Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:

Happy 100^th Birthday Nelson Mandela!

Hope You Took a Moment to Celebrate Mandela Day

“He was just a particularly fine example of humanity. The principles by which he lived his life are universal principles of love, fairness and respect for others.”
—Bishop Tutu

From Convocation to Commencement, from Back to School to Back to Work, Everyone Can Use a Little inspiration:
A lot of school district leaders are calling on me to help set the tone for the start of the school year with everything from keynotes for entire teams to small group sessions.
If I can serve you locally, just reach out to be at: nevilleb@missionfed.com

This is One Great and Inspiring 9 Minute Speech:
Courtesy of Dr. DeRoche at USD
https://www.facemp4.com/video/1732996373400094

Working with the Leadership team of the Oceanside Promise…
We were exposed to a video about Targeted Universalism produced by the Haas Institute at UC Berkeley and then discussed how it fit into what we are trying to accomplish through the Oceanside Promise.
I thought you might find it thought provoking:
https://haasinstitute.berkeley.edu/targeteduniversalism.

Breaking the Myth of the “Model Minority”
Pew Center Study shows Asians Surpass African-American and Latinos in Income Inequality:
Dis-aggregating equity shows the gap between rich and poor in Asian communities & might surprise you…
https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/asians-surpass-african-americans-and-latinos-income-inequality

Thanks this week go to Dr. DeRoche, Nicole M and all the change leaders with the Oceanside Promise & The Takeaway

Set the intention and then create your own future on purpose!
Be the Legacy…

Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
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“Difference- The Only thing we have in Common”

We just got back from a family holiday in Greece, the birthplace of democracy and mathematics, medicine and literature, theatre and astronomy, mythology and philosophy:

• walking in the steps of Socrates at the Acropolis and Agora in Athens
• visiting the oldest western archeological sites & civilization of the Minoans in Knossos on Crete (at least 1,300 years and some believe civilizations flourished there 7,000 years BEFORE Christ)
• sailing around Santorini
• chasing Rhodes scholars
• exploring Hydra and Mykonos
• and marveling in natural wonder
• with a bonus of running into my best friend from college Ricky and his family who live in Missouri and happened to be in Mykonos at the same time we were!

There are no accidents
Awe is indeed the beginning of wisdom, especially when you walk on the earth and explore civilizations that are literally thousands of years old!

A newbie by comparison, Abraham Lincoln’s famous speech in 1863 builds on similar democratic principles as ancient Greece developed; “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. …”

One of the best known sentences in the English language, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” girths this nation’s foundation and moral compass yet…

Fast forward to 2018 and we are still engaged in a great and not so civil war, testing whether this nation or any nation can long endure, challenging what it means to be human, and to what degree we feel responsible for preserving and protecting the dignity of all human life, and all life on our tiny blue planet.

To know and not to do, it not to know…

Whether you stay home and open your mind and heart, travel just a few kilometers away from home base, or are blessed to be able to explore life and societies much further away, travel is great to provide perspective and open your mind to a big, wide world out there. It can help us adjust our ethnocentric sense of terminal uniqueness and bring fresh eyes to old challenges.

We are Rick Steves fans and I love his travel philosophy that follows, which you can apply in your own back yard too by the way…

Rick’s Travel Philosophy:

Travel is freedom… one of the last great sources of legal adventure. Travel is intensified living, with maximum thrills per minute. It’s recess, and we need it. Experiencing the real Europe requires catching it by surprise, going casual…

Affording travel is a matter of priorities. (Make do with the old sofa.) You can travel simply, safely, and comfortably anywhere in Europe for $100 a day plus transportation costs. In many ways, spending more money only builds a thicker wall between you and what you came to see. Europe is a cultural carnival, and time after time, you’ll find that its best acts are free and the best seats are the cheap ones.

A tight budget forces you to travel close to the ground, meeting and communicating with the people. Never sacrifice sleep, nutrition, safety, or cleanliness in the name of budget. Simply enjoy the local-style alternatives to expensive hotels and restaurants.

