Design With Gratitude: Gratitude Timeline

Ok, so this picture isn't great but the concept is BRILLIANT! Yesterday the company I work for held its bi-weekly staff meeting and because we had almost all of our national and international staff present, we made a conscious effort to get to know one another.

One of the activities we all participated in was to write down five important events that have happened in our lives on sticky notes and post them on a timeline drawn on the wall, forming a very simple yet cool piece of art that we all contributed in making.

There were marriages, trips to foreign countries, births of children and even the losses of loved ones. From a conceptual standpoint, the idea as fantastic. What a wonderful tool for reflecting on poignant moments of our pasts.

For the purpose of my office and coworkers, we used it to get to know one another a little better. But for the purpose of Grateful Brand, I want to encourage you to incorporate this design into your homes, reflecting upon something you are grateful for, for each year you have been alive. You can literally write on the walls as we have done in my office or you can design your own smaller version and perhaps even frame it.

I will be sharing my timeline of gratitude soon. 

Be an Invitation

Mark my words ... no one is obligated to be kind to you just because, nor is anyone entitled to kindness being bestowed upon them. Great philosophers and advocates of peace have proposed a noble argument that refutes my claim, suggesting that we should be kind even to our enemies in spite of their behavior against us. I do agree with this approach, but I live in Los Angeles, CA where simply being social can be equated to pulling teeth around strangers who deliberately cling to a self imposed sense of exclusivity that prevents them from being inviting. Please believe me when I say, I am able to identify the difference between being shy and being a closed person.

While we should all strive to take the high road and exude kindness at all times, kindness functions as a two way street. You must be and give kindness to receive and be surrounded by kindness.

In my social venturing, the volume of people I have encountered who behave based on the expectation that kindness will not be the first response to their invitation of friendship is mind boggling. As a result, they become conditioned to needing familiar people around them when they go out or they just avoid being social for fear of being rejected by those who are unfamiliar.

It is a damnable shame that closed people have such unnatural and undeserved influence over the socially harmonious norms of society. The concept of the "Mean Girls" clique is the perfect example that has even been adapted into a feature film, yet this concept is by no means gender specific. Those with beauty, popularity and privilege and many other gender, racial, or common interest groups self segregate themselves from the majority, forming closed social groups. I do not object to a person choosing to only surround themselves with similar, like minded people, but there is no excuse for being unkind to those who differ based on means or appearance, etc.

Can you imagine what the world would be like if these closed off people made a concerted effort to be welcoming? Can you imagine the empowerment, influence and collective good that would permeate the social landscape? It would be amazing; a metaphorical seasoning of culture and kindness on the stew of life. Unfortunately, too many people feel that being closed and unkind is worthier of esteem. 

Believe this: "There is no duty more obligatory than the repayment of kindness." - Cicero

Whatever your experience has been, you will expand your circle of friends and increase the quality of that circle if you exist as an invitation of kindness, believing that in doing so, kindness will be reciprocated. If it is not, then that person has saved you from making a poor choice in who to welcome into your life. As the old adage says, you are a reflection of the company you keep.

Be an invitation of kindness and prepare for your life to be enriched. 

You're in the Front Row!

They who lack talent expect things to happen without effort. They ascribe failure to a lack of inspiration or ability, or to misfortune, rather than to insufficient application. At the core of every true talent there is an awareness of the difficulties inherent in any achievement, and the confidence that by persistence and patience something worthwhile will be realized. Thus talent is a species of vigor.
- Eric Hoffer



I would wager that most of us have attended a play, sporting event or concert of some sort. Have you ever purchased tickets for a show where your seats were in the back or way up high in bleachers or stadium rafters? I have. The experience is not so bad, but sitting in the back is a far cry from sitting front and center. 

When sitting up front you're able to take in so much more; facial expressions, highlighted solos, lightning fast moves, detailed displays of incredible talent that you would never be able to experience from sitting near the exits. Unfortunately, most front row event tickets are exorbitantly expensive, but there is one show that we all can see up front and for free. That show is Life.

Think about it. We wake up every day in the front row of Life. Are you paying attention to what is happening around you? Are you seeing all of the beautiful details? Are you participating? It is the greatest drama we will ever have the opportunity to experience, yet some people treat Life as if it was worthless.

Whether you like it or not, you are in the front row, right now! There are no cheap seats. You can either choose to fall asleep or be aware and present for whatever may happen. And that is precisely the beautiful thing about Life. Anything can happen! Yes, Life could potentially throw you a curve ball of disappointment, struggle or heartache but overcoming those challenges makes the show even better.

If you fail to find anything to appreciate about Life, well, perhaps you should give up your seat.

Here's to Life! May the show go on and on.

Nature's Details: Alien World

There are landscapes, plant species and wildlife that have existed for tens of millions of years in quiet, reclusive beauty, yet most of us will never take the time to study nor preserve them. Pictures simply do not do justice. The silence, the warmth, and slight breeze all must be experienced to truly appreciate such an alien world.

