The Beauty of Questions
"I don't think we always give questions the time and attention they deserve, often mistaking them as being mere stepping stones to an answer (...) When used properly, questions have the potential to connect us to the world of another. A heartfelt "How are you?" or "How was your day?" can become the bridge that keeps us in relationship to the lives of those we love. Sometimes, too, questions create... posted on Oct 26, 13661 reads

An 8-Year-Old's Lemonade Stand for Freedom
"Sometimes the best life lessons can be learned from kids. Kids like Miss Vivienne Harr of Fairfax, California. Vivie, as she likes to be called, is a personality-full-cup-runneth-over, 8-year-old philanthropy phenom who set up a lemonade stand -- or what I like to call Lemonade Stand 2.0. Vivie was inspired to take a stand against slavery after seeing an installation on slavery by Lisa Kristine,... posted on Oct 21, 18611 reads

Generation We: The Movement Begins
"We, the youth of the United States, believe our birthright has been betrayed," declares the Millennial Generation, the largest generation in American history, to date. They inherit a country in decline and a broken political system. Still, America's young people declares a manifesto of hope -- to restore the American dream. This short film shares more.... posted on Nov 7, 3814 reads

Don't Worry Be Healthy
"The adage, "Don't worry, be happy," suddenly has a lot more weight behind it, thanks to the latest medical research. In the first-ever systematic review of happiness and heart health, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston have found that a positive outlook on life can actually protect your heart from cardiovascular disease."... posted on Nov 11, 8700 reads

20 Questions for Thanksgiving
"It can be challenging to create rich and meaningful family conversations about gratitude. I know I've felt disappointed when my "What do you feel thankful for?" questions are met with quick, predictable responses that bring the conversation to a close soon after it's begun. This Thanksgiving season, I'm taking a different approach by coming up with 20 gratitude questions to help enliven our shari... posted on Nov 22, 103111 reads

Have You Seen the Wizard?
"I saw it when I stopped at a red light at the intersection of Lake City Way and 95th Street: an old, bearded man -- was he a wizard? -- staring down at the street from a sign on a telephone pole. I smiled. How weird. Before the light turned green, I took a picture. "Fun things out in the world for no apparent reason," I posted on Instagram. "Love those." An Instagramer named Ericka clued me in wi... posted on Nov 29, 8712 reads

The City That Ended Hunger
"To begin to conceive of the possibility of a culture of empowered citizens making democracy work for them, real-life stories help -- not models to adopt wholesale, but examples that capture key lessons. For me, the story of Brazil's fourth largest city, Belo Horizonte, is a rich trove of such lessons. Belo, a city of 2.5 million people, once had 11 percent of its population living in absolute pov... posted on Nov 27, 74591 reads

Take Your Life Back
"The waiter was halfway through taking my family's order when his manager called him away."Where did the waiter go?" Sophia, our seven-year-old, asked. Daniel, our five-year old, looked at me and then answered, "I think he had to take a conference call." Even before hearing Daniel's analysis of the waiter's momentary inattention, I knew I had a problem: I work all the time." What follows is the st... posted on Nov 30, 26499 reads

The Child Who Plants Gardens to Feed the Hungry
It started with a tiny cabbage seedling that Katie Stagliano, a third grader in South Carolina, took home and tended until it grew to an amazing 40 pounds! Katie donated that cabbage to a local soup kitchen. Now 14, Katie has inspired over 50 gardens in over 20 states that donate thousands of pounds of fresh vegetables to people in need.... posted on Dec 2, 3604 reads

A Friendship Forged From Forgiveness
"Azim Khamisa smiles when he spots a round-faced man with spectacles striding into a sun-dappled courtyard on the campus of San Diego State University. The two embrace. They're here to deliver an unusual talk, one that, over the years, they have presented to millions of students across the country. Minutes later, inside a warmly lit amphitheater, Khamisa takes the stage. "I'd like to introduce to ... posted on Dec 4, 29820 reads

