The Caring Catalyst

Who Cares - What Matters

The Happiness BEAST

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S i m p l e    Q u e s t i o n:

W H A T      M A K E S     Y O U     H A P P Y ?

A good Cigar

Some fine music 

Adult Beverage

A Book

A Beautiful Outside Setting

?               ?               ?               ?               ?

Not for everyone, huh?

Is there that overwhelming

100%

slam-dunk

one-size-fits-and-pleases-all

solution to

W          O          R          L          D

or

p e r s o n a l

H            A            P            P            I            N            E            S            S

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.       .        .

the answer might not

uhhhh make yoiu

h          a          p          p          y.             .             .

Maybe it’s just being overemphasized;

Did you know that

H A P P I N E S S

has it’s own it’s own

h     o     l     i     d     a     y ?

Just a few years ago

The General Assembly of the United Nations

proclaimed MARCH 20

to the be the

International Day of Happiness.       .       .

Oops.          .          .

I missed it;

I didn’t celebrate.          .          .

But it is easy to see why

H A P P I N E S S

is worth celebrating:

Happy people are healthier;

they get sick less often

THEY     LIVE     L O N G E R

Happy people have better realtionships

more friends

make more money

are more productive at work.     .     .

Based on decades of research

it’s become very clear

that Happiness is not just a personal issue;

it’s a matter of public health,

global economics

and natural well being

B           U          T

it’s subjective, isn’t it?

THE   GREATER   GOOD   SCIENCE   CENTER

(Yes, it really does exist–Google it)

They simply recommend through

S   C   I   E   N   T   I   F   I   C        S   T   U   D   Y

ACKNOWLEDGE    THE    GOOD

(WRITE DOWN 3 THINGS A DAY YOU ARE GRATEFUL )

ADD    HAPPINESS   THROUGH   SUBTRACTION 

(GIVE IT UP PRACTICE–GIVE UP WHAT YOU REALLY LIKE JUST FOR A LITTLE BIT OF TIME SO YOU CAN APPRECIATE IT EVEN ALL THE MORE)

FIND MEANING AND PURPOSE

(TAKE PICTURES OF PEOPLE AND THINGS THAT ARE MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND LITERALLY JOURNAL FOR 15 MINUTES A DAY JUST ABOUT YOUR IDEAL FUTURE AND WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE)

USE   YOUR   STRENGTH

(PICK ONE OF YOUR STRENGTHS AND USE IT EXCLUSIVELY IN A NEW AND DIFFERENT WAY FOR A WEEK AND THEN ANOTHER AND THEN ANOTHER. . . )

CONNECT     WITH     OTHERS

(JUST DO FIVE RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS A DAY–NOT OVER A WEEK, BUT A DAY FOR A WEEK; STUDIES SHOUT THAT WHEN YOU DO–GIVE–IT SIGNIFICANTLY MAKES YOU HAPPIER)

WHAT      REALLY     MAKES     YOU     HAPPY ?

It’s different for everyone

T       H       A       N       K       F       U       L       L       Y  

QUICK  ANSWER:

WHATEVER   FEEDS   YOUR   SOUL

but you’ve got to

ACTUALLY  FEED  YOUR  SOUL

it won’t happen

through osmosis 

IF HAPPINESS IS A TRAIN

YOU DON’T HAVE TO RIDE THE CABOOSE

OR JUST BE A PASSENGER

WATING TO GO TO THE DINING CAR

ENGINEER THAT TRAIN

AND TOOT-TOOT YOURSELF DOWN THE TRACK 

NOT TO HAPPINESS

BUT TO YOUR

S E V E N T H     H E A V E N 

SEE YOU AT THE STATION!

CHOOO-CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

When Generosity is More than a W O R D

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Do you have one?

Do you remember a time when you actually saw an

A C T    O F    G E N E R O S I T Y ?

Erin, my wife, gave this Parka from Alaska via a Thrift store, right off her back on a cold winter day when she saw someone she recognized, who rode his bike everyday from his house to a local coffee shop, now in a cold snow storm, without a coat.

