by Asife/ Shutterstock. Do you consider yourself creative? If the answer is "no," you are not alone. We have been working as creativity facilitators for close to two decades, and whenever we ask people this question, shockingly few hands go up. It turns out that you don't have to be a great artist to be creative. Creativity is simply our ability to dream things up and make them happen. Cooking breakfast, planting a garden, even developing a business plan are all creative acts. But here is where the arts do come in. Participating in the arts—even as amateurs—unlocks our creativity and empowers us in our everyday lives. A re... posted on Jun 5 2014 (37,676 reads)

songs and performing at small gigs around New York and Philadelphia. I always believed that my big break would come sooner rather than later. In fact, from 1998, while I was still at Penn, to early 2004, I spent each of those years always thinking that I would get that big record deal within the next few months. I always thought my moment was just around the corner. But I was rejected by all the major labels; some of them rejected me multiple times. I played for all the giants of the business -- Clive Davis, L.A. Reid, Jimmy Iovine, you name it. And all of them turned me down. But I did find a young producer from Chicago named Kanye West who believed in me. Kanye happened to be... posted on Jun 29 2014 (30,058 reads)

of creativity, I learned to get out of the way and let that creative force work through me… I learned to just show up at the page and write down what I heard. Writing became more like eavesdropping and less like inventing a nuclear bomb. It wasn’t so tricky, and it didn’t blow up on me anymore. I didn’t have to be in the mood. I didn’t have to take my emotional temperature to see if inspiration was pending. I simply wrote. No negotiations. Good, bad? None of my business. I wasn’t doing it. By resigning as the self-conscious author, I wrote freely. This concept of surrender seems closer to Eastern philosophical teachings about the unity of t... posted on Sep 3 2014 (25,141 reads)

away broken stuff has never been an easier choice. For some items, prices have never been lower; for others, instant obsolescence means you always have an excuse to upgrade, as if you needed an excuse. Can the possibility of repair begin to change consumer habits? New York City’s Pop Up Repair Shop was a one-month experiment this June “aimed at breaking the cycle of use-and-discard goods.” It was the first step of a larger exploration of the issue, led by Sandra Goldmark, a set and costume designer and theater professor at Barnard College. Sandra and her husband Michael Banta, a theater production manager at Barnard, launched the shop using funds from an Ind... posted on Oct 6 2014 (14,337 reads)

or Captain Homji as he is known, sat outside the theatre in disbelief. Was this really happening? Should he dare hope? Hvovi was a BCom graduate, an only child to a Parsi family from Mumbai. Since she was diagnosed with an enlarged heart four years earlier, her father, a merchant navy sailor, had quit his job to take care of her. Terms like ‘cardiomyopathy’ rolled off his tongue with unfortunate ease. Hvovi’s mother Amaity, a former banker, ran a franking business that was suffering neglect since the hospital visits had increased. Captain Aspy Minocherhomji, father of Hvovi. Hvovi’s heart was enlarged, sluggish and failing h... posted on Aug 11 2014 (16,087 reads)

to be when I grow up don’t want me to make a poster anymore. They want me to fill out forms and hand them rectangular cards that say HELLO THIS IS WHAT I DO. I went to an arts conference in Manhattan last spring and everyone was scrambling to meet everyone, asserting their individuality like sad salesmen. This is my idea, I would say, this is my thing. We stood in cocktail circles and exchanged earnest interest. Hoo, hoo! Open spaces! Ohh yes! The avant garde! I didn’t have a business card. It didn’t even occur to me. It might have been funny or endearing but I ended up just being embarrassed. I don’t have one, I’d say again and again. (Ha Ha!) Then I&rsq... posted on Apr 6 2021 (59,808 reads)

are born with true wealth, but constantly forget to realize the wealth we already have. Failing to acknowledge our true wealth we keep grasping for more, like hungry ghosts who are never satisfied while constantly eating! Thus, we go about despoiling the earth, corrupting relationships, and twisting societies into grotesque forms that promote needless suffering for ourselves, others, and the earth-at-large. Realizing true wealth leads to personal, interpersonal, and transpersonal fulfillment. Furthermore, the long term survival of life on earth depends upon true wealth realization. We need deep psychological and spiritual healing of individuals, groups, communities, nations and the... posted on Nov 24 2014 (21,367 reads)

