car. These two guys looked at me, looked at her, and then opened the door and ran out. The girl got in the car, frantically started the engine, and raced off.   Then I looked across the street and saw that these two guys were now mad at each other, yelling and starting to punch each other. I was still in my “pause" mode. I'm like, here I am; so what am I going to do? A familiar voice inside my head, the voice of reason and common sense, says, "This is not your business. These are big guys. You can't do anything about this. They have to sort it out themselves. Get out of here!”  Then there’s a second voice, coming from a deeper place.... posted on Jul 3 2017 (10,038 reads)

that have occurred during the growth of that community? Wu De​: Through Global Tea Hut people around the world donate energy in the form of $20 a month and other people donate tea, living teas or organic plantation tea. Each member receives a tea of the month, a small gift, and a magazine that describes the tea, where it comes from and if possible, the farmer. The whole thing is this huge gift process because almost all of the teas are donated so we’re not running a business. It’s just a big gift exchange and through it we fund our center where people connect with each other. The magic of it is that we’ve found 70 or 80 independent sources and we h... posted on Aug 5 2017 (9,876 reads)

interests and your passion develop over time. I want to disabuse people of this mythology of ‘it happens to you and if you’re lucky, you find it, and then that’s all you have to do.’” Angela Duckworth is a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania and the bestselling author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. She is the Founder and Scientific Director of a non-profit, Character Lab, and in 2013 was named a recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. Recently, she joined Adam Grant for an evening of conversation as a part of the Authors@Wharton speakers series. Adam Grant is the bestselling author ... posted on Jul 14 2017 (12,756 reads)

do you anthologize silence? It’s here too between the pages.” MS. HOWE: It’s interesting. I’d forgotten that, the people who couldn’t be there. Well there’s a silence in the center of everything, right? Maybe that’s the thing we don’t like or are afraid of, that silence and the center of everything. MS. TIPPETT: Well, what was it you said a minute ago that was so beautiful about — we were just talking about the craziness, business. We’re not familiar with silence anymore. We don’t know what to do with it. MS. HOWE: We used to be. We used to be. It is so recent really that mechanisms have brought all... posted on Jul 23 2017 (8,764 reads)

news, of course. In 1873, John Stuart Mill observed, “Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of others, on the improvement of mankind, even on some art or pursuit, followed not as a means, but as itself an ideal end. Aiming thus at something else, they find happiness by the way.” And yet this new research reflects a broader shift in our culture. Across the country—and around the world—educators, business leaders, doctors, politicians, and ordinary people are turning away from the gospel of happiness to focus on meaning. As I followed these meaning seekers on their journeys for my book The Pow... posted on Jan 25 2018 (36,041 reads)

we headed west. So now, when I suggested we push on to Needles fifty miles down the road, she balked. "We'd get in at mid-night and who says we'd have any better luck?" She was still on French time and struggling to stay awake.       My confidence about finding lodging was gone. We were part of a shadowy crowd of travelers all competing for a few rooms. The Marriott, I'd been told at the last place, was worth a try. It was new and had just opened for business.       Kingman is a desert town. In August daytime temperatures in the 100 degree range are common. Still, at 3300 feet elevation, it's consistently at least ten degr... posted on Aug 22 2017 (9,532 reads)

attended a funeral recently for a central Pennsylvania farmer, Roy Brubaker, among several hundred mourners. One of the testimonials came from a young farmer who said something like this: “Roy is the one who taught me what success really is. Success is having the capacity to always be there for your neighbors. Any time someone called with a problem, Roy would put down what he was doing and be right over to help.” This farmer had been Roy’s intern. When he went into business for himself and became Roy’s competitor, Roy helped him along with advice and material aid, and even announced his new competitor’s farm share program to his own mailing list. At ... posted on Nov 9 2017 (16,071 reads)

would pay a basic, livable stipend to every man, woman, and child who is a legal resident of a country. Although to capitalist ears this sounds like a recipe for apathy and a reward for laziness, in the places it has been implemented it has, instead, unleashed creativity. Freed from concerns about basic survival, people have used their unconditional basic income to care for children or aging parents, volunteer for favorite causes, pursue creative work or other passions, and start their own businesses. Recipients have also been able to take low-paying temporary jobs offered by employers—knowing that the wages, added to their basic income, will be adequate to make ends meet. Guarant... posted on Nov 26 2017 (21,060 reads)

of shifting human consciousness and being a four minute mile breaker because this guy let the press run for 10 more seconds. It's like he gave me an apple and it was enough for him in that moment to give me that apple. That was a delicious, honey crisp apple and that moment was defined and complete in itself. Those seeds have led to hundreds of thousands of cards, meaningful moments, more meaningful than I've ever had with strangers. It led to thousands of dollars of orders for his business. It lead to connecting the dots to be inspired to create this vision of transforming advertising to offer a gift of a meaningful moment. I think that the essence of ServiceSpace is around ... posted on Oct 25 2018 (5,481 reads)

all do, of course. But don't be caught up that. Of course you'll be caught up. And you'll fall, and you'll pick yourself up. And you'll go back. That's what the spiritual path is.      “Live your life as those who are ambitious” means, don't be afraid to come out of the cave.      Don't be afraid to unwind your legs if you've been meditating for a long time. Don't be afraid to get into public service, into business, to be a doctor, a lawyer—whatever your calling is.      Don't be afraid to live that life just because you look like everybody who is doing it for money or fame or ... posted on Nov 8 2017 (15,712 reads)

young Australians to contribute to international diplomacy. Omang Agarwal, India Omang is the Asia Representative for the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network. He founded Youth for Peace International and is a big believer in peace through education. Khalida Brohi, Pakistan Khalida is the founder of Sughar Women (now Sughar Empowerment Foundation), a nonprofit empowering women in 23 villages across Pakistan. Through a six-month course with Sughar, women gain business skills and graduates get small loans to start businesses and help connecting to markets. Ahmad Shakib Mohsanyar, Afghanistan Ahmad wants to counter the narrative that youth need to leav... posted on Nov 5 2017 (11,434 reads)

