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July 3, 2017

Small Acts of Kindness

Featured Kindness Stories

	Their son caught the kindness contagious bug.
	A random act of kindness leads to a marriage proposal.
	Accidentally taking the wrong bus put her on the path to be kind to multiple people.

Idea of the Week

July 3, 2017

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Are You Okay?: The Power of a Caring Question

When we intentionally slow ourselves down, we open ourselves up to a new world where calm has special powers and its magic is contagious. One day Aryae Coopersmith found himself rushing home, not noticing what was going on around him. He thought to himself, “‘This isn’t much fun! What if I just slow down? What if I can just be present and start noticing what’s going on around me?’ So I did that. I was about to cross the highway. Suddenly, I noticed that there was a teenage girl yelling and screaming and running. ‘What’s this about?’ I thought. She ran across the highway. Without any particular agenda, I walked across the highway to follow her and see what was going on.” Two large men were in the girl’s car, apparently trying to steal it. What Coopersmith did next was use calm actions to bring about positive changes, again and again. Find out how. { read more }

Be The Change

Today, try to catch yourself before your knee-jerk reactions and pause. See what effect it has on your behavior.

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July 2, 2017

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Spotlight on Finding Common Ground

Tensions run high. Sides are polarized. Even attempts at neutral, innocuous conversations seem stymied and fraught. How can we reestablish connection in our fractured communities? How can we reengage in conversation? How can we move forward together into our shared future? In this Spotlight on Finding Common Ground, we take a look back into past DailyGood features offering advice on how to come together and consider some stunning examples of people who have been able to overcome seemingly insurmountable differences to find common ground. Key to establishing connections among people and within communities are improving communication, focusing on common passions, and forgiving each other.
{ read more }

Be The Change

As you engage with those around you, particularly those with whom you disagree, try to listen and consider things from their point of view. Do you share a common belief or interest you can focus on to help you build a better foundation for a relationship? How can you use your gifts to better the community you share with each other?

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July 1, 2017

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Sister Lucy: The Mother Teresa of Pune

Sister Lucy Kurien founded Maher in 1997, one small home in a village outside of Pune. This humble beginning has blossomed into over 30 homes in over 85 rural communities around Pune, India as well as locations in Ratnagiri, Kerala and Jharkhan and has served over 4,000 women, men and children. Maher means mother’s home in Marathi. Sister Lucy has created the warmth and love of a mother’s home for the abused and traumatized women and their children. Part of Maher’s genius is that incoming women are cared for by a highly competent staff of mostly women – who themselves had once sought refuge at Maher. Sister Lucy says her prayer for the future is that the fire of real Love will ignite more people’s hearts, and inspire them to join this vital work. It can be done anywhere, and is needed everywhere. { read more }

Be The Change

Learn more about Maher through their website. What does ‘the fire of real Love’ mean to you? How can you ignite it in your own heart? { more }

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June 30, 2017

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Dr. Toni Frohoff: Life Among Dolphins

Dr. Toni Frohoff, Ph.D., who has dedicated her life to studying marine mammal behavior and communication, argues that humans can learn a lot from the wild animals with whom we share the planet, particularly dolphins. Dolphins show a remarkable capacity for experiencing and expressing a range of emotions, and communicate with other members of the species in ways that often defy human capabilities and logic. Dr. Frohoff emphasizes that there are lessons to be gleaned not only from examining the species’ evolutionary history, but from how they conduct their lives. It requires a quieting of the mind, she argues, to learn from other animals, as well as from each other. The way we treat our planet, and the creatures who inhabit it, have far-reaching implications for our generation and many to come. “It underscores the need for awareness of the interconnectedness of all beings.” { read more }

Be The Change

Are you inspired by Dr. Frohoff’s work? Send her a note of gratitude or appreciation by clicking the link below.

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Take Care of Each Other

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June 29, 2017

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Start Now, Start Small: Daily Ways to Build Resilience

Amy Cuddy of TED Talk fame and Bonnie St. John, who skied in the Olympics, are well known for their accomplishments, but they’ve also had setbacks. The most obvious — St. John’s leg amputation at age 5, and Cuddy’s traumatic brain injury as a teenager. However, they credit their success not to the lessons learned in dealing with major challenges, but rather the small ones. In this interview, we learn that “micro-resilience” and small tweaks can mean the difference between surviving, and thriving. According to St. John, “Micro-resilience is a lot of little things across a spectrum. There’s brain things, metabolism things, purpose-oriented things, anxiety.” Other areas for improvement can be your posture, relationship with fear, or mindset, adds Cuddy. Here, their stories and strategies for overcoming obstacles. { read more }

Be The Change

Today, shift a negative to a positive by reframing your nervousness as excitement.

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June 28, 2017

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OptOutside: REI’s Audacious Experiment in Integrity

For the last two Black Fridays, REI has done a remarkable thing. It closed the doors of all 143 of its retail stores, its headquarters and its two distribution centres and paid every one of its over 12,000 employees to enjoy the great outdoors with friends and family. Here’s how Jerry Stritzke, REI’s president and CEO, explained the decision: “As a member-owned co-op, our definition of success goes beyond money. We believe that a life lived outdoors is a life well lived and we aspire to be stewards of our great outdoors. We think that Black Friday has gotten out of hand and so we are choosing to invest in helping people get outside with loved ones this holiday season, over spending it in the aisles.” Read on to learn about the challenges of running a purpose-driven company and how REI is leading the way. { read more }

Be The Change

What is your own purpose as an individual? What action can you take this week to live that purpose?

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June 27, 2017

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Ursula Le Guin: Inner Preacher vs Inner Teacher

“Art transforms us not with what it contains but with what it creates in us”. Author Ursula La Guin challenges the notion of imbuing her work with meaning, and instead suggests that meaning is created by the reader. Instead of trying to convey a certain message or truth, La Guin argues that such messages are revealed to her only as she writes, but do not drive her to write in the first place. A piece of writing, she believes, can shape its audience in profoundly different ways, and she leaves space for it to do so. Distinguishing between her Inner Teacher and Inner Preacher, La Guin strives to follow her Inner Teacher, who “is subtle and humble because she hopes to be understood”, unlike her Inner Preacher who aims to tell others what to do. { read more }

Be The Change

What piece of writing or art has had the deepest impact on you? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers “good news” to 243,753 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here.

Other ServiceSpace projects include:

KindSpring // KarmaTube // Conversations // Awakin // More