A friend, Terry, did the same thing a few years ago. A group of us from Church made sandwiches, bought gloves to literally pass out to the homeless on a cold, Sunday afternoon. We literally had given everything we came downtown to give and there was one, cold gentleman who got there late and asked if there was anything left; the sandwiches, gloves, hats had all been distributed, but Terry literally took off her coat and sweatshirt and gave it to the man.

I just heard about a guy on an airplane who actually tipped the Flight Attendant a $100.00 for the amazing job she did serving during the flight.

He was standing at a Stop Light in front of a Strip Mall with a Panera Bread.  As I came up to the light he was standing there just holding a sign.     .     .no bucket or anything to collect money.  He wasn’t aggressive.     .     .just standing there holding a sign I’ve never seen anyone  E V E R  hold before:

S    E    E    K    I    N    G           H   U   M   A   N          K    I    N    D    N    E    S    S

I rolled down the window and for the first time in my life,

gave a   $10     d o l l a r      b i l l 

and the meal we had just bought.        .        .

I never knew that such an offering could buy such an expression on someone’s face;

Do you have one?

Do you remember a time when you actually saw an

A  C  T      O  F      G  E  N  E  R  O  S  I  T  Y ?

There is no way to ever measure,

is there,

the exact effect it had on the

O            N            E
who actually received such an act of generosity–

F  O  R  G  E  T        T  H  A  T

Having witnessed an Act of Generosity…

WHAT EFFECT DID IT HAVE ON YOU?

Has it worn off?

Did it inspire you to

GO   AND   DO  LIKEWISE ?

G e n e r o u s      A C T S

will do that…

so do the TELLING
so do the HEARING

of such acts. . . .

DO    TELL

S H A R E

so that WE will not only get the benefit.         .         .

but be inspired to make our own

Stories   of   Generosity

to be witnessed
to tell
to be told
to experience
to inspire yet even more
to tell
to be told
to experience
to inspire
to make

G   E   N   E   R   O   S   I   T   Y

more than just a mere

WORD.      .      .

DO   TELL

S H A R E

What’s

Y  O  U  R       S  T  O  R  Y ?

A True VICTOR

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images

Are you a Victim

or a

V          I          C          T          O          R  ?

Or    just    a

Chuck,

Erin,

Sam,

Henry,

Danica,

Johnny,

Joe,

an Anybody.        .        .   

Somebody.        .        .

Nobody.        .        .   ?

About once a month we get free buffets at the Horseshoe Casino

Great Dinner.         .          .

but the

S            E            R            V            I            C            E

was way beyond ordinary;

V   i   c   t   o   r

He seated us

and poured out ice teas

and then gave us some complimentary bottled waters.       .       .

He got real excited when he announced

that he had something very special for us,

and he even more excited

when he brought some special made appetizers.        .         .

did I mention that this was a    b  u  f  f  e  t

and not some Four-Star restaurant?

He brought us back fancy desserts

that weren’t up on the dessert tray.        .        .

He couldn’t be more accommodating and kind;

He got a little embarrassed

when I asked him about himself

and how long he had been working here at the casino.        .        .

He said he loved

w           a           i           t           i           n           g  

on   people

and that we had been great people to serve.       .       .

W               O               W

I was watching the other servers,

but no one was running around like Victor.        .        .

No one was giving

who they were serving

anything      e   x   t   r   a.        .        .

I even saw a few roll their eyes

when someone had left them a less than satisfactory tip.        .        .

Victor      was      a      most      excellent

S      E      R      V      E      R

A    True    Caring    Catalyst

I gave him a huge tip that night.        .        .

He was very grateful and very surprised;

I told him that he was most excellent and he

m        a        d        e

our night extra ordinary.        .        .

I have him a big tip

but he had given me a

t          i          p

much    larger

and even more significant:

S E R V E      P E O P L E     

MORE   THAN   THE   EXPECT   OR   DESERVE

WITHOUT   ANY   EXPECTATION   OF   ANYTHING   IN   RETURN

He made me ask a question

a     r e a l     q u e s t i o n:

Am I more of a

V   i   c   t   i   m

  or    a

 V        I        C        T        O        R ?

