Sangha of Auspicious Companions

Economics of Happiness: The New Economy

Gross National Product measures everything, except that which makes life worthwhile. — Robert Kennedy

~~~~ Good News of the Day: Many people are facing their most significant economic challenges in generations. From the hardships of unemployment to the perils of mounting debt, worry about the health of a national economy that depends on consumerism and market success dominates our conversation. But what is the economy is really for? “We’ve had enough of the official mantra: Work more, enjoy less, pollute more, eat toxic foods and suffer illnesses, all for the sake of increasing the gross domestic product. Why not learn ways to work less and enjoy it more; spend more time with our friends and families; consume, pollute, destroy and owe less; and live better, longer and more meaningfully? To do all this, we need fresh solutions,” say John De Graff and Linsa Sechrist in their article on Economics of Happiness. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169D249:C3009629A010612CE613A9BBC7A6A5A0B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Explore research on well-being, at the New Economics Foundation. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169D24A:C3009629A010612CE613A9BBC7A6A5A0B4B847859706E37D&

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A 15-yr-old Dog’s Gift

Life is the first gift, love is the second, and understanding the third. — Marge Piercy

~~~~ Inspiration of the Day: “I have the pleasure of meeting hundreds of incredible heroes, but this one caught me off guard. Your hair will stand on end as you read the story of this man and this dog who picked one another up time and time again: ‘I saw in the front yard what appeared to be a very old dog that was in obvious distress. He would walk in a semi-circle, then fall to the ground, then struggle back to his feet and do it again. I saw him do this same thing at least three times as I walked over to him. This was to be by far my easiest rescue because this poor old boy was in no shape to run from me, but also the most heartbreaking.'” Laura Simpson, a tireless advocate for animals, shares a touching story of Roadie, the 15-yr old dog, and his gift to a grieving man. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169D185:C3009629A010612C7AF050E0AB10B93BB4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: The next time you are a little down, do an act of service — it might just be the gift you need.

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Dalai Lama Quote from Snow Lion Publications

Video of the Week: Young Leader of Rural India

You’re receiving this newsletter because you are a KarmaTube subscriber. Having trouble reading this mail? View it in your browser. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe Video of the Week Nov 18, 2011 Young Leader of Rural India This amazing 30-year-old woman leaves her senior management position in the corporate world to become the youngest person to head a village in India. She has brought about tremendous change by promoting education, providing access to clean drinking water, and building toilets for the people of her dessert village. Share: Related KarmaTube Videos Hardest Working Mayor in North America The Doctor Who Would Cure Haiti Mama Hope in Kenya Julia Butterfly Hill on ‘Disposability Consciousness’ About KarmaTube: KarmaTube is a collection of inspiring videos accompanied by simple actions every viewer can take. We invite you to get involved. Other CharityFocus Projects: DailyGood // Conversations // iJourney // HelpOthers MovedByLove // CF Sites // Karma Kitchen // More Thank you for helping us spread the good. This newsletter now reaches 39,080 subscribers.

