Nelson Mandela said, "There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children."

This week I wrote about protecting children, in the light of revelations about the Penn State abuse scandal. There are five pieces to explore-

1. Honoring the innocence of children while teaching them about boundaries. Help kids to develop wise trust. Read more.

2. Protect children before protecting institutions like the church or college football programs. Read more.

3. Become a whistleblower for kids in danger. Learn to see the signs of danger, and empower kids to trust their intuition. Read more.

4. Learn to forgive yourself when you fail to see the signs or act on warning signs. Read more.

5. We need to believe that good people do bad things so that we are not blindsided by abuse. Read more.

In the end, it all comes down to what sort of world you choose to dwell in. I imagine a world where children are fiercely protected and people are mindful of the effect of their actions.


I love the ritual among the Masai tribes of African. Even though they were considered the most fearsome of all warriors, they use a greeting that is amazingly gentle. They greet each other with the words, “Kasserian ingera?’ which means “How are the children?” Even warriors with no children of their own would give the answer, ‘All the children are well.”

If the children are well, it is well with all. If the least visible and least powerful are well cared for, society as a whole is in a healthy state. Start by caring for the vulnerable child within who needs to be empowered with courage to heal from past choices and move on making powerful choices. Ask yourself often, “How is the child within?” May your answer be, “The child within is well.”

Occupy Wall Street

This week I wrote about transformation, particularly in relation to the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement that is gaining momentum. Please follow the links below to read each article.

1. Reform changes things at the surface. Transformation changes from the inside out. Click here to read more 

2. Getting beyond labels that divide. Spend less time defining who we are, and more time BEING who we are. Click here to read more 

3. Visualizing Transformation, a visualization for anyone managing change, using the analogy of a butterfly. Click here to read more. 

Acceptance

I chose to give my creative mind a rest this week and only wrote once. The piece I wrote was on acceptance and living with no strings attached. The harp created my guiding metaphor, which led to a visualization which I found meaningful. I hope you do too. You can read the article and visualization here.

Throw yourself into every moment with no strings attached, with no assurance that your efforts will be rewarded. Plan your next steps with no certainty of the outcomes. Pour yourself into a cause or project you believe in without knowing where it will take you. Do it as an authentic expression of who you are.

This week I wrote a four part series on authenticity and taking off masks. Jim Morrison, Doors frontman, said, "The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are." Please follow each link below to read the series as it unfolded.

1. The first article is about the power of authenticity. Click here to read.
2. The second is about authenticity’s payoff. Recover your born identity. Click here to read.
3. The third offers practical steps to live more authentically. Its exhausting not to live authentically. Click here to read.
4. The fourth piece is about the connection between living authentically and the needs of the planet. Masks and the Occupy Wall Street movement. Click here to read.

In order to BE yourself, you have to KNOW yourself. Once you start living authentically, life becomes filled with joy. And as Gandhi said, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

Have an awesome week of finding, living, loving and being yourself.

Last week I wrote about taking responsibility. I mentioned responsibility’s mantra, IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME. When you see something that needs to be done, get in and take responsibility. But is there such a thing as taking too much responsibility? What happens when you feel overwhelmed by the needs of the world? How do you persevere when it feels like you’re running backwards into a stiff headwind? How do you remove unhealthy burdens from your life? How do you keep caring without letting the pain destroy you? These are some of the questions I addressed this week.


Please follow the links to read more about

1. 10 ways to know if you are taking on too much responsibility. Click to read more.

2. 10 practical ways to overcome overwhelm. Click to read more.

3. What is the connection between empathy and overwhelm? Click to read more.

4. What does the phrase, “pain hurts more, but bothers you less” mean? Click to read more.

Have a great week, and live with awesome balance between care and acceptance.

Personal Responsibility

The Dalai Lama said,

Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.

This week I wrote about personal responsibility. It seems to be one of the defining qualities of human evolution. I looked at four issues. Follow the link to read each article.

1. Response-Ability- What is personal responsibility? Learn to take responsibility for both your successes and challenges.

2. Empathy and Responsibility- The level of your responsibility will mostly match your level of care or empathy.

3. Spirituality and Responsibility- Take responsibility for your own spiritual path, your beliefs and destiny.

4. Responsibility and Awareness- Your responsibility stretches as far as your awareness reaches.

  

New Beginnings

Last week I wrote about ending well. This week I wrote four articles about beginning well.

The first piece was about the opportunity for renewed authenticity in beginnings.

The second was about using nervous energy to your advantage.

The third was about the excitement of joining change at the ground floor.

The fourth was about setting the tone for your life by putting your best foot forward.

Below is an extract from part 4. Please follow the links above to read them in order.

New beginnings are a privilege, and not to be taken for granted. The opportunity to start over, start new, rewrite the script, build something from the ground up, set the tone for an intention, are all part of the forgiving nature of the universe. Second, third and seven hundredth chances are built into the nature of life. When you truly believe that, you can set about living on purpose and without regrets. You are not alive at this time in history with your unique blend of experience and skill by accident. You are not reading this article at this time in your life by accident. There are things that you still need to express and manifest in the world, and your next thoughts, words and actions will set the tone for the rest of your life and help to create the future for all. Your kindred spirits are others who believe in second chances and fresh starts, and live their lives putting their best foot forward. Imagine the love revolution if more of us lived this way.