Victor showed me that no matter what Color

No matter what your Race,

No matter what your Creed,

No matter what your Gender,

No matter what your political Persuasion,

You can still serve others by serving in the best way possible;

Victor showed me that it’s not about

doing for others as you would have them do unto you

so    much    as    serving    others    as    they    would       like

in a most perfect way.           .           .

Victor      s   h   o   w   e   d

that it’s not about giving people what they deserve,

it’s    about    just    giving    to    others

j  u s t          b e c a u s e

Are you?

Are you more

A Victim

or

A         V   i   c   t   o   r?

Psssssssssssssst:

S         H         O         W           M         E.        .        .

better still

S  H  O  W        O  T  H  E  R  S

(lots of them)

o      f      t      e      n

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https://youtu.be/b-xScLIevw0

LOVE   HAS  NO  LABELS.          .          .

if that were

ONLY     T R U E

if that were

ONLY  THE NORM

and not the

n     o     n     s     t     a     n     a     r     d

Love   Has   No   Labels

is a movement to open our eyes to there unconscious bias.     .     .

While the vast majority of Americans

consider themselves

UNPREJUDICED

many of us unintentionally make snap judgements

about people

based on what we see–

whether it’s

race

age

gender

religion

sexuality

or disability

By becoming aware of our own

b i a s e s

WE can work to end bias

in ourselves,

our families

our friends

our communities.       .       .

Hmmmmmmmmm of the DAY:

WE    NEED    AN    ORGANIZED    MOVEMENT

to show us we need

LOVE     WITH     NO     LABELS

Let’s make it this Simple:

Challenge that;

Inspire that;

Mirror that;

Share that;

B      E             T    H    A    T

(not often)

A L L  –  W A Y S !

http://thecaringcatalyst.com/2208-2/

TABLE’D U P

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https://youtu.be/vDuA9OPyp6I

A    R    E        Y   O   U        H   U   N   G   R   Y ?

For what?

Steak?

Potatoes?

Salad?

Broccoli?

Corn?

Mashed Potatoes?

Spanish Rice?

Shrimp and Grits?

Ribs?

Eggs, Bacon and Homefries?

A Grande Breve Latte?

Cake?

Pie?

Sherbert?

Rootbeer Float?

Milkshake?

Cookies?

Candy Bars?

Tic Tac’s?

Gum?

Popcorn?

Well.            .            .

that which feeds you,

r   e   a   l   l   y

r        e        a        l        l       y

feeds you.          .          .

E  A  T       Y  O  U  R       F  I  L  L

Feed the Beast

and  Feed  it often

until you’re slothingly 

F  U  L  L

and.       .       .

don’t go hungry

ever again.        .        .

and more.        .        .

f   e   e   d       a   n   o   t   h   e   r 

and really take care

of the

hunger problem!

Maybe what the world needs now

is just a huge table full of

hungry people

willing to share

t     h     e     i     r           b     e     s     t     s

to   the    left

and   right   of   them

and   not   being   ashamed

to   go   for   the

s    e    c    o    n    d    s

or

t    h    i    r    d    s.        .        .

T   a   b   l   e       U   P

Bon appetit

The H A N D

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I’ve got to

H      A      N      D           I      T

to you.        .        .

no pun intended!

Really.       .       .

It’s never the Hand

you’ve been dealt.          .           .

Go ahead.      .      .

finish the cliche.        .         .

it’s the way you play it!

W       R        O        N        G !

When I do my presentation:

DID YOU HEAR WHAT I DIDN’T SAY,

I always  H A N D  

everyone a card as they walk in

and then I let them choose one on their own.       .        .

Most ask,

“Am   I   allowed   to   look ?” or

“What’s  this   for ?”

Then I forget about it.         .         .

almost until the middle to end of my talk;

I tell them to take their cards and ask:

“W   H   O       W   O   N ?”

It’s amazing to me how many people

tell me that they have won and why.       .       .

.       .       .Say’s Who ?

“Why did you win?”

I  ask,

don’t we know what game we’re playing and more.         .         .

here’s the clincher:

W   H   A   T         A   R   E           T   H   E           R   U   L   E   S ?

We play

U        N        A        N        N        O        U        N        C        E        D

G a m e s

e          v          e          r          y          d          a          y

and as if that’s bad enough,

what’s worse,

we’re trying to   F  I  G  U  R  E

out the rules

let alone being willing to play by them;

Each person,

friend,

family,

stranger

deals up a set of cards for us

and the  Game  is  O N !

