Awesome Stories 208

/ February 7, 2015

This week Awesome Stories brings you stars of wonder, better education, safe havens, compassion and getting unstuck.

Education to Change the WorldAFGHN-10141

This post by Steve McCurry reminds us how education can change lives, and maybe even the world using a poignant series of photos and quotes. I have great respect for teachers and appreciate their efforts to teach, touch lives and maybe help create a better world for all. Thank you teachers for the great gifts you provide. May we honor this noble profession.

A Journey of Compassion

This article explores what it means to be compassionate and 5 people who modeled compassion in a grand way that transformed the social and political landscape to change many lives. These five people showed us what we can do when we tap our inner resources of love, empathy and compassion in the name of helping others. I aspire to this kind of impact, and yet it’s important to remember that simple acts of kindness can make a big difference to one person. And if we do this even occasionally, we too are making a grand impact on the world. Give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it!

Safe Havens

Our children in particular need a safe haven to grow and flourish. This young man is an inspiration in his work to create a safe haven for street kids in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kapeta Benda Benda makes nightly runs in a mobile van tending to the needs of street children. Having been an orphan who lived on the streets, he knows all too well the perils of that life. He talks to the children, discovering their needs, building trust and offering the services of ORPER, a French organization that provides food, care and shelter to children in Africa. Some of the children stay at the shelters, others simply come for meals, help or resources. They goal is to reunite the children with their families or teach them to be self-sufficient.

Stars of Wonder

Wow, this new video of Andromeda from NASA is amazing! NASA just released the largest photo ever. It’s made up of 411 images taken from the Hubble telescope! In the video, we travel to a 100 million stars on a journey over 40,000 light years. This certainly awakened beauty and wonder for me. Enjoy!

Getting Unstuck

If you’re like me, sometimes we get stuck in our patterns of comfort, fear, analysis and routine. This article by Lu Ann Cahn gives us inspiration and good ideas for getting unstuck. She talks about being stuck after surviving cancer until she received a loving nudge from her daughter, who challenged her to try something new every day for a year and blog about it! Her boldness paid off. In Lu Ann’s words, she took risks, life opened up and new possibilities emerged. We can too. The best is inside us waiting to live boldly!

What are you doing to get unstuck and move in the direction of your dreams and goals?

I’m using my new sales job to practice presence, compassion and conscious choice. May we thrive together in 2015.

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24 thoughts on “Awesome Stories 208”

  1. Great stories once again Brad – I really enjoyed the one about getting unstuck. Walking your dog backwards and eating dessert all day, huh? Sounds interesting, actually 😉 It is funny (or maybe not so funny) that we don’t even think about doing some of these “new” things unless we are committed to some sort of goal associated with it. Maybe that should be our “new” thing – to try new things naturally without them being part of some commitment? I guess it’s a habit that needs to be cultivated, but it’s one I am willing to invest in. Thanks for sharing, as always, and best of luck in your new position (even though I am quite sure you need no luck at all) 🙂

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  6. Compassionate journeys, safe havens (truly heartbreaking how many orphans we have in this world), and becoming “unstuck” — with brilliant marvels in between. Yet, two things captured my utmost attention: You and your new job (so hoping you’re doing something you enjoy!!!) AND this quote from your referenced earlier blog: “The more our life aligns with our deepest dreams and values, the more we thrive.” All equal another great week in the world of Dear Brad and his Awesomeness… xo

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  7. Thanks dear Shauna, I’m grateful to share this compassionate journey with you. 🙂 and glad that you find value in my stories. You would catch my reference to alignment. Alas, this job is simply a way to get working and hopefully making money. It’s a sales job for a company that partners with physicians and labs to bring health services to people; hopefully we do some good. Thanks for caring. 🙂

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  9. Reading your blog is like experiencing the cool monsoon rain after an arid Indian summer 🙂 Your posts exude such refreshing positivity after the constant negativity in the media, news around us. I loved the NASA posts – a vast unimaginable universe and yet judging by the huge size of our egos, one would think we were the center of the Universe! Everything has to revolve around us! Lol! Thank you for sharing such wonderful news.

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  10. Many thanks Anjali. Your comment is like a warm hug across the internet, offering a smile and gratitude for you, knowing that others find value in my stories. Good points on the NASA video, it certainly helps me see the bigger perspective. Thanks for caring and contributing. 🙂

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  14. Hi Geralyn, Thanks for visiting and reaching out. Getting unstuck and trying new things speaks to me too, especially because I was stuck in a rut the last few years. Taking action and trying some new things has already helped my attitude. blessings, Brad

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  15. The Stars of Wonder…this is going to have me dreaming for a while. There is nothing quite like delving into the mysteries of space and the universe, I actually find it comforting that when it comes to the mass of the universe, we are so insignificant 🙂

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