Google has done it again, and this time it’s for all the nonprofit organizations of the world! Check it out!

“Every night list five things you are grateful for. What it will begin to do is change your perspective of your day and your life.” — Oprah Winfrey

Two self-proclaimed “students of joyology” with backgrounds in design, technology, and social sciences have joined forces to create a blogging platform called HappyRambles that encourages people to recognize things that they are grateful for each day in a gratitude journal. People who sign up will receive a daily email simply asking, “What are you grateful for today?”

The rest is self-explanatory.

You might be wondering WHY anyone would want to keep a gratitude journal, right? There has been a great deal of research done on this topic, and the overarching consensus is that expressing gratitude is actually better for your health! People who maintain a gratitude journal are healthier, more optimistic, and more likely to make progress toward achieving personal goals.

If you need more evidence about gratitude and its effect on health, check out the following resources:

• Cultivating Gratitude — The Benefits of Gratitude for Stress Relief
• The Benefits of Optimism
• Gratitude and Well-Being

One of the cool features about HappyRambles is that you don’t have to share your gratitude journal with the world. Each entry is private, unless you decide to email it to friends/family. You’ll have the freedom to be grateful about whatever you want without being judged.

As I write this post, I am grateful for DoGood Headquarters for sending me a direct message to share this wonderful idea with me. Thank you, @DoGoodHQ!

What are YOU grateful for?

So simple, a kid can do it!

My friend, Brent, told me an interesting story this morning.

Like most people who need that morning pick-me-up, you most likely wait anxiously for that sometimes bitter… sometimes cavity-breeding sweet, dark, hot, liquid crack.

When you see the barista pour the steamy (or frozen) concoction, it does something magical to your senses. It has a way of instantly waking you up and making you want to jump on a table and say, “I’m alive! I’m awake! And I’m ready to take on the world!”

For those of us who don’t indulge in coffee (such as myself), you’ll just have to pretend you know what it feels like to be falsely awake — it’s akin to being able to breathe with no any air. And yes, I just channeled some Jordin Sparks for those of you who didn’t catch the reference. Haha.

Imagine for a second, that the person ahead of you wasn’t able to pay for their morning jolt. What would you do? Would you laugh? Would you ignore the situation? While I’d like to have complete faith in my fellow man, I feel that our society has become driven by self-motivated interests. We fail to look at the bigger picture. Our perspectives have, in a way, been blown out of proportion. These macro-size ideals overlook the details… the little things. For people like Brent, taking a more micro-size approach to a situation can prove to create the biggest impact.

You see, while the woman ran to her car to get cash (her card was declined), Brent moved into action and paid it forward. He selflessly gave of himself to help someone else without expecting anything in return. As a matter of fact, the exchange was so quick, that upon reentry into the store, Brent had already paid for the coffee, left the Starbucks, and the woman had no idea! And who says chivalry is dead?! 

Paying it forward is a simple concept. I had no prior knowledge of it until I saw the movie as part of Resident Assistant Appreciation Week. As part of the many things the university did for us, they treated us to a free, off-campus movie — Pay It Forward. While I don’t think it was a box office hit, it delivered a powerful message.

What would happen if everyone paid it forward?

After Brent told me about his experience, it made me think about other related concepts. If you’re still not quite sure what it means to “pay it forward,” here’s a definition:

The expression “pay it forward” is used to describe the concept of asking that a good turn be repaid by having it done to others instead.

During my year of service with City Year, we “put our idealism to work.” It’s a pretty profound slogan, and I didn’t quite understand its meaning then, but now… I totally get it. Among the many topics taught to us, we learned about “Ubuntu.” I’ve posted a few explanations/definitions of this concept below.

Ubuntu is an ethic or humanist philosophy focusing on people’s allegiances and relations with each other. The word has its origin in the Bantu languages of southern Africa. Ubuntu is seen as a classical African concept.

And also…

Archbishop Desmond Tutu further explained Ubuntu as follows (2008):

One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu – the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality – Ubuntu – you are known for your generosity.

And to sum it all up: we’re all connected through humanity, and through that my humanity is tied to yours.

Powerful, right?

The other is the concept of “ripples.” In 1966 Robert F. Kennedy delivered his “Day of Affirmation Address” in Capetown, South Africa. Excerpting from it, he stated:

“Thousands of Peace Corps volunteers are making a difference in isolated villages and city slums in dozens of countries. Thousands of unknown men and women in Europe resisted the occupation of the Nazis and many died, but all added to the ultimate strength and freedom of their countries.

