Ripples v10.34: Adding Life!
August 25, 2008: a free weekly splash to 20,433 subscribers
from Paul & The Ripples Project
__PEBBLE _________________________________
We are here to add what we can to life, not get what we can from it.
-William Osler, submitted by Kathy H., Milwaukee WI
__BOULDER _________________________________
What we have done for ourselves
dies alone with us;
what we have done for others and the world
remains and is immortal.
-Albert Pike, submitted by Josephine R., Wisconsin
__PONDER _________________________________
This week some remarkable student leaders at Michigan Tech. University completely freaked me out and I may not recover.
Ever.
MTU's 2008 Summer Reading Challenge selection is "Three Cups of Tea," by Greg Mortenson, a mountain climber who got lost on an expedition and stumbled into his life's mission of building schools in remote Pakistan & Afghanistan. Just before lunch on the day I spent with them, I mentioned Greg's fundraising struggles and challenged them to raise as much money as they could in over their lunch break.
I was confident that collecting a few hundred dollars would create a good sense of "look what we can do when we focus our energy." When we re-assembled after lunch, a plastic container filled with cash was handed to me and when it was all counted and sorted they had transformed a lunch hour challenge into $2,915.62. In just a few hours!!
What struck me most about this remarkable feat was how excited they were by their accomplishment. After spending many long days of training and preparation, they honestly had looked a little worn out when I initially greeted them in the morning. It appeared this profound act of ADDING LIFE to others re-energized their own spirits even while they were unselfishly helping others. How Ripply, indeed, to re-discover that helping others has great benefit to the helper too.
I am stealing a word someone just used on my Facebook wall: Michigan Tech students are FRICKMAZING and I hope you can let them inspire you to take some action this week to ADD LIFE to others.
If you would like more information:
Greg's book: http://ThreeCupsOfTea.com/
MTU students' fundraising feat: http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/ttoday/previous.php?issue=20080825
Peace,
Paul
P.S. If you want to pitch in, send a check made out to CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUE and mail it to Ripples for CAI, 1360 Regent St #342, Madison WI 53715. The Ripples Project Foundation will MATCH all checks received by the end of next week and forward them to Greg!
*****
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Sunday, August 24, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Ripples v10.33: Greatness!
Ripples v10.33: Greatness!
August 18, 2008: a free weekly splash to 20,235 subscribers
from Paul & The Ripples Project
__PEBBLE _________________________________
My goal is to be as great as my pets think I am.
-billboard near an Ohio dog boarding facility, submitted by Betsy B., Oberlin OH
__BOULDER _________________________________
There are countless ways of achieving greatness,
but any road to achieving one's maximum potential
must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual,
a commitment to excellence,
and a rejection of mediocrity.
-Buck Rodgers, submitted by Dawn R., Tallahassee FL
__PONDER _________________________________
I enjoyed helping CMU's Leadership Safari and UNCA's Summit Orientation programs get off the ground this week (and along the way become re-addicted to Facebook thank you very much!). I challenged the students on both campuses to seek GREATNESS and I hope you will do the same.
Actually, a little bird whispered in my ear that you already are great, you just need to feel more comfortable revealing it. Remember that showing your real greatness doesn't come off as boasting, especially if you're helping others realize they have their own big batch of GREATNESS brewing within!
Peace,
Paul
p.s. Seek an opportunity to tell someone they are GREAT this week, and notice how, well GREAT it feels!
August 18, 2008: a free weekly splash to 20,235 subscribers
from Paul & The Ripples Project
__PEBBLE _________________________________
My goal is to be as great as my pets think I am.
-billboard near an Ohio dog boarding facility, submitted by Betsy B., Oberlin OH
__BOULDER _________________________________
There are countless ways of achieving greatness,
but any road to achieving one's maximum potential
must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual,
a commitment to excellence,
and a rejection of mediocrity.
-Buck Rodgers, submitted by Dawn R., Tallahassee FL
__PONDER _________________________________
I enjoyed helping CMU's Leadership Safari and UNCA's Summit Orientation programs get off the ground this week (and along the way become re-addicted to Facebook thank you very much!). I challenged the students on both campuses to seek GREATNESS and I hope you will do the same.
Actually, a little bird whispered in my ear that you already are great, you just need to feel more comfortable revealing it. Remember that showing your real greatness doesn't come off as boasting, especially if you're helping others realize they have their own big batch of GREATNESS brewing within!
Peace,
Paul
p.s. Seek an opportunity to tell someone they are GREAT this week, and notice how, well GREAT it feels!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Ripples v10.32: The Miracle of Starting!
Ripples v10.32: The Miracle of Starting!
August 11, 2008: a free weekly splash to 19,972 subscribers
from Paul & The Ripples Project
__PEBBLE _________________________________
The miracle isn't that I finished. . .
The miracle is that I had the courage to start.
-source unknown, submitted by Anne C-W, Wisconsin
__BOULDERS _________________________________
It's never too late
to start living the life
you've always wanted to live, or
to start being the person
you've always wanted to be.
-source unknown, submitted by Nikki B., Cranston RI
__PONDER _________________________________
Last week I wrapped up my visit to sunny San Diego for S.P. Richards' always magnificent "Advantage Business Conference" with hundreds of old and new friends. I challenged workshop participants to make sure that they took action on some of the ideas and information they picked up at the event, and I reminded them that the easiest way to fight procrastination is to stop trying to get it DONE and instead just take action to get it STARTED.
