of America’s wealthiest parents, Bill and Melinda Gates. They spent more than a billion dollars putting low-income minority students through college
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/college-tuition-why-bill-and-melinda-gates-put-20000-students-through-college/

  1. Reimagine the nature of work, and work with nature not against it

Responding to Changing Circumstances and Aligning One’s Passion and Purpose with a Sustainable Alternative:
Turning to the Sea as a New Frontier When Over-Fishing is No Longer an Option…
Increasing numbers of fishermen, scientists, and foodies in this country are starting to look at seaweed very differently — as a promising source of food, jobs and help cleaning ocean waters.
With rising global populations and limited space to expand agriculture on land, they are turning to the sea — and its “weeds” — as a new frontier…
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/seaweed-farming-and-its-surprising-benefits/

  1. Stay in the positive and be the change you want to see

See the Change You Want to Be in the World
Be the Change You Want to See in the World”

 

If you are local:

30 Minutes to Amplify Greatness!

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It only takes 30 minutes to honor a person or organization that has done so much for our community. Step up and be a part of National Philanthropy Day!  Nominate for the following categories:

Outstanding Philanthropist Outstanding Development Professional Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation Outstanding Grantmaking Organization Outstanding Organizational Volunteer Outstanding Fundraising Volunteer Outstanding Youth/Student Volunteer

Be a Part of Philanthropy in San Diego
(Enjoy this short Sizzle Video)

 

Thanks this week go to Eric K, AFP, and warriors for social justice everywhere that extend themselves in love and kindness and choose to serve as change-makers for a better society!

Please pay it forward with purpose
Love,
Neville

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

“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ~ Buddha

Earth Day Turns 48- Protect Mother Earth, Keep Expanding Your Universal View & Invent a Better Future While Being Mindful of Invisibilia

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This week:

7 things we’ve learned about Earth since the last Earth Day:

Our understanding of Earth — and how we’re changing it — just keeps expanding…

  • The plastic problem is even worse than we thought
  • We lost the last male northern white rhino
  • A few species have bounced back. And we discovered some brand new ones
  • Greenland’s ice is melting faster than we realized
  • Seagrass is re-growing in the Chesapeake Bay. And humans can take credit
  • We’re woefully unprepared for disasters. And we aren’t learning enough from them
  • We’re getting closer to finding another Earth out there

We’re stuck with this planet, so let’s take care of it while we have the good fortune to be here.

https://www.vox.com/2018/4/21/17247994/earth-day-2018-plastic-climate-change

You Say Goodbye & I Say Hello..
(Wish) You Are Here: Scientists Unveil Precise Map Of More Than A Billion Stars
Wednesday this week was the day astronomers said goodbye to the old Milky Way they had known and loved and hello to a new view of our home galaxy.
This scientific breakthrough will give you perspective on how tiny and insignificant we are in the cosmic scheme of things…
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/25/605622779/you-are-here-scientists-unveil-precise-map-of-more-than-a-billion-stars

The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Invent It!
Making Ideas Into Reality at MIT’s Future Factory:
Back in the 1980’s a laboratory of misfits foresaw our future. Touch screens, automated driving instructions, wearable technology and electronic ink were all developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a place they call the Media Lab. It’s a research lab and graduate school program that long ago outgrew its name. Today it’s creating technologies to grow food in the desert, control our dreams and connect the human brain to the internet. Come have a look at what we found in a place you could call– the Future Factory.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mit-media-lab-making-ideas-into-reality-future-factory/

Where un-seeable forces control human behavior and shape our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions
The Callout from Invisibilia:

A lot of communities today are taking a hard stand against sexual harassment and assault. Using social media shaming, ostracism, professional excommunication, whatever punishment is painful enough to shift the moral code by brute force. Through one incident in the Richmond Virginia hardcore music scene, we chronicle a social media callout and ask what pain can accomplish. CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains obscenities and descriptions of sex and violence.

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510307/invisibilia

 

Protect Mother Earth, Keep Expanding Your Universal View & Invent a Better Future While Being Mindful of Invisibilia

Thanks this week go to all stewards of our blue planet and creators of better!

