Besides the yoga, led by witty teacher Darren Main, many other aspects delight the senses: the live music, the stunning Gothic architecture and the energy from the community of more than 500 people who pack alongside the pews to get in a little “Namaste” during their busy week.

It’s a sanctuary for my soul.

Classes start with a little meet-and-greet with someone you don’t know. Then, there’s time to pause and reflect through a weekly message. One recent message was centered on creating peace around you — super appropriate for a wild, wacky and way out-of-control presidential contest our country is experiencing — I promise not to get all political on you.

Brother Jude Harmon gave a quick forward that resonated with me deeply. He asked us to be “instruments of peace,” to see the light in others.

“When I got here early, I saw some of you running up the hill to save your spot,” he said. “I saw the excitement and light in you.”

I couldn’t help but think about how children — often our greatest spiritual teachers — embody this light more than many adults. With wonderment, awe and sparkle in their eyes, they find joy in the simplest of things.

Last week, I witnessed two kids at different tables say hello to each other. They introduced themselves and started playing together — unabashed, no preconceived notions, no judgments. They were just being themselves in the present moment and having fun.

I wondered why more adults aren’t like this. When did so many of us lose this natural state of being?

I admit, it’s hard sometimes to see the light in those who are not pleasant. Some folks are downright negative and rude. I believe everyone is our teacher, here to share different experiences with us. Yes, that means good and bad experiences, too. I’ve been trying to practice this compassion and see the light in others this past year.

So how do we actually practice peace and be instruments that create harmony and community unity?

1. Shift your perspective: Recently, I was driving to a friend’s house when I encountered a very negative lady. I was about to make a left turn when a woman driving on the opposite direction sped up to make a right. It was my turn to go, but I saw that she was in a hurry. So I waved at her to go first. Red in the face, she started yelling expletives even though I had the right of way. Instead of letting her negativity ruin my day and raise my blood pressure, I shifted my perspective and thought, “Wow, something bad must’ve happened to her today or at some point in her life to be so angry.” I sent her love with a smile and wished her the best from my heart. My hope was that the light in her when she was younger would somehow find its way back.

2. It’s not about you: Most times someone who’s angry has had someone else do them wrong and they take on this negative attitude. Or they could be having a bad day. Try not to take it personally.

3. Acts of kindness: Everybody has the power to make someone else’s day. But what I realized is ultimately the giver is the recipient of the biggest gift: that tingly, good feeling of generosity. It also tends to have a domino effect. No matter who you are or how much you have in your bank account, you can change the energy of another person simply by being kind. Smile at someone randomly. Do something thoughtful for someone.

People say I have the gift of lifting people’s spirits and shifting their perspectives through communication/storytelling. Here’s one example of how I was able to help some friends in grief. I’d love to hear how you helped make someone’s day — Tweet/FB/Instagram me….

Two of my friends’ fathers passed away within the past couple of weeks. People who know me know I love telling stories and connecting with people, so I used my gift of communication and storytelling to spread kindness. I sent them this video I produced about dealing with grief. I interviewed a dear friend, Marianna Cacciatore, a grief expert who believes grief leads to generosity and love. There’s no better gift than the gift of your time and talents.

What can you do?

Onward and upward,
Toan

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The post How to Look Past Negativity and See the Light in Others appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

Flashbacks of former colleagues and experiences we’ve shared ran through my mind. I thought about precarious situations I’ve been in while covering local news. Then, I said a prayer for everyone involved: their families, friends and even for Vester. Yes, I always pray for the perpetrators when I hear about news like this even though some people, especially those who knew the victims, may be angry (I know I would and am) because at some point, something caused them to do this.

Mixed in with the anger, grief and terror, I felt a sense of compassion. Not in an “It’s OK what the suspect did so let’s forgive” type of feeling. Just a “No one wins” and “Let’s pray for everybody” feeling.

Compassion may not be a word anyone wants to hear in situations like this, but hear me out.

I ask for compassion for Vester. Why include the shooter in our prayers? I thought about how sad, dark and twisted Vester’s life probably was. I thought about how he grew up in the Bay Area, my stomping grounds for more than 14 years. I thought about how he probably ate at some of the same places I frequent. I thought about how he interned at the same CBS station in San Francisco where I interned. I thought about how he worked in Midland/Odessa Texas, the same TV market I was once in.

I thought about how his family, friends and loved ones must’ve felt. I thought and wondered… what or who could’ve wronged him and hurt him? From mental illness to someone hurting them in the past, I believe that hurt people hurt people.

If you’re not in the TV biz, I ask for compassion for my fellow journalist brothers and sisters. This could’ve happened to any of us. As a former TV reporter, I’ve been put in precarious, dangerous and vulnerable situations.

