Charter for Compassion

YouTube - Charter for Compassion

"Join the world at www.charterforcompassion.org to write the Charter for Compassion.

The Charter brings together the voices of people from all religions. It seeks to remind the world that while all faiths are not the same, they all share the core principle of compassion and the Golden Rule.

The Charter will change the tenor of the conversation around religion. It will be a clarion call to the world."

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Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

YouTube - Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.

Rube Goldberg Cocktail-Mixing Machine

Found at Serious Eats...

I miss Ze…

Ze Frank on The Sound of Young America from Jesse Thorn on Vimeo.

TED Video - Rick Smolan: A girl, a photograph, a homecoming

YouTube - Rick Smolan: A girl, a photograph, a homecoming.

"Photographer Rick Smolan tells the unforgettable story of a young Amerasian girl, a fateful photograph, and an adoption saga with a twist."...really amazing story.

TED2008 video: Benjamin Zander - Are their eyes shining?

Benjamin Zander, the conductor for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, gave my favorite (and certainly the most passionate and inspired) talk at TED2008...and perhaps of all TEDs. I was completely floored by his energy, his optimism and his intense sense of responsibility in getting his musicians excited for their work.

This is the kind of leader I strive to be (but know I am far from being). He asks a really great question towards the end of the talk - "Do their eyes shine?" That is, do you see the energy/passion in your people's (team, organization, family) eyes when they are deep in the work? (Are they deep in the work?)

I think we all want teams who are as excited/passionate as we are. When they are not, it is easy to blame them and point to the "deficiency." The challenge, as Mr. Zander put it, is to ask, "Who are we being when their eyes don't shine?" Are we taking full accountability of the state of our teams? Are we doing all we can to inspire? Are we clearly communicating our vision?

All I know is that my eyes were shining listening to Mr. Zander speak.

Watch, enjoy, shine.

The first spark of inspiration

Although this video is entitled "Regrets: Hobbies," it really isn't about anything regretful. For me, the most exciting times in my life occur when I get that spark of inspiration and excitement from a new project. The shear number of possibilities, the potential, the unknown...the opportunity to find that right hat...? Keep this all in mind and enjoy watching this video from Coudal Partners (and find more of them here).

Eddy Merckx - Recorde de Hora (1972)

In 1972, Eddie Merckx broke the hour record in cycling. At high altitude in Mexico City, Merckx cover 49.431 km in one hour's time. The record stood for 12 years and cemented Merckx as possibly the greatest cyclist of all time.