This month’s theme: DILIGENCE
Reflections
Reflections by Orly Wahba – << Listening to this song >>, tears instantly stream to my face. I recall teenage Orly watching Disney’s Hercules back in 1997 and first hearing this song. I was this overly shy, highly self critical teenager with no self esteem and no voice. A fire took my home that year and with it my last shred of strength to overcome my feelings of isolation and confusion. My world was crashing all around me. I may not have had a voice, but I had a dream in my heart. A dream to do something great in this world – to truly leave my mark. But how? Read More >>
Reflections by Bella Yang (LVI Intern) – I used to think about diligence exclusively in a “work” context — working hard in school, going the extra mile at a job. Over quarantine, I had time to re-conceptualize my relationship with “work” and broaden my definition of diligence. Read More >>
Articles of the Month
Diligence: The Key Ingredient To Success – Hurdles are bound to come up on the way to success and discourage you to stop following your goal, but if you are diligent, you will have the ability to handle the tough phases of life to your advantage for smooth and early completion of tasks. So to be successful in every sphere of life, you need to practice diligence.
15 Fulfilling Ways to be Diligent – If you want to be successful, then being diligent or hard-working should be one of your top qualities. It allows you to accomplish more in less time, without sacrificing quality.
“Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful!’ and sitting in the shade.”
Rudyard Kipling
“What we hope ever to do with ease, we must first learn to do with diligence.”
Samuel Johnson
“The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.”
Confucius
“Love what you do and do what you love.”
Ray Bradbury
Act of Kindness
Being diligent is an essential skill in all aspects of life. It involves being able to focus and concentrate persistently to achieve the completion of the task at hand. By maintaining focus and self-discipline and by practicing self-care, you can be diligent in your work and accomplish your goals, whether personal, professional or academic.
Over the first half of this month, track what diligence means to you — does it refer more so to work or to the effort applied to work? In the middle of the month, take a minute to reframe how diligence could apply to your life if you deem this task relevant. Over the rest of the month’s course, notice how your habits and your way of thinking have shifted to align with your newfangled impression of diligence.
Question of the Month
Is there a difference between being diligent and being a hard worker to you? Share here or in the comments below.
Kindness Media
Photo of the Month
How does this photo represent the trait of diligence? Share your thoughts.
Songs of the Month
A song about being willing to work hard and never giving up until it’s done.
An awesome reminder to never give up on one’s goals or dreams. Work hard against all odds and before you know it you’ll get where one wants to go. Greatness is a choice that we get to choose every day – what will you choose?
Videos of the Month
A Japanese technique called Kaizen, or the one-minute principle. Kaizen originated in Japan, and it is something that anyone can attempt in any sphere of their life. At the heart of this method is the idea that you should practice doing something for a single minute. Every day at the same time. Just for a minute, no more.
Tim Urban knows that procrastination doesn’t make sense, but he’s never been able to shake his habit of waiting until the last minute to get things done. In this hilarious and insightful talk, Urban takes us on a journey through YouTube binges, Wikipedia rabbit holes and bouts of staring out the window — and encourages us to think harder about what we’re really procrastinating on, before we run out of time.
Books of the Month
Diligence: The Master Key To Achieving Your Dreams: Learning How To Reach Your Goals Step By Step – Sheldon D. Newton – Many people have become discouraged because they are not realizing their dreams. They are experiencing so few results. But true success is attainable and can become your reality when you understand that it is simply a matter of applying the principles which lead there. The Master Key to all achievement is Diligence.
The Persistence Formula: How To Overcome Obstacles and Get Things Done – Michael Marani – If you are looking for a formulaic approach that can help you define, stay focused and follow through with your long term goals while you enjoy your life this book is for you. It aims to help the people who struggle to stick with their pursuits.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance – Angela Duckworth – In this instant New York Times bestseller, Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent, but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.” “Inspiration for non-geniuses everywhere”
Grit: The Power of Habit (Bella) – The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business is a book by Charles Duhigg, a New York Times reporter, published in February 2012 by Random House. It explores the science behind habit creation and reformation. The book reached the best seller list for The New York Times, Amazon.com, and USA Today.
Farmer Duck – Martin Waddell – The story is about a duck who does everything around the farm because the farmer is too lazy to do the work himself. When Farmer Duck finally collapses from exhaustion, the other farmyard animals decide to pitch in and come up with a surprising plan.
Stuck – Oliver Jeffers – A light-hearted look at diligence and problem-solving, this silly story is about a boy whose kite gets stuck in a tree. He continues to throw objects at the tree in an attempt to rescue it, creating an ever-more-humorous scenario.
The Most Magnificent Thing – Ashley Spires – A young girl decides to create something magnificent, but her project turns out to be far from easy, and she repeatedly tries and fails. Kids will relate to her emotions of frustration and anger, but will also see that she eventually changes her perspective, starts over, and perseveres. This story has a great message for kids about not giving up when a good idea doesn’t work out at first.