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, 15561 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

An Icebox, A Live Heart And The Man Who Drove & Drove
In some ways, it was surprising that any good could ever come of a cadaver, a heart failure and a vehicle with a live heart in its trunk tearing through a crowded city. That it did on June 16, 2014 in Chennai, and that more than 50 people coordinated the whole thing with surreal precision to save a life, could tempt one to use words like 'miracle' or 'aberration'. But in truth, it was already the ... posted on Aug 11, 16292 reads

Elizabeth Gilbert On Big Magic
"Have you ever felt shivers on the back of your neck and goose bumps on your arms when you hear an idea that makes you want to follow it? Or felt as though something is laying a path for you? The sense that I have is that we live in a world that's constantly being swirled and encircled with ideas. Ideas are these non-embodied spirits that want nothing more than to be made manifest. And the only wa... posted on Sep 16, 24239 reads

Rethinking the Placebo Effect
Maria Popova of BrainPickings draws on the latest research in health and social science for this powerful piece on "the startling psychological effects of loneliness, optimism, and meditation." Read on to learn about the powerful new findings on the placebo effect, and why the secret of happiness is to "find something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it."... posted on Sep 13, 27614 reads

College For All: Sebastian Thrun, Udacity
Most employers agree that new graduates lack the skills necessary to succeed. And yet, the cost of college tuition is rising far faster than the average family can afford. The frustration is clear; change is desperately needed. Now, thanks to innovators like Udacity and Coursera, and the advent of "massive open online courses" (MOOCs), both students and employers are being assured a much more pred... posted on Nov 26, 13387 reads

Casa De Paz: Oakland's House of Peace
36th Avenue in the Fruitvale district of East Oakland, California, is the turf of three major gangs. Yet the residents of Casa de Paz never lock their doors. Anchored by Pancho Ramos Stierle and Adelaja Simon, Casa de Paz is part of a group of several homes that form an intentional community of peace and nonviolence in an area rife with structural and physical violence. In order to serve their com... posted on Aug 23, 4089 reads

Mr. Wright's Law of Love
No one falls asleep in Jeffrey Wright's high school physics class. Exploding pumpkins, hovercrafts and an experiment involving a bed of nails, a cinder block and a sledgehammer, are some of the crazy stunts that keep the students enthralled. But it is Mr. Wright's experiences as a father of a special needs son, and his teachings about love, family, and the meaning of life that leave the deepest im... posted on Dec 1, 12090 reads

5 Ways Science Says Kindness Will Change Your Life
Is kindness just an old-fashioned value celebrated in kindergarten and then soon forgotten as one grows older and more ambitious --- or is there more to it? As increasing numbers of people look to live a purpose-driven life, research is beginning to reveal the tremendous rewards that come with living kindly. What follows are some of the most compelling recent studies on the topic of kindness, and ... posted on Sep 23, 143207 reads

Turning The Soup Kitchen Upside Down
If you've ever volunteered in a soup kitchen, you know the feeling of having served others. But what about those on the other side of the food line? Are they getting what they need most? Robert Egger, the founder of DC Central Kitchen, didn't think so. He set out to train homeless people on the streets of Washington, D.C. -- many of whom were drug addicts cycling in and out of a life of crime -- h... posted on Nov 7, 5286 reads

Building Peace One Teenager At A Time
At times, it seems as if world peace is an impossible dream. Every evening, our television screens bear witness to the violence that invades our societies. And yet, we never lose faith that someday we might once again find our way. Efforts like Seeds of Peace give us reason to believe we can still transform our world. This initiative brings children together from conflict zones across the globe an... posted on Jan 12, 5388 reads

The Pollination Project: Gifting A $1000 A Day
A 13-year-old collects items for animal shelters. An 88-year-old offers up land to community agriculture. A young man trains prisoners in nonviolence. For Ari Nessel, each story is just another day along his journey in giving. After making a fortune in Dallas real estate, Ari wanted to give back. Yet he noticed that modern-day philanthropy tends to hold a disconnect between the funders and those w... posted on Oct 15, 3132 reads

