10 Keys for Happier Living
We all want to be happy. And, happiness is the one thing we wish most for those we love. So, why is it so difficult? And, why aren't we working harder to make happiness our priority? "If you want to feel good, do good" -- this is just one of the many brilliant points carried forward by the Action for Happiness, a group of like-minded individuals from all walks of life who are intent on creating th... posted on Oct 16, 122141 reads

The Power of Voluntary Simplicity
Simplicity means taking charge of lives that are too busy, too stressed, and too fragmented. Simplicity means cutting back on clutter, complications, and trivial distractions, both material and nonmaterial, and focusing on the essentials -- whatever those may be for each of our unique lives. As Thoreau said, "Our life is frittered away by detail... Simplify, simplify." Or, as Plato wrote, "In orde... posted on Oct 22, 54857 reads

Building A Regret Free Life
Through her work, Bronnie Ware, author of The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, has found a powerful way to use gentleness, loving kindness and humor to help celebrate both the strength and vulnerability of life and living. In this delightful interview, Bronnie shares what she has learned while working in palliative care and how her meditation practice saved her life.... posted on Aug 24, 25461 reads

Confessions of a Late Bloomer
In this important article, psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman asks us to reconsider how we evaluate an individual's potential. We tend to "conceptualize ability as a static property, something hard-wired into the brain by genes that are prepackaged and already activated at birth." And if someone does not display that hard-wired ability early on, we dismiss him or her as un-gifted and less likely to ... posted on Sep 24, 37172 reads

11 Untranslatable Words From Other Cultures
Words are flimsy packages that we wrap around abstract concepts and offer to others in the hopes of being understood. Friedrich Nietzsche said, "Words are but symbols for the relations of things to one another and to us; nowhere do they touch upon the absolute truth." There are so many parts of the human experience that have no satisfying word to describe it. Luckily, we can borrow words from othe... posted on Aug 31, 168442 reads

A Great Potential for Love
"Natalie Batalha hunts for "exoplanets" -- Earth-sized planets beyond our own solar system -- that might have liquid water and harbor life. ...And, I've never met anyone who speaks more intriguingly than Natalie Batalha about the connection between science, love, and gratitude for life. She is a luminous voice for the way exploring the heavens -- as we do that now -- is bringing the beauty of the ... posted on Jan 29, 26853 reads

Harlem Hate Crime Victim: I'm Feeling Gratitude
"People keep asking me what it feels like to have been assaulted in a hate crime. Honestly, I can't come up with a better response than simply 'gratitude.' I'm thankful for a few reasons. If they had attacked me any more violently, I may not be awake right now to tell my story. If they had attacked me even half an hour earlier, they would have harmed my wife and one-year-old son. [...] My wife and... posted on Oct 7, 29058 reads

When You Listen To A Child
"Having a parent that listens creates a child who believes he or she has a voice that matters in this world," says Rachel Macy Stafford, a young mother who, in this digital age, has made the life changing decision to go completely 'hands free'. She did so to ensure her children always knew, that their voice in this world matters. "Because," she continues, "someday our children will find themselves... posted on Nov 26, 88786 reads

The Pain & Beauty of Change
"The reason for our suffering is our resistance to the changes in life. And life is all changes. While I resist change (and suffer) just like anyone else, I have learned to adapt. I've learned some flexibility. I've realized this: Everything changes, and this is beautiful." Generally, it seems we have two options in regards to change: we can choose to react negatively, or we can choose to react po... posted on Feb 13, 44802 reads

Looking With Your Whole Body
"She visited the Bay Area, where she lived on a horse ranch south of San Francisco. The exposure to the beauty of the place -- the coast, the hills, the redwoods -- made a deep impression. One day, as she stepped out of her house, she looked up and saw a red-tailed hawk soaring above her. 'As I stood looking up at the hawk, in a voice as clear as day, I heard these words: 'Tell my story'." Jane Ro... posted on Jan 19, 24688 reads

Awakening Sight: Reflections From A Photographer
When photographer David Ulrich faced losing his sight he had a life-changing experience,less under the dominion of ego, and more open to life, to people, and to the changes inherent in our lives. He discovered that "The nature of our perceptions is relative and depends on our state of awareness and state of being." Follow his journey to another kind of seeing... ... posted on Jan 3, 30909 reads

Gardening At The Dragon's Gate
Gardening is a fundamental work that demands your energy and heart, and it gives you back great treasures as well. It is all about picking and choosing and following our passion. Read on for a glimpse of one gardener's beautiful insights gleaned from 25 years at Green Gulch farm.... posted on Jan 30, 21056 reads

