Secrets of the mind and free will — revealed by magic tricks

From the TED.com YouTube channel: Are you in control of your choices? Magic tricks might reveal otherwise, says scientist and illusionist Alice Pailhès. Watch closely as she performs magic tricks that unveil how your brain works, how you can be subtly influenced and what that means for free will and your day-to-day life. Did she guess your card right?

Steve Goodier Wisdom: Slow Down

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom . Enjoy!

An American racing enthusiast entered his horse in Britain’s famous Epsom Downs Steeplechase. Just before the race began, he slipped his horse a white pellet. The Duke of Marlboro, who was serving as steward, caught the owner in the act and objected. “I say, old man, really you can’t do that sort of thing over here!”

“Just a harmless sugar lump,” the American assured him. He gulped one down himself. “Here, try one,” he said. Read more

One Song (peace music)

Beautiful song from 1988 by David Lynn Jones.

Steve Goodier Wisdom: Saved by Criticism

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom . Enjoy!

One of my favorite stories comes from pilots Peter Gaylor and Stephanie Pound of Navajo Aviation. A funny thing occurred once when they flew their tiny airplane over the bay on an ash-scattering mission. With them were the two sons, in their twenties, of a late mother who was being consigned to the winds.

As Stephanie opened the cockpit door, a stiff breeze blew the ashes back into the plane, dusting the four occupants. A moment’s stunned silence, and then one of the boys sighed, “Just like Mom - she was always all over everyone.” Read more

Gratitude, everyday (inspirational video)

From the TedxTalks YouTube channel: Nature’s beauty can be easily missed — but not through Louie Schwartzberg’s lens. His stunning time-lapse photography, accompanied by powerful words from Benedictine monk Brother David Steindl-Rast, serves as a meditation on being grateful for every day.

Steve Goodier Wisdom: When the “Whole World Stinks”

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom . Enjoy!

Do you remember the story of the sailor who over-imbibed and fell asleep at his table? His bud¬dies smeared a bit of strong smelling cheese dip on his mustache, which caused him to wake up and look around. He sniffed and then walked out¬side, sniffed again and came back in, walked out and back in one more time and finally sat back down in his seat. “It’s no use,” he said to his friend, “the whole world stinks!”

Ever felt that way? We have all experienced bad days and horrible situations. We’ve felt trapped, helpless and, at times, hopeless. We may have even believed that the whole world stinks. Read more

What it takes to make change

From the TED.com YouTube channel: What can you do to build a better world? Sharing stories from her pioneering career dedicated to tackling poverty, Jacqueline Novogratz offers three principles to spark and sustain a moral revolution. Learn how you can commit (or recommit) to creating big, positive change in your lifetime — and give back more to the world than you take from it. “It is in the darkest times that we have the chance to find our deepest beauty,” Novogratz says.
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Steve Goodier Wisdom: The Work of the Heart

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom . Enjoy!

For several years I have saved a touching piece written by teacher, Beth Nelson. She reminds us of the satisfaction gained by doing the “work of our hearts.”

That there is a better way, a more beautiful way Read more

What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness

From the TED.com YouTube channel: What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? If you think it’s fame and money, you’re not alone – but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you’re mistaken. As the director of 75-year-old study on adult development, Waldinger has unprecedented access to data on true happiness and satisfaction. In this talk, he shares three important lessons learned from the study as well as some practical, old-as-the-hills wisdom on how to build a fulfilling, long life.

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The riddle of experience vs. memory

From the TED.com YouTube channel:  Using examples from vacations to colonoscopies, Nobel laureate and founder of behavioral economics Daniel Kahneman reveals how our “experiencing selves” and our “remembering selves” perceive happiness differently. This new insight has profound implications for economics, public policy — and our own self-awareness.

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