Please pay it forward with purpose…
Love,
Neville

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

“Heaven on Earth is a choice you must make, not a place we must find.”
–Wayne Dyer

Out with the Old, the Power of Persistence & Teamwork, 7 Alternatives to Saying Thank You, and Leveraging the Power of Purpose

This week:

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The Old Story by Kurt C:

The Old Story is safe and warm and comfortable

Like a broken in slipper

Like a fur lined envelope

It encases me

But………

It’s a story

It’s pretend

It’s a tall tale

It’s a trump tweet

Untrue

False

A pretense

And far too small

And one day you wake up in its embrace

And you look more closely at your surroundings

And you notice the frayed edges

The dirty dishes in the sink

The grime on the sill

And you know it is time

To toss out the comfortable shoe

To unseal the envelope

To step outside the old story

Into the penetrating cold of the unknown

The biting wind of the vast expanse

Where you must now find your way

Naked

Unadorned

Tabula rasa

Enjoy…

 

The Power of Persistence (and Teamwork)- First US Woman to Win the Boston Marathon:
What is especially cool about this is that Des (a San Diegan btw) was ready to quit, decided just to support a fellow US runner, slowed up to run her back into the pack after a bio break and found the internal drive and gumption to not just finish but win!
Read the story here and never, never give up…
https://www.npr.org/2018/04/17/603189901/runner-tells-herself-just-show-up-for-one-more-mile-and-wins-the-boston-marathon

Seven Alternatives To ‘Thank You’ That Will Improve Your Communication Skills:
Basic kindness has real power. For example, in an NBC Season of Kindness Poll, 70% of the 2,650 adults surveyed said they would forgo a 10% raise for a kinder boss. In most areas of life, gratitude is always welcome and a requisite for getting things done smoothly.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2018/04/12/seven-alternatives-to-thank-you-that-will-improve-your-communication-skills/#181bc5912c9d

As many of you know, we have been working to stand up the first Chamber of Purpose right here in San Diego. Learn more and join us at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/chamberofpurposesd/

The inspiration for this shift in how we work and generate value in our community is getting traction in other places too…

The Power of Purpose Summit 2018:
There’s a Fundamental Shift Taking Place
An immense shift is underway across the country and around the world. We are in the midst of a revolution and the sheer scope of this phenomenon is the likes of which the world has never seen or experienced. Today, nonprofits are finding it harder than ever to generate revenue and monetize their purpose, and at the same time for-profits are watching their profit margins shrink and struggle with acquiring customers. Societal challenges are massive, and both new and established for-profit businesses are facing challenges of their own.
But is there a solution? There is, and we believe we’ve found it! You must strike a balance between “nonprofit” and “for-profit”.
Introducing The Power Summit!
http://www.thepowersummit2018.com/

 

If you are local…

A Purpose Workshop Designed with You in Mind – May 1st 2018

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Dear Purposeful Professional,

We’re excited to host our next PURPOSE San Diego evening event on Tuesday the 1st of May, from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at Corporate Alliance.  The focus of each meeting will be on you, the participant.  You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other business leaders to use your collective business skills to improve the lives of others. 

Please join us for an amazing workshop to help everyone on their purpose journey find more clarity. Whether you are just starting to seek your purpose or you want to fine tune your path to connect your purpose and career, industry expert Marcy Morrison, founder of Careers with Wings will lead us through this process.

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Marcy has held workshops, trainings, and speaking engagements for all types of organizations, such as Illumina, National Charity League, Society of Women Engineers, Just in Time for Foster Youth, Workforce Partnership, Lead San Diego, Jaycees, and many others.

Her fascinating career path ranges from international business, development, sales, marketing in the non-profit, governmental and for-profit sectors has given her a wide-range of understanding when working with a diversity of clients.  To learn more about Marcy and the many wonderful things she has contributed to our community, click here.

REGISTER HERE to be part of this interactive workshop.

Purpose San Diego is focused on three main initiatives:

  1. Bringing together those in San Diego who are effecting change
  2. Bringing more awareness to these people and organizations
  3. Helping individuals and companies doing good be more effective in their initiatives.