A Healing Poem From Haiti
Nobody should die from diseases we know how to treat, but over 50,000 people die daily from them. Two UCSF Physicians have started a project called the HEAL Initiative that aims to address health workforce in resource poor communities, from Navajo Nation in New Mexico to Liberia and Haiti and India. They attempt to improve the quality of care, support and train local health professionals. This art... posted on Oct 22, 21747 reads

Public Art: A Path To Safer, Stronger Neighborhoods
Art that merges with the landscape brings human presence, safety, and physical activity into the city's spaces. This kind of art triggers more than one sense: it is something you move in, touch, and, in some cases, even eat. In Detroit, a spread-out city of single-family homes that is difficult to traverse and pockmarked by vacancy, these artistic interventions are an uncommonly powerful nexus of ... posted on Nov 21, 13724 reads

Skipping Lunch To Feed The Hungry
For Anton Cobb, inspiration came in the form of an online article telling of a girl whose family had benefited from a local food bank. The 32-year-old salesman then decided to turn that inspiration into a simple and creative way to help raise awareness and support for the Oregon Food Bank. Each Wednesday afternoon Cobb sacrifices buying his own lunch to donate to those in need. And sitting alone a... posted on Nov 15, 19840 reads

Healthy Habits of Heart & Mind In Leadership
As the world rapidly transforms around us each day, there is a growing need for us to create sustainable human communities. And in that vision, great leadership is paramount --leadership that not only calls for clarity of vision, but also a healthy dose of empathy that allows us to identify with, and understand, one another's situations, feelings, and motives. This article shares some healthy hab... posted on Nov 17, 17262 reads

Micro Moments Of Love
"Love is an emotion, a momentary state that arises to infuse your mind and body alike," writes Barbara Frederickson. Yet this transient state holds much promise beyond feeling good; love can be poignant in shaping perceptions of who we are, how we relate to the world, and even our health. Far from being a private event, love is an experience shared between people when they connect in the spirit of... posted on Dec 13, 33757 reads

Critical Steps To Integrating Life & Work
Often times we can feel overwhelmed by what we see as competing values: how can I be a good family member, a loving spouse, a supportive friend, pursue my hobbies and interests and maintain my career? For many of us integrating all of these elements into a fulfilling and rewarding personal life and career is difficult. Stewart D. Friedman's book, "Leading the Life You Want", gives insight on how t... posted on Dec 23, 25350 reads

What It Really Means To Live Our Mission
"How are we so optimistic, so careful not to trip and yet do trip, and then get up and say OK?" Maira Kalman asked in pondering happiness and existence. What is it that propels us to get up after loss, after heartbreak, after failure? That's precisely what the Reverend Victoria Safford explores in her essay "The Small Work in the Great Work."... posted on Dec 15, 23317 reads

The Fear And Anxiety Solution
If you live with fear and anxiety, you are not alone. Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the U.S.-- more than 50 million people have been diagnosed with anxiety at some point throughout their lives. Thankfully, Friedemann Schaub gives anxiety sufferers a whole new way of looking at and addressing their condition in his book. He emphasizes that anxiety is the product of a limiting belief ... posted on Jan 14, 0 reads

Anne Lamott On Grief, Grace & Gratitude
In this sharp yet poignant piece, writer Anne Lamott reflects on mortality and what it means to be truly alive. She writes of her experience taking a walk with a friend who is dying, "First of all, friends like this may not even think of themselves as dying, although they clearly are, according to recent scans and gentle doctors' reports. But no, they see themselves as fully alive. They are living... posted on Dec 30, 37743 reads

The Art of Stillness
Giving up what seemed like an exhilarating life and a dream job in the heart of New York City, Pico Iyer made a pivotal decision by moving half way around the world and into the foothills of Kyoto, Japan. Gone was the hustle and bustle of a city that never sleeps, and found was a place that he felt afforded him a chance to find what he was looking for... stillness. For as Pico Iyer believes, it is... posted on Feb 25, 39834 reads

