abi Possibilities

Or maybe I should say Poss-abilities... (that will make sense after you watch this video)

This is a little longer video from the TED group, so just over 20 minutes, but worth every minute. And don't you dare multi-task! Listen to this woman, Aimee Mullins, talk about what "disability" means -- and what it could mean...

What did you think?

I can't emphasize enough how her message resonates with why I created Possibilities and how much I believe we need to Listen to her call for accepting adversity, adapting to it, and acknowledging ourselves as having become more "us" for having met it with power and grace.

Please share how you have met adversity - what expectations did you carry into it, what were the expectations of people around you, and who did you become because of it?

Or, if you know someone with a "disability", what expectations do you bring with you? Which thesaurus have you been reading? (Don't get that one? Go back to the video, you skipped it! ;-) What have you done to help them discover how to adapt to the challenge in front of them? What have they taught you about how to move through life's adversities and benefit from them?

Looking forward to your Stories...

I saw this video and thought immediately of what happens to people (and their brains) involved in a car crash.

It's not a video of a brain -- that would be gruesome! -- but it's definitely food for thought.

This golf ball was traveling at 150 miles per hour when it hit a steel plate.

Notice both stages -- (1) the impact and (2) the bounce-back.

So, what's this got to do with brains?

Imagine someone driving at highway speeds (60-70 miles per hour? 100-120 km per hour?)

Then imagine what happens if their head hits the steel of the car in any way. (That's what seatbelts are made to prevent! Now you know why!!)

Then imagine what happens if the head hits something else hard -- like the steering wheel or the seat in front of them.

Still not so good even though the brain has the skull and cerebro-spinal fluid around it for protection.

Now imagine what happens if the brain inside the head doesn't hit the car or something in the car, but just moves forward that fast, hits the inside of the bony skull, then bounces back like that image in the video.

Don't think so? Remember that the brain is not solid -- it's soft, something like the consistency of soft tofu.

Now imagine that last one again --

And wear your seatbelt and drive gently.

Our guest blogger, Carole, responded to this question when it was posed in the Gaia community where we met. Here's her answer....

Real Question?

Is there such a thing?

A question is only an inquiry based on observation or belief.

That means we want to get behind the question itself to find out...

Click to read more ...

Daniel Gingras is a graduate student working with Dr. Paul Wong who is doing a follow-up study to his thesis on meaning and quality of life for living with chronic pain.

This project is focusing on how the findings of Positive Psychology research apply to pain management.

They would appreciate it very very much if anyone out there who has experienced chronic pain could complete his survey. Then, if you know anyone else living with chronoc pain (or used to!) they would appreciate it if you could share the link with that person as well.

 I answered their survey -- it was quick and interesting! -- and I'm not in pain these days, but I just answered the survey questions by telling them I don't currently have pain but then answering the questions based on how I felt when I did.

If you can help or know someone who can -- please click on the link and take a few minutes to answer some thought-provoking (but quick to answer) questions.

To find out more about Dr. Paul Wong's research and writings, you may also enjoy touring his website: Meaning.ca

Thanks!

This is an article in the on-line magazine The Huffington Post by Dr. Todd Kashdan, a researcher in the field of positive psychology. Dr. Todd Kashdan is a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at George Mason University.

For the full article and more links, pop on over to the link. I've added some formatting to the bitsI want to jump out at you ;-)

I think, given our mission to create caring, supportive Communities, you'll see why I think this is such an important piece of research!

How to Be Happy -- Emotional Pain and the Politics of Rejection

Todd Kashdan,PhD in Huffington Post

Did you know there is only one single characteristic that separates extremely happy people from "merely" happy people? They aren't more grateful, kind, or compassionate. They aren't more energized when they wake up in the morning (drinking the same amount of coffee as the rest of us). Rather, they possess...

Click to read more ...