Our culture teaches us to want to be famous. Many want to have power, or wealth, or influence, or the ego stroke of adulation. These all seem nice, but they are not needed to MAKE AN IMPACT on the world.

Our culture teaches us to want to be famous. Many want to have power, or wealth, or influence, or the ego stroke of adulation. These all seem nice, but they are not needed to MAKE AN IMPACT on the world.

Our culture teaches us to want to be famous. Many want to have power, or wealth, or influence, or the ego stroke of adulation. These all seem nice, but they are not needed to MAKE AN IMPACT on the world.

Our culture teaches us to want to be famous. Many want to have power, or wealth, or influence, or the ego stroke of adulation. These all seem nice, but they are not needed to MAKE AN IMPACT on the world.

What the world needs right now is small acts of kindness. With the craziness and uncertainty around us, with citizens acting in ways that seem frightening or don’t make sense to us, we need to stay centered. Start right where you are, in your own life and your own world.

When someone is humiliated by the celebrity chef or screamed at as their worst secrets are revealed to the world, I see lives shattered and dreams dashed, the lives of REAL people.  This is too close to the lives lost in the Roman Coliseum for my taste.

Henry Ford said “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” We all seek to stay young, vibrant, and engaged with life. One of the best ways to do this is to keep learning.

I’ve had the same homemade star on my tree since the Christmas of 1985.  This was the year that I moved back to Atlanta and starting teaching at Dunwoody HS.  I wanted to share this story to remind everyone of the impact of one act of kindness.

One of the silver linings of 2020 is that most everyone has slowed down and done less.  Weekends packed with activities have become quiet time at home with family.  The frantic need to see everyone and stay in touch has been replaced by meaningful virtual calls with friends and loved ones. Many people are discovering that they like this slower, more deliberate pace.

Even in the midst of a year like 2020, there is much to be thankful for.  I have been constantly on the lookout for “silver linings” and have found many.  This has kept me grounded and optimistic in the midst of so much stress and disappointment.