Sangha of Auspicious Companions

October 5, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

How to Live a Single-Tasking Life

Multi-tasking is no longer about being productive — it’s a way of living. It’s not a sane way of living, however, and it’s not necessarily the most effective way of working either. Imagine instead, a single-tasking life. Imagine waking and going for a run, as if running were all you do. Nothing else is on your mind but the run, and you do it to the very best of your abilities. Then you eat, enjoying every flavorful bite of your fresh breakfast of whole, unprocessed foods. You do your work, one task at a time, each task done with full focus and dedication. You spend time with loved ones, as if nothing else existed. It sounds nice, but how do you live a life like this? Like anything worth doing, it takes practice. Here’s what author Leo Babauta recommends. { read more }

Be The Change

Run some conscious experiments with single-tasking today.

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October 4, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

National Treasures: Wild Horses, Wild Kids

Jean Albert Renaud sleeps in a barn. His bedroom shares a wall with the stall of a stallion named Incitatus. On winter nights, he can hear the wind whistling across the hills, but Renaud (or Jar, as he is known) is warm in the company of his eight horses. He sleeps there because he wants to. Jar’s life has never been conventional, but today it is focused on his noblest effort yet — preserving and nourishing what he calls America’s two most precious and least appreciated treasures: the wild Mustang and our marginalized children. “We treat children like we treat the wild horses,” Jar says. “We rarely take the time to look at the world from their viewpoints. So many of them know and survive the streets without us. They are like wild horses. So, like the horses, how do you approach these ‘wild’ kids?” { read more }

Be The Change

Is there someone or some group you hold assumptions about? Make an effort to see the world from their viewpoint.

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October 3, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

Connected: Love, Death, & Technology

“From the beginning of time, every new technological advancement has brought with it a complex mix of positive and negative repercussions as well as unintended consequences. I set out to make a film that addresses the potential of our twenty-first-century technologies and the importance of harnessing their powers. I also wanted to examine what can happen when these new technologies take over and sometimes overwhelm our personal lives. What does it mean to be connected in the twenty-first century? How can we use the power of all these connections to turn things around for the better? I titled the film ‘Connected: An Autoblogography about Love, Death, and Technology.'” Tiffany Shlain, one of Newsweek’s ‘Women Shaping the 21st Century,’ shares a thoughtful reflection about the making (as well as a glimpse) of her new award-winning feature documentary. { read more }

Be The Change

Today, make an effort to use technology in ways that help you connect more meaningfully to people.

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October 2, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

Third Way Leadership

“Cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien suggests we’re shifting from an either/or to a both/and culture — one that requires opening the aperture of our irises to better perceive the truth that surrounds apparent paradox. Though two conflicting views may seem irreconcilably opposed, when we expand our vision enough to encompass a whole that’s larger than both, a new reality often emerges — a third way that’s big enough to address each of them within its purview. In a both/and culture instead of avoiding dissenting views, we might embrace the opportunity they raise for expanding vision, exploring them through practicing respectful disagreement. Apparent contradictions can serve to make visible truths that may not have been otherwise seen or acknowledged, enriching the health of the whole through their emergence.” Nina Simons, co-founder of Bioneers, shares her perspective on Third Way leadership. { read more }

Be The Change

Angeles Arrien, quoted above, shares a short reflection on the role of discipline and responsibility. { more }

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October 1, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

Recycling Soap and Saving Lives

That bar of soap you used once or twice during your last hotel stay might now be helping poor children fight disease. Derreck Kayongo and his Atlanta-based Global Soap Project collect used hotel soap from across the United States. Instead of ending up in landfills, the soaps are cleaned and reprocessed for shipment to impoverished nations such as Haiti, Uganda, Kenya and Swaziland. “I was shocked just to know how much (soap) at the end of the day was thrown away,” Kayongo said. Each year, hundreds of millions of soap bars are discarded in North America alone. “Are we really throwing away that much soap at the expense of other people who don’t have anything? It just doesn’t sound right.” { read more }

Be The Change

Learn more about the Global Soap Project here. { more }

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Power of One

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September 30, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

Runner Carries Competitor Half a Mile

When high school cross-country runner Josh Ripley heard the screams of a competing runner, Mark Paulauskas, Josh knew he needed to help. While other competitors in the race ran by, Josh stopped to see what was wrong. In the first mile of a 2-mile race, Josh found Mark holding his ankle and bleeding profusely. Worried that Mark had punctured his Achilles heel, Josh carried the wounded runner for a half a mile to get him to his coach and parents. After making sure Mark was in good hands, Josh jumped back into the race. “I didn’t think about my race, I knew I needed to stop and help him,” Josh said. “It was something I would expect my other teammates to do. I’m nothing special; I was just in the right place at the right time.” { read more }

Be The Change

Surprise another participant with kindness the next time you find yourself in a “competition” — at work, school, or in play.

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September 29, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

She Planted Ideas — and 35 Million Trees

“The planting of trees is the planting of ideas. By starting with the simple step of digging a hole and planting a tree, we plant hope for ourselves and for future generations.” Visionary, human rights advocate, environmental activist Wangari Maathai passed away on 25 September 2011 from cancer. She leaves behind a legacy of “firsts,” including being the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. Her organization, the Green Belt Movement, has planted over 35 million trees, and now works internationally to empower communities in protecting the environment and promoting good governance and cultures of peace worldwide. This 3 minute video shares her work and vision. { read more }

Be The Change

Read Wangari Maathai’s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech. { more }

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