This experiment aims at a surprisingly sticky problem: honey bee extinction. Honeybees are dying off in droves in parts of Europe and America and their survival, and much of our food, increasingly relies on beekeepers—an occupation threatened by an ageing workforce. Bybi was British social entrepreneur Oliver Maxwell’s idea to bring millions of honeybees to Copenhagen to create a sustainable honey industry. Working with the city, social organizations, beekeepers and Danish businesses, the project trains formerly homeless people and the long-term unemployed to become independent beekeepers. The city’s disadvantaged gain meaningful work (maintaining beehives on the ... posted on Oct 27 2014 (11,616 reads)

materials sourced from the polluted waters and coastlines of the Philippines, but also by generating jobs for residents of small fishing villages throughout the Philippines. Washed up and improperly discarded fishing nets collected and sold to the company bring both an immediate and long-term benefits to Philippino coastal villages, explains Interface. Not only are people paid for the nets they collect, but by cleaning up trash they are working toward a healthier and more lucrative fishing business in the future. 5. Water bottle catamaran In March 2010, the Plastiki—a sail boat made entirely of plastic bottles and other upcycled plastics—set sail on an 8,000-... posted on Oct 29 2014 (19,828 reads)

says the researcher. Of those who had received the compassion training, around half stood up to offer their chair to the woman, and for those who had not, the figure was just 15%. They concluded that our willingness to help strangers is flexible, and can be shaped by small changes in perception. 3: Kindness can help the bottom line: The single greatest advantage in the modern economy is a happy and engaged workforce. A decade of research proves that happiness raises nearly every business and educational outcome: raising sales by 37%, productivity by 31%, and accuracy on tasks by 19%, as well as a myriad of health and quality of life improvements. Yet even those companies that... posted on Sep 23 2014 (142,861 reads)

up your lingo. Language games stimulate your brain to understand, remember, and recognize words. The more you practice fluency in language, the more quickly your brain will retrieve old words and embrace new ones. Taking the time to understand new words in context especially trains your brain to remember them, since you increase the associations linked with the definition. A simple way to engage this process is to read articles outside your normal realm of interest. Rather than reading the business section of the newspaper, read the sports or science section instead.' 6. Synthesize, synthesize, synthesize. According to Keir Bloomer, chair of the Higher Order Skills Excellence Gro... posted on Oct 20 2014 (165,532 reads)

depletes soil, wastes fossil fuels and adds greatly to the world’s carbon footprint. What is your solution? Food Shift is working with Oakland schools to ensure surplus food from the cafeteria is redistributed to students and families rather than thrown in the garbage. We are working with a local grocer who has expressed interest in paying Food Shift to recover food from their stores. This would allow us to employ someone in the process while reducing waste disposal costs for the business. We are interested in developing food recovery and redistribution models that increase access to more nutrition food, reduce waste and generate revenue in some way so they can sustain and sca... posted on Dec 3 2014 (18,950 reads)

