Extreme Kindness

“Kindness Rocks is an initiative to help stop violence and bullying in schools and communities throughout the world by inspiring youth to take kind and positive action on a daily basis, and to let them know how important their individual contribution is to the world as a whole.”

http://www.kindnessrocks.net/whatiskindnessrocks.html

A friend of mine, Brock Tully, who I call the ‘Brock’ Star of kindness made me aware of this incredible group. http://www.brocktully.com/

Check it out and get inspired.

B-RAD

This past weekend Brad and I spoke to a group of volunteers at the 2008 Vitalize conference in Edmonton. One of the topics we addressed with the enthusiastic group was health. For anyone in the world of service, learning how to find balance and restore energy is imperative. Essentially, a person must learn to be well to ensure they are able to function properly and to serve others in the workplace, at home and in the community.

Every time I step onto a plane, I am reminded of the necessity of taking care of self before others. At the beginning of the flight the steward announced the safety instructions of the airplane including, “in the event of an emergency, and a loss of oxygen in the cabin, an clear mask will drop from the ceiling. If you are with a small child, please remember to place the mask on yourself first.” A Simple message, that transfers into the rest of our lives. When we experience stress, or challenges in our life – and we always do – we must remember to take care of ourselves, or our stress, like having no oxygen will incapacitate us.

A simple tool to help release stress and calm the body is called, diaphragmatic breathing. Complicate name, simple technique! This exercise involves breathing deeply from our belly, instead of our chest, where we tend breath from to as a result of stress. The miracle of this method is that where the breath goes, the body follows. During stress, our sympathetic nervous system is over-stimulated producing an increased heart rate, perspiration, muscle tension and breathing. As we slow down the breath and take in more oxygen, all of these stress responses decrease and we begin to feel calmer and more relaxed.

The next time you feel overwhelmed or stresses, just breath…deeply.

ONE - A Face Behind The Numbers
ONE, by Vaden Earle, is a compendium on social justice issues, including statistics, real-life stories, and striking photography; bringing the numbers to life.

Eleven chapters illume the injustices of the humanitarian crisis, accompanied by captivating photos of desperate situations.

ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS BOOK GO TOWARDS CHARITY http://one.absolute.org

Three time Pulitzer Prize Author Thomas L. Friedman makes an interesting observation in his book: THE WORLD IS FLAT; A Brief History of The Twenty-First Century.

He declares that there are 3 stages or rather era’s in the evolution of Globalization.

Globalization 1.0 1492-1800
This era of history began with Columus proving that the world was round. “It shrank the world from a size large to a size medium” The key to making a mark in this period was the amount of brawn one country could bring to bear and how creative it was in the deployment of said strength. “The primary questions were: Where does my country fit into global competition and opportunites? How can I go global and collaborate with others through my country?” In many ways, at this time, the common man would be a spectator to the clashing of titans.

Globalization 2.0 1800-2000
Friedman sees the “second great era” shrinking again, from a size medium to a size small. “The key agent of change, the dynamic force driving global integration, was multinational companies”. The Industrial Revolution, steam power, railroadsm the PC, telephones and the early World Wide Web all helped to bring the earth down a second size. The global economy was born and the big question was: “How can I go global and collaborate with others through my company”?

Globalization 3.0 2000 - Present Day
“Shrinking the world from a size small to a size tiny and flattening the playing field at the same time.” Software and the development of a “global fiber-optic networt has made all of us next door neighbours”.

“Individuals must, and can, now ask, Where do I fit into te global competition and opportunities of the day, and how can I, on my own, collaborate with others globally?”

People all over the world are being empowered to make their mark on this nw flat and even playing field, our new planet.

The question is what will YOU do with this opportunity? All it takes is ONE good IDEA and the determination to put it into ACTION.

The World Is Flat BUT I would argue that there is yet no edge of the earth or limit to how far one person can now sail.

A great book to read and one that every CEO should have within arms reach is NATURAL CAPITALISM, by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins.

A positive but realistic look at what must occur for our leaders to move our world towards a sustainable economy. This book gives the reader a very solid understanding of what MUST become a reality for our next INDSUTRIAL REVOLUTION.

