Category: Generosity & Kindness

Mary Nhin is the author of a new children’s book series called Ninja Life Hacks. In it, she teaches children valuable life skills about anger, positivity, kindness, perfection and anxiety to name but a few. Although they were written for young girls and boys ages 3-11, I can assure you their lessons are just as valuable for adults. As was the case during a recent reading of Compassionate Ninja. My 8-year-old nephew received the entire Ninja Life Hacks series as a Christmas present this year and has been eagerly devouring each book and its messages. When visiting my wife and I, my nephew often brings a stack of books with him for us to read out loud together. It’s so inspiring to watch him develop his reading skills, getting better…

As we usher in another calendar year, many of us will resolve to change the current trajectory of our lives. From health and wellness, to prioritizing our to-do-lists (both personally and professionally). I’m not exempt in such attempts, though I’ve repeatedly resolved to do the same thing year after year and somehow always manage to fail. My resolution? To set low expectations. Douglas Adams, an English author and screenwriter, one remarked that, “A life that is burdened with expectations is a heavy life. Its fruit is sorrow and disappointment.” I can attest to the accuracy of that statement as I’ve spent much of my life setting high expectations for relationships, situations and occasions, which oftentimes resulted in nothing more than loneliness, and as Adams stated above, disappointment. For instance, how…

I’ve seen the following quote floating around the internet lately, though it doesn’t appear to be credited to any one person or organization. “This is not the year to get everything we want, but instead the year to be grateful for all that we have.” Sentiments about gratefulness seem to run rampant around this time of year, beginning with carving the Thanksgiving turkey and concluding with a ritualistic toast on December 31. If there ever was an occasion in history to acknowledge that this is not the year to get everything we want, 2020 would certainly be fitting. Everyone from school children who’ve been unable to celebrate birthday parties with classmates, to couples whose nuptials are far from the fairy tale they dreamed of, to senior citizens who’ve become even…

“When someone tells you I'm too busy… It’s not a reflection of their schedule; it’s a reflection of YOUR spot on their schedule.” - Steve Maraboli The other day, I learned that a co-worker’s husband had passed away suddenly. He was in his early 30’s, was healthy and yet fate dealt him and his wife a hand neither deserved. It’s been several days since learning that news and yet I still can’t rid my thoughts of this unfortunate reality. Perhaps not surprisingly, I’m thinking of my own mortality - I’m ten years the young man’s senior – and of course my wife and how awful it would be if I were to leave her too soon. I’m also thinking of something we all say far too often and far too easily.…

Next week is Thanksgiving – a time to be grateful for the countless blessings we so often overlook throughout the preceding months. Yes, covid may be inconvenient, but I guarantee that this year – perhaps even more than any other year – we still have a great deal to be thankful for. I use the word “inconvenient” because far too many people in the United States still choose to look at this pandemic without concern, compassion or empathy. We’re angry that the normalcy we’ve come to expect without fail - like a cherished friend or an old, loyal dog - has been so drastically disrupted. We almost don’t know how to survive with the balance in our lives so completely altered. When that happens, the anger intensifies rather than learning…