How Do You Unlock the Power of Gratitude?

This is part of?LinkedIn's new Newsletter Series. To get weekly exclusive interviews?focused on exploring the mindset and philosophy of the world’s most insightful people,?hit the "subscribe" button here.

Weekly Wisdom - The Daily Practice of Gratitude is Regenerative

Marcus Tullius Cicero said, "A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue but the parent of all the other virtues.”

Even though things don’t always go how we want them to, we need to keep hope alive that each new day brings an opportunity for healing, love, kindness, peace, and the good things we desire.

Gratitude does not imply you pretend or deny the existence of your hardship and suffering. We all want good things, and it’s normal to feel hurt when certain things trouble you. But gratitude is acknowledging all the good stuff you have, no matter how little it may seem.

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” — Melody Beattie

Always remember you have something to be grateful for in your past, present, or future that will significantly contribute to the success of your journey to becoming a person of gratitude.

And the more you relish your life, friends, family, and mother earth, the more you find that the daily practice of gratitude is regenerative.

Click here?to read more.

Passion Struck with John R. Miles

Catch the?latest episodes?with?Harvard Professor Joshua Greene and my interview with Dr. Marianne Lewis and Dr. Wendy K. Smith Smith.

Why Effective Altruism Is A Powerful Giving Multiplier

In Tuesday’s episode, I spoke with Harvard professor Dr. Joshua Greene, who is an expert on moral judgment and decision-making. This episode was released on Giving Tuesday. To learn more and have your donation matched, go to Giving Multiplier:?https://givingmultiplier.org/passionstruck.

The goal of this episode is to explore how people view charitable donations, should these views be challenged, and would the effectiveness of charities raise greater funds for the charity sector in the future. We will explore the psychology of effective altruism and how most people give as a matter of personal preference which favors decisions based on emotional appeal rather than effectiveness.

We discuss the importance of effectiveness and why effective charities (ones that save the most lives and improve lives the most) are 100 times more effective than typical charities.

Furthermore, we will explore why ordinary people have the power to save and transform people’s lives through effective giving, and why we are beginning to understand the psychology that encourages and discourages such choices.

Click to watch or listen.

Applying Both/And Thinking To Solve Your Toughest Problems

In Thursday's Passion Struck episode, I spoke with Marianne Lewis and Wendy Smith to discuss the power of both/and thinking. Today’s world is becoming increasingly fractured. Confirmation bias abounds where people stay within safe circles of friends and colleagues who agree with them. The opinions they hear mirror their own rather than confront opposing views and invite controversy. But what if there’s a better way? Marianne Lewis and Wendy Smith are experts on examining paradoxes and they believe the solution lies in both/and thinking.

Wendy K. Smith is a professor of management and faculty director at the Women’s Leadership Initiative at the University of Delaware. Marianne W. Lewis is the dean of Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati.

Both/and thinking is a versatile thinking style that helps you look at problems from multiple perspectives and find sustainable and creative solutions. By learning to use both/and thinking, you’ll be able to think outside the box and solve problems in unique and innovative ways!

Likewise, the mechanisms for navigating paradoxes are paradoxical. We need tools that can be adopted on an individual level. Marianne and Wendy show us how to change our mindsets to embrace both/and thinking and shift sentiments to find comfort with the discomfort of paradoxes.

Click here to watch or listen.

Thank you again for supporting the podcast and helping us grow this community.

Until next time, live life, Passion Struck,

P.S. Want to?find your purpose in life??I provide my?six simple steps?to achieving it -?passionstruck.com/5-simple-steps-to-find-your-passion-in-life/.

Did you catch?my interview with Rachel Hollis on How You Become Your Best Self? Catch episode 191.