Best Foot Forward
"At a young age, Nicholas Lowinger learned not to take things for granted. When he was 5 years old and visiting a homeless shelter with his mother, he was excited for the opportunity to show off his new light-up sneakers to the rest of the kids. But his mom cautioned him against doing so, explaining that these children might not have such luxuries. Sure enough, when Nicholas met kids at the shel... posted on Nov 16, 6512 reads

Insights From Photographing Spiritual Giants
“I may not have the most wonderful bank account, but my spiritual bank account is overflowing,” says Jane Feldman of her career as a social justice photojournalist and author. Working for the Peace and Justice Ministry of New York’s Riverside Church led her to photograph Nelson Mandela. She’s traveled with the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation and met the Dalai Lama. Enjoy he... posted on Jan 24, 3789 reads

Teenage Football Players Conspiracy of Kindness
Without telling their coaches, the football players of Olivet Middle School conspired to execute an extraordinary play at their next home game. Actually, it was two plays. The first was to get as close to the goal line as possible without scoring. And the second? Well, you'll just have to watch the video to find out. The most remarkable effect of the play? Says one team member, "I went from being... posted on Nov 13, 8170 reads

The Art of Missing
Artist and architect Maya Lin is best known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. Her latest memorial has satellite sculptures and multimedia installations throughout various cities, but the core of the project lives on a cool website called What Is Missing? The site honors extinct or endangered animals and their habitats, ecosystems lost or degraded, and, on a positive not... posted on Dec 7, 5737 reads

Why Are We So Wired To Connect?
What drives our powerful need for social interaction? And what makes being alone difficult? These are just a couple of the questions that Matthew Lieberman, a social neurologist from the University of California, explores in his newest book, Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect. Through his research, Lieberman has identified compelling evidence demonstrating the neuroscience behind our huma... posted on Feb 24, 21049 reads

Helping Kids Overcome Fear of Failure
Are kids kept safe from failure nowadays, and in the process, are they failing to develop the resiliency needed to confront life's mistakes and challenges head on? According to UC Berkeley professor Martin Covington, fear of failure is directly linked to our feelings of self-worth, and many children go to great lengths to avoid failing. Knowing this, what can we do to create a safer environment fo... posted on Mar 23, 31004 reads

The Healing Power of Presence
"I was about 12 years old when I found out that my grandfather was born on 12/12/12. If he were alive, he would be exactly 100 years old today. I found out about his birthday, when he came to stay with us in Munich for an eye surgery. He was a diabetic and had been experiencing deterioration in his vision. At that time, it was very difficult to find an eye surgeon in Pakistan who would be able to ... posted on Jan 18, 34406 reads

Contemplating Mortality
Nobody looks forward to dying. It's good to be thinking about life and living as long and as well as possible, but we shouldn't assume that death is only about suffering and its avoidance or its suppression. There are also experiences, interactions, opportunities, that are of profound value for individuals and all who love them. ... posted on Feb 14, 8626 reads

Green Bridge Growers: Finding Hope in the Ground
"Food is so much a part of the fabric of our lives, reflecting our health, lifestyle, time, and values." But with so much of the food in our markets and on our plates coming from afar, what does our food have to say about us? How can our food be a reflection of our values, and perhaps play a role in helping address other problems found in our society? Green Bridge Growers aims to answer this quest... posted on Mar 11, 13859 reads

Saving the Kind Barber and His Street Cats
With two hefty sacks of cat food in her arms, Manuela Wroblewski can't stop smiling as she whisks toward the familiar shop. Hussein, the Turkish barber, clasps his hands in gratitude as he eyes the bags of food and the two hurry over to the tiny food dishes lined up in the alley. Soon the sound of kibble clinks against the bowls and several stiff tailed cats begin to appear. But Hussein was in tro... posted on Dec 17, 187075 reads

A PhD Student Turned Fruit Picker For Her Community
"There's a lot of people who say the problem is so big, nothing we can ever do will fix it," Sarah Ramirez says. "Well, if we all took that position, nothing would ever get done." After getting her PhD from Stanford and becoming Tulare County's epidemiologist, Sarah noticed troubling trends of diabetes, obesity, and food insecurity in her community. She also noticed that much fruit in the region w... posted on Feb 20, 5788 reads

A Christmas Wish From Beyond The Grave
This Des Moines radio station had run a "Christmas Wish" program for over 20 years, but nothing had prepared them for Brenda Schmitz's request. The wife and mom of four lost her battle with ovarian cancer two years ago, at the age of 46. Then..."About a week and half ago we got [her] letter in the mail," shares station brand manager Scott Allen. Brenda wanted the station to do something wonderful ... posted on Dec 25, 45537 reads

An Artist's Healing Project In Rwanda
Lily Yeh is a global artist who is fueled by a belief that art is a human right, and that artists can create a foundation for profound social change. This film documents the design, building and impact of the Rugerero Genocide Memorial, a project that brought hope and healing to the traumatized survivors of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The monument now serves as the official memorial site for the ... posted on Jan 4, 3315 reads

