Dalai Lama Foundation Study Circle Montreal

[Flow means] being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

~~~~
Tip of the Day:
Have you ever lost yourself in your work, so much so that you lost track of time? Being consumed by a task like that, while it can be rare for most people, is a state of being called Flow. In my experience, it’s one of the keys to happiness at work, and a nice side benefit is that it not only reduces stress but increases your productivity. So how do you achieve this mystical state of being? Do you need to meditate or chant anything? No, you don’t (although meditation can improve your ability to concentrate). And Flow is anything but mystical — it’s very practical, and achieving it isn’t mysterious. It can take practice, but you’ll get better at it. Here are the key steps to achieving and benefiting from Flow:” Leo Babauta shares further.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AD331:C3009629A010612C9DDCC9D71A1DA0BCB4B847859706E37D&

~~~~
Be The Change:
The author of the seminal book, “Flow,” summarizes his theory for optimal experience in this short passage.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AD332:C3009629A010612C9DDCC9D71A1DA0BCB4B847859706E37D&

**Share A Reflection**
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AD333:C3009629A010612C9DDCC9D71A1DA0BCB4B847859706E37D&

Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence. — Eric Fromm

~~~~
Inspiration of the Day:
“When he speaks, you can sense a depth of earnest care in his voice. When you hear his stories, you know you’re in the presence of a sacred soul. And it sort of sneaks up on you that he’s served in hospices and with the homeless, that he spends his days mentoring college students as UPenn’s University Chaplain. From gentle stories about his daughters to lessons from his “knucklehead punk” youth days, and revolutionary New Year’s resolutions, Rev. Charles Howard — or Chaz, as he is lovingly known — shared insights along the valleys and peaks of his service journey, and the inter-connections that stand woven underneath it all.”
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AD2AA:C3009629A010612CAF00B01BED2F25E6B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~
Be The Change:
“Remember that you don’t choose love. Love chooses you. All you can really do is accept it for all its mystery when it comes into your life.”
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AD2AB:C3009629A010612CAF00B01BED2F25E6B4B847859706E37D&

**Share A Reflection**
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AD2AC:C3009629A010612CAF00B01BED2F25E6B4B847859706E37D&

My view is that if your philosophy is not unsettled daily then you are blind to all the universe has to offer. — Neil deGrasse Tyson

~~~~
Inspiration of the Day:
Few things take our breath away so easily, so seamlessly as images of our world — Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. Sit back for the next two minutes and let the spectacle of our cosmos fill your senses. The deep emotional relationship we feel to our planet is evident.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AD1D2:C3009629A010612CBC03DD7139103E3CB4B847859706E37D&

~~~~
Be The Change:
Watch the sky today, reflecting on “all the universe has to offer.”

**Share A Reflection**
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AD1D3:C3009629A010612CBC03DD7139103E3CB4B847859706E37D&

Your outlook affects your outcome. — John Paul Warren

~~~~
Good News of the Day:
A few years ago, Geoffrey James interviewed some of the most successful CEOs in the world in an attempt to uncover the secret of their leadership abilities. He learned that the world’s most accomplished managers have a fundamentally different understanding of workplace, company, and team dynamics. According to James, the “best of the best” tend to share the following eight core beliefs.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16ACF52:C3009629A010612C0BFB27C5ADDF9C0EB4B847859706E37D&

~~~~
Be The Change:
For further inspiration, a short passage called “Business Lessons from A Quiet Gardener,” which describes the connection between servant leadership and gardening.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16ACF53:C3009629A010612C0BFB27C5ADDF9C0EB4B847859706E37D&

**Share A Reflection**
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16ACF54:C3009629A010612C0BFB27C5ADDF9C0EB4B847859706E37D&

Give like the rose gives its perfume — effortlessly, unconditionally because it is its own nature. — Swami Vivekananda

~~~~
Good News of the Day:
Today, April 26th, is Pay-it-Forward Day, and to get fired up to celebrate it, here are ten great, real-world stories. Each demonstrates a different way of expressing kindness — anonymously, just because it is in our own true nature.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16ACCD9:C3009629A010612C06FD4BA53898B1A3B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~
Be The Change:
You guessed it — celebrate Pay-it-Forward day with your own anonymous act of kindness. If you feel inspired to, share it with others here.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16ACCDA:C3009629A010612C06FD4BA53898B1A3B4B847859706E37D&

**Share A Reflection**
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16ACCDB:C3009629A010612C06FD4BA53898B1A3B4B847859706E37D&

What hurts you, blesses you.
Darkness is your candle.
Your boundaries are your quest. — Jalalluddin Rumi

~~~~
Good News of the Day:
Jill Bolte Taylor, Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy and Chef Grant Achatz are an unlikely trio. What do this brain scientist, late eye surgeon, and a leader of the molecular gastronomy movement [yes there is such a thing] have in common? At a takeoff point in their careers they were each dealt a sucker punch — one that robbed them of what was arguably their greatest gift. Yet none of them threw in the towel. And each would rise to greatness after mining their unthinkable experiences of loss for deeper insight into the human experience.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16ACB29:C3009629A010612CD4E282D369454B5EB4B847859706E37D&

~~~~
Be The Change:
Practice working with the milder, mundane forms of loss that we encounter in everyday living. Try using them as grist for the mill in your own evolution.

**Share A Reflection**
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16ACB2A:C3009629A010612CD4E282D369454B5EB4B847859706E37D&