Extroverts have more fun. If your trip is low on magic moments, kick yourself and make things happen. If you don’t enjoy a place, maybe you don’t know enough about it. Seek the truth. Recognize tourist traps. Give a culture the benefit of your open mind. See things as different but not better or worse. Any culture has much to share.

Of course, travel, like the world, is a series of hills and valleys. Be fanatically positive and militantly optimistic. If something’s not to your liking, change your liking. Travel is addicting. It can make you a happier American, as well as a citizen of the world. Our Earth is home to 7.4 billion equally important people. It’s humbling to travel and find that people don’t envy Americans. Europeans like us, but with all due respect, they wouldn’t trade passports.

Globetrotting destroys ethnocentricity. It helps you understand and appreciate different cultures. Travel changes people. It broadens perspectives and teaches new ways to measure quality of life. Many travelers toss aside their hometown blinders. Their prized souvenirs are the strands of different cultures they decide to knit into their own character. The world is a cultural yarn shop. Back Door Travelers are weaving the ultimate tapestry.

Join in!

–Rick Steves

Earth is home to 8.7 million species (plus or minus 1.3 million) with approximately 1 million species living in the world’s oceans and 91% of ocean species are yet to be classified!
Don’t poop where you eat
Our interdependency with our ecosystem should not be underestimated and here is one story that underscores that reality…

Human Health and the Health of Oceans- The Science and Environmental Hazards Behind Fish Oil Supplements:
Paul Greenberg examines the effects supplements are having on fish populations and the ecosystems of our oceans while we try to boost cardiovascular and brain health…
https://www.npr.org/2018/07/09/627229213/the-science-and-environmental-hazards-behind-fish-oil-supplements

Stay adventurous and enjoy your summer wherever you find yourself and keep up the work on finding yourself!
Thanks to my wife Barbara for investing countless hours in curating an incredible family trip. 

Happy 27^th Anniversary Barb!

Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
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“Difference- The Only thing we have in Common”

This week:
Working on Purpose
Many of you know I have been working, with a little help from my friends, on blending the art and science of purpose for well over a year; standing up a Chamber of Purpose, co-chairing a Purpose conference, establishing Purpose awards for our community and finding my purpose while helping others find theirs.

This week enjoy some great links to advance your purpose agenda, both personally and professionally…

Purpose is the Ladder between Matter and Spirit:
https://medium.com/@brandonpeele/purpose-is-the-ladder-between-matter-and-spirit-75866bfb0035

BlackRock CEOs Annual Letter -from the Largest Hedge Fund on the Planet!
https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/investor-relations/larry-fink-ceo-letter

If we were to be a Purpose Sentinel City…
http://www.ensouled.life/sentinel-city-project.html

The Power of Purpose Driven Companies
https://bit.ly/2z5k6na

Purpose Metrics Matter
https://bit.ly/2EGLR3d

Threads of a New American Identity:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/threads-new-american-identity-brandon-peele/?published=t

Why Doing Good Is Good for Your Design Business https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-doing-good-your-design-business-justin-ahrens

And for our kids
5 Reasons NOT to Find Your Purpose in Your 20’s:
https://medium.com/@brandonpeele/five-reasons-not-to-find-your-purpose-in-your-20s-7d42d33eaa4

Stay purpose-filled and pay it forward!

Love,
Neville

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

“There comes a time when the mind
takes a higher plane of knowledge
but can never prove how it got there”
— Albert Einstein

This week: Vuja De’!
The BEST Way to Improve the World Around Us

You ARE an original.
How do you master the creative process and separate self-doubt from idea-doubt?
How do you navigate bureaucracy and solve problems others can’t?
How do you take incredible hardship and transmute the pain and suffering? How do you manifest originality in your world of work?
Does your choice of browser tell us something about your creative prowess?
The only thing worse than fear of failure is failing to try…

The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers:
How do creative people come up with great ideas? Organizational psychologist Adam Grant studies “originals”: thinkers who dream up new ideas and take action to put them into the world. In this talk, learn three unexpected habits of originals — including embracing failure. “The greatest originals are the ones who fail the most, because they’re the ones who try the most,” Grant says. “You need a lot of bad ideas in order to get a few good ones.”
https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_grant_the_surprising_habits_of_original_thinkers