The most important Language you’ll ever Speak

or Hear

is the one you’ll never utter or detect by sound,

but begging to be understood.        .        .

Pssssssssst of the Day:

It’s never the Hand you’ve been dealt,

or the Hand you’ve had

or are currently holding right now.       .       .

It’s Not the Hand you’re playing—

It’s      the      Hand      you      are      Extending.         .         .

the hand you are Sharing.         .         .

the Hand you’re Giving.           .           .

and yes, most importantly,

the      Hand      you’re      holding

(THAT’S       ATTACHED       TO       ANOTHER       ARM)!

NEVER   let the hand you’re dealt

interfere with the

H  a  n  d        y  o  u        E  x  t  e  n  d.           .           .  

The Other PERCENT

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images-3

Sadly,

we don’t have to be Mathematicians

to know about Percentages, do we?

It makes us ask some fairly significant

UN-Mathematic Questions:

Is  “G O O D      E N O U G H,”

g o o d   e n o u g h ?

O           U           C           H

of the day just might be to actually take the time to consider the

99.9%’s of our lives and how

T  H  E  Y        J   U   S   T        A   R   E   N  ‘  T       G   O   O   D        E   N   O   U   G   H:

* The IRS would lose 2 million documents this year

* 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong bank account in the next hour

* Telecommunications companies will misdirect 1, 314 telephone calls every minute

* 2,4800 books will be shipped with the wrong covers on them each day

* More than 5.5 million cases of soft drinks in the next year will be flat

* 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions will be written each year

* 12 babies will be given to the wrong parents each day

Uhhhhh, being  GOOD ENOUGH

is just not being  GOOD ENOUGH

any way you add, subtract, multiply or divide the percentages.

How about we switch it up a little.

IF  ALL  OF  THOSE  NEGATIVE  THINGS  COULD  HAPPEN

 by not giving our 99.9%

What  ONE  POSITIVE  THING  could possibly happen if

F  O  R  E  V  E  R

we actually just gave our .1% of Compassion–FULLY–

U N D I L U T E D ?

Seriously, if a little bad can destroy a lot of good. . .

CAN’T   A   LITTLE    GOOD    OBLITERATE    A    LOT    OF    TERRIBLE?

Pssssssst: Here’s the things about Percentages–

They’re meant to be challenged and yes, surpassed;

When it comes to DOING GOOD, the numbers seldom add up.      .      .

Most Compassionate Acts of Kindness never do.       .       .

Love  THOSE  Odds!

Is  GOOD  ENOUGH,

g  o  o  d       e  n  o  u  g  h ?

No. . .

Concentrated Compassion

is better.       .       .

ALL–WAYS!

The   O T H E R    P E R C E N T

n e v e r   l i e s !

A Hearing Heart

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images-2

“IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE AGE OF WISDOM, IT WAS THE AGE OF FOOLISHNESS, IT WAS THE EPOCH OF BELIEF, IT WAS THE EPOCH OF INCREDULITY, IT WAS THE SEASON OF LIGHT, IT WAS THE SEASON OF DARKNESS, IT WAS THE SPRING OF HOPE, IT WAS THE WINTER OF DESPAIR, WE HAD EVERYTHING BEFORE US, WE HAD NOTHING BEFORE US, WE WERE ALL GOING DIRECT TO HEAVEN, WE WERE ALL GOING DIRECT THE OTHER WAY–IN SHORT, THE PERIOD WAS SO FAR LIKE THE PRESENT PERIOD, THAT SOME OF ITS NOISIEST AUTHORITIES INSISTED ON BEING RECEIVED, FOR GOOD OR FOR EVIL, IN THE SUPERLATIVE DEGREE OF COMPARISON ONLY….”

The words were written by Charles Dickens in 1859 or

Y      E      S      T      E      R      D      A      Y

They’re timeless because they weren’t written by pen on paper but something much more sacred:

H      E      A      R      T

Did you hear?

A real Heart does more than just beat.       .       .