If you’re a purpose driven business leader then Purpose San Diego and it’s partner the Chamber of Purpose is the place for you!  We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday the 1st of May at Corporate Alliance.  We would also like to thank our sponsor, Trilogy Financial, as well as our strategic partners, San Diego Non-Profit Association,  GameChangers,  Hudson Printing,  Corporate Alliance,  UC San Diego Extension, and the SD Business Journal.

To a life well lived,

The Purpose San Diego Team

RESERVE YOUR TICKETS

 

Thanks this week go to Jessica R, Kurt C, Marcy M, & purpose partners everywhere!
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

Jump on the Bus to Youth Success, Dare to Bring Purpose to Work & The Key to Authentic Engagement

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This week:

The Key to Authentic Engagement: Purpose Metrics that Matter:

  • Do your top leaders believe in the power of purpose as much as profit?

 

  • Do employees feel that the company is living its purpose?
  • Are your employees finding meaning and higher purpose at work?
  • Does your purpose align with what matters most to your customers?
  • Measure the impact of the good you are doing

https://bit.ly/2EGLR3d

DARE to bring purpose to your workday:
https://www.beaboccalandro.com/dare-to-bring-purpose-to-your-workday/

 

If you are local:
Jump On the Bus!
You’re Invited to Participate in the 2018 Community Partner Symposium- April 17 2018 (Encinitas CA)

Encinitas Union School District would like to invite you to participate in their 2018 Community Partners Symposium on Tuesday April 17, 2018.
This is a wonderful opportunity for all of you to experience what real elementary school looks like today!
Students will be learning, teachers will be teaching, and you can observe the future of education in action.

This year you will get to “JUMP ON THE BUS!”
Yes, we are all going to jump onto a bus a tour a couple of our schools while they are in session.
It will be a great opportunity to generate ideas and actions that could change the world.

Want to go?
Click on this link and fill out the online form to let us know you are good to go!http://bit.ly/EUSDSymposium

Details:
BOARD THE TOUR BUS at San Dieguito Heritage Museum
450 Quail Gardens Dr., Encinitas CA 92024

Please arrive by  9:15am so you can park and board the BUS!
The BUS will leave at 9:30am and will return by 1:00pm.

School Tours Include:
*   El Camino Creek
*   Olivenhain Pioneer
*   Ocean Knoll,
*   Farm Lab

Lunch will be provided, and it is all FREE!

It is our hope that you will be able to come and experience learning through the students eyes, and lend your vision to the conversation about the bright future of learning and education.

Any questions or ideas please contact:
Glen Warren
760-944-4300  x1188

 

Community Alliance for Youth Success Features Youth Success Week- Discover Your Purpose April 23-28, 2018 (Oceanside CA)
Discover Your Purpose. Showcase Your Success
YouthSuccessWeek2018_4_9_18

 

Thanks this week go to Jill Mc and Kids for Peace, Bea B, Jeff V, John I, Glen W and the team at Encinitas Union & Bobbi D and Steadman G and the team at CAYS

Please pay it forward with purpose!
Love,
Neville

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

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

Your Soul Food Friday for the First Week of April 2018: April is Celebrate Diversity Month and That’s No Joke!

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This week:

Did you know that April is Celebrate Diversity Month?
Started in 2004 to recognize and honor the diversity surrounding us all,  April is a perfect time to celebrate differences and similarities so we can all have a deeper understanding of each other, made especially poignant this week on the 50th anniversary of the passing, when we remember and pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr …

Bridging the Middle East Conflict with Music:
At 75, he’s still at it and he’s embarked on a second act: starting his own orchestra for young musicians from Israel and the Muslim world and taking on a subject that’s as contentious as it gets: the conflict in the Middle East. His work has earned him Palestinian citizenship and charges of treachery from some of his fellow Israelis.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/daniel-barenboim-tries-bridging-the-middle-east-conflict-with-music/

More on Barenboim…

At a concert last August in Berlin, the audience was German, the music was Russian, and the musicians were inspiring: a mix that included Iranians, Syrians, Palestinians and Israelis. They’re members of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, co-founded and led by conductor Daniel Barenboim. This week on 60 Minutes, correspondent Holly Williams profiles Barenboim and his remarkable orchestra.