Stunning Images of the Power of Education
World-renowned photojournalist Steve McCurry has been one of the most influential voices in contemporary photography for more than thirty years. In this photo essay, McCurry takes you around the globe and offers up striking images of children and their learning environments, from Tanzania to Sri Lanka and from Mali to Peru. Enjoy these beautiful photos and the accompanying quotes on the power of e... posted on Jan 25, 21906 reads

The Forgiveness Of Unforgivable Acts
As a child, Sujatha Baliga experienced repeated abuse at the hands of her own father. The deep pain and trauma of her experience would spur her towards victim advocacy. She enrolled in law school determined to become a prosecutor and help punish the perpetrators of such crimes. But a personal crisis in India followed by a serendipitous sit-down with the Dalai Lama himself, changed everything. "Ho... posted on Jan 27, 45050 reads

34 Affirmations For Healthy Living
"When day-to-day life seems to revolve around providing for others, we can forget to nourish our own bodies and spirits. And yet, self-care is what empowers us to give back to the world, fully and joyfully. Start your practice by taking just a few moments each day to affirm your commitment to eat well and live a healthful life." Read on for a selection of inspiring everyday affirmations.... posted on Feb 2, 69520 reads

Three Benefits To Mindfulness At Work
We all know the benefits of mindfulness in our day. But, do we understand the link between our practice and our performance in the workplace? And is it possible to cultivate this moment to moment awareness in a 'bottom line' driven environment? In a recent study, researchers have found that the more mindful the supervisor, the lower their employees' emotional exhaustion and the higher their job sa... posted on Jan 16, 28567 reads

Free Hugs With Arie Moyal
Holidays can be a lonely and stressful time, particularly for those with mental health issues. Arie Moyal spends two weeks each year around the Christmas holidays providing support to travelers through free hugs. Virginia Satir, a noted family therapist, claimed that we need 4 hugs a day for survival; 8 hugs a day for maintenance; and 12 hugs a day for growth. And scientists have determined that o... posted on Dec 25, 2904 reads

The Gift Of Invisible Kindness
With a deep recognition of the legacy of kindness her parents passed on to her, Audrey Lin has made a life out of creating and sharing her own random acts of love and generosity. It is an approach that she says creates, "some giddiness in my heart." Read more on Audrey and her ongoing journey, including stories about a meaningful conversation with a homeless man, a three-day walking pilgrimage, an... posted on Feb 17, 21401 reads

Are You An Adrenaline Addict?
"The other day I was driving home and a text chimed in on my phone. It was one of those really important texts that makes you do stupid things like respond while you are driving. Which I nearly did. Instead, I pulled over, and started letting my fingers fly on the tiny keyboard...Before I could finish the text, I realized something interesting. I was actually addicted to that brief moment of relie... posted on Feb 11, 23036 reads

My Father's Gift
'Gift' is a short film that conveys a profound message on the importance of giving, and the true value of wealth. It illustrates how we touch others when we selflessly give of our time, love and kindness. 'Gift' is about a boy who grew up believing that his father was poor, unintelligent and unsuccessful. After his father's death however, the son discovers the true reach of his parent's generosit... posted on Mar 21, 6813 reads

A Brief History of Happiness
What happened to happiness? In the United States, we seem to have lost track of its true meaning, and instead come to see economic growth as synonymous with well being. Yet as Sarah van Gelder of Yes! Magazine reminds us, "Sustainable happiness is built on a healthy natural world and a vibrant and fair society...and cannot be achieved at the expense of others." What does sustainable happiness look... posted on Mar 13, 34506 reads

Living With Mystery In A Certainty-Obsessed Culture
In his book, The Island of Knowledge: The Limits of Science and the Search for Meaning, astrophysicist and philosopher Marcelo Gleiser explores the interface between our commitment to knowledge and our parallel flirtation with the mystery of the unknown. How has the progress of modern science compounded the perplexities and paradoxes of our quintessential human longing?... posted on Mar 16, 18729 reads