It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Going back to Brent’s experience, whether he realized it or not, he created a tiny ripple. Hopefully, the woman will recognize the generosity of a complete stranger and emulate his actions for another complete stranger, and that stranger will then help another… and so on and so on…

A few months ago, I challenged myself to pay it forward every day for an entire month. I met my challenge, but I oftentimes wonder about the number of ripples I’ve created during my time here on Earth. I wonder how much impact they’ve had, or if I’ve unknowingly created a ripple that eventually became a wave.

I wonder what would happen if everyone paid it forward…

Posted via web from drivenidealist’s posterous

This is a story I wrote awhile back (days before the Inauguration), and it was published at values.com. I thought I’d post on my blogs simply because it was an amazing time, and the compassion that was shared was unbelievable. The story can be found here. I hope you enjoy!

So, I’m pretty sure we’re all familiar with public transportation, right? You get a cornucopia of diversity in an enclosed space for a short amount of time, yet long enough to form judgments about complete strangers.

I was on the public transportation in D.C., and I was living my own cornucopia of diversity. I had just completed some volunteer work, and I was incredible tired. I didn’t really want to be bothered with anyone, and I was rockin’ out to some tunes with my best friend whose name happens to be “iPod.”

To my left, there was a couple who appeared to be tourists. You know the type: generally smiling really big, taking pictures of random things a native wouldn’t normally find interesting, and just having a good time taking in their new surroundings. To my right and an aisle back, was a girl who was deeply intent in whatever book she was reading and didn’t seem to care what was going on around her. In the same row, different aisle, there sat an elderly woman simply looking into space looking rather pensive.

We’re all enjoying our ride in our own miniature microcosm of society when a blind gentleman enters the train… rather abrasively. He tapped people with his cane while grumbling, “Move out of the way! Move out of the way!” Even though I had my ear buds in rockin’ out with my friend, I managed to take notice that this man seemed like he could’ve been a little down on his luck. He wasn’t particularly too clean, and his overall demeanor exuded, “Don’t talk to me! I want to be alone!”

As the man tried to find his way to an open seat, I gently grabbed his arm and directed him to a seat close to me. He had a hands free headset which he used to attempt to contact the bus line to obtain information about a transfer. He yelled at the headset saying, “THAT’S NOT WHAT I WANT! I DIDN’T SAY THAT! UGH!” It was very apparent that he was disgruntled with the voice-automated system. Since he was yelling, I could hear where he needed to go pretty clearly. The people I mentioned before took notice to him and each had a look of fear on their faces… that’s the normal reaction, right?

I removed my “friend” from my ears and asked the gentleman if I could be of service to him. He quickly and sternly said, “No!” I replied, “I couldn’t help but overhearing you, but we’re going to the same location. Perhaps I can help you get to your final destination?” He then said, “This stupid thing doesn’t pay attention to what I’m telling it to do!” I replied, “Oh… the voice-automated system? Yeah, it can be a pain to deal with sometimes. I know exactly how you feel.” He calmly said, “You do?” By this time, the fear on people’s faces had turned to a look of confusion as if to say, “Why is he even talking to the crazy guy?! He must be equally as crazy!”

I continued to talk to the man, and during our dialogue, he drastically calmed down… to the point of almost a whisper. I found common ground with him and let him know that he’s not the only one who has had to deal with buggy technology. We continued to talk quietly and the fear turned confusion… now turned into smiles and looks of awe. I noticed that people’s eyes became bigger. They looked intent in my interaction with this man. It was like a story unfolding in front of their eyes. The girl who was reading so intently, looked up and smiled — even chuckled a bit. The couple… looked in amazement. The older woman looked at me… just staring.

As we approached our stop, I let the man know that we had arrived. I asked if he needed assistance getting off of the train, and he politely said, “Yes, please.” I grabbed his arm and guided him in the correct direction. Since he had tucked away his cane, I stood with him as he readied himself to use his cane, and what happened next shocked me. Remember the couple I mentioned? They stopped with us, and the woman gently grabbed the blind man’s other arm while her husband (or boyfriend) put both of his hands on the blind man’s shoulders to assist in guiding him. The four of us walked together in a little cluster, and I thought to myself, “Wow… what just happened?!” We guided him to the escalator where the blind man began to speak again and asked, “Where are y’all going?” We all responded and the woman, who was one step down and to the left, turned back and mouthed “wow” to me. She smiled, and I almost thought I’d see a tear.

As we approached the bottom of the escalator the couple went in their own direction, and I asked the blind man if I could be of more assistance to which he responded, “No. I’m okay. Thank you.” I went my separate way thinking about what happened on the train that caused everyone to go from fear to confusion to amazement. To this day, I still don’t get it, but whatever it was… it was truly powerful!

If this ever gets published somewhere, I’d like to thank the couple who took a risk to help me help the blind man. I didn’t say or show it then, but it speaks volumes about what human beings are capable of doing. Thank you for replenishing my hope in the world.