Some musicians, like one Syrian violinist 60 Minutes spoke to, are living in exile as war rages at home. Others risk punishment from their governments for performing with Israelis. But when they take the stage together, political differences surrender to something of a musical utopia.

“There is a tragic element in music, in all music, even in the happiest music,” he said, “because it always gives you the feeling…that it cannot stay, because the sound dies when the note is finished.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/when-60-minutes-first-met-daniel-barenboim/

On a lighter note…

Role Reversal- Novak Djokovic Shelters Ball Boy From Rain During French Open:
Although Novak has not had the most exemplary behavior treating ball girls/boys, this video captures a pretty cool moment. How different could things be if all of us were to take care of each other regardless of position, status, etc., in our society and work micro-cosmos.
https://youtu.be/RBWxj866LOk

 

If you are local…

SAN DIEGO TALENT SEARCH
YoungPop is an award-winning organization that blends pop-style music with empowering lyrics. We are seeking local talent for a variety of needs, including: Singing Vocals, VoiceOver Vocals, Video (on-camera) work, Live Performances & Presentations (various venues). Pay varies per assignment. To apply contact David: 619-732-6639 and please visit YoungPop.com for more info.

 

San Diego Hands of Peace- HOPEducation Community Partnership ADL Walk Against Hate April 15, 2018:

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HOPEducation Community Partnership
ADL Walk Against Hate
April 15, 2018
8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Ingram Plaza at Liberty Station, San Diego, CA

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Join Hands of Peace as we partner with the Anti-Defamation League for their Walk Against Hate. The Walk Against Hate brings together students, educators, administrators, business leaders, and community members to walk with one another in celebration of diversity and inclusion. Proceeds from the WALK will go to bringing ADL’s award-winning anti-bias education programs to more schools across San Diego. To join the Hands of Peace team, sign up here. For questions about the walk contact Sarah Heirendt.  Come walk with us!

Be sure to stop by the Hands of Peace Booth after the walk!

For more information about these events, contact Sarah Heirendt
or visit our website at www.handsofpeace.org.

 

Thanks this week go to Jessica R, Vincente R, and R-tists of Life Everywhere Who Speak Truth to Power!

Please Pay it Forward
Love,
Neville

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

“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve…
You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
– Dr. Martin Luther King

I Am An Immigrant

This week:

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I am an immigrant. Foreign born but a naturalized citizen.

Like most of us, unless you are of native American descent, we all came from somewhere else whether in this generation or hundreds of years ago.

At 14, along with my family, we came to the United States for a better life as part of a “brain drain” with just one suitcase each and started life over from scratch…

My father practiced medicine for 50 years and might have had a role in your or your family’s medical care.

My mom was willing to forgo her career to raise and support our family.

They made huge sacrifices and took great risk for a “better life”.

Personalizing this for a moment, for more than 36 years I have been serving our community investing my time, talent and treasure in various roles both in the world of work and a-vocationally.

Did we like others migrating to the US come for a free ride to extract value and live off the fat of the land, or did we add value and help make our community, our country and our world better?

Today the level of mass globalization is unprecedented!

Our story, like others is not yet completed and the future is yet unwritten.

What can we learn about migration, happiness, changing demographics, what it is like to be a stateless foreigner and even extinction?

Finland is the happiest country in the world, says UN report:
All the Nordic countries scored highly on income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust and generosity as compared to the steady decline of the US as the world’s largest economy grapples with a crisis of obesity, substance abuse and depression. The study reveals the US has slipped to 18th place, five places down compared to 2016…https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/14/finland-happiest-country-world-un-report

The World Happiness Report 2018:
Increasingly, with globalization, the people of the world are on the move; and most of these migrants are seeking a happier life. But do they achieve it?
That is the central issue considered in this 2018 World Happiness Report exploring:

  • Happiness and Migration.
  • International Migration and World Happiness.
  • Do International Migrants Increase Their Happiness and That of Their Families by Migrating?
  • Rural-Urban Migration and Happiness in China.
  • Happiness and International Migration in Latin America.
  • Happiness in Latin America Has Social Foundations.
  • America’s Health Crisis and the Easterlin Paradox.
  • Migrant Acceptance Index: Do Migrants Have Better Lives in Countries That Accept Them?