Here are a couple of powerful examples…

Feeding Puerto Rico:
While bureaucracies fumble, original thinkers solve complex problems.
Jose’ Andre’s has some 30 popular restaurants across the US, but he barely stepped foot in them after Hurricane Maria.
He and an army of chefs and volunteers were serving the people in Puerto Rico and their story is mesmerizing…
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/feeding-puerto-rico-60-minutes/

The Art and Craft of StoryTelling:
Deah, Yusor and Razan- Suzanne Barakat explains how her brother, his wife and sister were murdered by their neighbor (Trigger warning: This story contains descriptions of racial violence)
https://themoth.org/stories/deah-yusor-and-razan

Being Original in Your Work:
At Mission Fed, we try to be original in our work right here in our community; blending financial performance with social purpose
Here is creative video of our annual report:
https://www.missionfed.com/report

Thanks to all you original thinkers that don’t let reality get in the way of possibility, and don’t accept the default option handed to you.
If you have a dream, bring it to reality, spread the love and pay it forward

No regrets…
The world needs YOU!
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
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“Challenging the meaning of life is the truest expression of the state of being human.” – Victor Frankl

This week:

How do we Celebrate Beauty in Diversity and Cultural Competency Not Just Physical Appearance?

Is There Still a Place for Miss America?

Miss America has always been a competition synonymous with physical beauty. But a recent announcement from the organization’s new chair Gretchen Carlson is shaking up this paradigm. On Tuesday, Carlson announced that Miss America would drop its swimsuit competition from the lineup and would no longer judge women on their physical appearance. The swimsuit portion of the competition has been around since the very first Miss America pageant back in 1921. And cutting it entirely is just one of a series of changes for an organization that’s had a scandal-plagued year. Nina Davuluri provides her take on all this. She is Miss America 2014 and the first Indian-American to win the competition. https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/new-day-miss-america

More On The Decision To End The Swimsuit Portion Of Competition:
https://www.npr.org/2018/06/05/617250142/miss-america-contest-to-end-swimsuit-portion-of-competition

Serena Williams Steps up As A Superhero To New Moms:
“It feels like this suit represents all the women that have been through a lot mentally, physically with their body to come back and have confidence and to believe in themselves,”…
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2018/05/30/serena-williams-new-mom-fierce-candid/655546002/

If you are local…
As Mission Fed continues to both deepen existing bonds and build new ones where our members live work and play, we are excited to share the latest newsletter that reflects those efforts.
We hope you’ll take pride in reading about our community-driven campaigns, events and sponsorships that celebrate our community.

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/60480547/7171-mfcu-summer-newsletter-2018-single-page

 

Conscious Connections Roundtable

Higher Purpose and Corporate Social Responsibility

Join us at WD-40 to experience a roundtable conversation with local conscious business leaders about how to stay true to the higher purpose behind our Corporate Social Responsibility activities and keep our good intentions from being co-opted for commercial purposes. This will be a real-life display of the tenets of Conscious Capitalism in action, and show conscious leaders facing the resistance and opportunity of raising organizational consciousness.

Agenda: 5:30-6:00 PM
Networking 6:00PM-7:00 PM
Roundtable Conversation 7:00PM-7:30 PM Networking

When: June 26, 2018 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Directions and Parking:
WD40 – 9715 Businesspark Ave San Diego, CA 92131 Parking is free and is in the adjoining building.

Pricing: Member – $15 Non-Member – $30

New Member: Become a member today and  get this event FREE! – $100

Click here to RSVP so we know how many to prepare for.

 

Thanks this week go to amazing women in our lives everywhere!

