This month’s theme: CHARACTER
LVI Annoucements
Now celebrating a Decade of Kindness, Dance for Kindness, set for Sunday, November 14th, is an annual worldwide FlashMob celebrating World Kindness Day. Organized by Life Vest Inside, a non-profit dedicated to inspiring, empowering and educating people of all backgrounds to lead a life of kindness, Dance for Kindness is a celebration of the common thread that unites us all — kindness! Watch this video and see what it’s all about!
The event has taken place in over 360 cities, spanning across 75 countries all uniting under the banner of kindness to perform a worldwide Dance for Kindness.
Dance for Kindness is organized by enthusiastic volunteers who register as Group Leaders to proudly represent their city and bring a culture of kindness to their neighborhood. Group Leaders receive a unique opportunity to experience our FREE leadership training program, providing them with the tools, skills and resources to bring this event to life and learn how to take any idea they have for positive change and bring it into fruition.
Many Group Leaders have gone on to start their own initiatives, programs, organizations and they share how our program helped them get there.
To APPLY or learn more about what it means to become a Group Leader, check out www.danceforkindness.com/lead
This is one event you don’t want to miss out on! Sure, some may say the world is filled with violence, hatred, hopelessness and war, but together we have the power to unite this world with kindness, hope, trust and love! Join Life Vest Inside and thousands of others around the world this November and become part of the change we all wish to see in the world! To sign up and/or learn more visit www.danceforkindness.com.
Article & Blog of the Month
What Builds Character? – This article explores the essence of character and how we can work to cultivate it over time to become the best version of ourselves.
20 Tips for a Kind & Positive Mindset – Mental health and the importance of having a kind and positive mindset has become one of the most important things to come out of the social media age and the 21st century as a whole. As people have become more aware of how important self-care and positive mental health is, there has been more talk around how to improve your own personal mental health. In this piece, we are going to give you twenty ways to improve your own personal mental health by creating a kind and positive personal mindset.
“Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
Frank Jackson
“Character building begins in our infancy and continues until death.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
Act of Kindness
Choose a mantra that relates to the principles and values you hold important. Write it down and place it somewhere you can see each day. Do your utmost to live your mantra and perfect that aspect of your character over this month. Whether it’s “love others,” or “do the right thing,” living by your principles will make decision making easier and your character more steadfast.
Question of the Month
What character trait do you find to be most important? Share here or in the comments below.
Kindness Media
Songs of the Month
There’s no need for reluctance when it comes to being your authentic self. (Who else are you going to be?)
There are all kinds of kinds. In a society filled with differences, tolerance and acceptance are key. This world works BECAUSE we are different and not all the same. Yes, it may cause conflicts, but think of all the learning opportunities that exist when we open ourselves up.
Imperfections are part of who we are and when we accept ourselves in spite of those imperfections we can finally feel free to be who we are.
Videos of the Month
The manner in which we treat others has less to do with what is accepted, praised, or ridiculed, and more to do with what we know to be true in our heart of hearts.
Jim Rohn talks about Character in this Motivational Speech and makes a comparison between Character and Charisma. Often people confuse character with charisma, but Jim Rohn made it clear in this speech that these two are entirely different concepts using various examples and scenarios.
Building strong character is one of the most difficult, yet most worthwhile pursuits you can have in your life. This video is offering some insights to help you build strong character so you can have a more fulfilling life, and make a positive difference to those around you.
Books of the Month
Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better – Pema Chödrön – In this quick, but intense read, Chödrön supposes how all our lives would be lived differently if we not just accepted our failings as a part of life, but viewed them as those experiences that made us into our best selves.
Rising Strong – Brené Brown – Brené Brown believes that your areas of weakness might actually be your greatest strengths — if you would simply dare to take ownership of them. In Rising Strong Brown writes that the key to growth, wisdom, and hope isn’t to avoid vulnerabilities, but to face them head on with equal parts fear and courage and to ultimately rise strong.
What Do You Stand For? For Teens – Barbara A. Lewis – This book invites teens to explore and practice honesty, kindness, empathy, integrity, tolerance, patience, respect, and more. Quotations and background information set the stage. Dilemmas challenge readers to think about, discuss, and debate positive traits. Activities invite them to explore what they stand for at school, at home, and in their communities.
Old Henry – Joan Blos – This gentle tale explores the idea of citizenship as kids get a look at neighbors who critique a man and his house, and come to change their minds – and their definition – about being a good neighbor.
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? – Carol McCloud – Through the use of a metaphor of an invisible bucket, kids are given examples of how people all over the world can fill their buckets with kindness, respect, and other positive behaviors.