https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2018/WHR_web.pdf

The Death of the Last Male Northern White Rhino, and Our Guilt:
The 6th Extinction and our responsibility for it as it happens right before our very eyes…
It is not just our species being impacted!
https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/death-northern-white-rhino-and-our-guilt/

One Man’s Youth As A ‘Stateless Foreigner’ In Japan During World War II:
What is it like to be a stateless foreigner?
He was the son of Russian Jewish musicians who fled persecution during the Bolshevik Revolution, then moved around the world as Adolf Hitler began his rise — from Germany to France and, in 1931, to Japan, where Shapiro was born. His mother made a side trip to China where she’d partly grown up. Then World War II loomed, which would play a key role in his life, as would music and his Jewish roots.
http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/03/22/isaac-shapiro-japan-world-war-ii

Community Engagement Radio Interview with Yours Truly:
Here is a radio interview that ran on KyXy Radio highlighting some of our work in the community as we strive to create a better world for all of us.
https://youtu.be/_uCMR1APtHA

 

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Mission Fed Community Moments

This new edition of Mission Possible is filled with the people and programs that are part of Mission Fed’s community engagement.

Thank you for your membership, trust and loyalty!

Love Your Heart Throughout the months of January and February, Mission Fed was proud to support the fight against the number one health threat to women: heart disease. As part of our partnership with CBS 8 on their 8’s Go Red for Women, a project benefiting the American Heart Association San Diego Division, and our collaboration with radio and television media partners, the support of our members, staff and online donations, we raised over $20,000! Go Red’s message is that when we all join together, we can touch hearts, save lives and make a real difference in the battle against heart disease and stroke. You, too, can help prevent heart disease by learning your family history, understanding the risk factors and empowering yourself and your loved ones to live healthier lives. Read the complete newsletter to find out more!

Dedicated to Public Education This February, the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), the largest professional association for education leaders in the nation, awarded Mission Fed the Partners in Educational Excellence Award for our exemplary school and community partnership programs. The award recognizes the collaboration with administrators and support of educational programs throughout the Poway Unified School District (PUSD). ACSA serves more than 17,000 California educators and Mission Fed values their dedication to public education.

These Community Moments are just some of the ways that we support and give back to the local San Diego community—and your continued membership makes that Mission Possible!

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Thanks this week go to my parents for having the courage to start over, human rights advocates who are willing to speak truth to power, concerned global citizens  and community activists that purposefully value people and planet not just profits.

Please pay it forward!
Love,
Neville

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

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

Happy Spring Equinox! “What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?” by Martin Luther King Jr.

As we start a new spring season, you have a dream but do you have a blueprint for your life? The Reverend MLK Jr. is known for his “I Have a Dream” speech.

You may not have heard “What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?” by the same consummate orator and non-violent fighter for freedom and social justice for all …

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This week:

Happy Spring Equinox with Eric K!
Many centuries ago, on the Spring Equinox, the Druids celebrated ‘The Light of the Earth’, which they called “Alban Eilir.” They celebrated life’s balance as the air warmed and life emerged from the soil; daffodils, crocuses, and bluebells began to grow out of snow and brown stubble.

In the Druid wisdom, the symbol of Alban Eilir is a life-giving egg protected by a hare. To this day, we have wide adoption of the Easter eggs and Easter bunny. Ancient traditions run deep, because they point to a timeless wisdom.

It’s also a timeless wisdom to pause our busyness during the change of seasons, to look within, look around, and look ahead. So, if you’re up for it, on this Spring Equinox (March 20th), consider two simple practices:

  • Look and listen to what’s calling from within you. What aspect of you is pressing to emerge into experience? What aspect of your spirit, mind, or body wants to be expressed?
  • Reflect on your community and see if there are relationships that need attention? Are there people with whom you feel frozen or outmoded? How can you honor the change of season to bring change to that relationship?