Please pay it forward…
Love,
Neville

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

“The champion wins first, then walks into the arena.
Everybody else walks into the arena and then tries to figure out what to do.”
— Jim Fannin

This week:

As we remember Robert F Kennedy, 50 years after his passing, here are some memorable moments and lessons that remind us that “leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence”…

The Busboy Who Cradled A Dying RFK Recalls Those Final Moments:
In an interview with StoryCorps, Romero, now 67, remembers meeting Kennedy the day before the assassination. He helped deliver Kennedy’s room service. It was the first of two brief encounters that left Romero struck by how present and considerate Bobby Kennedy appeared with guests.
https://www.npr.org/2018/06/01/615534723/the-busboy-who-cradled-a-dying-rfk-recalls-those-final-moments

Robert F. Kennedy “Ripple of Hope” Speech:
Robert F. Kennedy‘s Day of Affirmation Address (also known as the “Ripple of Hope” Speech) is a speech given to National Union of South African Students members at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, on June 6, 1966, on the University’s “Day of Reaffirmation of Academic and Human Freedom”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jnoYOUPUkg

Looking Back On The Life Of Robert F. Kennedy, 50 Years After His Assassination
“What we need in the United States is not division. What we need in the United States is not hatred. What we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness but is love and wisdom and compassion toward one another and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.”
https://www.npr.org/2018/06/05/617250032/looking-back-on-the-life-of-robert-f-kennedy-50-years-after-his-assassination

If you’re local…

A community conversation with Imam Taha Hassane,
Director of the Islamic Center of San Diego

Monday, June 18, 2018 | 6:00 PM

KPBS Copley Telecommunications Center

5200 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182

How can we foster more civility in public discourse? Join us for an in-person interview with Imam Taha Hassane and Mark Sauer, host of KPBS Roundtable. Then take part in a facilitated conversation about civility in politics led by the National Conflict Resolution Center.

Refreshments provided.

Space is limited – RSVP required at: www.kpbs.org/heroes

Sponsored by the Malin Burnham Center for Civic Engagement at The San Diego Foundation.

Here’s to conscious leaders everywhere!

Please pay it forward
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
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As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

This week:

• Make Every Day World Environment Day
• Best Parks in the US by State
• Class of 2018, Doing the Right Thing is Your Job
• 30 Minutes to Amplify Greatness

Make Every Day World Environment Day – This year it was June 5^th 2018 :

• A Platform for Action World Environment Day is the UN’s most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment. Since it began in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in over 100 countries.
• The People’s Day Above all, World Environment Day is the “people’s day” for doing something to take care of the Earth. That “something” can be focused locally, nationally or globally; it can be a solo action or involve a crowd. Everyone is free to choose.
• The Theme Each World Environment Day is organized around a theme that focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern. The theme for 2018 is beating plastic pollution.
• The Host Every World Environment Day has a different global host country, where the official celebrations take place. The focus on the host country helps highlight the environmental challenges it faces, and supports the effort to address them. This year’s host is India.

 

This Is the Best Park in Every U.S. State:
Environmental Literacy – Enjoy some of America’s most naturally beautiful, energizing and abundant environments…
http://time.com/money/5290198/best-park-in-every-us-state/

New Beginnings- Commencement: Class of 2018, doing the right thing is your job
Graduation speakers from President Trump to Chance the Rapper advise graduates how to commence…
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/05/28/notable-commencement-addresses-class-2018-column/609418002/

If you are local…
Make Every Day National Philanthropy Day!
Deadline for nominations has been extended to June 15 if you know anyone that should be nominated…
Please help spread the word so we can amplify greatness here in our community!

30 Minutes to Amplify Greatness!

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

Be Part of San Diego’s Philanthropy (Sizzle Video)

 

Thanks this week go to all the grads and dads committed to creating a better environment by doing the right thing!

Please pay it forward
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
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“You don’t stop having fun when you get old. You get old when you stop having fun.”
~Rita Ghatourey

“The education of attention would be an education par excellence.” –William James

This week:

In an age of constant information and infinite distractions, how can we pay more attention to our … attention?
What do we pay attention to?
If one definition of altruism is “self-handicapping” then the first story exemplifies the best in humanity, but also tempers it through the societal lens/bias towards migrants all over the world.
The second story revisits “handicaps” and invites us to rethink our limits and possibilities
The set of Ted talks might take a bit more time, but they will “buy” you a lot more quality time right back in your time starved life
The purpose of Memorial Day reminds us to notice and support members of our Armed Services, whatever your political persuasion

Now more than ever, it’s time to set up daily practices to help us get some soul space back!
Focus. Notice. Re-engage.