Opening Doors and Hearts
Opening a door is more than a physical act. It's about putting yourself out there, getting to know people, making them feel comfortable, and making them feel welcome. After being bullied, Josh Yandt decided to make a change that ultimately had a dramatic impact on his life and on the lives of his fellow students. Watch this sweet story of how the London, Ontario, high school paid forward Josh's ac... posted on Mar 29, 5370 reads

Before I Go: A Neurosurgeon's Final Reflections On Mortality
Einstein was one of the first to confirm that time and space are truly relative phenomena, and no where is relativity more palpable than in the operating room of a hospital. For neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi, time as he knew it underwent a radical shift when he was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer. From the rush of the operating room to the tortoise trudge of rest and uncertain recovery, Paul, ... posted on Mar 30, 66549 reads

Everybody Is Good At Something: Meeting VR Ferose
V. R. Ferose was a rising star at SAP in Bangalore when he first found out that his son Vivaan was on the Autism spectrum. He locked himself in his bathroom and cried for a half hour. His friend, on the other hand, congratulated him: "A lot of people struggle to find a purpose, but you're lucky that you purpose has found you." Indeed, Ferose and his wife found their purpose. "My wife...decided to ... posted on May 27, 28502 reads

What Makes A Great Workplace?
How many of us truly love our jobs? With longer work hours, and less opportunity for creativity and personal advancement - it's no wonder so many of us dread that Monday morning return to work. But, what alternatives do we have? It turns out - there are plenty. In his new book, The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace psychologist Ron Friedman explores the... posted on Apr 21, 193160 reads

What Does It Mean To Be Fully Human
"To be fully human is really to discover who I am ... To discover who I am is to discover also the unity between my head and my heart." Jean Vanier answers some "big questions" including "what does it mean to be fully human"-- questions that are the hallmark of the Templeton Prize. Vanier is the 2015 Templeton Prize Laureate for his work with L'Arche, a revolutionary international network of commu... posted on Apr 5, 6011 reads

The Blind Man & Armless Friend Who Planted Over 10,000 Trees
"Looking at the lush, green, tree-filled stretch of land north of the Yeli Village in China, it's hard to imagine that just 12 years ago, those plains were filled with nothing but rocks and weeds. This miraculous transformation is all thanks to the hard work and dedication of an elderly blind man named Jia Haixia and his friend Jia Wenqi, a double amputee with no arms. For more than 10 years, the ... posted on Apr 27, 30638 reads

Once-Homeless Man Revolutionizing Care for the Homeless
"Barsema remembered what it was like to be homeless and at the end of his rope. He'd faced a series of challenges early in life -- he'd lost everything after a struggle with alcoholism cost him his marriage, his home, and his real estate business. That led him to a mountaintop in Alaska, where he meant to commit suicide." Luckily, Barsema's parents took him in and helped him slowly bounce back. Fi... posted on Jun 4, 14339 reads

Life Starts at the Edge of Our Comfort Zone
"The sounds of a dance tune blast through the carriage and the man erupts into dance. Half smiles, awkward glances. But then one lady gets up and joins him. A man joins them. Others stand up, hesitantly at first but then exploding into uninhibited dance. Soon virtually everyone is up dancing. Smiles shine out as strangers dance through the train. Barriers drop, fears evaporate and joy emanates." V... posted on Jun 3, 24259 reads

The Cross Road of Should & Must
"When we choose Should, we're choosing to live our life for someone or something other than ourselves. The journey to Should can be smooth, the rewards can seem clear, and the options are often plentiful...Must is different. Must is who we are, what we believe, and what we do when we are alone with our truest, most authentic self. It's that which calls to us most deeply. It's our convictions, our ... posted on Jul 1, 15718 reads

Start Before You Feel Ready
"Start now, just get on and do it." That's the sort of advice given by billionaire, Richard Branson -- and, his life is a testimony to this simple principle. In fact, Branson has started so many new adventures in his life -- businesses, charities, and expeditions - that it's unlikely he ever felt "ready" to start any of them. But, isn't that sometimes what makes the difference? Forging ahead in l... posted on Jun 25, 24657 reads