I dare you to do the same: choose some project, task, chore, or idea that you would like to get moving on and, well, START!
Peace,
Paul
August 11, 2008: a free weekly splash to 19,972 subscribers
from Paul & The Ripples Project
__PEBBLE _________________________________
The miracle isn't that I finished. . .
The miracle is that I had the courage to start.
-source unknown, submitted by Anne C-W, Wisconsin
__BOULDERS _________________________________
It's never too late
to start living the life
you've always wanted to live, or
to start being the person
you've always wanted to be.
-source unknown, submitted by Nikki B., Cranston RI
__PONDER _________________________________
Last week I wrapped up my visit to sunny San Diego for S.P. Richards' always magnificent "Advantage Business Conference" with hundreds of old and new friends. I challenged workshop participants to make sure that they took action on some of the ideas and information they picked up at the event, and I reminded them that the easiest way to fight procrastination is to stop trying to get it DONE and instead just take action to get it STARTED.
I dare you to do the same: choose some project, task, chore, or idea that you would like to get moving on and, well, START!
Peace,
Paul
Monday, August 4, 2008
Ripples v10.31: The Joy of Difference!
Ripples v10.31: The Joy of Difference!
August 4, 2008: a free weekly splash to 19,932 subscribers
from Paul & The Ripples Project
__PEBBLE _________________________________
We are all different, but everyone dreams in the same colors.
-source unknown, submitted by Faith G.
__BOULDERS _________________________________
The sharing of joy,
whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual,
forms a bridge between the sharers
which can be the basis for understanding
much of what is not shared between them,
and lessens the threat of their difference.
-Audre Lorde, submitted by Jana F., Random Lake WI
Behind the storm of daily conflict and crisis, the
dramatic confrontations, the tumult of political struggle,
the poet, the artist, the musician, continues the quiet work
of centuries, building bridges of experience between
peoples, reminding man of the universality of his feelings
and desires and despairs, and reminding him that the
forces that unite are deeper than those that divide.
-John F. Kennedy, submitted by Debra E., Twinsburg OH
__PONDER _________________________________
I had a great week of travels: spending some time with the Family Care unit of Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati and then a day with the Advancement & College Relations folks at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. And the end of July wouldn't be the same without a few hours to fire up the Loaned Executives at the Dane County United Way as they prepare to kick off their fall campaign. I'm in San Diego now but I'll tell you more about that next week.
The Audre Lorde quote above mentions "the threat of their difference" and I am often amazed at how threatened I can feel when initially detecting DIFFERENCE between me and someone I encounter. Whether it is a different political perspective, cultural upbringing, or even a general outlook on life, my first instinct is often to hesitate or even withdraw to the safety of my tribe, the people I have known the longest and I have much in common with. Of course it is so often the case that once I move beyond my initial fear and embrace the challenge of getting to know this WHOLE PERSON who surely has some things in common with me in addition to our differences, we find joy in both the commonalities and the distinctions.
Can you think of someone you cross paths with somewhat regularly that is DIFFERENT than you in some way? What could happen this week if we all agreed to spend a bit more time and energy seeking the JOY in that DIFFERENCE?
Peace,
Paul
August 4, 2008: a free weekly splash to 19,932 subscribers
from Paul & The Ripples Project
__PEBBLE _________________________________
We are all different, but everyone dreams in the same colors.
-source unknown, submitted by Faith G.
__BOULDERS _________________________________
The sharing of joy,
whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual,
forms a bridge between the sharers
which can be the basis for understanding
much of what is not shared between them,
and lessens the threat of their difference.
-Audre Lorde, submitted by Jana F., Random Lake WI
Behind the storm of daily conflict and crisis, the
dramatic confrontations, the tumult of political struggle,
the poet, the artist, the musician, continues the quiet work
of centuries, building bridges of experience between
peoples, reminding man of the universality of his feelings
and desires and despairs, and reminding him that the
forces that unite are deeper than those that divide.
-John F. Kennedy, submitted by Debra E., Twinsburg OH
__PONDER _________________________________
I had a great week of travels: spending some time with the Family Care unit of Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati and then a day with the Advancement & College Relations folks at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. And the end of July wouldn't be the same without a few hours to fire up the Loaned Executives at the Dane County United Way as they prepare to kick off their fall campaign. I'm in San Diego now but I'll tell you more about that next week.
The Audre Lorde quote above mentions "the threat of their difference" and I am often amazed at how threatened I can feel when initially detecting DIFFERENCE between me and someone I encounter. Whether it is a different political perspective, cultural upbringing, or even a general outlook on life, my first instinct is often to hesitate or even withdraw to the safety of my tribe, the people I have known the longest and I have much in common with. Of course it is so often the case that once I move beyond my initial fear and embrace the challenge of getting to know this WHOLE PERSON who surely has some things in common with me in addition to our differences, we find joy in both the commonalities and the distinctions.
Can you think of someone you cross paths with somewhat regularly that is DIFFERENT than you in some way? What could happen this week if we all agreed to spend a bit more time and energy seeking the JOY in that DIFFERENCE?
Peace,
Paul
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