fantastic! [laughs] Then, in the next year or two, I was doing this reclining figure, and the pelvic area was a kind of critical part of the sculpture. I climbed up on the mezzanine of the studio and I jumped, feet first, onto the clay in progress. It turned into this incredible pelvic area. What made me think of that at all is this little balcony in my studio here [points]. Actually, I only tried jumping from that one once. I guess I'd gotten just enough older to realize this is risky business. RW: It's pretty far up there. SDeS: It's about nine feet. RW: Well, going back, I don't feel that I understood what you meant when you said you had a "conversion ex... posted on Aug 9 2015 (9,157 reads)

other people, if they learn to cultivate compassion—for example, by doing traditional meditation practices of loving kindness. This is so encouraging, because it’s a fundamental imperative that we need compassion as our moral rudder. JS: You use the term “muscular compassion” in your book. What do you mean by that? DG: Compassion is not just some Sunday school niceness; it’s important for attacking social issues—things like corruption and collusion in business, government, and throughout the public sphere. It’s important for looking at economics, to see if there is a way to make it more caring and not just about greed, or to create economic p... posted on Sep 4 2015 (16,052 reads)

are rubbing off on us. You might go to bed at nine o’clock, except your husband goes to bed at midnight, right? So, he’s pulling you later and maybe you’re pulling him earlier. Your habits are interacting with each other. It’s very important to think it through and to [ask], “What do I want to be true for me?” Often, one loophole … is the “concern for others” loophole:Others will be uncomfortable if I don’t have a drink at this business dinner. It’s a birthday. I have to have a piece of your birthday cake or it’s going to hurt your feelings. Really? Is it going to? Part of it is to really look very closely at wha... posted on Sep 6 2015 (20,076 reads)

those with a growth one, “personal success is when you work your hardest to become your best,” whereas for those with a fixed one, “success is about establishing their superiority, pure and simple. Being that somebody who is worthier than the nobodies.” For the latter, setbacks are a sentence and a label. For the former, they’re motivating, informative input — a wakeup call. But one of the most profound applications of this insight has to do not with business or education but with love. Dweck found that people exhibited the same dichotomy of dispositions in their personal relationships: Those with a fixed mindset believed their ideal mate would pu... posted on Oct 9 2015 (25,945 reads)

– in effect, getting your brain on your side to help you get a better grip on this spotlight/vacuum cleaner. How? We're pleased to bring you another installment of Rick Hanson's Just One Thing (JOT) newsletter, which each week offers a simple practice designed to bring you more joy and more fulfilling relationships. You can use one or more of the seven factors below at the start of any deliberate focusing of attention—from keeping your head in a dull business meeting to contemplative practices such as meditation or prayer—and then let them move to the background as you shift into whatever the activity is. You can also draw upon one or mor... posted on Oct 16 2015 (34,260 reads)

not mean perfection, it means embracing brokenness as an integral part of your life. As a person who … has made three deep dives into depression along the way, I do not speak lightly of this. I simply know that it is true. As you acknowledge and embrace all that you are, you give yourself a gift that will benefit the rest of us as well. Our world is in desperate need of leaders who live what Socrates called “an examined life.” In critical areas like politics, religion, business, and the mass media, too many leaders refuse to name and claim their shadows because they don’t want to look weak. With shadows that go unexamined and unchecked, they use power heedless... posted on Nov 3 2015 (59,955 reads)

more — the book is both quintessentially New York and astonishingly universal, a reminder that however much we may think with animals, we feel with them infinitely more. Kalman, an irrepressible humanist and patron saint of presence, writes: When I go out for a walk, there is so much that makes me happy to be alive. Breathing. Not thinking. Observing. I am grateful beyond measure to be part of it all. There are people, of course, heroic and heartbreaking, going about their business in splendid fashion. There are the discarded items — chairs, sofas, tables, umbrellas, shoes — also heroic for having lived life in happy (or unhappy) homes. There are trees... posted on Nov 8 2015 (14,410 reads)

who start their staff meetings with a moment to breathe in and breathe out are communicating to teachers that their well-being is important. Many studies show that a few mindfully taken deep breaths can also help everyone let go of the anxiety, stress, and negative emotions that are so often pervasive in our schools. Slowing down to breathe gives everyone permission to stop and connect with that part of themselves that makes them human—a good reminder given that schools are in the business of developing human beings! For a fun and light way to introduce this practice, try playing Holly Near’s Uh Huh (many thanks toPamela Seigle from Open Circle and Leading Together for... posted on Nov 11 2015 (13,799 reads)

to fend for themselves, the model calls on well-connected friends to mentor and help them find the sources of income they’ll need.This is something that happens all the time. People lend to and borrow from people they know and trust; they share the responsibility and the outcome. In these cases, it would be senseless to design predatory terms since nobody wants to see their friends or family go broke. But not everyone can find the resources they need—to buy a house, to start a business, to build a skyscraper—in their immediate communities; maybe there’s not enough capital available or maybe the community fails to understand a good idea well enough to support it.... posted on Dec 7 2015 (8,930 reads)

knew she was a chemo patient. It meant going from an active, athletic person to someone who was always looked at with sadness or pity. Of course people meant well but they would never say anything, which was even more painful. Until this UPS guy walked into her work and simply asked, “So, are you on chemo?” She felt like a human and responded with “Yes, thank you for asking, you are the first person to actually acknowledge that fact.” She gave him some “gag” business cards which listed her title as the “Supreme Commander of the Universe.” This was followed by many sweet encounters every time he came by, and he always addressed her with that ti... posted on Jan 5 2016 (35,743 reads)