A real Heart Sees

A real Heart Hears

A real Heart Speaks

A real Heart

F       E       E       L       S

.         .         .the story of more than 700 years ago is told of a sick man who was weeping bitterly.  Someone went up to him and asked, “Why are you crying?”

The sick man answered, “I am crying to attract the pity of God’s Heart.”

The other said, “You’re talking nonsense, for God doesn’t have a physical heart.”

The sick man replied, “It’s you who are wrong. He is the owner of all the Hearts that exist. It’s through your heart that you can make your connection with all other hearts and the One who created the Beat in each one.     .     .     .”

It’s not only the message of all Hearts, but all Faiths.

When our Hearts are open to the needs of others.      .      .it’s THEN

that they become the true Instruments not only that they were always meant to be…

but the truest Tools of Compassionate Change.

Cries, they take many different forms.        .        .

Seldom do we H E A R what’s inside the cries:

Loneliness
Hurt
Disappointment
Un-Met Expectations
Loss
Pain
or________________________

.         .         .”It’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times.         .         . “

The Heart that cries needs Heard

By the HEART that’s never Deaf,

Blind,

Mute

of   Unfeeling.          .          .

There’s only one true question—ever—

I S       T H A T       H E A R T,

is    that    Heart,

Y     O     U     R ‘  S.       .       .      ?

Transplanted

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THIS BLOG POST IS NOT A STORY ABOUT

D O N O R ‘ S    or    R E C I P I E N T S.       .       . 

This is a blog posting about

T     r     a     n     s     p     l     a     n     t     s.        .        .

This is a blog posting about

A L L     T H I N G S     B E C O M I N G     N E W.        .        . 

As we are literally just a days  p a s t   of  Old  becoming  the  New

—-A G A I N—-

How is it that this special   Transplant   will take hold and not be rejected?

It  all  comes  down  to

One  Word

One  Person

Y      O      U  !

What’s  going  to  be  refurbished?

What’s  going  to  be  Begun?

What’s  going  to  be  so  far  left  behind  that  no  high-powered  Rearview  mirror  could  detect?

What’s  going  to  be  Habit?

What’s  going  to  be  discarded?

What’s  going  to  be  Finished?

What’s  going to be seen that’s been unseen?

What’s going  to  be  heard  that’s  been  muted?

Have  you  actually  lived

The    Best    Year    of    Your    Life ?

The answer to each of these questions are more

f u n d a m e n t a l ly    i n d i v i d  u a l

than your own heart beat or finger print.       .       .

The answer, in fact, is all about

Y      O      U !

So.         .         .

begin taking inventory.           .           .

Really find out
The WHAT
The HOW-COME-
The WHY
of  it  all
and just don’t carry the box load

of your old self

over to a different selected place and call it:

N       E       W !

Make   THAT   Heart beat  count  in  the  very  best  of  all  ways:

By  making  others  feel.       .       .

hear it.        .        .

O F T E N !

The truest Transplant is something you donate and receive simultaneously

And not only is it  NOT  rejected but the

Truest Transplant is everlasting from year to year!

You’re on

The List.           .           .

Get   a   Transplant!

And more.        .        .

Give an   Old Heart

a  New   B E A T

C L A U S ‘E D

By 2 Comments

Sometimes.     .     .

it’s really less about the

p r o d u c t

and more about the

c      o      m      m      e      r      c      i      a      l

When’s the last time you’ve been

Mrs. Claus’ed?

Maybe the better question:

When was the last time you have been

Mrs. Claus

to someone else.   .   .    ?

You know it’s really not that hard.          .          .

See

Hear

Feel

Learn

of a need

and

M  E  E  T      I  T

It just might be one of your

greatest secrets

you can share

without

having to

w h i s p e r

H     O     W

.        .          .Get Claus’ed

and then make sure you

C       L        A        U      S

away

without

C L A U S E.        .         .

because the best way to

Celebrate

D e c e m b e r   26

is simply to treat it like

D E C E M B E R  2 5

(f o r e v e r)

Psssssssssssst of the Day:

That’s the biggest not-so-confidential

s  e  c  r  e  t

you’ll never quite be able to

hide

or

ever need to.    .    .     .

Professional Speaker, Author, Assurance Man