I love Spring. It’s my favorite slice in the cycle of the year. It’s a time to celebrate all that’s good and working, and tend to what’s growing and emerging.
Wishing you strength, growth, and deep love.
Eric

The Spring Equinox by Billy S:
The Spring (Vernal) Equinox is a time of changing seasons and a significant astronomical event.
The Sun crosses directly over the Earth’s equator. This moment is known as the Vernal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and begins the Spring season.
For the Southern Hemisphere, this is the moment of the Autumnal Equinox, and begins the Fall season.
On this day the sun rises precisely due East and sets due West.
It is a moment of equilibrium in the year. Translated literally, equinox means “equal night”.  Day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the equinoxes, twelve hours of each, because the sun is positioned above the equator.

The Spring Equinox signifies a rebirth. The duration of light is about to overtake the darkness.  After the Spring Equinox, the days become longer and the air warmer. The soil becomes fertile and all hibernating life is re-animated.  It is a time to plant seeds of growth. The Spring Equinox is a time of renewal – in nature, the home, and in us. More than just physical activity, “spring cleaning” removes any negative energy accumulated over the dark winter months and resonates with the positive growing energy of spring and summer.
The Spring Equinox is a time where there is a special quality of energy – to plant, grow and renew our lives. Energy is emerging from the ground where it has been dormant in the earth since the winter solstice.
Wishing you a special transition, symbolic of balance in our life and with our environment.

 

Some Fresh Starts for this Spring:

Mindset-

Triton Inspired- Triton Leadership Conference & True Triton Celebration:
This year’s very well-deserving award recipients for the UC San Diego True Triton awards were Sue and Steve Hart and Otis Watson- both steadfast and longtime contributors of time, treasure and talent to support UC San Diego.
Otis Watson as part of his acceptance speech suggested we watch the “What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?” speech.
I think you will find it compelling.
Thanks to Sue, Steve and Otis for your inspiration!

Martin Luther King, Jr., “What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?”:
Rarely seen footage of Martin Luther King, Jr., speaking to students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on October 26, 1967, where he delivered his speech “What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?”
Does Your Blueprint include:

  • A principle of ‘somebodyness’
  • The determination to achieve excellence
  • Being the best at whatever you are
  • Being measured by your SOUL- the mind is the measure of the man!
  • A commitment to the eternal principles of beauty, love and justice
  • Learn Baby Learn, so we can Earn Baby Earn
  • Fly, run, walk, crawl, but by all means keep moving!

 

Here is the clip from 1967…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmtOGXreTOU

Is This How Discrimination Ends?
“There are a lot of people who are very sincere in their renunciation of prejudice,” “Yet they are vulnerable to habits of mind. Intentions aren’t good enough.”
Trainings and workshops geared toward eliminating people’s hidden prejudices are all the rage—but many don’t work. Now the psychologist who made the case for “implicit bias” wants to cure it.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/05/unconscious-bias-training/525405/

Social Causes-
An innovative way that Austin, TX is helping the homeless:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvM7jFZGAec

Preserving and Protecting Mother Earth-
Determination And A Dream Help Create 10 Million Acre Patagonia National Park System:
The conservation land was created in a rare example of private-public partnership, the brainchild of Americans Kristine McDivitt Tompkins and her late husband Douglas. They donated 1 million acres, on the condition that Chile do the same — the country donated another 9 million…
http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/03/07/patagonia-national-park-system

 

Join Stedman Graham and Steve Farber next week in Oceanside, CA

Just in case you’re going to be near Southern California next week…
You’re invited to join Stedman Graham (Yes. THAT Stedman Graham) and me for a morning of leadership success principles and great conversation.
And coffee. Let’s not forget the coffee.
It’s FREE, but you do have to register right away. We’re filling up fast!
Click here for details and registration.

It’s going to be a great morning. I hope you can join us!
With Love, Energy, Audacity, and Proof,
Steve

PS Did I mention it’s free?? See all the details here.

Steve Farber
Chairman & Founder The Extreme Leadership Institute Author | Speaker
858-513-4184

 

Thanks this week go to Eric K, Billy S, Chris H, Sue & Steve H, Otis W and all of you that make our world better with a spring in your step!
Please pay it forward with purpose…
Love,
Neville

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

“The meaning of your life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”- Pablo Picasso