Radical Generosity: From Me to We
Radical Generosity is based on the idea of a gift economy in which the primary question is, "how can I serve you?" rather than, "how can you help me?" It's a shift from 'me' to 'you,' practiced in countless different ways by people all over the world. Some pass along a smile, a kind word, or an anonymous gift of flowers. A bread-maker asks that you pay only what you think his product is worth; a r... posted on Jun 26, 24578 reads

The Power of Failure, People & Karma Banking
Six months out of grad school Jim Fruchterman found himself at a rocket launchpad for one of the very first private enterprise rocket companies. "Our business manager was doing the countdown. 5-4-3-2-1, oh, BLEEP. The rocket blew up!" It was a pivotal failure in his trajectory. Fruchterman moved to the Bay Area and started his own rocket company. It failed. He helped start seven other high tech co... posted on Dec 12, 15156 reads

The Most Beautiful Street in the World
"There are an estimated 11 million miles of paved road on Earth, forming a sprawling network which some might say represents humanity's conquest of the otherwise inaccessibly wild landscape. But, ironically it seems, the most beautiful streets in world just might be the ones that more closely resemble the untamed. With so many scenic streets in cities across the globe determining which of all is p... posted on Apr 12, 17925 reads

Airlines Offers Free Ride to Tardy Butterfly
Each year "thousands of Monarch butterflies begin to emerge from their cocoons and gather en masse in South Texas, storing up energy for their seasonal migration into central Mexico. In late September, butterfly enthusiast Maraleen Manos-Jones discovered a Monarch caterpillar forming a cocoon in her backyard in New York state. Knowing full well that the fragile insect, once emerged, would not surv... posted on Feb 24, 8380 reads

Flipped Learning
In "flipped learning," students watch podcasts of their teacher's lectures on their own time and spend their time in the classroom applying what they've learned at home. This allows students to learn at their own pace by watching the lecture as many times as they need. Schools that have applied this method of teaching in all their classrooms have seen their failure rates drop dramatically.... posted on Jan 30, 4214 reads

How To Be Yourself
Some days, you need to remind yourself about what's truly important in life. So sit back with a cup of your favorite beverage and give yourself a few minutes to savor this sweet video, which gives you a prescription for happiness in two minutes, starting with "show up."... posted on Feb 15, 13895 reads

Amazing Father-Daughter Duo Wins Marathon
"Iram Leon was the first runner to cross the finish line at the Gusher Marathon in Beaumont, Texas on Saturday with a time of 3:07:35. But Leon, who has brain cancer, insists that his 6-year-old daughter was technically the winner -- he pushed her in a stroller the entire 26-mile race. "Here sore, reflecting and grateful, I still can't believe that I won a marathon. Well, I came in second behind K... posted on Mar 18, 13377 reads

Love Your Life: An Interview with Maurice Sendak
As our spirit grows, we become more in touch with the beauty of the world. Artist Christoph Niemann illustrates his personal take on an interview with Maurice Sendak on NPR's Fresh Air. He invites us into a world of wild things, inspiration and the love that Sendak has for the world. "Live your life, live your life, live your life."... posted on Mar 16, 6471 reads

The Guardian of Golden Gate
The Golden Gate Bridge is an iconic landmark of San Francisco, drawing millions of visitors each year. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most popular suicide destinations in the world. California Highway Patrol Sergeant, Kevin Briggs, has saved hundreds of people from jumping over the famous railings in his 26 years of patrolling the bridge through his compassion and dedication - a true everyda... posted on Mar 30, 5140 reads

The Difference Between Listening & Hearing
"There is a difference, strong but not always noted, between listening and hearing. You hear the pneumatic drill, though you would rather not listen. You listen for your children's voices in the playground, but you can't always hear them. In urban environments, there's usually a surplus of sound -- so much, in fact, that it often becomes difficult to hear anything at all. But if we become too good... posted on Apr 8, 26866 reads

