The Intellect in Insights

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July 21, 2011 a project of CharityFocus What we need even more than foresight or hindsight is insight. - Unknown - The Intellect in Insights At first glance, insights seem to come out of nowhere. But in hindsight they make perfect, logical sense. What happens is that we (sometimes unconsciously) recognize patterns that enable us to see things in a new way. Albert Einstein put it succinctly when he said insight "comes suddenly and in a rather intuitive way. But intuition is nothing but the outcome of earlier intellectual experience." This article explores how to think like a designer: not just observing the world, but drawing upon what we know, interpret what we find, and looking for unmet needs. { read more } Be The Change Think back to a recent insight and ask "Why is this a pattern?" "Why is this unexpected?" and "Why is this meaningful?" COMMENT | RATE               Related Good News 4 Ways to a Happier Workday Forget Brainstorming, Boost Creativity Japan's Unlikely Hero The Health Benefits of Generosity DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers "good news" to 106,925 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here. Other CharityFocus projects include: HelpOthers  //  CF Sites  //  KarmaTube  //  Conversations  //  More

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From Vacant Lots to Urban Gardens

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July 20, 2011 a project of CharityFocus Gandhi used the spinning wheel as both physical embodiment and symbol for radical change. Today, the foundation for social justice is healthy food -- our "spinning wheel" for the 21st century. - Francisco Ramos Stierle - From Vacant Lots to Urban Gardens A berry garden now sits at the center of Richmond, CA, an area known for its high crime rate. Once a month, Latino and African American families -- often people who live just a few blocks from each other but rarely had a chance to meet in the past -- gather at the garden and have a barbecue. The garden is the work of Urban Tilth, one of the dozen or so groups at the center of Richmond's urban garden movement. Built by community members, often young people, it's tended in part by students and teachers from a nearby elementary school. But there's more than food and land at stake here: it has become a community gathering space. "What's really important is the food we grow and the time we spend investing in people," says Doria Robinson, Urban Tilth's executive director. { read more } Be The Change Here are 8 ways to join the local food movement, including turning a lawn into lunch and swapping preserves. { more } COMMENT | RATE               Related Good News The Miracle Birth See Yourself in Six Billion Others The Professional Development Ethic The Reading Promise: An Extraordinary Father-Daughter Story DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers "good news" to 106,902 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here. Other CharityFocus projects include: HelpOthers  //  CF Sites  //  KarmaTube  //  Conversations  //  More

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How He Crossed the Finish Line

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July 19, 2011 a project of CharityFocus What you are is what you have been. What you'll be is what you do now. - Buddha - How He Crossed the Finish Line In 1992, Derek Redmond was running the race of his life -- the 400-meter dash at the Summer Olympics. In the previous Olympics, he was forced to withdraw 10 minutes before the race due to an Achilles injury but now he was he was ready and heavily favored to medal. His father was in the stands cheering. The race began and 175 meters into it, he pulled his hamstring muscle and collapsed on the ground. As the stretchers rolled out, he refused to get on. And he started hobbling towards the finish line. The rest of the story is best seen in this uplifting video. { read more } Be The Change The Greek word for encouragement is "paraklesis," literally meaning "to be called to one's side." Stand by someone today. COMMENT | RATE               Related Good News Homeless Man Bails out Banker Today You, Tomorrow Me The Man Who Stopped A Nuclear War Driver Thanks Man Who Hit Him on Purpose DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers "good news" to 106,871 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here. Other CharityFocus projects include: HelpOthers  //  CF Sites  //  KarmaTube  //  Conversations  //  More

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Fostering Virtue

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July 18, 2011 a project of CharityFocus Wisdom is knowing what to do next, skill is knowing how to do it, and virtue is doing it. - David Starr Jordan - Fostering Virtue "How can we foster more virtue in our societies?" A question sparked for researcher Kentaro Toyama by a one-time interaction with a rickshaw driver in India. This reflective piece goes on to propose ideas for fostering virtue in three areas: Education, Measurement, and Mentoring. And of course, the question "How can I foster more virtue in myself?" comes up as well. There we're left with the intriguing idea that a virtue such as self-control operates much like a muscle: extensive use in the short-term can deplete it, but steady use over the long term -- like physical exercise for muscles -- can strengthen it. { read more } Submitted by: CF Be The Change Try fostering virtue through creating or joining community, as Kentaro suggests. Experiment with making values your organizing principle. COMMENT | RATE               Related Good News Life is 'Baeutiful' Rappin' to Be the Change Over Ten Thousand People Attend His Funeral An Experiment in Generosity DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers "good news" to 106,868 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here. Other CharityFocus projects include: HelpOthers  //  CF Sites  //  KarmaTube  //  Conversations  //  More

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29 Lessons From Travelling the World

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July 17, 2011 a project of CharityFocus The most important lessons in life can never be expressed in black and white, but must be experienced. Experience is the greatest teacher. - Benny Lewis - 29 Lessons From Travelling the World "Eight years. That's 416 weeks, or almost 3,000 days. This is the amount of time that I have not had a fixed home; moving to a new country, culture and language every few months and taking absolutely everything I own with me. In 2003, on the week of my 21st birthday, I left Ireland for good. I had graduated university a few days before, and knew that I'd only be coming back "home" for visits. But it's not really my home any more. Since then, 'wherever I lay my hat, that's my home.' I have become the person I was meant to be in the last 4/5 of a decade, while on the road. And I certainly still have a lot left to learn." Recently, it was Benny Lewis's 29th birthday and 8 year "travelversary," so he shared 29 lessons he's learned about life: { read more } Be The Change What are some lessons you've learned from travelling? Share them with Benny and other readers here. { more } COMMENT | RATE               Related Good News Kindness Goes Around, and Comes Around Rappin' to Be the Change Mall Shoppers Get a Surprise A Neighbor's Kind Act DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers "good news" to 106,838 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here. Other CharityFocus projects include: HelpOthers  //  CF Sites  //  KarmaTube  //  Conversations  //  More

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