breast cancer, Patti didn’t want to wish. She wanted to know how to live life with no regrets. Out of Patti’s vision and sense of urgency, the No Regrets Project was born. Between radiation treatments, spinal surgery and a bucket list trip to Alaska, Patti wrote essays, talked with anyone who would listen, dreamed and created. In the end, she developed five simple, personal practices to help herself live life more fully: be grateful every day, trust – take the risk, courage to be me, choose joy, and love myself & share it. While the phrases may be simple, accomplishing them is not. The development of the No Regrets Project is Patti Pansa’s legacy to all... posted on Mar 4 2015 (48,945 reads)

like to see it happen maybe a little bit in a bit of a missionary zeal, but that's a very personal one. But the fact is that it takes a leap of faith about losing control. And almost nobody who is in control is ready to take leaps of faith. It will have to come from kids and other peoplewho are starting companies in a different way. CA: So that's the key thing? From your point of view the evidence is there, in the business point of view this works, but people just don't have the courage to -- (Whoosh) RS: They don't even have the incentive. You're running a company with a 90-day mandate. It's a quarterly report. If you're not good in 90 days, you're out... posted on Apr 15 2015 (29,833 reads)

is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions. —Hafiz Human history is filled with stories of countless people who have been fearless. If we look at our own families, perhaps going back several generations, we’ll find among our own ancestors those who also have been fearless. They may have been immigrants who bravely left the safety of home, veterans who courageously fought in wars, families who endured economic hardships, war, persecution, slavery, oppression, dislocation. We all carry within us this lineage of fearlessness. But what is fearlessness? It’s not being free of fear, for fear is part of our human journey. Park... posted on Apr 25 2015 (18,850 reads)

Knowing that this is a journey and that it is my journey are the biggest gifts. Then there are the children, the parents, the community, my colleagues, our amazing principal, Kathryn Wilson, and our brilliant brave teachers who stand in the front line and bring tremendous power to the work. Two of our teachers relocated all the way from Louisville, Kentucky to join in building this prototype. And there are our education services and support staff and our office staff. Every day is an act of courage and commitment toward fulfilling our vision for our children and families. Outside of the walls of the school are some remarkable allies—generous giving supporters, from our board to our... posted on Aug 24 2015 (7,555 reads)

library). Complement his spiritually invigorating speech with other masterworks of the commencement address genre: -- Joseph Brodsky’s six rules for winning at the game of life (University of Michigan, 1988) -- Toni Morrison on the rewards of true adulthood(Wesleyan, 2004) -- George Saunders on the power of kindness (Syracuse University, 2013) -- Teresita Fernandez on what it really means to be an artist (Virginia Commonwealth University, 2013) -- Debbie Millman on courage and the creative life(San Jose State University, 2013) -- Kurt Vonnegut on boredom, belonging, and our human responsibility (Fredonia College, 1978) -- Bill Watterson on creative integri... posted on Nov 3 2015 (59,739 reads)

bad feelings—a kind of fight or flight response to the “danger” we feel from difficult emotions. Her new book, Rising Strong, is meant to provide a pathway away from shame and toward more compassionate, wise ways to respond to our pain. Brown’s two previous books—The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly—seemed to hit a cultural nerve, as did her incredibly popular TED talk on shame and vulnerability. In her books and public appearances, she’s encouraged people to be their true, imperfect selves and not be afraid to take risks. Her newest book adds to the discussion, focusing more on how we can use attention and curiosity to help us understan... posted on Dec 26 2015 (17,710 reads)

that affects all of us and profoundly shapes the way we interact in the world. But, depending on how we deal with it, shame can either shut us down or lead us to a new sense of bravery and authenticity. Brown’s research involved interviewing thousands of people about difficult, sensitive experiences in their lives, in order to uncover common themes around shameful experiences. Almost single-handedly, she has launched a cultural conversation around the importance of vulnerability and courage in leading an authentic life. Her TED talk on the power of vulnerability is the fourth most popular talk of all time and has been viewed by over 23 million people, while her books are all best... posted on Feb 25 2016 (20,718 reads)

she was nine months pregnant. The circumstances she has faced could force anyone to lose courage and succumb to the adverse situations. But Sindhutai emerged stronger with every difficulty she faced and became a ‘mother’ to over 1400 homeless children when she herself was in a hand-to-mouth situation! Read more to know about this unique persona. Sindhutai Sapkal is much more than just a name. The 68-year-old lady hides many stories behind her strong personality. Full of energy and passion, Sindhutai is commonly referred to as “Mother of Orphans” and as she talks about her life and her children you can see the pain, the troubles and the miseries she has faced a... posted on Mar 13 2016 (28,894 reads)

that was just such a mind-blower for me. And so I pulled the covers off my legs and started to force myself, and then to genuinely delight in this weird structure that now was my legs. I love these legs. These legs aren’t some cheap imitation of what I lost. These are wholly new things. These are different things that deserve their own space and credit. I love them, and I am interested in how they look. So that was very therapeutic for me, and I will take a little credit for whatever courage that day helped me do that. And, similarly, for my arm, I have a lot of skin grafting on my arm. And I wore a sock over it for years. At first, it was this white medical stocking, and then I g... posted on Apr 4 2016 (25,782 reads)

