Scholars and an Olympian explore the importance of purpose and deeper meaning around the topics of performing and winning. “Research shows that having a strong sense of purpose not only helps guide and direct our lives in important ways but adds meaning and fosters resilience.” Scholar Michael Lamb “worries that a culture obsessed with winning—whether in sports, education, or business—can foster cutthroat attitudes and overlook moral excellence and virtues like cooperation and collaboration, which promote flourishing for the whole group.” He “advocates for a broader view of success… He emphasi ..read more

Unlike previous research that focused mainly on Europe and the United States, a recent study spanned across five continents and eleven countries to analyze perceptions of wisdom. Two dimensions emerged across all cultural regions: “reflective orientation (i.e. thinking logically, emotional control, thinking in many ways, etc.) and socio-emotional awareness (i.e. sense of humor, awareness of bodily expressions, and intellectual humility, etc.).” People associated wisdom more with the reflective orientation. “Interestingly, across all locations, people agreed that thinking logically and reflecti ..read more

Therapists are creating walking groups to “support people outside of the therapy room, getting us outdoors, off our phones and connecting with new people.” They create intentionality by asking people to: metaphorically leave something behind; have an open mind; be mindful of their surroundings; individually choose a concern on which to focus; and the therapist walks along to help nurture the conversation. In addition to relieving loneliness, people may relate to stories from others similar to their own, and it helps people listen with empathy without a need to “fix". “Sometimes, taking that fi ..read more

Arun Bhatt, lovingly called "Arun-dada", dedicated his life to simplicity, service, and nonviolence. Born as the son of freedom fighters, Arun-dada spent parts of his childhood in jails, an unlikely setting where he encountered remarkable forces of love. At 19, he walked across India with Gandhi's spiritual successor, Vinoba Bhave, as part of the Bhoodan (Land Gift) Movement. His untiring equanimity and gentle compassion has dispelled tensions while held at gunpoint, and given rise to remarkable journeys of transformation. He has never sold his labor in all his decades, even after marriage and ..read more

"Walking around a turn, I couldn't believe what I saw. A house, and its car parked in front, wildly decorated in hand-painted, blue script with a mystical flavor. The sight could not have been more surprising. I suddenly understood the woman's question: was I the man who had photographed her house?" What follows is an account of a remarkable encounter between two strangers -- an art magazine publisher and a mysterious, 87-year-old Egyptian artist ..read more

Arts and crafts have long been recommended for improving mental health. New research suggests that everyone could benefit from creative projects such as painting, pottery, and photography. The studies “revealed that people who engaged with creating arts and crafting had greater ratings for happiness, life satisfaction and feeling that life was worthwhile than those who did not…” Researchers recommend arts and crafts as a way to improve public health, and say that “backing such activities would offer a simpler route for governments to improve the nation’s wellbeing than other factors that are k ..read more

People are “walking around with valuable insights and information that could help us personally and professionally.” Yet, for many reasons, we may not tap into that vast knowledge, and that failure is costly in terms of relationships, teams, and organizations. Author Jeff Wetzler suggests a tolerance for “not knowing,” and offers five steps to help transform relationships, and unleash greater learning: break out of the certainty loop by choosing curiosity; make it safe by creating a space free from judgment, shame, or punishment; pose quality questions; listen to learn not only to content but ..read more

Artist Tim Shaw and his partner, Niamh White, a curator, visited a close friend in a mental health unit in South West London. They described it as a “really inhumane, cold, clinical space.” They set about to bring creativity, color, joy, and fantastic landscapes that bring the outdoors inside to the unit. In the ten years since, they have created a mental health charity “collaborating with dozens of curators, artists, inpatients, and NHS staff members in twenty-five hospital spaces nationwide. They hope to reach 180,000 people diagnosed with mental illness over the next three years. “The proje ..read more

Mary King's journey into art was indirect. At Bryn Mawr, she majored in medieval, religious philosophy and also studied dance with Martha Graham. In art, she discovered a vehicle for giving form to her deepest inquiries. "I'm interested in the question," she says. "If you get the question right, then that leads to the next experience, which may lead to another question." It was like a spiral, more than a circle. And making art was a physical process, too, bringing it into the body - both an inner and outer dance. Just shy of turning 90, King reflects upon her life of deep engagement ..read more

A tiny kiosk of a building is open in Munich – not for consumption or business, but simply for listening. “Deep Listeners” welcome passers-by to do “nothing more and nothing less than to start a conversation.” A listener’s business card reads: “We’re listening. Everybody’s story. Every joy. Every sorrow. Every human being.” It is yet another form of what is known as a “third place,” easily accessible physical locations where people can spontaneously interact. These places are increasingly harder to find in cities focused on speed, consumption, and optimization. Advocates hope for more listenin ..read more