Things That Work / Being Happy

 

Tapio Haaja

The Happiest Place on Earth

Finland is the happiest country on earth for the fifth year in a row. To stay happy there are three things they do (or don't do)

Frank Martela, a phycologist says there three things Finns never do. It must be working because they've been the happiest country in the world for the past three years.

1. They don't compare themselves with their neighbors. There's a community humbleness. They don't use individual wealth to compare themselves with each other. 

Martela offers this happiness tip:

Focus more on what makes you happy, and less on looking successful. Don't compare yourself with others.

2. Don't overlook the benefits of nature. 87% of Finns feel that nature is important to them because it provides them with peace of mind, energy and relaxation.

Martela's tip? 

Spending time in nature increases vitality, well-being and gives a sense of personal growth.

3. They don't break the community circle of trust. Finnish people tend to trust each other. If you leave your laptop or phone at the coffee shop, you are likely to get it back. 

The Happiness Tip: 

Think about how you can show up for your community. It can be the small things like opening a door for someone or giving up a seat on a train.

You can read the full article here at cnbc make it.

Disturbing Statistics / Reasons for Hope

Looking for something to cover? 

Suffering from, nothing ever happens around here? What happens over there, affects us here. You will never run out of news to cover or topics to talk about. Statistics from sources like Pew, the United Nations and others offer a wealth of information and starting points.

89.4M

The worldwide number of people displaced because of conflict, violence or disasters in 2020, a record high.

According to Pew Research:

Europe and Asia have the most international migrants. 

While the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations affiliated group, recorded more than 1,200 deaths of migrants in the Western Hemisphere in 2021, it tracked 728 migrant deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border, calling it the "the deadliest land crossing in the world."

25%

A quarter of U.S. parents say there have been times in the past year when they could not afford to buy food their family needed or to pay their rent or mortgage. Among low-income parents, these shares rise to 52%. (Pew)

NASA says, Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal." Ice cores drawn from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain glaciers show that Earth's climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels.

Pew found, Income inequality in the U.S has increased since 1980 and is greater than in peer countries. Income inequality may be measured in a number of ways, but no matter the measure, economic inequality in the U.S. is seen to be on the rise.

52% The share of Black Americans who say that racism in U.S. laws is a bigger problem for Black people in the country than racism by individuals; 23% of U.S. adults overall say this. (Pew) Americans give public health officials mixed ratings for the job they’ve done communicating with the public about the COVID-19 pandemic. Many U.S. adults feel public health officials were unprepared for the outbreak, but many also say officials’ ability to respond was hurt by interference from elected officials. (Pew) Need some help finding topics? It's only a click away if you know where to look. All of these stats and the issues they represent are an opportunity to bring people together. The solutions require input and thoughts from a broad spectrum of ideologies. We have the opportunity to bring people together.

 

Things That Work / Generosity

 

Neil Thomas

Just in time for Christmas

Christmastime is a time of generosity. Giving is always way up at this time of year. Afterall the weeks leading up to Christmas are reminders of the Hope, Peace, Love and Joy promised by the prophets. 

Vocabulary.com defines generosity as a quality that's a lot like unselfishness. Someone showing generosity is happy to give time, money, food, or kindness to people in need. Generosity is a quality — like honesty and patience — that we all probably wish we had more of.

Generosityforlife.org points out generosity can be actualized through various forms of giving. Generous activities include: monetary donations, volunteering, political action, blood donation, estate giving, lending possessions, sustainability giving, [and] relational generosity.”

What are the characteristics that define a generous person? 

5 Qualities of Generous People

• Altruism. First and foremost, generous people are altruistic. ...
• Optimism. Generous people are idealists. ...
• Trust. Trust is a major quality amongst the most generous people. ...
• Energy. When you think of people being generous, energy is one of the first things that come to mind. ...
• Ability to lead.

The Ability to Lead

“The single most important attribute of leadership is generosity.” – Jack Welch

As a generous leader give of your time rather than just money, and seek out the opportunity to fuel the success of others. -johneads for learnloft.com

The other thing you should know, generosity is a year round thing, not just for the holidays. 

Generosity starts with our own generosity. Think about it. We cannot control the generosity of others. We have no control over what they do, but we can lead by example. 

I found this at restavekfreedom.org, generosity begets generosity, meaning that it is contagious and easily caught. Having generous friends and neighbors can rub off and inspire you to be more generous. Likewise, being a generous community member will impact not only those who receive, but increase the nature of generosity in your circles of influence.

It worked in all those radio fund drives I participated in. One call would lead to other calls, and at times, a cascade of calls. Those of us on the receiving end needed to make sure we showed our gratitude. And we were thankful for the first call and all the calls that followed. The acknowledgement of support, is as important as the act of giving.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

President Barack Obama

Things That Work / Diversity

 

Matheus Vianna

Reaching Our Full Potential

As I grow older I've grown to appreciate diversity and understand it's value. Most people in my age group seem to have gone the other way. It seems as we grow older we seek out the familiar and shun diversity. It is possible I'm wrong about this, but there is support for my supposition. In an article published by Psychology Today, "Why Are People Older More Conservative," Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic Ph.D. explains why people become more right-wing, authoritarian and rigid as they age. There are three factors:

Personality - intellectual curiosity tends to decline in old age

Judgement - Our ability to process information declines as we get older. "Older people are also more likely to make categorical judgments about events, things, or people. This often involves acting in more prejudiced ways – to pre-judge means to judge before really judging – because in older ages preserving old knowledge is more important than acquiring new knowledge.