Then the whole baby sloshed out, blue-purple, and I held him upside down, fingers grasping his slippery ankles, and pressed him again and again to my chest, urging him to breathe. “Breathe…please breathe…breathe…please breathe…” And he did. By the end of that night, with the placenta safely delivered and mother and child resting peacefully, I realized that the real miracle was birth itself, and the fact that every single one of us has the inborn courage to take that first breath of air, and that every single first-time mother goes through the fire of childbirth more or less willingly, and despite the fact that she is frightened and the pain i... posted on Jun 6 2016 (11,851 reads)

have to live with the constant threat of infections, bedsores and spasms. She would be a 'dependent' all her life, needing 24-hour attention ...'  - Manohar Devadoss, from his book "Dreams, Seasons & Promises" Mahema looked at her new life and it was hard. From now on it was going to be easier for her to receive than give. Easier- yes. But who says Mahema chose the easy way? Because she didn't. When dreams are destroyed it takes a rare kind of courage to pick up the pieces, to push past the pain, self-pity, the but-why-me-Lord? Cover of Manohar's third book bewilderment. " All I wanted," s... posted on Sep 10 2016 (20,796 reads)

de Saint-Exupéry talks about the miraculous nature of a smile, not only to obscure the trauma of being taken hostage but to remove it all together, as if it never existed. As I have walked from place to place, the willingness of communities to welcome me in, to offer me hospitality and shelter, or just a kind word, has been life affirming. But how can sharing love stories like these become part of a process of social change? First of all, sharing your love story takes courage. It requires us to become vulnerable with others, and asks us to be present in the moment. Through becoming vulnerable we make ourselves visible to others, and this can be challenging—li... posted on Jan 14 2017 (13,257 reads)

we hope for and then playing an active role in bringing them about. We don't wait until we are sure of success. We don't limit our choices to the outcomes that seem likely. Instead, we focus on what we truly, deeply long for, and then we proceed to take determined steps in that direction. This is the second thread we follow. We can react to world crises in many different ways, with a spectrum of possible responses, from our best to our worst. We can rise to the occasion with wisdom, courage, and care, or we can shrink from the challenge, blot it out, or look away. With Active Hope we consciously choose to draw out our best responses, so that we might surprise even ourselves by wh... posted on Mar 19 2017 (17,947 reads)

that is an important part of my story that, for a year, I went weekly to reparative therapy, change therapy, or some way within which somebody who’d done a weekend course somewhere thought that they could call themselves a counselor now. And I was 19, and frightened, and thought this might help, and was told this is the kind of thing that will help. And what — this is a slight precursor, but language was the thing that saved me. Because I remember, at one point, plucking up the courage to say to this therapist or whatever he was being called professionally, “I’m not even sure I want to want to have sex with a woman,” because he was — it was so erotica... posted on May 6 2017 (9,705 reads)

existed, I felt a tipping point in my heart. There was an internal push and desire to share a message of love and respect for women, through this song and video. The creative concept of the film was generated based on three constraints. We wanted to: 1) Show a celebration of love and respect for women  2) Tell the daily stories of women and 3) Do it all within a low budget.  These three aspects aligned in the idea of holding an art exhibition where the strength, courage and generosity of women of all generations could be displayed through art, making it festive -- by inviting the community to come and celebrate those paintings, and using post-production trick... posted on May 14 2017 (13,571 reads)

make most conventionally schooled business leaders and investors baulk. Yet we’re seeing some of the most popular brands in today’s marketplace boldly taking this path less trodden, and flourish. Companies like REI, one of the most successful outdoor recreation retailers in the US, are seeing their purpose-driven risks pay off. The success they’re enjoying as a result is not only considerable, but also sustainable. In fact, at The House we firmly believe that having the courage to commit without compromise to your purpose is the only way to make your business ‘future-proof’. In the words of Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, “If you want to exist as a... posted on Jun 28 2017 (15,696 reads)

my role—psychotherapist, group facilitator, instructor, lecturer—and the others present. In some cases, I simply begin by asking myself, “Why am I here?” reflecting on that question, and then articulating it to the participants. In this way, I ground myself in the moment and heighten awareness. I then ask others, “Why are you here?” to bring them into the moment. Each person responds the best they can, and my effort models a possible way of responding and encourages them to reflect deeply on why they are there. I also ask them to reflect for a moment on this question: “Why are we here?” to bring their attention to others and the group as a co... posted on Aug 24 2017 (13,899 reads)

David is the author of Emotional Agility, a leading psychologist at Harvard Medical School, and the co-founder and co-director of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital. She recently joined Maria Shriver—award-winning journalist, bestselling author of six books, and former First Lady of California—for a conversation on why relentless positivity doesn’t lead to happiness, and how being emotionally honest can help us connect with our values and gain resilience. This conversation has been edited and condensed.  Maria: You are a counter voice to so many people telling us, “Be positive, be happy, have a great mood, and everything will be fine.&r... posted on Dec 11 2021 (30,764 reads)

Ram Dass putting a picture of Donald Trump on his altar. He's trying, because we have to. We can't become them, whatever them is. We have to love everybody. If we're being honest and we say you've got to love everybody, you've got to love everybody, and there are a lot of people out there who are going to be hard for us. Maybe we can't get to where we want to get to, unless we love people who are really hard for us to love."      I hope that kind of courage comes out of communities like this, where you carry your courage from being with like-minded people, and bring it into your day jobs and into your families, and you're not afraid to talk a... posted on Nov 8 2017 (15,489 reads)

can be a safe, effective and lasting way to defeat injustice, but like any other science it takes knowledge, courage and determination. Oakland First Friday Protest, June 2015. Credit: Thomas Hawk, via Flickr. Some rights reserved Here are six guidelines that can help you carry out nonviolent action more safely and effectively, while drawing upon nonviolent practices from your own cultural heritage. These guidelines derive, as you’ll see, from two basic points to bear in mind: We are not against other people, only what they are doing. Means are ends in the making; nothing good can ultimately result from violence. 1. Respect everyone–including yourself... posted on Oct 3 2017 (24,349 reads)