How To Focus A Wandering Mind
"We've all been there. You're slouched in a meeting or a classroom, supposedly paying attention, but your mind has long since wandered off, churning out lists of all the things you need to do -- or that you could be doing if only you weren't stuck here...Suddenly you realize everyone is looking your way expectantly, waiting for an answer. But you're staring blankly, grasping at straws to make a se... posted on Apr 18 2015, 151,907 reads

The 21-Day Technology Challenge
"The hustle of family life -- work, school, appointments, practice, homework, dinner, bed -- is constant. We move in and out of activities and commitments with ferocity...And since our life is designed to fully embrace living it, we have to be mindful of all the pieces that might creep in and occupy more than their fair share. Technology is one of those pieces." Author Janell Burley Hofmann works ... posted on Apr 17 2015, 17,669 reads

Old Skool Cafe
As a juvenile corrections officer, it broke Teresa Goine's heart to see young offenders coming back through the California prison system time and again. Sending these youth back home without a support system to keep them on the right track seemed to be setting them up for systematic failure. Eventually, Goines came up with the idea of Old Skool Cafe, a 1940s-style supper club run entirely by at-ri... posted on Apr 16 2015, 2,662 reads

How to Run a Company with (Almost) No Rules
What would "work" look like if we threw out all the rules: the hours, the offices, the fixed salaries? Just ask Ricardo Semler, CEO of the radical Brazilian company Semco, and you'll get an answer that stretches far beyond the workplace. Read on for his thought-provoking TED talk on re-engineering business, education, and life as we know it.... posted on Apr 15 2015, 29,818 reads

7 Ways To Help Kids Unplug From Technology
Parents and teachers alike worry about the impact that constant multitasking is having on children's developing brains. While kids swim comfortably in the floods of information, the problem, according to neuroscientists, is that multitasking is changing our human brains as we prioritize juggling over digging deeply into thinking, relationships, and planning.... posted on Apr 14 2015, 30,341 reads

The Trouble With Mindfulness
Despite a growing abundance of research that shows how valuable mindfulness meditation can be, there also seems to be many roadblocks that keep people from trying it out: from simple time constraints, to the fear of becoming stereotyped as one of those 'new age, touchy-feely' kinds of people. In this article, writer Jill Suttie sets out to get to the bottom of the troublesome myths that surround m... posted on Apr 13 2015, 31,334 reads

The Science of Forgiveness
Forgiveness has been a cornerstone of all major world religions for hundreds of years as well as an increasingly popular subject in modern psychology. But as one researcher and psychologist put it, "I knew exactly how to ask God for forgiveness, but I had no idea how to forgive, or ask forgiveness from the people in my life." This thoughtful essay shares more.... posted on Apr 12 2015, 25,486 reads

Sheila Donis: A Life of Giving
Don’t miss this interview with an extraordinary woman, Sheila Donis, born on the west side of Chicago, one of nine children living in a small two bedroom apartment above a tavern. A nun for nine years, she left to become a teacher and then an administrator in poor inner-city Chicago schools, a job she loved. She also fought for donations to help her teachers and students and, over a period ... posted on Apr 11 2015, 14,155 reads

Couple Renounce Wedding To Do Acts of Kindness In 50 States
Can you imagine forgoing the wedding of your dreams for the purpose of performing 50 completely selfless acts? For New York couple, Mark and Ismini Svensson, the decision was an easy one. Though the couple had ample funds for a wedding reception and honeymoon, they opted instead to use their savings to finance their journey. "We both realized that what makes us happiest is helping people in need,"... posted on Apr 10 2015, 9,886 reads

How Gratitude Beats Materialism
We all know the benefits of a grateful heart. It helps us cultivate a deeper awareness of our true gifts in each moment. And yet, even though we know that the most important things in life aren't "things" -- why do we still have a tendency to want to accumulate material goods? Is there a way to deliberately cultivate gratitude, such that it releases us from our need for those bright, shiny things?... posted on Apr 09 2015, 34,481 reads