A Volcanic Eruption of Kindness
"I run a hotel in London. During the problems with the now infamous ash cloud, I spent the morning listening to people calling in to a radio show on London's LBC radio station to tell their stories of woe. The story that struck me the most was a call from a man named Peter who had just gotten married the previous weekend to Maz. They were due to leave for their honeymoon to the Dominican Republi... posted on Jun 19, 4630 reads

7 Tips to Transform Boredom
"One of the patron saints of my Happier at Home project, Samuel Johnson, wrote, "It is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having as little misery and as much happiness as possible." One "little thing" that can be a source of unhappiness is boredom. Waiting in traffic. Waiting for the subway. Doing the dishes. Waiting in a doctor's office. Listening to your thirteen year old ... posted on Apr 17, 35057 reads

Julia Cameron on the Creative Life
"Time is like a river. We wash our bones like stones. Time is not the answer. Time is not the quest. Time is where we journey while we learn the rest. Washing in the river of the self." Over twenty years after publishing "The Artist's Way", a bestseller guide to bringing out one's creative self, author Julia Cameron has taken many risks. In this interview with Sounds True, she speaks courageously ... posted on May 7, 26709 reads

7 People Under 30 Changing Our World
"Members of the Millennial Generation are predisposed to start organizations and businesses, with 15% doing so right out of college, an increase of 300% from 20 years ago. Here are the stories of seven people under 30 who are making this kind of impact from Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation is Shaping Our World." This Fast Company article shares more.... posted on Apr 20, 9767 reads

9 Things Educators Should Know About the Brain
Learning is a dynamic function that each person experiences in a vastly different way. For instance, one individual may retain knowledge the best by studying a textbook while another may need to link an idea to a physical activity they perform. It is important to apply this concept both in our classrooms along with our own daily lives. This is especially critical in a child's early formative years... posted on Jun 2, 148740 reads

24 Acts of Kindness To Restore Faith In Humanity
Remember the time when someone let you cut in line at the grocery store because you only had one item to pay for? How about that day on the subway when you witnessed a seemingly self-absorbed teenager, glued to his iPod, giving up his seat for an elderly lady with a cane? These stories stay with us because they are reminders that, even in the face of adversity and darkness we have a shining capa... posted on Jun 8, 45999 reads

Trees: The Alternative Cathedral
When I feel off-balance, shaken by the blows of life or mired in the inertia of not caring, I seek contact with nature, which I call a primary source of re-centering. Contact with nature offers a gift of presence, helping us to open up to the world around us, rather than pursue distracting thoughts or emotions. Even for an urban dweller, walking in a park fills one with a sense of one's roots in t... posted on May 5, 23055 reads

Mind In The Forest: The Intelligence of Trees
Scott Russell Sanders spent many meditative days in the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, among the giant trees. He asked himself, How does their intelligence compare with our own? What might we learn from them? He concludes that "only cosmic arrogance tempts us to claim that all this reaching for sunlight, nutrients, and water means nothing except what we say i... posted on Jul 11, 12714 reads

David Foster Wallace's Speech for the Ages
O, the maddening tedium of the everyday responsibilities of adult life! It plagues us because the "default setting" of our mentality is to feel victimized by circumstance. We place ourselves in the center of the universal narrative, making the plot-line all about ourselves. In his 2005 commencement address, novelist David Foster Wallace speaks refreshingly about personal empowerment. The freedom c... posted on May 16, 6039 reads

Orchestra of the Wild
In this fascinating report which includes actual sounds of the wild, Bernie Krause, known as the father of soundscape ecology, describes how he came to record the voice of the natural world. There wasn't a single experienced or knowledgeable audio technician on whom he could rely. He went forward into a hitherto uncharted territory to discover more than he bargained for. Read on about some of his ... posted on Jul 26, 21649 reads