In San Francisco, I remember doing a live shot in front of a sink hole and being terrified because a homeless person tried to grab my IFB transmitter attached to the back of my belt. As a morning reporter in Fresno, I remember being sent out on a story where a gunman was on the loose near a peach orchard. It was in the wee hours of the morning. It was dark. I was scared. The only thing illuminating us was the lights my photographer set up for our broadcast. Still, I knew I had to get the story because it was my job. When daylight broke, the gunman was found under the porch of a home just across the street where I went live.

I thought about how Alison and Adam didn’t think they were in harm’s way. It was a light story. I thought about the horror of seeing the gunman just before their lives ended.

Journalists are not all sensationalism seekers. As all of my brothers and sisters in journalism can attest to, many of us do this for the love of storytelling. We’ve have had to move to small towns to start our careers. We were paid low wages, endured long hours, worked holidays and have had to sacrifice important life events away from loved ones. Out in the field we’ve been called mean things and threatened, while some colleagues were even attacked and robbed. The truth is, most of us got into this biz because we love to tell stories and we want to make a difference.

It seems that Adam wanted to leave the biz for the same reasons I did. According to this article on NewsCastic, one Reddit user said he “…met Ward two weeks ago randomly while playing golf. And through small talk, Ward said he was moving to Charlotte and was getting out of the new business because ‘he was tired of video taping people on the worst day of their life.’ “

Life is crazy — the trajectory of our lives can change for the better in a split second, just like it can end abruptly. We all have the power to make decisions. We can choose to do more things we love and spend more time with people we love and to love more. We’re all on this planet together, trying to get by and dream before the deep sleep.

As law enforcement continues to search for answers, I too struggle to find answers to the problems this tragedy sparks. There have been debates about gun control, mental illness, etc.. Truth is, you have more power than you think.

I challenge you to take action. Do one kind thing for someone. I started to tell stories that inspire compassion and action. My team and I also created a Community Heroes program that inspires children to be kind and compassionate and help one another. A first grader in our program said, “I don’t think I can do a lot, but the other day I asked a girl who was eating alone at lunch to eat with me.” A small gesture that leads to big life changes. We may not be able to single-handedly solve these problems, but little by little, if each of us do one kind thing, the world would be a kinder place.

The post Finding Light and Compassion in the Midst of Tragedy appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

Earlier this month, I was honored to keynote Rotary District 5330’s annual assembly in Southern California with more than 350 brothers and sisters of service in attendance. The theme of this year’s district assembly, “Making the Impossible — Possible,” resonated with my soul. The marching orders from incoming District Governor Rudy Westervelt were simple: tie in the theme “Making the Impossible — Possible,” talk about why storytelling is important and inspire the heck out of them. Tall orders for this motivational speaking event, but I was up for the challenge.

“Where do you even begin?” I thought to myself. Right from the heart. I structured the talk around three simple stories:

I started by sharing my story. If you would have told my 10-year-old self that I would have achieved all my dreams by my early 30s, I would have thought it was impossible. My family moved to America from Vietnam with a dream and $4 in our pockets. The ten of us lived crammed into a trailer. Against my parents’ behest of becoming a “doctor, lawyer or engineer,” I followed my own dreams — to use my love for reading, writing and talking to teach in universities, become a TV reporter and tell stories on a PBS show.

I then told the story of one of my youngest teachers: 5-year-old Phoebe Russell, who wrote letters to friends and family asking them to give her aluminum cans so she could redeem them and donate $1,000 to the San Francisco Food Bank. Her efforts raised nearly $4,000. Our video featuring her story multiplied that amount to $20,000 dollars. Together, she, my Go Inspire Go team and the community has helped her enable the food bank to give out more than 200,000 meals.

After the talk, a shy ninth-grader mustered up the courage to tell me that she was inspired by the talk and Phoebe’s story. “When you said, ‘If a 5-year-old could feed 200,000 people, what can you do?!’ I thought, I could do more,” she said enthusiastically. “I can do more.”

I ended the talk with why storytelling is important. What a loaded question. Every single culture from the beginning of time has told stories. They connect us all. You and I may not know each other, but when we learn about each other’s stories, we are no longer strangers. Storytelling breaks down walls, builds compassion and leads to action.

Before I walked off stage, I went off-script — actually, I didn’t have a script, but you get the point! I asked the audience, “How has storytelling changed your life?”

A woman stood up and said, “I’m an incest survivor. I haven’t told my story to many people, but am starting to. It helped others.” WOW! I thanked her for having the courage to tell her story. In turn, it was a cathartic experience for her and the people who learned about her story.

Words can’t convey the inspirational fuel that filled me up that weekend. People from all generations told their stories. I’d love to hear about your inspirational story. Please share in the comments section below.

With love, faith and trust we can all make the impossible possible together.