Local women and men prepared the wall-capping material, locally available earthen plaster (marl), to apply onto the mudbrick walls. (Photo Courtesy of GHF) How do you ensure that the local populations have buy in? We will not do a project unless conservation will be carried out by local workers and the overall project is keyed into local community development. Often this involves training or education as an important part of our work, whether it is in conservation, tourism, or local business development. Wat Phu (Laos) is still important to the local community, which conducts ceremonies at the site (Photo Courtesy of GHF). Why do you think preservation is so... posted on Dec 26 2014 (13,678 reads)

and aims to bring in at least $3 million in 2014. “I’ve known David for 40 years as fellow entrepreneurs,” says Ernest Keet, founder and President of Vanguard Atlantic Ltd., who has donated more than $1 million to All Hands. “David is exactly my age, so it was actually quite shocking to see him take a huge risk — both financially and in personal safety. It’s been amazing to see what he’s been able to do.” According to Keet, Campbell’s business savvy has helped All Hands achieve the lowest administrative overhead of any other similar organization. Beyond helping disaster victims, All Hands transforms the lives of volunteers, who ... posted on Dec 10 2014 (20,470 reads)

have never put a price tag on their labor. Their presence speaks to a life-long practice of equanimity, trust and compassion. And so do their stories. "Nine years ago, we were gifted this house," Arun Dada told us. The week they moved in, they discovered that their neighbor was a drunkard, prone to fits of violence. Just a couple days after their move, they noticed that their front-yard was filled with food items and alcohol. It turned out that the neighbor also ran a catering business, and thought he could use Arun Dada's front yard for storage space. Arun Dada naturally protested. "Sir, this is our home now, we don't drink or take non-vegetarian food, and thi... posted on Nov 27 2014 (36,219 reads)

Gentle housekeeping or gardening are excellent activities of silence, or a long walk in nature. 5. Listen to the silence, all the time enjoying this hour-long respite from thinking, reviewing, planning, and imagining. Stay in the present moment. 6. Breathe deeply and mindfully, bringing in the silence and expelling mental “noise.” 7. At the end of your hour of silence, let your first word be an expression of gratitude or love; then put out the candle and go about your business. ... posted on Nov 18 2014 (37,555 reads)

such a beautiful painting, you really think you want to put up advertisements over this particular painting?” Gitanjali asked.  He said, “No, it's government rule.” I said, “Yeah, Okay. We'll put that.” And then Gitanjali lightheartedly inquired, “Do you want us to come paint your police station?” “No!” “Okay. We'll not do that. Whatever you say.” “Keep this business out of the police station. We don't want all this.”  “Okay. Can you just say some motivating words for our volunteers?”  “Yeah, yeah. I'm comin... posted on Dec 12 2014 (42,110 reads)

and adventure, art and creativity, and connection and community. But no matter what topic we’re talking about, they all require consistency. No matter what your definition is of a “healthy life,” you’ll have to battle procrastination to make it a reality. Hopefully, the Seinfeld Strategy helps to put that battle in perspective. Don’t break the chain on your workouts and you’ll find that you get fit rather quickly. Don’t break the chain in your business and you’ll find that results come much faster. Don’t break the chain in your artistic pursuits and you’ll find that you will produce creative work on a regular basis. ... posted on Dec 31 2014 (74,869 reads)

this guy did. I don’t know why, and I don’t know how, but he chose to rise to the occasion. And this is the part I’m not sure if I can communicate. Just the broad strokes of the situation rattled my cage. But there was a way he was doing it. There was something about the flavor of his activities. There was no hint of asking for anything from me. He didn’t need a nod of reassurance or a gesture of support. As normal as walking, he was just taking care of business. And maybe that was what hit me in the body - not in my mind. I was suddenly stopped in my tracks, trying to find an appropriate response amid the respect and care I was feeling for the ma... posted on Dec 29 2014 (24,489 reads)

heard of “empathy marketing”? It’s the latest business buzzword. The idea is that if companies can look through their clients’ eyes and understand their desires, they will be better able to tailor their offerings and gain a competitive advantage. To me, this is stepping into someone else’s shoes just to sell them another pair. I believe that the best use of empathy is not in the commercial world but in the social one, where it allows us to challenge prejudices and create political change. And if you look through history, there are some extraordinary figures who have harnessed this power by engaging in what I think of as “experiential empa... posted on Jan 15 2015 (29,468 reads)