Mind & Mood On A Breathing Planet
The awareness that stirs within each of us is continuous with the wider awareness that moves all around us, bending the grasses and lofting the clouds. Every organism partakes of this awareness from its own angle and place within it, each of us imbibing it through our nostrils or through the stomata in our leaves, altering its chemistry and quality within us before we breathe it back into the surr... posted on Feb 9, 6118 reads

On Navigating Stuckness
Jonathan Harris spent much of his life creating small, beautiful things. Going from one project to the next wasn't always so lucid, and in this article, he recounts moments where it felt like he lost his flow -- and what he did about it. "We have these brief lives, and our only real choice is how we will fill them. Your attention is precious. Don't squander it. Don't throw it away. Don't let compa... posted on Mar 8, 35985 reads

Insights From Photographing Spiritual Giants
"I may not have the most wonderful bank account, but my spiritual bank account is overflowing," says Jane Feldman of her career as a social justice photojournalist and author. Working for the Peace and Justice Ministry of New York's Riverside Church led her to photograph Nelson Mandela. She's traveled with the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation and met the Dalai Lama. Enjoy her words on earning the tru... posted on Feb 3, 18719 reads

12-Year Old Musician With A Big Heart
Aiden Hornaday was 8 years old when he picked up his brother's dusty harmonica with no idea of how to play it. The next day, waiting for his mother at a restaurant, he took off his cap and started playing, and got 80 unexpected dollars in tips "just for taking his hat off." That night, he decided to donate the $80 to fight intestinal parasites for African orphans, and the seeds of Aiden Cares was ... posted on Feb 22, 3719 reads

21 Technologies That Will Decentralize The World
"Across the planet new technologies and business models are decentralizing power and placing it in the hands of communities and individuals." Fred Wilson, venture capitalist and futurist speaks compellingly about this transition. Here is a list of 21 technologies that over the next ten years will spur this process of decentralization.... posted on Apr 7, 184196 reads

Truth & Journalism: Reflections From A Pulitzer Prize-winner
This is a piece for all the "independent seekers of the truth" out there. Paul Van Slambrouck, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former chief of the Christian Science Monitor converses with master interviewer Richard Whittaker. They discuss the pursuit of truth in journalism, the power and edges of modern-day mass media, and highlights from Paul's illustrious career, ranging from interviews wi... posted on Apr 18, 9224 reads

Timeless Wisdom From Marcus Aurelius
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius' most enduring legacy is not his external power, but his deeply held conviction that each one of us is endowed with the inner power to control our minds and responses to external events. In his extensive compilation of writings, collectively titled 'Meditations', Aurelius describes how to develop a mindset that can deal well with any experiences or emotions that arise... posted on Mar 29, 108056 reads

A 25-Year-Old's Stunning Talk On Selfless Service
Nipun Mehta gave his first public talk at a monastery. He was 25 years old and the subject was "The Spirit of Service" At the time Nipun was just a few years into running ServiceSpace, a non-profit whose global projects now touch millions and are designed to spark generosity and inner transformation. In this debut talk Nipun dives into the core of what selfless service is about. With compelling cl... posted on Mar 7, 46544 reads

An Invitation: Practicing Wonder
"Wonder is how we open 'the hand of thought.' It can lift our minds out of the mud of rational resignation and open them into wild relational cartwheels of insight. Wonder is the place where prejudices fall away and our capacity to notice life increases. You have known how to do it since you were a child." As deeply embedded and reflexive wonder is in our early life, somehow the capacity to be in ... posted on May 30, 25615 reads

How To Build Good Habits & Make Them Stick
We all strive to achieve goals, and developing daily habits of working toward those goals are vital to achieving them. This highly informative piece debunks myths of what it takes to develop good habits and summarizes some of the scientifically proven ways to help you form the habits you need to achieve your goals. Read on to learn why the belief that it takes 21 days to form a habit is misleading... posted on May 14, 29724 reads

The Happiness Index
Bhutan is a country roughly the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined, but with less than half the population, sandwiched between China and India. A Fulbright scholar on a visit there asks, is it demolition or progress for the country to move from an isolated, largely self-sustaining Buddhist kingdom to a modern democracy? As workers build a new road to a cliff temple and secret holy lake, h... posted on Jun 26, 8470 reads

Learning From Leonardo: Decoding The Notebooks Of A Genius
"As we recognize that our sciences and technologies have become increasingly narrow in their focus, unable to understand our multi-faceted problems from an interdisciplinary perspective, we urgently need a science and technology that honor and respect the unity of all life, recognize the fundamental interdependence of all natural phenomena, and reconnect us with the living Earth. What we need toda... posted on Apr 21, 20187 reads

