Awesome Stories 241

/ September 26, 2015

This week Awesome Stories brings you flow, plant power, awe, soulful singing and uplifting children.

Focusing on Flow

Here’s a good article on three tricks to find your flow. I have moments of flow, but overall don’t feel like I’ve been living in sych for far too long. Flow can be athletic peak performance, mental clarity or spiritual alignment. I prefer the spiritual approach like in the Tao, where flow means aligning with God/ source. Living in spiritual flow creates more ease by working with life rather than struggling to achieve things on our own. Christine Carter has a more practical approach, and suggests clearing the clutter, creating the time and space, and using tools for optimum brain function.

Plant Power!power from plants, Awesome Stories

This sounds like science fiction, but it’s not. Scientists have found a way to harvest energy from plants. Plant-e’s founders found excess energy in plant photosynthesis, during which extra sugars are produced and cast off through the root system. In turn, bacteria in the soil use the sugars and give off electrons which their scientists harvest using electrodes. Using a modular system of containers, they have powered LED lights in the first demonstration of plant power in the world! The next step in their vision is to use green roofs with built-in Plant-e systems to power about half the home’s energy needs. Long-term, they see Plant-e systems in rice fields and wetlands, providing clean, green and affordable energy around the world.

Soulful Singing

Josh Daniel wowed the judges and audience on The X Factor with his soulful singing performance. He does a great job of conveying his feelings through the music. Plus, the song was dedicated to a friend who died, so many of us were touched to the point of tears. You might want a tissue handy!

Inspiring Awe

awe, generosity, Awesome Stories

Image from DailyGood.org

Maybe the next generation of leaders, business executives and advertisers will use awe to inspire us and elevate our choices. Currently, fear is the typical motivation used by leaders and advertisers. The latest research from UC Berkley and UC Irvine shows that people who experience awe are more likely to behave generosly and ethically. Even compared to love and compassion, awe seems to be the best emotion for stimulating compassionate behavior with a “reduced sense of self-importance and an elevated sense of connection to something bigger than themselves.” Participants showed a greater tendency toward fairness in distributing resources between themselves and others too. Maybe schools, hospitals and businesses should just show awe-inspiring music and videos all day!

The Antidote for Bullying

This dad sure knows how to inspire and uplift! I love how he created such a beautiful and fun way to uplift his daughter and anyone who suffers from bullying. With loving messages like in his song, we would all have much healthier self-esteems. Esteem is something I’ve struggled with for most of my life. Everyone deserves love and respect. Ideally, we receive them from our families, friends and community. If not, then we need to find ways to love, nurture and uplift ourselves. Watch his beautiful video and please share it with any children you know.

You must work – we must all work to make the world worthy of its children. ~ Pablo Casals

Thanks to the children, young and old, who remind us to laugh, play and see the world with fresh eyes. 

 

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28 thoughts on “Awesome Stories 241”

  3. Thanks for this week’s stories, Brad! Being in the flow is so important, I’m with you on preferring spiritual practices, I really think that is where it’s at – then everything else flows together more.
    It’s a fascinating idea to harvest energy from plants, I’m definitely going to read further into that story. 🙂
    What a beautiful, touching video, I loved his different interpretation of the lyrics, in memory of his friend. ❤ Even Simon was in tears and could barely speak.
    It's no surprise to read that awe inspires compassionate behavior and generosity more than anything else – having a “reduced sense of self-importance and an elevated sense of connection to something bigger than themselves” will do it every time. 🙂
    I have a hard time appreciating rap/hip hop music, it really grates on me, but the message of the lyrics in that video of the Dad to his daughter about bullying was a great one. 🙂

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    • Flow is good, and spiritual practices seem to help. I need to take my own advice! I totally agree about awe and connecting to something bigger. And yes, what a powerful singing performance that touched many of us deeply.

      Thanks for being a cheerful contributor here Julie. It’s fun sharing the ride with you and friends we meet along the way! 🙂

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  4. Fascinating article on plant power!! Very interesting. Focusing on Flow…prayerful meditation to align with God…it has made a huge difference in how I live each day….the other one that I liked was Inspiring Awe……goes back to a comment a few weeks ago about leadership and humility…great post Brad! Thanks!!

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  5. Entirely useful! I share your wish for a change… it’s happening, Brad… I meet new students every year and they seem to be more and more aware of their massive potential for a change. Many of them are awake and tend to become disruptive for old patterns. I’m grateful I can witness the process… and help it when I can.
    Thanks for your beautiful ideas ans stories!
    Have a great week,
    Camelia

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  8. The awesome stories have always, ALWAYS inspired me. I just love hearing and seeing the good in the world. If we focus on it, there really is so much good. Thank you for compiling these each week. I always get my cup filled here. 🙂

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