The world needs more kindness. The live-action Cinderella movie had the inspiring theme, “Have Courage and Be Kind”. That message struck me as profoundly important, and I pondered for a long while about what it meant to be kind. The first question I asked myself was if there was a difference between being nice and being kind. I believe that there is absolutely a difference between the two. An easy way to understand what it means to be kind is to think of the kindest person yo

Have you ever heard of the Grain of Mustard Seed parable? It is one that has passed the test of time, being passed down over the last 2000 years. Its message is that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains - and nothing will be impossible to you. I had been thinking about this parable quite a bit before the following realization hit me: You don't have to have faith the size of a mountain to move a mountain.   This parable is trying to give a small

News flash! Humans are fallible! We make all kinds of mistakes every day. We say the wrong thing at the wrong time, think we know the answer when we’re dead wrong, lose control of our emotions, disrespect or misuse authority, lack humility and charity, demean others through word and deed, care too little, care too much, and a host of other failings. We even make mistakes in our own self-evaluations. Some people aren’t critical enough, glossing over their own faults or justify

I remember observing a Facebook conversation where a lawyer mocked certain modern trends and concluded by firmly stating that he was entirely self-made and had not relied on anyone else for his success. “I worked for my success” has a certain appeal to it. I remember often saying similar things myself in various situations, but when I saw it come from this attorney, I really started questioning the statement. Is any person self-made? As I have reflected on this question for s

Potential – what does it really mean? We often talk of reaching our potential as if it is some far-off concept, something elusive that we have not found yet.   When we look at a 16-year-old child and say that “he has a lot of potential”, what are we really saying? And, more importantly, when does that 16-year-old child actually reach his potential?   Is it when he gets married, becomes CEO of a company, starts a non-profit, speaks in 47 countries, helps a friend through a har