Superheroes Lend A Hand In Children's Cancer Ward
"Superheroes are lending a helping hand to a hospital in Brazil that takes care of kids fighting cancer. Batman, Superman, the Green Lantern and Wonder Woman are just some of the friendly faces taking on chemotherapy treatment alongside kids at the A.C. Camargo Cancer Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil."... posted on Mar 1, 12900 reads

The Mango Girls: Saved By Trees
"In India where traditionally boys have been preferred over girls, a village in Bihar state has been setting an example by planting trees to celebrate the birth of a girl child. And this practice is paying off." For the people of the Dharhara village, planting trees provides much more than agricultural benefits, it's their solution to some of the serious challenges that plague their population. ... posted on Aug 16, 7885 reads

Mindfulness in Politics
"Mindfulness meditation" is a growing movement, but can it unstick the modern political gridlock? Congressman Tim Ryan thinks so, and is calling for a "quiet revolution" in America. "Practicing mindfulness may not get everyone on the same page in detailed policy terms, he believes, but it could help to find more common ground between different views." This interview with Ryan shares more of his wo... posted on Sep 6, 28600 reads

Estonia's Bank of Happiness
Estonia's capital, Tallinn, is considered to be one of the world's leading technological cities - a city in which the majority of transactions occur online. But nestled deep within the constructs and limitations of this digital world, there resides one group -- whose sole purpose it is to harness the true power of the Internet for good. This "Bank of Happiness" doesn't transact in currency or cred... posted on Nov 10, 10719 reads

How 365 Thank You Notes Changed My Life
At just 52 years old, and after having lost nearly everything, John Kralik found himself in a desperate search --a search for just one thing for which he might feel thankful. His search led him to a walk along a mountain road, where his mind sifted through the details of all of his most recent troubles. It was then that John realized, that he should find gratitude for all that he had, instead of f... posted on Aug 18, 100338 reads

Joanna Macy: A Wild Love for the World
Joanna Macy is best known today as a Buddhist scholar and activist. She also translated the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. Her adventurous life included working for the CIA in Cold War Germany, then, as a young mother, she moved with her husband to post-colonial India, where she cared for Tibetan refugees, joining the young, newly exiled Dalai Lama. Later, she became an environmental activist. Lear... posted on Nov 3, 35256 reads

5 Ways to Ease Envy
Ah, the green glow of envy that clings desperately to our heels, and manifests often in the most unexpected of ways. Envy knows no rest, as we find ourselves surrounded each day by those we feel to be better equipped, better looking...or just simply better! So, how do we find relief from its crushing grasp? Author Juliana Breines offers her approach to disarming the little green-eyed monster befor... posted on Oct 13, 28764 reads

How To Think Like A Wise Person
"If I asked you to judge how smart someone is, you'd know where to start. But if you were going to assess how wise that person is, what qualities would you consider?" In this compelling article, Dr. Adam Grant discusses the latest research on determinants of wisdom and some of the outcomes of living a wise life.... posted on Nov 20, 58035 reads

Inside the Mind of the Octopus
Recent research indicates that the octopus, while "only" an invertebrate, is remarkably intelligent. This author ventures to visit with and study one. He quotes Philosopher Godfrey-Smith, "It's remarkable how little we know (about octopuses) ... but we may have to change how we think about the nature of the mind itself to take into account minds with less of a centralized self." Learn more about t... posted on Sep 19, 8770 reads

Haircuts for Hugs
"Each Wednesday, barber Anthony Cymerys sets up his chair in the shade of an oak tree in Hartford's Bushnell Park. His clients line up on park benches, some of them also turning out for free meals provided on Wednesdays by a local church. One by one they take a seat in a folding lawn chair above a car battery Cymerys uses to power his clippers. For longtime clients, the homeless, or those just do... posted on Jan 5, 9974 reads