Multivariate Bridges and Metaphysical Mangoes

How can I be useful, of what service can I be? There is something inside me, what can it be? — Vincent Van Gogh

~~~~ Inspiration of the Day: “Last weekend, my friend Nimo came to the group with a problem. On the main pathway between a slum and the nonprofit Manav Sadhna (MS), a stream had built up due to the persistent rain we’ve been getting lately. The issue was that kids from the slum trying to get to MS had to cross the stream daily or more with no proper way to walk, and between the water’s filthiness and the pressure it was rushing with, it was becoming a dangerous situation. Rumor even had it that one kid had climbed a parallel drinking water pipeline to cross the stream and had fallen from a considerable height. So our Sunday project was to go down to the stream and fashion together a safe walkway across the water.” What follows is an honest reflection on exploring service in action. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169CD03:C3009629A010612C26A195D4D9AC7E97B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: See something that needs to be done for the common good, but has no takers? Give it a shot and see what you learn.

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Dharma Quote from Snow Lion Publications

Kindness Daily: Practicing a Little Patience

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Practicing a Little Patience November 17, 2011 – Posted by Aurelia I work at night in a department store. Yesterday I had a customer come to my register to order socks from our catalog. It seemed pretty clear and easy to me, but she was struggling to figure out how many 3packs she needed to order. She apologized for being so confused and told me she had a head trauma and it was taking time for her to think. I told her not to worry and we would figure it out together. She pulled out paper and wrote down 3 and then put numbers in groups….it was really something how she worked hard to figure out 3 x 4 = 12. That she needed 12 pairs, which was 4 packs…which I could have just told her, but I could see she needed to figure it out and feel good about it. In the meantime, her husband showed up and she lost her train of thought. It took about 10 minutes to place her order, but she left feeling really good about herself and her husband thanked me profusely. Sometimes it’s hard to show patience, but it really pays off. Add/View Comment >> About Newsletter Kindness Daily is an email that delivers today’s featured story from HelpOthers.org. If you’d rather not receive this email, you can also unsubscribe. Similar Stories Grocery Store Flower Bouquet, by treeflowerpuzzle Lesson From A Janitor, by Raksha Paid In Full With One Glass of Milk, by brighteyes Children Have The Best Hearts, by ljcrowefamily Miles of Smiles, by JZ Helpful Links Smile Cards: do an act of kindness and leave a card behind to keep the chain going. Smile Decks: 52 cards with a kindness idea on each! Smile Groups: share your own stories, make friends, spread the good. Smile Ideas: loads of ideas that can support your drive of kindness. Unsubscribe If you’d rather not receive these stories by email, you can remove yourself with two easy clicks. Community

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Stillpower: A Path to Flow, Clarity, and Responsiveness

True change isn’t willful. It’s so fluent and intuitive that we don’t even realize it happened. — Garrett Kramer

~~~~ Tip of the Day: Sports guru and author Garret Kramer has a unique theory about what separates great performers. Kramer believes that the classic ‘grind it out’ mentality that we’re taught at a young age actually prevents athletes from realizing their potential — and he’s betting it’s impacting your performance at work, too. His insights led him to write a book: ‘Stillpower: The Inner Source of Athletic Excellence.’ In his words: “I truly believe the finest competitors in every sport, or in life, play the game with what I call stillpower not with willpower. This understanding is key to success. What I mean is that despite the desire to win, these competitors remain open to all possible outcomes; win or lose, they know they’ll be perfectly okay. What arises out of this is a level of consciousness that lets them excel.” http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169CBED:C3009629A010612C5C225B1DAA933BCEB4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: The next time you need to perform well, try engaging your ‘stillpower’ instead of your willpower.

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Quote of the Week | Seize the Vulnerable Moment

Learn More | Books and Audio | The Pema Chödrön Foundation

Teachings by Pema Chödrön, taken from works published by Shambhala Publications. Photo by ©Andrea Roth. Forwarded from a friend? You can subscribe to this e-mail emailList, and be sure to include both your old and new addresses. If you no longer wish to receive the Heart Advice e-mails, click here. If you can’t see the images, click here.

Students Stepping Up the Kindness

When you learn, teach. When you get, give. — Maya Angelou

~~~~ Good News of the Day: How amazing would it be to start the first day of school receiving random acts of kindness from your fellow students? Last year, a hundred students at Kansas State huddled early in the morning to see just how they could pool their time, money and creativity to surprise (and even shock!) their fellow students with unexpected generosity. From a welcome applause to paying for meals to wowing a driver with parallel park assistance, this is a short video that’ll make you smile. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169C96F:C3009629A010612CBF06C2C63E29E1F1B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Become a neighbor helping neighbors: explore 366 ways you can help your community. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169C970:C3009629A010612CBF06C2C63E29E1F1B4B847859706E37D&

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