In the words of the authors, “it is about the possibilites that will arise from the birth of a new type of industrialism, one that differs in its philosophy, goals, and fundamental processes from the industrial system that is the standard today.

The Extreme Kindness Crew has always shared the vision of CONNECTING THE WORLD THROUGH KINDNESS. We have done this BY INSPIRING millions thorugh media and entertainment outlets such as the internet and prime time news. We have endevoured to EDUCATE through our books and seminars on THE KINDNESS INJECTION. We have encouraged the MOBILIZATION of new KINDNESS CREW members across the globe. However, I often feel a special twinge of hope when given the opportunity to present our 4 PILLARS of KINDNESS to major corporations and CEO’s. When an influential person or group possess the values of kindness to the SELF, CO-WORKER/FAMILY, CUSTOMER and COMMUNITY, perhaps these catergories will play a small part in helping to produce a renewed push towards long term wealth, that will sustain itself through generations. Businesses are not just made up of steel buidlings and larger then life logo’s. Business is about people coming together around an idea and the journey to attain a common goal.

What greater goal or dream could all our CEO’s have, but that of a sustainable earth and economy? Thats just good business.

“An economy needs four types of capital to function properly:
-human capital, in the form of labor and intelligence, culture, and organization
-financial capital, consisting of cash, investments, and monetary instruments
-manufactured capital, including infrastructure, machines, tools, and factories
-natural capital, made up of resources, living systems, and ecosystem services” (page 4, Natural Capitalism)

After reading this book, if I were to pick a 5th and all important pillar to add to the KINDNESS INJECTION, I would choose KINDNESS TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

The last page of the book ends with a hopefull begining; “Natural capitalism is about choices we can make that can start to tip economic and social outcomes in positive directions. And it is already occuring because it is necessary, possible, and practical.”

The next time you are thinking about taking a vacation I would suggest checking out the Hero Holiday Program run by ABSOLUTE LEADERSHIP.

Here is a description taken from their incredible website: http://absolute.org/

“Hero Holiday is a program run by Absolute Leadership Development Inc. We believe that this generation of Canadian youth has the capacity to affect change on the earth. Every year, we provide opportunities for high school students to participate in a humanitarian relief project by bringing practical assistance to those living in extreme poverty. Activities may include building homes, distributing supplies, providing food, mobile medical clinics and working with children at risk. This program allows them to see first-hand how two-thirds of the world lives, expands their world view and gives them an opportunity to become educators on world poverty by sharing their experiences.”

Conversation about Michael Moore’s SICKO
between Patch Adams, M.D. and Susan Parenti, Ph.D.
July 12, 2007

Susan Parenti: What do you think of the film, SICKO?

Patch Adams: WOW–I’m juiced! The film is terrific. Bravo, Michael Moore!!

Susan: I feel that way too. I highly recommend the film, especially to people who say, “Oh, I don’t like Michael Moore’s films”. This is not about liking Michael Moore; this is about seeing our own muddled thinking on the US health care system, and why we Americans tolerate the intolerable.

Patch: Moore does an incredible new thing: he focuses on people in the US who already have insurance, people who say, “No problem, I’m covered”—rather than focus on the uninsured.

Susan: But lack of health insurance is a huge problem in the US. Why do you think he does this?

Patch: By now we’ve heard about the 50 million uninsured Americans and what happens to them. But in the present socio-political environment, people don’t care about the poor, the uninsured—they’re just the disenfranchised, the “losers”. By Moore deciding to focus on the 250 million Americans who DO have insurance, he’s talking to a much bigger group of people. That’s smart.

Susan: I guess by Moore’s focusing on the insured—who are supposed to have access to the medical system—he’s able to show that having insurance doesn’t mean having access to health care. In the US, insurance is NOT equivalent to health care. That’s the SICKO part. It’s a condemnation of the whole system, not only a condemnation of lack of access to it by some people.

Patch: True. The film is about the greed and the inexcusability that we are not taking care of everyone in this country. How in the US do we tolerate that restoring a person’s ring finger costs $12,000, and the middle finger, $60,000? How can anyone contemplate that and not feel damaged by the vulgarity of the greed? And Moore shows that the insurance companies HUNT for ways not to give you care. They HUNT.