Chai With Love
Meet R. Sekar, a reserved man who sells tea for a living in his little tea shop in India. With his meagre earnings, this man with a golden heart shows us that you do not have riches to help others. "I am happy with what I have and can do with even less. I do not need more. What will I do [with more]?" he asks. Read about how this big-hearted man touches the lives of those who visit his tea shop.... posted on Feb 15, 27985 reads

The Cancer Camp that Kids Want to Go To
"What if, instead of worrying whether your mom had sewed name tags into your underwear for summer camp, you had to wonder whether she would still be alive when you got home? Or what if you were 6 years old and got packed off to "Cancer Camp" by your grieving father not long after your mother died of the disease? That's what happened to Kieran Ward, of Menlo Park, now 13, who had to get on a wait... posted on Oct 27, 4142 reads

A Letter From Fred
It didn't exactly conform to the rules of the online video contest for up-and-coming singer/songwriters, but when producer Jacob Colgan received 96-year-old Fred Stobaugh's handwritten lyrics in a mania envelope, it was an entry he couldn't ignore. Fred penned the song "Oh Sweet Lorraine" in memory of his recently departed wife of 72 years; but, as his letter to the studio said, "I don't sing. It ... posted on Dec 2, 6124 reads

Maya Angelou On Resilience and Children
"If children are given the chance to believe they're worth something-- if they truly believe that-- they will insist upon it. That is in Rome, Italy, or Rome, Arkansas; in Paris, France, or Paris, Texas. Children don't have to be born with a silver spoon in their mouths, but if they can be convinced they're the best, they become resilient. They themselves will resist any attempts to belittle them.... posted on Nov 19, 17461 reads

16 Habits of Exuberant Human Beings
Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, theorizes that while 60 percent of happiness is determined by our genetics and environment, the remaining 40 percent is up to us. Through his research, Seligman discovered that happy people have consistent habits which may be introduced into our day to day life.Take a moment to read this delightful article, in which Seligman introduce the 16 habi... posted on Dec 27, 356475 reads

A 5-Year-Old's Reflection On Life & Death
Steve Lewis has seven kids and 16 grandchildren crowding into a life lived at the loud edge of chaos, so any quietly intimate moments with his five-year-old granddaughter are rare. He is touched as she wishes him a long life in her own way. This beautiful piece shares more.... posted on Nov 9, 50797 reads

All Because Of George
Gone are the days when a firm handshake and a smile 'sealed the deal.' Lately, it seems that even the most beautiful of deeds are often viewed with a hint of suspicion. Have we become so distant, that we are incapable of reaching through these barriers to service? Read this most beautiful article about how one man's selfless actions restored another family's faith in humanity. Because of George, w... posted on Feb 12, 33194 reads

Advocacy For Altrusim
For years, many have argued that our need to help others isn't an act of selflessness -- rather, a trait which is embedded deeply in our DNA. "Basically,they used to say that behind all altruistic gestures, there is a selfish motive. In other words, a clever and acute mind will always find a selfish motive behind a good deed," says french Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard. Thus, is the paradox of altr... posted on Jan 27, 7920 reads

How To Turn Your Brain From Anger To Compassion
Why do we need compassion? Are we so genetically compelled to alleviate the suffering of others, that our minds are momentarily able to shift from 'self' to 'selflessly?' Or, is it possible that acting with compassion helps to relieve our own pain, as well? The Buddhist tradition offers, "Just like me, you want to be happy; just like me, you want to be free of suffering" -- thus, reinforcing the b... posted on Jan 26, 25300 reads

This Will Make You Smarter
Suppose you had the chance to ask the world's top scientists, psychologists and innovators what they believed were the most important concepts to add to your "cognitive toolkit." What might their answers be? To find out, you may want to read John Brockman's book "This Will Make You Smarter." a compilation of 151 answers from some of the brightest minds on earth to this very question. Read on for a... posted on Jan 14, 35271 reads