This world is possible - if we dare to IMAGINE its existence and then to act as if it is real, in real time. To do this, is an action of the heart. In the action of the heart, we reach out to the other, let go of self-interests opting to work for the common good. An action of the heart is one filled with love, hope, and optimism. It is only possible to move into this world if you BELIEVE that it exists. If you doubt, you become trapped in personal fears, anxiety, and myths.

I hope you DARE TO HOPE. I hope you DARE TO IMAGINE this world. I hope you DARE TO BELIEVE.

“This has led scientists to predict that soon, governments will realize that it would be much more cost-effective to spend on preventive healthcare than to just treat diseases at their onset.” [Source: Personalized Health of the Future]

You can do this today. Develop an Appreciative Inquiry Attitude - Move toward others and discover yourself.

Here is an excerpt from the online article. Read the rest here. Shoes Make a Difference - if You Don’t Have them!

ALSIP, Ill. - Mona Purdy, a Chicago hairdresser, has seen what a pair of used shoes can do to change the lives of poor children. At a Jamaican orphanage, girls suffering from deformities and burns couldn’t believe the shoes Purdy had given them were theirs to keep.

“They had not had Christmas, ever. Christmas was giving them these used shoes in March,” said Purdy, the founder of the charity, Share Your Soles, her voice cracking with emotion.

“I’m thinking, ‘I shouldn’t be here. I should be home with my kids.’ After I saw these kids I realized I am so supposed to be here.”

The impetus for the charity began 10 years ago when Purdy participated in a race in Guatemala, where local children put hot tar on the bottom of their feet and ran along the side of rocky course. It was fortified when she learned that in many countries having shoes is a prerequisite for attending schools, and how walking in bare feet can cause injuries and infections that can lead to amputation.

“It blew my mind. I didn’t know kids didn’t have shoes anywhere,” said Purdy, a divorced mother of three, recalling what led her to start the charity in her suburban Chicago home.

GO BUCKS!

Students from a Jewish private school in Salt Lake City are difference makers. The students and their teachers understand “the importance of repairing the earth and being an active part of a neighborhood through serving others.” These students and their teachers are growing together, integrating what is learned in the classroom and applying it to advance the common good. They are a force for good in their community. Here’s a SHOUT OUT to the administrators, teachers, and students of McGillis school!

An excerpt of the online story is below. You can read the rest here: Students doing good.

A sweater-clad army of McGillis School students, wielding rakes and plastic garbage bags, spread out into the neighborhood surrounding the “culturally Jewish” Salt Lake City school last week to chip in at the annual Fall Leaf Haul.

Working in teams, students, grades 1-8, stuffed crunchy autumn leaves into garbage bags for two hours, ridding a stretch of 1300 East and many nearby yards of fallen leaves.

The Fall Leaf Haul supports the school’s philosophy of the importance of repairing the earth and being an active part of a neighborhood through serving others.

The event is also one of the private school’s ways it gives back to the locals who were instrumental in bringing The McGillis School to the community seven years ago.

“We wouldn’t be here without the neighborhood,” said middle school director Sallie Warmath.

After being housed at the Jewish Community Center from 1991-2002, The McGillis School was growing and in need of a new home. It attempted to purchase the old Douglas School building, 668 S. 1300 East, in hopes of a 2003 move-in.

A Florida state education official recently called for schools to serve only healthy foods. The school can be a model environment for children as they mature from early childhood through adolesence. Serving only healthy foods and eliminating foods that contain high levels of fat or empty calories is an important step to take in fulfilling a fudiciary responsibility to parents and children.

We can teach children to eat healthy. We can teach children that exercise is fun and good for you. And, we can teach them that learning is an important part of growth. WE CAN DO IT - WE HAVE TO DO IT!

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:

  The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

  6 minutes:

 A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
 
The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

   No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

 This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

[Source: http://bitsofwisdom.org/2009/10/21/interesting/perception/

The Appreciative Inquiry Challenge: Recall a time when you recognized talent, beauty, or grace in its splendor and were aware of it at your inner core. What was the context? How did you respond to it? What were your feelings when you left that space? What is a way you can Re-Create that space/context again and with others?

Here is a brief excerpt related to the power of the mind-body connection.

Harvard’s Dr. Herbert Benson, an international expert on mind-body medicine, has played a leading role in more than 180 scientific publications and books. In “Beyond the Relaxation Response” he says, “Belief-whether it’s deep within your mind and ‘heart’ or focused on some outside object like a doctor-can play a key role in generating positive or negative responses in our bodies.”

Benson’s team was the first to study the physical effects of meditation on Tibetan monks. He writes, “The Tibetan sages in effect tell us, ‘The state of your mind is the most important single factor in your physical health.’” Benson teaches: “The only valid healing ingredient that can be identified in [some] cures is the presence of strong belief.”

source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/24900/

A difference maker is grounded in a set of trusted beliefs, uplifting values, and a firm hope that the future will burst forth like a glorious spring after a long, hard winter. By being grounded, a difference maker expresses a consistent message that echoes his/her beliefs, values, and hope in the future. The message is not influenced by popularity — but comes from the heart. 

Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, shares ways that difference makers can use twitter to be a force for good.

JD: It’s really about focusing on the content, making sure the message you want to put out there is simple, direct and genuine. It should express passion and love for whatever you are talking about, because when people see that, it is very engaging and inspiring. It sounds silly, but it’s really that simple. Just focus on the message and keep at it: it will be discovered at some point. We see many examples of that today, and over the past year. I think it’s really difficult to overcome the notion that you need to have 20,000 followers to say anything meaningful, and you’re not going to say anything meaningful until I have 20,000 followers. Because what’s the point of that? The way you gain people and lead is to express yourself right now. No matter who is listening right now, if you start talking, people will eventually listen if it’s something that resonates with them.

Read more at:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/03/twitter-cofounder-jack-do_n_344663.html&cp