A great way to spend one-and-a-half minutes (that’s what she said). Really, a great short video about a security camera catching heroic, funny and touching moments. Surprisingly, this is a Coke ad. I’m not sure how much soda it will sell, but the video was a great way for me to start the day.
When we consider the vast number of people who need help, being part of the solution can seem overwhelming. There are hundreds of thousands of kids trapped in failing schools in the U.S. alone. There are many millions of starving children around the world. How can a single person who isn’t a billionaire have an impact? Where do you start?
Start with one small act.
Hilde Back’s story is about how small acts of kindness can have an unimaginably large impact. When she was a schoolteacher in Sweden, Hilde decided to sponsor one child’s education …
At an event last week, 38 teen entrepreneurs pitched their companies to local businesspeople. Each attendee received $5 in Startup Bucks to “invest” in any of the student businesses. The student business with the most Startup Bucks at the end received a cash prize.
The teen entrepreneurs were participants in Startup Corps, a Philadelphia nonprofit that helps high school students become entrepreneurs. The students often join the club even if they don’t have a business idea. They come out with confidence, companies, and in many cases, revenue. It’s exciting that 34% of this year’s …
David Boone became homeless in his early teenage years.
“When I was 14 years old, my family and I lost our home to gang violence. I refused to join the gang, so they retaliated, leaving bullet holes in our house and our family. As a result, my family had to split up because no one had room to take us all in together” David wrote in his blog.
David lived in a variety of places for about 2 years until his mom secured a safe place for his family. He lived with friends, caring …
Jack Andraka enjoys mountain biking, whitewater rafting, kayaking, and science. According to his Facebook page, he’s a fan of Beavis and Butthead, Family Guy and The Simpsons. Oh yeah—when Jack was 15-years-old he also created a new diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer that is 28 times faster, 26,000 times less expensive and over 100 times more sensitive than the current diagnostic tests. And, in case that’s not impressive enough, the test also works for ovarian and lung cancer.
This story revolves around Darius Weems, a 23-year-old man who recently launched his rap career. His album from New Sound Entertainment, My Life in This Chair, is out and has received rave reviews. I’m arguably not the best judge of rap music, but I think his music is great.
Darius is living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). One in every 3,500 boys is born with this fatal disease and generally lives only into his teens or twenties (WebMD). It’s the disease that Jerry Lewis’s telethons raised money to try to cure.
Inspired by the response to yesterday’s post about my grandfather, below are seven great lessons that I learned from him:
1) Stop making excuses. . . It costs too much money, it’s too risky, I don’t have time, I’m too old, I’m too young. . . . When he was 92, my grandfather decided he should be working out. He got a membership at a gym (thankfully, attached to a hospital) and went (walker and all) regularly. If there is something you want to do then do it.
My grandfather went out to lunch once a week with his friends. They used to eat at Subway . . . until the sandwich prices went up. Then they started a regular tradition of eating at Wendy’s. Popop was so excited about Wendy’s that he regularly explained why it was the best deal around. As he told us, “You can get an entire lunch for 99 cents. I buy the 99 cent chili and get a cup of water, which is free, to go with it.” His friends would do the same, and then they’d …
If you have 10 minutes, this video is a fantastic use of your time. If you don’t have 10 minutes, squeeze this in anyway.
This video is about an entrepreneurial 9-year old who built an elaborate arcade entirely out of cardboard boxes. You’ll love him and the thoughtful kindness of stranger Nirvan Mullick, the first customer of Caine’s Arcade.
The video made me tear up a little bit (I’m serious about the tears – this isn’t just a cover for my secret life as a Navy SEAL). Let this inspire you to do something …
I smiled. My mom frowned. “You know, he’s going to tell people you’re a Navy SEAL. His teachers at school probably think you’re a Navy SEAL.”
I never thought about that. I was sharing my fantasy with our toddler. I wasn’t expecting that he’d share it with others. Maybe he told his teachers. Perhaps they actually thought I was a Navy SEAL. That would be awesome.
I explained to my mom that every guy wants to be a Superhero and sometimes fantasizes about it. To …