It’s funny… people oftentimes ask me, “Stephen, how are you so happy and optimisitic ALL the time?!” I’d respond, “I don’t know… I have times when I’m not happy, but I don’t dwell on them too much.” After giving some thought as to how I do it, I realized some a few things.

First, why would I not be happy?! I have friends and family who care for me, and I enjoy that I help others as much as possible. I have the necessities for survival, and quite honestly… I don’t think it takes all that much to maintain. I think it’s easy for us to foster a skewed image of what it is to truly be happy. We’ve become consumed with obtaining material possessions, but in reality, what do these possessions really do for us? To me, it’s the forging and fostering of relationships that provides me with the most meaning in my life.

I recently read a great post at CoolPeopleCare (www.coolpeoplecare.org). If you’re looking for ways to help others (read: maintain happiness), be sure to subscribe to the daily updates. One particular post was about thanking your teachers. I took action immediately after reading it, and I sent thank you emails to two of my teachers whom I feel have had the most impact on my life.

Mrs. Stidger and Ms. Clift (11th grade advanced English and 5th grade, respectively) have been the most amazing influences in my life. It’s been forever since I’ve seen either of them face-to-face, but I always value that I can email them whenever I please and get a thoughtful response in return. They’ve gone above and beyond the average teacher, and for that, they are to be commended. Mrs. Stidger taught me how to love poetry and to explore all possibilities. Ms. Clift taught me that learning new things can be fun… no matter how difficult it may be. It’s weird… both have commented on how they knew I’d end up being successful. I wonder how? Needless to say, saying thank you to them made me happy. Score two happy points for me.

As I write this entry, I am listening to Audio Adrenaline. For those of you that may not be familiar with this group, they’re Christian and pretty much amazing. The message of the Bible is presented in a way that anyone can understand. It takes me back to a time when I was in high school and looked forward to going to church. I was surrounded by people who had my best interests at heart, and it just felt good. I may be many years removed from high school, but it’s amazing how music has the ability to take you back to the happiest moments of our lives. Score another point for me.

Simply recalling times in our lives when we were the happiest proves to be quite powerful. If you’re struggling with maintaining your happiness, take a step back and think about the happiest moments in your life. The feelings you had back then can be replicated and help with the now. Give it a try. I dare you.

Yours in service,

Me 

It’s been awhile since I’ve updated (a few days) as I have been trying to apply a few new elements to the site. I’ve been teaching myself CSS, and while it’s interesting, it can be mildly frustrating. A lot has been going on as of late, and it’s been a challenge to focus.

It looks like I might be speaking on the Hill, so I’ve been preparing for that. We’ve got a 9/11 Day of Service coming up also, and that will take some planning. In addition to that, we’re gearing up for AmeriCraze, and a script will need to be written for that. It’s a lot, but I enjoy what I’m doing, and that’s what matters the most.

I’ve got my first BIG client meeting on Sept. 1st, and I’m a little nervous about that, but I think it’ll all work out in the end. Life is generally going really well for me sans the minor bump in the road (another death in the family… lung cancer).

I continue to maintain my positive outlook on life and continue to be wary of the haters that have tried/are trying to bring me down. It’s funny how one can lose “friends” when you’re optimistic, but it seems that negativity works as a strange magnet to attract those who want to continue to bring you down.

I look back at my time in college when it seemed that everyone was there to motivate and encourage the best in people — why is it not like that anymore? I guess it’s because I’m in a different geographic location, but why should that have any bearing on how people treat each other? I wish things could go back to the way they were — happy and carefree.

This year has been less than desirable. People always say, “Death happens for a reason,” but honestly… as much death/loss as I’ve experienced this year is a little over the top.

My grandma died in January of progressive supranuclear palsy, a close friend died about a month ago of the swine flu, a family friend died a few days ago from a heart attack, and I found out today that a relative died of lung cancer.

Anyone’s first inclination would be to feel sorry for me. I don’t do pity parties because life is still going on even though my loved ones have departed this life. As I grow older, I feel that my intuition (maybe ESP?) is becoming fine-tuned. I’ve had a few experiences as of late that have frightened me, and I’m not sure what to think.

All of this death in a short amount of time gives me optimism. It sounds crazy, but losing someone causes you to take a look at yourself and think, “If I were to go today, would I be satisfied with the life I have lived?” Introspection isn’t something I enjoy because I typically find a great deal of things I’d like to change about myself. It’s necessary to grow, and perhaps I am a better person because of it. Who knows?

I’m a tough cookie. I’ll make it through. I’ll persevere.

This is a piece I performed back in the day when I played bassoon. No, it’s not me, but I know the piece well.