Teaching Mindfulness to Children, to Teachers, to Lawyers, to Judges- My Playlist from June, 2015, "Mindfulness - Awareness"

During this turbulent & heartbreaking month.. perhaps, we all need some  Mindfulness-Learn-Speak?

This is a great introductory video to a series called "Go Strengths Online" which is designed to teach Mindfulness to children at home and at school. It is produced by a group called "gozenonline." Don't you wish you'd thought of that name? 

I have left my "2015 Mindfulness- Awareness" Playlist "Public" on the "Valerie Houghton" YouTube channel. This playlist includes a TEDx Talk by Dr. Daniel Siegel, MD on Neural Integration, another one by Megan McElheran, PhD titled "Trauma, Change and Resilience" plus three inspirational video clips from "Remember the Titans" and  public health video short film titled "The Best Medicine: Why Relationships Matter" by WatchRelate. 

AND if you want to find any of these goodies on your own, please do! As always, take what you like and share what you like. During this turbulent month... we need to practice MINDFULNESS. As they say in Titans, "teach (us) to trust the soul of a man rather than his look... no matter what aspect of our lives, I hope we can live by these words. 

Happy Sunday. Peace be with you.

"We Are United" ("Nous Sommes Unis")- Students Who Are French Muslims Speak Out- #SaveParis

1:40    Because of 120 deaths and millions of broken hearts...

1:45

By these cowardly acts of terrorists, convinced of the soundness of their choice...

1:56

They wanted France to be weak.

1:58

They made our French hearts strong.

2:01

One cry will be louder: it is the cry of fraternity.

2:05

A cry that says: one for all and all for one humanity.

2:10

We are and will forever be united.

2:26

"Whosoever takes one life, it is as though he has killed all of humanity." The Holy Qur'an. Sura 5. Verse 32

When Little Baby Elephant Stumbles, Both of Her Parents Come Running, Followed by the Whole Herd of Helpers!

"Through Our Eyes: Children, Violence and Trauma" Thank you, Office for the Victims of Crimes

Eighth Grader Made This Video for a School Project Featuring Problem of Child Abduction

This video was made by a girl named Ava, for her school project where she selected a global issue. It was featured by a website called Reunite International (www.reunite.org) which assists families with international abductions. This video was published in early December, 2013. There is an upcoming annual Child Abduction Conference 2014, hosted by 1 Kings Bench Walk Chambers,  (UK) being held on January 24th, 2014 for lawyers specializing working with these complex cases. The press release states: "Designed for those in the legal profession, the conference will include lectures and open discussions in the company of acknowledged child abduction law specialists, designed to inform and keep attendees up to date with the law in this complex area. To register your attendance please complete the online form which can be found at www.1kbw.co.uk/conferences."

Change the Stigma Against People with Mental Illness- Let the Change Begin with Each of Us..

Morning Memo: The Importance of the Morning Sales Meeting

I've been reading a lot about neurological research and bias lately. I particularly am fascinated by how easily we are influenced by our "hard wired" desire to keep our lives "predictable" even though life is anything BUT predictable. So, if our brain is designed to believe that  whatever we tell it is TRUE, then it seems like the wisest course is to consciously direct what our brain is telling us. I tell my brain "X" and then my brain tells me "X".  So... if I tell myself "I am going to create my very best effort today" then I am prescribing a direction and a purposeful action plan for my day's activity. If I focus on having an "attitude of gratitude" as I begin this daily trek, I can arm myself with the patience, compassion, and sense of humor(!) I will need as I greet each day. I find that the easiest way to develop that is by making my "Gratitude List." "I am grateful for..." And that's how we "sell" ourselves on actualizing the plan! Simple...

"Bullies Kill, Words Scar, Rumors Destroy"

Kaelynn shouts it out (although she is silent in this brief video) against all bullies, after numerous years of enduring her own torturous abuse until her friend's suicide galvanized her to take action to stand up, speak up and call on all of us to protect others. It is very difficult for people to understand why this ability to "save " someone else motivates people to reach beyond their own perceived ability to help themselves. Yet, they can. History is full of examples of these people. They walk among us, every day. Social scientists have studied this and confirmed this ability (described as reflecting "empathy" or "agape", among other terms). What a brave heart lives within this young woman. She deserves our gratitude, our prayers and our willingness to demonstrate our courage to stand up in front of her and say no more. We will not stand by and say nothing. Nor will we participate or silently "pass it on." Thank you, Kaelynn. Thank you for finding your voice and sharing it here...

PSA About Stopping the Easy Access to Guns and Please Note the Violence Against Women Act Has Lapsed in the U.S.

This powerful, 2007 London commercial shows images of the impact of a bullet on an apple, an egg, a watermelon and a water bottle.  London ad agency AMV BBDO got a former Navy SEAL to shoot the items and the photography was slowed to 10,000 frames per second. There are no images of harm to any animal or human in this video. Thank you, BuzzFeed.

What a Beautiful and Inspiring Video- Thank you, Arthur.

"Broken Trust Depicts the Impact of Harsh Anti-Immigrant Sentiment: Harming Children

Flow- The Secret to Happiness- Thank you, Dr. Csikszentmihalyi!

The Frog and the Scorpion: That's My Character?

Julio Garcia's Widow and Children Meet the 7 Recipients of Her Late Husband's Organs

Donating Lives- New York Times Video This Morning

U.S. Peace Index Map: Changes Between 1991-2011

Leap of Faith Required for Change... Think, Plan, Prepare & GO!

The Exponential Impact of Alienation

Joe Biden Speaks Up About Bullying and His Own Experience with Stuttering- Go, Joe!

Chinese Pianist Wins Playing with his Toes!

Internet for Peace- Love This! Thank you, Craig Zeliger