There are 40,000 such women in Ahmedabad alone who collectively pick up 8,00,000 kg of waste every single day. Their work is often looked down upon by society, partly because they are working in an unorganized sector and partly because their work is itself considered menial. Paryavaran Mitra, launched by a dedicated team of social workers, young professionals and industry experts, focuses on improving the economic, social and physical well-being of these women. They have developed a business model that removes economic exploitation of the women and enables them to earn more. Their research established that volume and sorting are the two major value additions in the entire value c... posted on Oct 19 2017 (12,641 reads)

its existence, the Ashram cannot give such a demonstration, it and I should disappear, and it would be well for the nation, the Ashram and me. What struck me that day in San Francisco, on the eve of war, was that we peace-minded folk were entirely unprepared for the battle at hand. Our so-called “movement” lacked the depth necessary to sustain it. It came as no surprise, then, to see that after the bombs started dropping, we returned, with few exceptions, to our lives – to business, “progressive” though it may have been, as usual. Though committed nonviolent practitioners dappled the crowd that day, the marching thousands were not grounded by the presence of... posted on May 25 2018 (14,483 reads)

9, 2015 I first heard of Vaea Marx from John Toki. Vaea is an old family friend of the Toki family. John’s parents founded Leslie Ceramics Supply in Berkeley in 1946. Their business was built on integrity and a deep spirit of support for both aspiring and established artists who came into their shop, first as customers and then, quite often, as friends.        John told me stories of Vaea and Peter Voulkos, both friends of the Tokis, who worked closely together for decades. Then one day artist Ann Weber handed me a catalog saying, “Here’s an artist you really should interview. He’s been around for a long time and should get more atten... posted on Jan 31 2018 (19 reads)

the cost of collaboration, the cost of distribution, the cost of communication, and Moore's Law made it so that the cost of trying a new thing became nearly zero, and so you would have Google, Facebook, Yahoo, students that didn't have permission — permissionless innovation — didn't have permission, didn't have PowerPoints, they just built the thing, then they raised the money, and then they sort of figured out a business plan and maybe later on they hired some MBAs. So the Internet caused innovation, at least in software and services, to go from an MBA-driven innovation model to a des... posted on Aug 31 2017 (6,158 reads)

and were very poor, with 12-15 grandchildren in each household. The only way to meet this challenge of caring for and feeding them was to collaborate; in Swaziland, they started an after school program that fed the kids. At 1 PM everyday 135 children show up for lunch and then stay afterwards, getting help with their homework. The grandmothers started a community garden to feed the kids. All over Africa it is the women who raise the food; it’s only when agriculture becomes a business that men take over. The women plant and harvest. The women run the markets. This is also true in Asia and Latin America. Jessica: When you look back over the scope of your photography... posted on Oct 23 2017 (15,730 reads)

Patterns will emerge and you will see that, for whatever reason, you are drawn to delve deeper into this particular issue. They're personal. The moments are very often personally meaningful. They are connected to your own experiences, or the experiences of people you care most about, the way in which Socheata's moment of obligation was. They take hold. Finally, they just won't let you go. They scream for your attention, creeping into your mind when you are minding your own business — sitting on the couch, watching TV, or trying to get a good night's sleep. Everyone is moved this way from time to time, but what sets those who help solve the world's bigge... posted on Oct 6 2017 (9,916 reads)

nursing homes, people died surrounded by family and at home. Dr. Gawande: Yeah, that complexity — I describe my grandfather’s death. He got to live to 108 years in that village in Maharashtra, with family all around, and he spent the last 20 years of his life with infirmities that would’ve put him in a nursing home in the United States. But there, he was with family. He was at the head of the dinner table. People would come to him to bless their marriages, to get advice on business decisions, to — he was respected as the elder and could have that all the way to the very end. But it came at a cost. That was possible because the younger generation, especially the wo... posted on Jan 11 2018 (28,879 reads)

the bulletproof glass, they were able to clean up the grounds and they transformed that building into a community kitchen, into a cafe, into a storefront. Now the farmers and the food artisans who live in Brightmoor, they have a place where they can make and sell their product. And the people in the community have some place where they can buy healthy, fresh food. Urban agriculture -- and this is my third example -- can be used as a way to lift up the business cooperative model. The 1,500 farms and gardens I told you about earlier? Keep Growing Detroit is a nonprofit organization that had a lot to do with those farms. They distr... posted on May 15 2018 (10,529 reads)

worker who wants to social-work it or a psychologist who wants to analyze everybody. We really leave it to the wisdom of the families and the communities, and when we’re working with families and communities from different cultural backgrounds, their idea of a positive outcome may look radically different from my idea of a positive outcome. In the end, if they are happy, and this person isn’t going to commit more crimes, and this person got their needs met, it’s none of my business. It’s not mine to judge or decide. I’m not the arbiter for what is justice for other people. One of the best things about Restorative Justice is that I don’t have to have... posted on Mar 5 2018 (18,502 reads)