Dalai Lama Foundation Study Circle Montreal

A universal characteristic of genius is humility. — David Hawkins

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Good News of the Day:
Generally we don’t equate genius with being humble. If anything, we expect the opposite, and are pleasantly surprised when we find a counterexample. But this presumption is actually relatively modern. Ancient Romans believed that a genius was actually an invisible, divine entity who would assist a person in a creative work. In effect, this view positions a person as an instrument of their work, as opposed to the supreme creator of it; built-in to this perspective was a way of fostering humility within the gift of extraordinary capability. Viral Mehta, long-time visionary of DailyGood, shares an insightful article on humility. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4654

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Be The Change:
Practice humility by listening deeply to a point of view you disagree with.

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4654

Great acts are made up of small deeds. — Lao Tzu

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Good News of the Day:
In this real-life kindness story, a man inspires generosity in a homeless woman after being approached by her for money. Having just heard good news in a friend’s life, he offers to buy food for her and shares his inspiration with the homeless lady: “Something nice happened to my friend recently, after a lot of struggles. When you came in, I thought that I should keep that chain of goodness going and do something for someone else. My act is small compared to my friend’s joy, but still, the love continues. You know what I mean? We have to keep the chain of love going.” After he buys her some food, the homeless lady consciously picks out a coin from her change, and drops a penny in the tip-jar! “You kept the chain of love going,” he states. “Yes, I did,” she affirms. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4583

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Be The Change:
Look for an everyday moment to turn into an opportunity to serve in a small way.

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4583

It’s not good enough for us to complain about what other people aren’t doing for us. It’s important that we all band together, think of an idea and pursue it. — Derreck Kayongo

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Good News of the Day:
Perhaps he noticed because his father was a soapmaker in Uganda. When Derreck Kayongo learned how much soap was thrown away by hoteliers in the US, and that 2 million children die each year due to a lack of santitation, he decided to do something about it. He started Global Soap Project. Volunteers across the U.S. collect the hotel soaps and ship them to the group’s warehouse in Atlanta. On Saturdays, Atlanta volunteers assemble there to clean, reprocess and package the bars. Then, they work with partner organizations to ship and distribute the soap directly to people who need it — for free. Thanks to this CNN Hero, more than 100,000 bars have been gifted to communities in nine countries. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4651

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Be The Change:
Tell a local hotel about the Global Soap Project.
http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4651a

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4651

No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it. — H. E. Luccock

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Good News of the Day:
The “intelligence” of a group can be measured, according to a new study, and it has little to do with the brain power of its individual members. What makes a team more intelligent has more to do with the group’s interactions. More equal participation and greater social awareness on the part of its members are the key factors in predicting a group’s intelligence. “It really calls into question our notion of what intelligence is,” said study lead author Anita Williams Woolley of Carnegie Mellon. “It’s been thought about as something that resides in one person.” Instead, three key social factors were correlated with group intelligence: how good the group was at distributing turn-taking, how socially sensitive the group members were, and how many women were on each team. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4652

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Be The Change:
In your next meeting, explore appropriate ways of eliciting the group’s wisdom.

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4652

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. — Thornton Wilder

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Tip of the Day:
“Count your blessings,” we’re often told — but what good does that do us? Plenty, according to Robert Emmons, the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude. After a decade of research, Dr. Emmons has found that people who practice gratitude have stronger immune systems, feel happier and more optimistic, and are more generous and compassionate. In this thorough article from Greater Good magazine, Dr. Emmons explores why gratitude does us so much good, brings to light the obstacles to practicing gratitude, and offers steps to leading a more grateful life. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4552

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Be The Change:
Count your blessings. For inspiration, a short passage by Pierre Pradervand, from “The Gentle Art of Blessing:” http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4552a

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4552

Reading takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere. — Hazel Rochman

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Good News of the Day:
When Alice Ozma was in the fourth grade, her family was going through a rough patch. Her parents had just split up, and her older sister had recently left for college. Ozma was suddenly spending a lot more time alone with her dad, Jim Brozina, an elementary school librarian. So Ozma and her father made a pledge: to read together every single night for 100 days. But after 100 days, they just kept going. Their streak ultimately lasted nine years. 3,218 consecutive days — spanning from Ozma’s fourth-grade year to her first day of college. Their commitment to reading and to each other are the subject of Ozma’s debut book, The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4650

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Be The Change:
On this Fathers Day, share your gratitude with someone who has supported your life journey.

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4650

Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours. — Les Brown

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Good News of the Day:
Principal Sherrie Gahn knew she had a problem that a traditional public school could not fix. Inside Whitney Elementary School in East Las Vegas, nearly 85 percent of the children are homeless. That’s 518 kids out of 610. “When I saw the children eating ketchup for lunch, and wanting to take it home,” she says, “it just crushed me,” says Gahn. So she came up with a plan involving the kids, their parents and the community. “I told the parents that I would give them whatever they need,” Gahn says. “All I need them to do is give me their children and let me teach them. In turn I will give you food and clothes and we will take them to the eye doctor. I will pay your rent, pay your utilities, but keep your child here.” http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4649

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Be The Change:
Consider volunteering with a school or mentoring students in your community.

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4649