Friday, June 30, 2017

The Story We Tell About Poverty Isn't True



As a global community, we all want to end poverty. Mia Birdsong suggests a great place to start: Let's honor the skills, drive and initiative that poor people bring to the struggle every day. She asks us to look again at people in poverty: They may be broke — but they're not broken.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Where Does Compassion Really Come From?



Can compassion be learned? The answer is yes! Sometimes, all it takes is truly paying attention to the people around us.

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

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Sunday, June 18, 2017

Nadine Burke Harris: How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime



Childhood trauma isn’t something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain. This unfolds across a lifetime, to the point where those who’ve experienced high levels of trauma are at triple the risk for heart disease and lung cancer. An impassioned plea for pediatric medicine to confront the prevention and treatment of trauma, head-on.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Are You Born To Lead? Leadership Traits That Every Leader Must Have


Are you born to be a leader? Many claim that a person is born to lead and scientists have claimed that one can inherit it through their genes. So is it too late for us who were not born out of influential families? According to D.R. Forsyth, one can develop leadership potential through hard work and careful observation. With that said, how can one be a leader? What traits and styles should one have in order to develop their leadership potentials? Below are just some things that you ought to consider to be able to develop your leadership potentials.

Act on It

The first thing to do to develop one's initiative is to act on an opportunity that comes along their way. One must develop their drive to make things happen the way they want it to. People who take the lead are on their way to becoming leaders as they are often the first person who would spot opportunities for the company that they work for and are not afraid to pursue it.

Be Responsible

Becoming a leader means being responsible and taking ownership of the problem. They exhibit a "can do" attitude, anticipate problems head on and provide several solutions or action plans in order to resolve the matter readily.

Innovative and Risk Taking

Suggesting new ways of handling things and taking risks are also some of the traits that one should develop to become a potential leader. Innovative thinking or "thinking out of the box" helps create change to the old ways and paves the way for a better and more productive company.

Motivating others

Leadership involves motivating others and directing them on what to do. The leader encourages the staff and fellow team member to work on the common goal together. They provide support and believe in the abilities of the people around them.

Self Confidence

People who are self-confident exude an aura of authority. They are not in doubt of their ability to make a decision and trust their decisions. They are emotionally stable, assertive and self-assured. To develop self-confidence, one must be consistent in what they are doing and demonstrate their integrity and commitment. Self-assured individuals also project their aura to their team and help create an environment where every staff or member feels valued and has a sense of belonging.

These are just some of the traits that every individual should develop if they want to lead or become a leader later on. Leaders are born, but leadership skills can be developed.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Francheska_Craig

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8623828

Monday, June 12, 2017

Three Types of Forgiveness and Why They Matter to Us As Leaders


Forgiveness.

We see it in public gestures like Nelson Mandela forgiving his captors after his long imprisonment or when President Ford pardoned President Nixon.

And we often see the results when there is no forgiveness.

Like in the news every day - from revenge violence to road rage to people arguing about reclining seats on airplanes.

Yes, Mandela and Ford were leaders, but how does forgiveness apply to us as "everyday" leaders?

It applies immediately and directly.

But before I share my thoughts, let's start with the three types of forgiveness. They are:

• Forgiveness of self
• Forgiveness of others
• Forgiveness of situations

As I describe each, I believe the relevance to you both personally and as a leader will become clear.
Forgiveness of Self

We all make mistakes. We all exercise poor judgment. We all screw up. It is what we do next that matters most. If, after our mistakes, we live in guilt and in the past where the mistake happened, nothing positive will come from it.

It's considered a universal truth that "we learn from our mistakes". Yet this "truth" is missing a couple of components - lessons in mistakes are there but the learning isn't guaranteed, and the learning won't come if we are living in the mistake or not willing or able to reflect on it, or won't let go of it and forgive ourselves first. A more complete statement of that truth is that "we can learn from our mistakes if we will let ourselves learn and choose to do so."

And that learning can't happen without self-forgiveness.

There are other reasons why self-forgiveness is important. It will allow ourselves to focus on the future, rather than the past, and it will allow us to reduce our stress and frustration (and makes us healthier too).

Forgiveness of Others

Admit it.

When you read the title of this article, this was probably the type of forgiveness you were thinking of.

Think for a second about the way you feel about a person who hasn't forgiven you. Do you want to be around them, or work for or with them? Are you willing to give them your best effort? Or does the barrier between you (which can include self-forgiveness too) keep you from moving forward?

When we don't forgive others, we set ourselves up for animosity, reduced productivity, more conflict and drastically lowered trust.

So how open to forgiving others are you?

Forgiveness of Situations

Things happen that might not be anyone's "fault". Do you know people who continue to dwell on a past situation that caused them grief or pain, even if it was just a situation? When we are able to forgive situations, we are able to let go of those negative feelings and move forward.

Your forgiveness of situations defines how forgiving you tend to be of negative circumstances, events, or situations that are beyond anyone's control. This would include things like illnesses, natural disasters and the like.

Can you let go of these situations so you can move forward?

If you hear yourself saying lots of "If only... " or "If it had just happened that way... " type statements, you likely have a ways to go in this area.

So What?

When we can forgive, we can move from a past focus to a future focus, which provides us with hope, accountability, and the opportunity for growth and advancement. As long as we (or others, or an entire group) are living in the past, no progress can be made.

Because error is part of being human, forgiveness allows mistakes, failure, slip ups, errors in judgment and decision making, flaws and other breakdowns to become a source of increased wisdom and learning. Without the forgiveness, the same events and situations create more divisiveness, angst, conflict and discord.

The best leaders use the practice of forgiveness to transform themselves and their organizations into forward-looking, agile learners and promote better results every day.

But?

If you are still reading and still are having reservations, it is likely that you agree with my premise, but aren't sure how to let go. Perhaps this quotation from the psychiatrist Thomas Szasz will help - "The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget."

The point is instructive. Events, mistakes and mishaps in the past can be learned from, but only if we can let them go through forgiveness. This does not mean we should forget those events, but rather put them in the proper perspective. They are events in the past that we can't change now, but we can learn from.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Eikenberry

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8733671

Friday, June 9, 2017

Why School Should Start Later for Teens


Teens don't get enough sleep, and it's not because of Snapchat, social lives or hormones -- it's because of public policy, says Wendy Troxel. Drawing from her experience as a sleep researcher, clinician and mother of a teenager, Troxel discusses how early school start times deprive adolescents of sleep during the time of their lives when they need it most.

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Sophie Scott: Why We Laugh



Did you know that you're 13 times more likely to laugh if you're with somebody else than if you're alone? Cognitive neuroscientist Sophie Scott shares this and other surprising facts about laughter in this fast-paced, action-packed and, yes, hilarious dash through the science of the topic.

Saturday, June 3, 2017

A Community of Compassion


Ryan Alcorn, a student activist from Herndon High School speaks on his life changing experience with another student.