The Way We Think About Work Is Broken
What makes work satisfying? In this TED talk, psychologist Barry Schwartz argues that there are intangible values that our current way of thinking about work simply ignores. He describes how the ideas human beings create shape human nature and that it is time to revisit our ideas about the way we work.... posted on Nov 26 2015, 19,024 reads

Desert Solitaire: A Love Letter to Solitude
In the late 1950s, Edward Abbey became a seasonal park ranger at Arches National Monument in Utah's Moab desert. Between April and September, between the canyons and the pages of his journal, he found a great many of the things we spend our lives looking for. His book maps the maze of the interior landscape as he wanders the expanse of the exterior.... posted on Nov 25 2015, 11,453 reads

Gratitude: Good for the Soul -- and Heart
As we launch into Thanksgiving week, consider this: Research shows that feeling grateful doesn't just make you feel good. It also helps -- literally helps -- the heart. A positive mental attitude is good for your heart. It fends off depression, stress and anxiety, which can increase the risk of heart disease, says Paul Mills, a professor of family medicine and public health at the University of Ca... posted on Nov 24 2015, 11,328 reads

Choosing Suffering Over Safety
"Can you walk, sweetheart?" I say these words to our dog Stella who is dying. Its time for breakfast and if she walks from our bed to the kitchen, maybe that will be a sign. Maybe she will be alright. So I ask her again, Can you walk? As I ask, I remember eleven years of sleeping twisted like a pretzel so the dog could get a good nights sleep. I remember mornings, how she rose at dawn and stomped ... posted on Nov 23 2015, 15,287 reads

The Life We Spend at Work
Most of us are taught from a very early age, that hard work is the key to happiness. As a result, we learn to measure success in terms of benchmarks and milestones, rather than the satisfaction that comes by way of the doing. Though, what if we could view things in an entirely new way? In this thought-provoking interview, organizational psychologist Adam Grant discusses the newer value measuremen... posted on Nov 22 2015, 9,556 reads

The Power of Not Knowing
Every day, the world we live in and the vast universe around us, offer countless questions waiting to be answered. And despite all of our scientific advances and vast reservoirs of knowledge many times the answers remain elusively just out of our reach. In this thoughtful piece writer Wayne Muller explores the counter-intuitive power of not knowing.... posted on Nov 21 2015, 17,650 reads

Three German Students Surprise a Homeless Guy
This sweet film is a heartwarming story of compassion and creativity. By using the universal power of music, walls are brought down to expose a universal issue. It also highlights the ability we all have to bring about change, simply by making a positive difference to someone's day. ... posted on Nov 20 2015, 4,726 reads

The Little Gardener: A Parable On The Power of Working with Love
"The Little Gardener" is a picture book by Emily Hughes, which is "at heart a parable of purpose -- tender assurance for anyone who has ever undertaken a labor of love against seemingly insurmountable odds and persevered through hardship, continuing to nourishing that labor until the love emanates out, becomes contagious, and draws in kindred spirits as a centripetal force of shared purpose and en... posted on Nov 19 2015, 7,315 reads

Neil Gaiman on How Stories Last
Why do myths and fairytales continue to enchant the popular imagination generation after generation? Neil Gaiman suggests that such stories give shape to our lives, that they are a life-form obeying the same rules of genesis, reproduction, and propagation that organic matter does. ... posted on Nov 18 2015, 14,329 reads

10 Ways to Become More Grateful
The consumerist culture of modern life often propogates a self-defeating brand of discontent. A die-hard preoccupation with what we lack, be it in the realm of material things, relationships or status, can often blind us to the profound gifts that we hold in each moment. We sometimes forget that the flip-side of happiness is a grateful heart. When we practice gratefulness, we tap into the richness... posted on Nov 17 2015, 48,522 reads