Be Love

Romance is wafting through the air.  Today is indeed the day when star crossed lovers make a concerted effort to celebrate their feelings for one another.

Seeing people feel new, special, utterly distracted with giddiness is beautiful.

I wish everyone the happiest of Valentines Days but I have a proposition for couples, singles, in betweens and otherwise.

Lets not approach this day from the perspective of needing to be in love to celebrate, but rather, let us all acknowledge this day as love. We all can be manifestations of love, caring about one another to a degree unseen before. Can you imagine the evolution of energy throughout the world? It would certainly make Valentines Day quite special for all.

There is a  movement steadily gaining momentum called Generosity Day. It is taking Valentines Day and making it more inclusive. The mission is to encourage everyone to give more; of themselves, their time, and their resources. Be helpful. Or simply cook a meal for a neighbor who you know is not as enthusiastic about the day, marketed specifically for lovers. Do something special for someone, whether you know them or not and encourage them to continue the trend.

We all can share in this day, making it special for everyone! Join me in being love.

This is a picture of two dear friends, in love, whom also are wonderful examples of what it means to be love as they both give of themselves. For example, they were kind enough to let me use this picture for Grateful Brand.

 

This song by Talib Kweli makes me smile. It's very fitting for this special day. I hope it inspires warm feelings or encourages you to scour through your playlists in search of great love songs.

 

Love: The Inspiration

Valentines Day is tomorrow but Love is the theme of the week on Grateful Brand. Why dedicate an entire week to this grand feeling ... this flagrant emotion?

Because love is the greatest thing that humans have ever produced. Love is bigger and more important than all of us. Yet, love is simple.

Artist, poet and writer, Kahlil Gibran, once wrote, "Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses naught nor would it be possessed; for love is sufficient unto love."

His beautiful summation of what many societies stretch into complex thought and protocol reminds us of what love is and how it functions in its sincerest form.  

Whether you are acknowledging love with someone special or you are unattached, everyone can appreciate love's cultural influence over the human race. Some of the greatest literature and poetry have been written about love, some of the greatest songs ever sung have been sung about love and performances of endless variety have taken the stage inspired by love. Throughout history, men and women of incredible influence and power have utterly fumbled in the wake of falling in love. Every so often you hear of couples, together for most of their adult lives, dying within hours of one another, not wanting to be separated for a moment longer than necessary.   

Take note, love does not revolve solely around romance. There is the platonic love shared between dear friends, familial love, and what the Greeks referred to as 'agape love' meaning unconditional love.

For some, love that has been lost or perhaps never fully manifested, evolves into leaving salt on wounds. But step back and consider all that has been and has yet to be inspired by love. I, myself, am unattached and have been for what feels like a long time, but seeing people in love display affection for one another makes me smile. I do not envy nor covet what they have between the two of them because love for me may one day be different. It may not emulate or reflect what I witness in others. I simply admire what they are sharing with one another at that point in time and take away inspiration from their humanity.

Let love into your life in what ever form it happens to occur. Exude love in return. You and the world will be grateful you did.

Nature's Details: Color Pop

 After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, bountiful with life. Within decades we must close our eyes again. Isn't it a noble, an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it? This is how I answer when I am asked -- as I am surprisingly often -- why I bother to get up in the mornings.
- Richard Dawkins

 

 

 

 

May "The Force" Be With You

This is NASA's latest image of the Blue Marble, better known as Earth. Considering how many thousands of miles away the telescope that took this beautiful image must have been in relation to its incredible detail, I find it easy to lose five to ten minutes at a time staring. Just think of how small and insignificant we are to the size and life span of our planet. Our existence will be but a blink when all is said and done. Consider how small Earth is in relation to our solar system, the Universe, and what ever may be beyond that. It's all so fascinating yet mind boggling at the same time.

Consider now the invisible forces that make it all possible: gravity, magnetism, perhaps even other forces we have yet to discover. 

I'm no physicist or astronomer, but I do think it's incredible that the Universe and its contents are pushed and pulled, spun, expanded and contracted all due to forces that we cannot see, but that we know exist.

Think, now, of love, compassion, kindness and gratitude. Is it too far fetched to think of these as "forces," pushing and pulling, spinning, expanding and contracting the human race and how we treat one another? Like magnetism, for every positive there must also be a negative such as hate or intolerance.

Call me a nerd if you must, but I like the idea of wielding a special power, the fantasy of "The Force." The difference between me and Yoda though, is that I don't need a light saber or a laser gun and I have no intention of fighting any epic battles.

All I have is love, compassion, kindness and gratitude: my arsenal for combating all the negativity that wants to rain down on me and those I care about. You'd be amazed at how powerful you can feel when you're able to stand unwaveringly firm in the face of negativity if you believe in the power you have within you to defeat it. 

Think of Gandhi for instance. Surely he would find this hypothesis of force very appealing, if he hadn't already thought of it himself.