Familiarity - Dealing with the familiar is so much easier than dealing with something new and seemingly unusual. 

Diversity generates change, and that's a good thing.

Greater Good Magazine says diversity makes us smarter. 

Being around people who are different from us makes us more creative, diligent, and hard-working.

• Diversity provokes thinking.
• Diversity leads to change, for the better.
• Diversity creates growth.
• Diversity leads to a more inclusive society. People become valued for their ideas.
• Diversity leads to increased adaptability in a changing market.
• Diversity prompt us to work harder.

Diversity requires us to get out of our bubbles. We tend to reinforce our opnions by insulating ourselves with ourselves. If everybody around me thinks like me, there's no motivation for change, there's no motivation for progress.

"This is how diversity works: by promoting hard work and creativity; by encouraging the consideration of alternatives even before any interpersonal interaction takes place. The pain associated with diversity can be thought of as the pain of exercise. You have to push yourself to grow your muscles. The pain, as the old saw goes, produces the gain. In just the same way, we need diversity—in teams, organizations, and society as a whole—if we are to change, grow, and innovate." Greatergood.berkley.edu

Embrace the change. I'm convinced it is the only way forward.

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” – Maya Angelou

Going to Bed Hungry

 

Tucker Tangeman

It is getting worse

2022: a year of unprecedented hunger
As many as 828 million people go to bed hungry every night. The number of those facing acute food insecurity has soared - from 135 million to 345 million - since 2019. A total of 49 million people in 49 countries are teetering on the edge of famine.

https://www.wfp.org › global-hung...

A global food crisis | World Food Programme

What Causes Hunger?

Inequity.
Poverty.
Conflict.
Climate Change.
Disasters & Emergencies.

How much does it cost to end world hunger?

How much money could help end world hunger? Oxfam says current estimates suggest that as of this year, we need wealthy donor governments to invest around $37 billion every year until 2030 to tackle both extreme and chronic hunger.

Concern Worldwide US came up with nine world hunger solutions to get us to 2030.

1. Embrace Climate Smart Agriculture
2. Respond to the Refugee Crisis
3. Advocate for Gender Equality
4. Reduce Food Waste
5. Invest is Disaster Risk Reduction
6. Support Hygiene and Sanitation
7. Control Infestations and Crop Infections
8. Enhance Crops with Biofortification
9. Improving Food Storage Systems


Mahatma Gandhi, on feeding the hungry
“There's enough on this planet for everyone's needs but not for everyone's greed.” “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” What is this? “Poverty is the worst form of violence.”

Things That Work / Belonging

 

Jon Tyson

Belonging Is Important

Being a part of something was so important to my development. It's a natural desire. The people I identified with provided opportunities for growth, learning, societal skills, and reinforcement. And, this is coming from an introvert. I don't need a lot of external stimulus for motivation, but going it alone was never a healthy alternative. I still seek out social interaction as I did then. 

Remember "I Am Rock" by Simon and Garfunkel? The defiance of the loner? 

I have my books

And my poetry to protect me

I am shielded in my armor

Hiding in my room safe within my womb

I touch no one and no one touches me

I am a rock I am an island

And then, reflectively, as the song ends.

And a rock feels no pain

And an island never cries

The Mayo Clinic put it this way:

The social ties that accompany a sense of belonging are a protective factor helping manage stress and other behavioral issues. When we feel we have support and are not alone, we are more resilient, often coping more effectively with difficult times in our lives.Dec 8, 2021 mayoclinic

My Question Life came up with five reasons why belonging is important. 

 1. Improved Physical Health 

Countless studies have proven that belonging can decrease blood pressure, enhance bodily performance, and increase odds of recovery from surgery or disease.

2. Reduced Stress

Maintaining secure connections cues positive hormones in our bodies, helping us to feel better.

3. Increased Life Expectancy

A sense of belonging actually improves our physical health; it also reduces our stress – two important factors in living a long, healthy life. For all the ailments, sicknesses, and recoveries we’re going to face, the support and care for others will quite literally inspire us to get better faster.

4. Higher Self-Esteem

Having a strong sense of belonging allows us to feel like we matter to others.

5. Decreased Anxiety and Depression

It’s no surprise that, with all the physical benefits of relationships, there would be mental benefits, as well.

So I remember when we were driving

Driving in your car
Speed so fast, it felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I-I had a feeling that I belonged
I-I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone -Tracy Chapman

It got me to thinking, what if management was required to encouraged belonging? It happens, I've felt it. Those jobs were the most rewarding. I felt valued. What I thought mattered. If more of this was done, there would be more value to all our lives, and we would value those around us...And less #quietquitting.

Don't Give Up

 I found this quite by mistake. I was searching for answers on why people give. As with most of us, I've given up and regretted it later. The saving grace, I've learned from my mistakes.

A primary reason for quiting?  Not realizing how gifted we really are. 

5 Reasons Why You Should Never Give Up on Your Goals

• It's Been Done Before. Whatever your goal may be, you've surely seen plenty of examples of others achieving it. ...
• It's Not a Race. ...
• Setbacks Are Lessons. ...
• You're Tougher Than You Think. ...
• Failure Does Not Exist.

Aug 19, 2022

https://firsthand.co › career-readiness

5 Reasons Why You Should Never Give Up on Your Goals - Firsthand

So...why do most people give? It's because they were asked.