Dalai Lama Foundation Study Circle Montreal

What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now. — Buddha

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Inspiration of the Day:
In 1992, Derek Redmond was running the race of his life — the 400-meter dash at the Summer Olympics. In the previous Olympics, he was forced to withdraw 10 minutes before the race due to an Achilles injury but now he was he was ready and heavily favored to medal. His father was in the stands cheering. The race began and 175 meters into it, he pulled his hamstring muscle and collapsed on the ground. As the stretchers rolled out, he refused to get on. And he started hobbling towards the finish line. The rest of the story is best seen in this uplifting video. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4690

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Be The Change:
The Greek word for encouragement is “paraklesis,” literally meaning “to be called to one’s side.” Stand by someone today.

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4690

Wisdom is knowing what to do next, skill is knowing how to do it, and virtue is doing it. — David Starr Jordan

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Inspiration of the Day:
“How can we foster more virtue in our societies?” A question sparked for researcher Kentaro Toyama by a one-time interaction with a rickshaw driver in India. This reflective piece goes on to propose ideas for fostering virtue in three areas: Education, Measurement, and Mentoring. And of course, the question “How can I foster more virtue in myself?” comes up as well. There we’re left with the intriguing idea that a virtue such as self-control operates much like a muscle: extensive use in the short-term can deplete it, but steady use over the long term — like physical exercise for muscles — can strengthen it. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4655

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Be The Change:
Try fostering virtue through creating or joining community, as Kentaro suggests. Experiment with making values your organizing principle.

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4655

The most important lessons in life can never be expressed in black and white, but must be experienced. Experience is the greatest teacher. — Benny Lewis

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Good News of the Day:
“Eight years. That’s 416 weeks, or almost 3,000 days. This is the amount of time that I have not had a fixed home; moving to a new country, culture and language every few months and taking absolutely everything I own with me. In 2003, on the week of my 21st birthday, I left Ireland for good. I had graduated university a few days before, and knew that I’d only be coming back “home” for visits. But it’s not really my home any more. Since then, ‘wherever I lay my hat, that’s my home.’ I have become the person I was meant to be in the last 4/5 of a decade, while on the road. And I certainly still have a lot left to learn.” Recently, it was Benny Lewis’s 29th birthday and 8 year “travelversary,” so he shared 29 lessons he’s learned about life: http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4688

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Be The Change:
What are some lessons you’ve learned from travelling? Share them with Benny and other readers here. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4688a

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4688

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. — Albert Einstein

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Inspiration of the Day:
When you take a moonlit stroll on the beach, how often do you think about the tiny grains of sand creeping in between your toes? From above, sand seems like a bunch of tiny brown rocks, perhaps peppered with occasional shells or beach miscellany. But sand has a far more fascinating story to tell. Composed of the remnants of volcanic explosions, eroded mountains, dead organisms, and even degraded man-made structures, sand can reveal the history — both biological and geologic — of a local environment. And examined closely enough, as the scientist and artist Gary Greenberg has, sand can reveal spectacular colors, shapes, and textures. Greenberg used an Edge 3D Microscope to take pictures of sand from around the world, creating these incredible images. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4687

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Be The Change:
Choose something to look deeply into today, and see what new understanding you gain.

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4687

The more you give, the more you live, and it’s never too early to start. — Blake Mycoskie

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Good News of the Day:
There is a rising consciousness to do good in a world recovering from recession and facing global challenges. But what does social good mean? Traditionally, it is a good or service that benefits the largest number of people in the largest possible way. As more and more organizations and individuals wake up to the groundswell of social good, the realm is expanding. Many innovations are emerging, whether in business models, products and services. Some are aided by technology, others have their roots in building communities both online and offline. Here is a look at social good in action from the perspectives of consumers, communities, businesses, public institutions, and nonprofits http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4642

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Be The Change:
Take part in doing something for the positive change. Check out OpenIDEO, a collaborative online platform for social good. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4642a

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4642

Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart bigger. — Ben Okri

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Good News of the Day:
Whenever the stabbing pain in her knee becomes unbearable, 17-year-old Mackenzie Bearup picks up a book and starts to read. While previous treatments — painkillers, physiotherapy, acupuncture, hyperbaric oxygen therapy — have failed, a self-prescribed reading cure works. “So far, books have been my only medicine,” Bearup says. Reading and healing have an age-old association. In ancient Egypt, libraries were known as psyches iatreion, “sanatoriums of the soul.” During the Renaissance, the poetry of the Psalms was thought to “banish vexations of both the soul. Now, science is starting to prove what readers and writers have long known: Words can help us repair and revitalize our bodies as well as our minds. And as a result, bibliotherapy — reading specific texts in response to particular situations or conditions — is becoming more and more popular among psychologists, physicians, librarians and teachers. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4686

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Be The Change:
Mackenzie Bearup realized that there were many others kids like her, struggling with pain, and that reading could help them. To date, she has donated 38,000 books! Her site for collecting books for homeless shelters: http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4686a

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4686

We can chart our future clearly and wisely only when we know the path which has led to the present. — Adlai E. Stevenson

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Good News of the Day:
“I love a good interview. To me, there’s nothing so useful for demystifying the creative process as hearing an artist or entrepreneur speak from a very personal perspective about how, and why, they do what they do. This weekend, I combed through my archive of epic and inspiring interviews and came up with this shortlist. Straight talk from Ernest Hemingway, Dieter Rams, Patti Smith, Steve Jobs, Ansel Adams, Tina Brown, Chuck Close and more.” http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4672

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Be The Change:
Apply visionary thinking today, to circumstances ordinary and otherwise. On balancing vision and routine: http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4672a

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4672