Owen & Haatchi: A Boy And His Dog
"The day that Haachi met Owen was utterly incredible. It was electric. It was spiritual...they immediately understood they were going to work together as a team," Colleen Drummond, Owen's stepmother. Owen is a 7-year old boy with a rare syndrome that leaves his muscles in a constant state of tension. Haatchi is an Anatolian Shepherd that was left to die on the railroad tracks, but managed to escap... posted on Apr 12, 4708 reads

Sprouting Seeds of Compassion
"One day, visiting a friend's house in Malibu, I met an old man who had spent his life planting trees. As we talked through the afternoon, with the blue Pacific murmuring rumors of the world's vastness, and nearness, he explained how trees were the ecological equivalent of one-stop shopping: they could restore degraded soil, increase crops, feed livestock, provide building materials and firewood, ... posted on Apr 13, 13499 reads

Unleashing Empathy Through Emotional Learning
According to a recent Harvard study, cultivating empathy among students has been linked to a variety of desirable outcomes, including positive peer relationships, better communication skills, and fewer interpersonal conflicts. Author Lennon Flowers examines how it is part of a growing education trend broadly referred to as "social and emotional learning," where children, teachers and parents learn... posted on Jun 25, 18194 reads

Arianna Huffington: Can Gratitude Help You Thrive?
"Grace and gratitude have the same Latin root, gratus. Whenever we find ourselves in a stop-the-world-I-want-to-get-off mindset, we can remember that there is another way and open ourselves to grace. And it often starts with taking a moment to be grateful for this day, for being alive, for anything." In an excerpt from her new book, Arianna Huffington explores how gratitude helped her to find mean... posted on Jun 7, 21738 reads

The Hidden Joy of Waiting In Line
"Americans spend an estimated 37 billion hours waiting in line each year, much to our individual and collective distaste. Few things inspire as much universal frustration and ire as long queues and lengthy wait times -- many of us even struggle to wait for a sluggish web browser to load." Why do we dislike waiting so much -- and what can we do to transform that familiar feeling of frustration? Th... posted on Jun 6, 0 reads

Advocate of the Unwatched Life
"The matter of being alive is something to be investigated. I think we take it for granted too much. That we're going to wake up in the morning and just go on, do our stuff, run around, go to our jobs, have careers, and all that...In my work I'm trying to find the unmediated self. I think there are aspects of self that are unchanged, that echo the past, the present, and the future. I'm interested ... posted on Jul 17, 15560 reads

Three Young Activists & Their Causes
Olivia, Madison, and Xiuhtezcatl are fierce love warriors who are fighting for causes they believe in -- and none of them are older than 13 years of age! Learn about the stories behind these powerful beings who are taking charge and making a difference in the areas of habitat restoration, voting rights, and environmental protection.... posted on Jul 4, 14096 reads

Fritjof Capra On Life & Leadership
Sustainability is not an individual property, but is a property of an entire web of relationships. It is a community practice. This is the profound lesson we need to learn from nature. The way to sustain life is to build and nurture community. Because of the close connection between sustainability and community, basic principles of ecology can also be understood as principles of community. In part... posted on Jun 17, 18788 reads

Letters To A Young Artist
As artists and change makers, how can character be cultivated in such a way as to foster that prized form of personal dignity, along with its sibling qualities of confidence and self-esteem? Maria Popova gives us a quick overview of Letters to a Young Artist, a book by celebrated artist, actor, playwright, and educator Anna Deavere Smith, which aims to answer these questions and more.... posted on Jul 26, 11883 reads

Ten Things Creative People Know
Do you consider yourself creative? If you answer, "no," you are in the majority; most people don't think they are creative. It turns out, though, 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. Creative expression boosts ser... posted on Jul 20, 20852 reads

1000 Cranes For 1000 Strangers
The world can seem like a cold place sometimes -- a place where you are completely disconnected from the people around you, even if you are sitting across from them on a bus. Designer and artist Marielle Coppes believes you have a tremendous power within you to do good. And once you discover this power, there are no boundaries. Watch this short, sweet video of how Coppes decided to brighten people... posted on Oct 11, 4240 reads

Music For Social Change
David France's passion for music changed his life. It took him to Venezuela where he met a mother of five who had moved out of her house so the kids on her street could form an orchestra. Children played classical music there seven days a week, transforming the barrios with music and positivity. "I was really moved by that and thought, 'When I go back to Boston when am I going to move out of my ho... posted on Jul 11, 21288 reads

Social Science's 10 Findings On Facebook
Social media has transformed our daily lives -- adding a brand new, and often much more complex, dimension to our interactions. And though it has facilitated the ease of our connections, there is a flip side. For example, studies have shown an inverse relationship between an individual's Facebook usage and their sense of self-worth. And, we are only just beginning to understand its true impact on ... posted on Nov 16, 29162 reads