Paris ‘Spider-Man’ Saves Young Boy. Cue Debate on Migrants:

Do we have intrinsic value as humans or is our value based on contribution to society and should this be a determinant in migrant policy and inclusion decisions?

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/28/world/europe/paris-migrant-hero-spiderman.html

Here is the vid if you haven’t seen it yet…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2fGxefFBh4

 

I Want to be the First Wheelchair User in Space:
In his own words, Eddie is “unapologetically brilliant, black, queer and disabled”.
He recently graduated from Oxford, the first African with a disability to do so…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p066pss2

More inspirational outlooks where that came from:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05ydg2t

 

Attention Please
In an age of constant information and infinite distractions, how can we pay more attention to our … attention?
TED speakers explore the battle for our awareness during the digital age.

• How our attention is packaged and sold as a commodity
• Has constant stimulation replaced boredom?
• Can we pay better attention to our attention?
• What is the cost of infinite distractions?
• How can we repair the mistakes of the digital era?

https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/

 

The Purpose of Memorial Day with Brandon P:

Memorial Day Weekend May 25-28, 2018
Letter from the Editor: The Purpose of Memorial Day

The purpose of Memorial Day Weekend is to honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.  Regardless of your politics or knowledge of the veracity of America’s foreign policy, the legitimacy of our leadership, the impact of our military or how the American government treats its veterans, those who served in the Armed Forces, served a purpose AND STILL DO!  They developed themselves as warriors and public servants, many laid down their lives, and all suffered immense physical and psychological hardship to protect America and our ideals abroad.

This weekend I invite you to transcend any judgments you have, reach out to the active duty military and the veterans in your family and community and thank them.  Buy them a beer, comp their meals, share with them what their service means to you and make an offering from the heart, from your purpose, e.g., I donate my time to help them transition out of the military through free purpose workshops for the Marine Corps and Coast Guard, and offer scholarships for active duty and veterans to do my purpose courses.

Enjoy these Memorial Day Weekend reads: “Threads of a New American Identity”, “Are You Impact-Driven or Purpose-Driven” and “Purpose Rips Through Academia” and join us for LIVE and online events to deepen your connection to your purpose.

In service,
Brandon Peele
Editor in Chief, The Purpose Times

 

LEAD STORY: Purpose Rips Through Academia

I had an amazing experience on Tuesday leading 25 Undergraduate and Graduate Stanford students through my work and a powerful purpose exercise. This place is a hot bed of purpose, with Dustin DiPerna, Aneel Chima, Mikey Siegel’s courses on finding purpose and designing for human flourishing, Bill Damon’s Youth Purpose Project, Patrick Cook-Deegan’s Project Wayfinder, Jennifer Aacker’s Purposeful Business Work at the Graduate School of Business.

I also met a staffer running purpose courses for Stanford employees, and a MS Ed student developing purpose/ tribe/ initiation/ mindfulness curriculum for junior high school students.

While Stanford isn’t the only place where the research is happening (http://scienceofpurpose.org), and where this work is taking flight, e.g., Laurie Santos’ work at Yale, Tal Ben-Shahar’s work at Harvard, Martin Seligman’s work at UPenn, Bill Johnson ‘s work at UNC – Greensboro, Ben Nelson’s work at Minerva University, my courses at Cal Berkeley, Aftab Omer’s work at Meridian University and Jonathan Gustin and Susan Mashkes’s work at JFK University, Stanford seems to be ground zero for purpose in academia. This is not surprising given their long standing orientation towards purpose and wholeness of their students (students double major in a science and a liberal art discipline).

Such an amazing experience! So excited for all that is to come!

Thanks this week go to self-handicapping souls that are paying attention everywhere!
Please pay it forward purposefully!
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
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“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”.
– Mahatma Gandhi

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