experienced what real love and real care is. But almost everybody can appreciate the impulse to wish to understand, to understand why, and to try to understand who we are, what I am—and going with that motive sometimes leads you to love. Nipun: Absolutely. I think sometimes we have these clouds over our awareness that don't let us see; however, we have all experienced love. We start with nine months of a gift from our moms. They’re unconditional gifts; there’s no business plan and no handshake. That’s how we all came into this world. This was nine months of love, and how are you going to process that? It’s just that we forget about a lot of these g... posted on Feb 22 2016 (12,187 reads)

form a claustrophobic circle in the second floor office of the converted three-story barn. Beyond the door comes the intermittent sound of clucking as several chickens pick their way through the drifts of hay on the floor below. Inside the office, any space not occupied by yarn or knitting paraphernalia is taken up by papers: invoices, photographs, messages to call customers, and a scribbled note exhorting all to “be present.” The meeting seems more like a social gathering than a business function, and Pete’s demeanor is patient and reassuring, at times almost fatherly. The calm exterior and the idyllic setting belie the internal struggle Pete faced as he sought to recon... posted on Mar 1 2016 (11,042 reads)

Scilla Elworthy, Jean Houston and Rama Mani first met in 2012 there was a perfect synchronicity of temperaments and ideas. Clinical psychologist and business consultant, Dr Hamira Riaz, talks to the three founders of Rising Women Rising World about the goals of this global community of remarkable women and the art of a life well lived. It is an unusual occurrence when the roll call of achievements of just three women includes several nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize; training roles for UN Development Programmes, and advice-giving to NATO military officers and government officials. That the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and the Clintons, to name just a few, have sought them out ... posted on Mar 8 2016 (15,534 reads)

get more energy than goals that are distant in time. The more active the goal, the bigger the influence on behavior. Consequently, you are biased against doing things that will pay off in the long run when there is some other activity you could do now to achieve a short-term goal. So if you want to help someone change, your task is to help him or her formulate daily short-term goals that will ultimately lead to long-term success—and then help them remember those goals. Think like a business selling a product. Most businesses would never survive if they sold a product to a person only once. People’s actions are driven by specific circumstances. If you show people the condit... posted on Mar 22 2016 (26,579 reads)

arm, turn his neck. He needed aluminum crutches to walk. His friends and former students became his doctors. One recalled that he probably had more nerve-block injections than anyone else on the planet. Already a workaholic, he worked even more -- 15- to 18-hour days. Healing others became more than just his job, it was his own most effective form of relief. "If I wasn't as busy as I am," he told a reporter at the time, "I would be a completely disabled guy." On a business trip to Florida in the early 1980s, Bonica got a former student to drive him to the Hyde Park area in Tampa. They drove past palm trees and pulled up to an old mansion, with giant silver howi... posted on Apr 12 2016 (13,946 reads)

is telling the truth. The voice of head stems from common knowledge. It’s knowledge that you’ve been ‘taught’ or conditioned into. But the heart or the inner voice is moving you towards your true path. Sometimes it may be difficult, but if you follow that, it will guide you towards peace." Advice for Working Mothers Maki's youngest sister Yuka Saionji Matsuura (an incredible force of love in her own right) shares, "When our parents went for business trips we had adults who took care of us, but Maki really took on that role as well. That was so clear to me when Maki had her first baby Miki. When Miki was a toddler, Maki would tell her &ld... posted on Apr 23 2016 (17,941 reads)

TED talk on the subject, I have probably researched more about Autism than any other topic related to my profession. Vivaan continues to surprise us every day by the little things he does, by how much he understands without ever being able to express himself, by how much love he has, without ever giving a hug, by how much patience he has without every complaining about the long and boring therapies he undergoes. It’s been a journey like never before. Its taught me more than any business school can ever teach. Listed below are some of my greatest life lessons! 1. If you search for a cure, you will find disappointment; if you look for uniqueness, you will find happiness. ... posted on May 2 2016 (15,166 reads)

them asks, “Mulla, where exactly did you drop the keys?” “Oh, inside my house.” The shocked neighbor responds, “Then why in the world are we searching for them under this lamp post?” Not missing a beat, Mulla replies -- “Oh, because there’s more light here.” That, in a nutshell, is our problem too. Today’s society wants us to inherit the value system of the marketplace. Fall in line, and we’ll be rewarded with fancy titles on business cards, alphabets after our name, and dollars in our bank account. The shiny carrots of money, fame and prestige may grab our attention but we’re not going to find our keys under those g... posted on May 31 2016 (49,282 reads)

I am all about deromanticizing virtues and so the bad news is that if we tell the truth about love, it’s a hard truth. It’s just love crosses the chasms between us, and it brings them into relief. Like nothing else. But, the good news is, when we think about something lofty like love, if imagining that as a public virtue, which, by the way, all the great social reformers have done, right? That was Martin Luther King’s dream, the beloved community. That’s the unfinished business now. The changes in laws and policies float out of that. But we do get to take seriously our concrete experiences with this things, right? So if I’m reflecting on love as a lens for ... posted on Jul 10 2016 (14,167 reads)

fire trucks and an ambulance were in front of the nursing home as I pulled up. My chest tightened. The reality here is that people do not necessarily get better – they come here to die. Still, after visiting almost 6 months now, I have come to care for the residents. It always makes me sad when someone passes. Inside, I half expected there to be a rush of firemen or paramedics shouting, “Code blue” or “Clear the way!” but that is only on TV. Here, it is business as usual – all in a days work. Down the hall, Mr. Le was propped up on the sofa, his one foot in his wheel chair. He has good days and not so good, today was a sad one. I sat with hi... posted on Jul 22 2016 (15,836 reads)