What did you think of the comparison with other countries’ health care systems?

Susan: It’s a great jolt: by the film going back and forth between what we Americans tolerate and what citizens of other countries enjoy–it’s jolting. So while I cried for the people whose husband or child died because of lack of care in the US, I then was gladdened by the health care provided in other places, and THEN became furious at what we put up with here. Tears, gladness, and fury: all three are needed. We could live differently–the film shows this, again and again, by pointing at other countries.

Patch: I liked the hint for us to re-consider Cuba and France as countries to admire and take a look at.

Susan: What do you think the title SICKO refers to?

Patch: I think it refers to the US health care delivery system AND to the fact that we Americans tolerate it. The system is SICKO and–we’re SICKO. I thought it really smart the film didn’t show anything that would be refuted–though I’m sure the insurance companies are seeking examples of mistakes in order to discredit this film.

Susan: One of the ways of discrediting the film that I’ve recently read is to say that it doesn’t “offer any solutions”, i.e., it doesn’t talk about the current health care reforms happening in the US. Would you share that criticism?

Patch: Absolutely not. The film IS offering something: it’s painting a portrait of greed, as it works systematically. And by showing how other countries have solutions, it’s indicating that we don’t have to put up with this. The film is raising the level of discontent–that’s a positive direction.

Susan: Yes. It’s showing what we tolerate as intolerable. I think of SICKO more as a “think-u-ment-ary” than a “documentary”: it creates a pathway of thinking, where we can see that we’re putting up with something that is fundamentally undesirable, and that we don’t have to put up with it.

Patch: Maybe it’s a “think-you-meant-ary”, or a “think-I-meant-ary”?

Susan: Right, and leaving for us to create the “act-on-what-I-think-I-meant-ary”.

Patch: One more thing: I loved how Michael Moore treated the person who writes the “I-hate-Michael-Moore” blogs. The Moore-hater initially had to close his website because his wife had become ill and the man didn’t have money/time to keep up the Moore-hating blog—so Moore sends the guy an anonymous check for his wife’s care, so that the Moore-hater can continue his Moore-hating work! Now, that’s a love strategy–to keep your adversary healthy. It’s funny, ironic, and caring.

Google Video: Just Copy and Paste the below link into your web browser.

http://video.google.ca/videosearch?q=kindness+Crew&num=10&so=0&start=0

Many people have raised their eyebrows when hearing that I am leaving for some far off destination, to talk to a group of businesses or CEO’s or high paced sales force about the importance of kindness in the workplace. It is not always something you think might be a high priority for the corporate world. Well, for some of the disbelievers and believers out there, I encourage you to check out this fantastic new book called:

THE POWER OF NICE

“Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval have moved to the top of the advertising industry by following a simple but powerful philosophy: It pays to be nice.

In an era when the corporate world glorifies a dog-eat-dog mentality, these two dynamic women built The Kaplan Thaler Group, one of the nation’s fastest-growing advertising agencies, not with spears and intimidation, but with flowers and chocolates.

Read more about how this powerful four-letter word can change your life!”

http://www.thepowerofnice.com/

This little book will show you why women should run most corporations in America, and maybe the entire country. Reading “Nice” will improve just about everything in your life, and that’s a promise.”
— James Patterson, best-selling author,
former CEO of J. Walter Thompson North America
“For my money, I would always rather make a deal with people I like who treat me well. If you want to discover the surprising power of nice, read this book. Memorize it. Use it. You’ll be glad you did.”
— Donald Trump
Leo Durocher was wrong! Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval’s “The Power of Nice” is the antidote to our increasingly mean-spirited culture. I’m going to send a copy to every political campaign consultant I know.
— Arianna Huffington

I must admit, I have been bitten by the blog bug. I love reading daily from the different bloggers who write on a variety of topics, from compassion to corporate social responsibility. One of the more intriguing blogs i presently read is the 5 dollar philanthropist. This is Tom William’s (co-founder of www.givemeaning.com) blog on social networks, marketing and philanthropy.

The project GiveMeaning is a phenomenal site which helps connect communities and individuals to make positive change.

Watch one of their podcasts to understand more: http://www.givemeaning.com/podcasts/gmpodcast7_showntell.mov.

Peace out!

Chris