Dalai Lama Foundation Study Circle Montreal

Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition. — James Baldwin

~~~~ Good News of the Day: When most people think of the American dream, they imagine all this country has to offer them. But for 40-year-old Hamid Chaudhry, a Pakistani immigrant and owner of a Dairy Queen in Reading, Pa., that dream isn’t just for the taking. “I’m part of the society,” Chaudhry tells CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman. “And when you belong somewhere, you have to give back.” A few years ago, after becoming a U.S. citizen, Chaudhry moved to Reading with his wife, a doctor. They have two children. For most people, that would be enough responsibility. But Chaudhry wanted more. He began by offering his services to Cumru Elementary school principal James Watts. Chaudhry offered to host the school fundraisers. He eventually began fundraising for other organizations as well: Soccer teams and Crime Stoppers. All told, Hamid has said “yes” to more than 100 community organizations.
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~~~~ Be The Change: Bloom where you are planted.

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He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still. — Lao Tzu

~~~~ Inspiration of the Day: The decisions made by powerful people in business and other fields have far-reaching effects on their organizations and employees. But new research finds a link between having a sense of power and having a propensity to give short shrift to a crucial part of the decision-making process: listening to advice. Power increases confidence, researchers say, which can lead to an excessive belief in one’s own judgment and ultimately to flawed decisions. This is among the first studies to examine whether power — defined as an individual’s “capacity to influence others, stemming in part from his or her control over resources, rewards, or punishments” — reduces or increases a person’s willingness to heed advice. Strategy+Business Magazine shares further. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169A7E2:C3009629A010612C0B077923E4E08169B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: In making your next significant decision, listen to the part of yourself that listens to others.

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But thou, doing kindness, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth. — Matthew 6:3

~~~~ Good News of the Day: “Giver Girl” and her husband “Giver Boy” came up with a simple yet powerful idea: donating $52 to a different charity every week for a year. After each experience, they post their moving reflections, invite others to join in, and maintain total anonymity. The brilliance of their project is captured in a week when they spontaneously decide to make that week’s gift a $52 tip to a waitress serving them. After leaving the tip, they decided to ‘run away without watching (their) waitress’s expression.’ “That’s it right there. That’s generosity. Giving in a sacrificial way with the intent of blessing others while seeking nothing in return — not even recognition, gratitude, or praise. And this lesson is the biggest gift that Giver Boy and Giver Girl have sent out.” Rev. Charles Howard, University Chaplain at UPenn, shares an inspiring case study of anonymous giving.
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~~~~ Be The Change: Write a note of encouragement and support to Giver Girl and Giver Boy. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169A6AA:C3009629A010612C6989A5FA3B4E3E2EB4B847859706E37D&

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We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are. — Anais Nin

~~~~ Tip of the Day: “Perhaps the statement that best exemplifies positive thinking is “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.” It seems so self-evident that this is a good thing that we never question the wisdom of the adage. But it does not take a whole lot of digging to unearth the flaws in this reasoning. First, did fate really hand you a lemon or was this merely your initial, unthinking response? Second, is a lemon really a bad thing, something that you would rather not have, but now that you do have it you will somehow salvage something by making lemonade? Finally, it is quite stressful to be handed a lemon until such time as you figure out how to make lemonade. Do you really have to go through this phase?” Prof. Srikumar Rao shares further about the limitations of positive thinking. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169A376:C3009629A010612CB592E920238E9C7DB4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: See what happens today when you check your tendency to label things as “bad.”

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It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards. — Lewis Carroll

~~~~ Inspiration of the Day: A freak accident involving a ceiling fan may have taken Su Meck’s memory of everything that happened for the first 22 years of her life, but it did not rob her of her determination. Since the accident that left her with amnesia, the 45-year-old from Maryland, has had to relearn how to walk, talk, read, write and drive. But Meck, whose identity was once as a mother and homemaker, carved out a place for herself as a college student. She went from having been reduced to the mental capacity of a young child to graduating from Montgomery (Md.) College with honors in May, earning an associate degree. “It was very confusing to me because everybody was telling me who I was before, and that wasn’t who I am now. It was almost like I’m a different person,” said Meck. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169A30E:C3009629A010612C7B63DD2DD72314EFB4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Wake up to possibility, especially in the midst of loss.

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Empathy is the greatest thing. There’s an expression I love: ‘Let people live in your heart.’ — Toshiro Kanamori, 4th grade teacher

~~~~ Good News of the Day: “What’s the most important thing this year?” asks Toshiro Kanamori to his students? “To be happy!” comes the joyous response. The class goal truly is to understand how to be happy and care for other people. It sounds like the sort of class a stressed or overworked adult would find, long after they graduated school. Instead, it is a different teaching approach taken by a grammar teacher in Tokyo, Toshiro Kanamori. One tradition in his class is that every day, three students read out “notebook letters,” authentic journal entries that express happiness, irritation, gratitude — or, as 10-year-old Ren expressed — sadness over his grandmother’s death. Watch Kanamori in action in this video, as he uses Ren’s letter to teach his students how to understand their inner thoughts, and deeply empathize with each other in the process. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169A243:C3009629A010612C4B36F4602D5C60D0B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Share an authentic “notebook letter” with a child in your life, and invite her/him to do the same.

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