Sangha of Auspicious Companions

October 22, 2017

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Choosing Authentic Conversations

Despite being published almost 10 years ago, “Authentic Conversations: Moving from Manipulation to Truth and Commitment” by Jamie and Maren Showkeir is still relevant. It’s message is a timely reminder that changing the culture requires changing our conversations. While they are addressing workplace conversations specifically, their strategies can be applied to any situation. An excerpt from the Introduction provides an example of their work through case histories, their analysis of situations, and their strategies for dealing with problems in a more responsible, constructive way. From the beginning of the book, we are challenged to “create a more mature, resilient organization with a capacity for creativity, innovation, and transformation in the face of unyielding marketplace demands.” One could easily substitute the word ‘family’ for ‘organization’ and ‘parenting’ or ‘marriage’ for ‘marketplace’ and apply their strategies with little or no modification. For example, their suggestions for accomplishing the first case history are: acknowledge the problem and name the issue, own your contribution to the problem, state the risks and acknowledge the possibility of things not working out, and present others with a choice. Quite simply, they recommend telling the truth, fostering adult-to-adult relationships, and consciously changing the workplace (or home place) environment by choosing to have authentic conversations. { read more }

Be The Change

Engaging in authentic conversations requires having emotional intelligence. Do you know what your emotional intelligence is? { more }

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October 21, 2017

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People Helped You Whether You Knew It Or Not

William Weaver, currently the chief of surgery at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center in North Carolina, doesn’t remember a single day in high school “that a teacher didn’t tell him that he didn’t belong.” This was in Knoxville, Tennessee, where in 1964, he was one of 14 black students integrating the all-white West High School. He remembers his test papers being unfairly snatched from him so he got poor grades initially, never being acknowledged for his accomplishments by his school, and eventually, starting to think, something was wrong with him. How, then, in the face of racism and adversity, did Weaver stay motivated, graduate from college, and go on to become a successful doctor? This article shines light on Weaver’s journey, and the mentor who cheered him on, visibly and invisibly, from the sidelines. { read more }

Be The Change

Reflect on how you have been the beneficiary of someone else’s act of kindness. If you are inspired, do something kind for someone anonymously.

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October 20, 2017

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How Trauma Lodges in the Body

Human memory is a sensory experience, says psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk. Through his longtime research and innovation in trauma treatment, he shares what he’s learning about how bodywork like yoga or eye movement therapy can restore a sense of goodness and safety. What he’s learning speaks to a resilience we can all cultivate in the face of overwhelming events — which, after all, make up the drama of culture, of news, and of life. { read more }

Be The Change

Tune into your inner experience today. Particularly in moments of unpleasantness or difficulty. Notice what happens when you simply observe your experience instead of pushing it away.

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October 19, 2017

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Bowing in Service: A Short Film with Unlikely Stars

Over two million women bow down countless times each night as they pick up waste and refuse in Indian cities, working through unhygienic conditions to keep India clean, earning a meager pay while their efforts go unnoticed. In this short film by actor and filmmaker Divyang Thakkar, we follow the story of children living in the slums in Ahmedabad, India and their acts of kindness and service as they recognize the selfless work done by these women. The film explores the thread linking the virtue of bowing in humility and the routine of bowing which these women undergo countless times while rag-picking. { read more }

Be The Change

Reflect on folks in your daily life who perform invisible selfless acts of service that usually go unrecognized — the custodian who cleans your office bathrooms, the person who drives the truck to collect trash, the postman, etc. How can you honor their service? For more inspiration, join this Saturday’s Awakin Call with Shamash Alidina, a mindfulness teacher and co-founder of The Museum of Happiness. RSVP and more details here.
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DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers “good news” to 243,798 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here.

Other ServiceSpace projects include:

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October 18, 2017

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Spotlight on Peacemakers

It is so easy to stir the stew, to add your own spice and heat to it until it boils over rendering anything inside charred and devoid of nutrition. How much more difficult it is to soothe an angry temper, to see from another’s point of view, to broker peace? In this Spotlight on Peacemakers, we take a look back at DailyGood features on remarkable people who have brought peace to tense situations and made peace a priority both in their own lives and in the world around them. { read more }

Be The Change

What is something you can do today to further peace?

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October 17, 2017

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What We Measure. What We Value. And Why the Difference Matters.

This thought-provoking piece highlights the problems that can occur when we let what we measure tell us what to value. “Whether you are in business, government, non-profit or academics, the metrics that surround you drive your action. The purpose of all these metrics is to drive productive action, and if you instead interpret these metrics as a measure of value, a very different set of counter-productive actions can emanate. This realization is an invitation to make an audacious attempt to first understand what productive action is in your context: that action which helps your work come alive and connects you to the rest of humanity through your unique contribution.” { read more }

Be The Change

Think of something you wish to accomplish by the end of the year. Now, come up with one small productive action you can take every day from now until then to help you achieve it.

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October 16, 2017

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The Myth of the Digital Gene

How do parents raise children in this digital age? In this TEDx talk, Mary Rothschild suggests that what children most need is a parent’s loving attention. Concerned that media saturation intrudes on a child’s imagination, she urges parents to consider the types of media their children are consuming and to make sure they also have plenty of free play, alone time, quiet, and attention. { read more }

Be The Change

Take time with your family at the end of the day to share stories together.
Repurpose empty time–perhaps waiting in a grocery line can be used to tell your children how their grandparents met. Give your full attention to your child.

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In Other News

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October 15, 2017

Small Acts of Kindness

Featured Kindness Stories

	He trusted these strangers to bring his expensive equipment back in one piece.
	Kindness competitions extend their transformative effects into womens’ prisons.
	Knitting anonymously to help babies and young families in need.

Idea of the Week