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The post Making the Impossible Possible appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

Art? Doing this for a living was never even an option in my household — it was a taboo subject. “Be a doctor, lawyer or engineer,” my parents would ingrain in my brain. In my parents’ eyes, the definition of success were those professions, in that order: doctor, lawyer, then engineer. I chose the fourth — failure (in the eyes of my immigrant parents, journalism seemed like failure).

Reading and writing, my passions, were not as revered as mathematics and science. I would read everything out loud. In the shower, I would read shampoo bottles: “Rinse, lather, repeat.” I remember what brought me joy was acting out the characters while reading my favorite childhood books. It’s no coincidence that I became a journalist, founder of Go Inspire Go (we use the art of storytelling to inspire action) and college instructor.

That’s why this GIG Spark, produced by high school student Aaron Long resonated with me on many levels, personally, professionally and even spiritually.

Through Aaron’s GIG Spark, he wants to inspire us to look around and enjoy the art around us in San Francisco. Don’t live there? No problem; Aaron wants you to look around and enjoy a tree, some street art or something that catches your eye.

How did he do this? In a creative way, of course! Find out how he inspired folks in his community to be present and enjoy the art around them through this GIG Spark (Lesson on Compassion) submission. His goal is to inspire you to notice (and enjoy) the art that surrounds you.

Gigster: Aaron Long
Where: San Francisco
Spark: Notice the Art Around You

Like many GIG Spark videos, this seems fun on the surface and it is. But on a deeper level, being creative isn’t nurtured in our society. I recently discovered this TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized leader in the development of education, creativity and innovation. Specifically, he speaks about the importance of creating an educational system that nurtures creativity. This TED video is full of inspirational gems.

I often wonder what I would be doing had I not pursued my passion work. One thing’s for sure — if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be as fulfilled and full of joy. Special thanks to Aaron for being aware and inspiring presence in this adventure we call life.

Take Action
1. Stop wherever you are. Look around and take a deep breath. Enjoy one thing around you.
2. Get creative. Like to bake or paint? Do it, then give it away to someone in need. Small things like this make anyone’s day.
3. Nurture the artistic talents in a child’s life.

We hope this video inspires you to be present and enjoy the art around you — and use your power to help others. I’ve been practicing enjoying the art around me by taking pictures on my Go Inspire Go Instagram account. I always snap cool scenes and things that inspire me because I want to share it with our viewers (tagged with an inspirational message).

Note: Thanks to Mom: who turned over a new leaf and supports endeavors — because she feels my passion for GIG. Also, I know (and feel) that my father, who on his death bed told me, “You’re wasting your life, you need to quit that reporting stuff and become a doctor,” has had a change of heart and is somewhere above, looking down and smiling at me. Smiling because I followed my heart and chose to redefine his definition of “failure.” Thanks to my parents for taking the risk — to uproot their successful lives — so my siblings and I could redefine the American Dream. No. 4 ain’t so bad!

GIG Spark was developed to create compassion through the exercise of brainstorming, problem solving and experiencing the joy of using your power to help others. Rachel shares her thoughts about what this particular experience meant to her: “Something GIG Spark taught me? Don’t stop yourself from doing something just because you think it’s not going to change anything. Whether what you do is monumental or small, whether it affects a million people or just one person, what’s important is that you did something. It’s human nature to resist change, but at least you presented a chance to plant a seed of change in someone’s mind.”

About Go Inspire Go (GIG): GIG is about inspiring small actions that ripple out to meaningful changes. As we’ve experienced, the ripples continue to billow out, one story, one person, one act at a time.

FEELING INSPIRED? Make your own GIG Spark and share with us. We may share it with the world.

As part of GIG’s mission to inspire our viewers to discover their power, we developed GIG Spark: A Lesson on Compassion. The goal is to spark action in everyone that witnesses your good deed. We want you to identify a problem in your community and be the change by capturing your action in a short 1-1:30 minute video. Use your passion and creativity to produce a GIG Spark and inspire viewers with your story!

What can YOU do?

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The post GIG Spark: Why It’s Important to Enjoy the Art Around Us appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

Traffic was packed with pedestrians, bicyclists and zig-zagging skateboarders who were crossing Market and 7th streets like Atari’s Frogger game.

Remember that? I think I’m dating myself again. That moment brought me back to my high school driver’s education class. For a moment, I felt like I was driving in a simulator just hoping for a good grade, but this time it was real life waiting to teach me a lesson.

My car was positioned four car-lengths behind the intersection. The light was green, but traffic wasn’t moving. Within a few seconds of the light turning green, the drivers behind me started honking their horns. The honking overpowered the hustle and bustle of traffic. For a few seconds, I started getting antsy too, but instead of getting flustered, I looked around inquisitively — surely, I thought to myself, something going on was creating the snarled and inert traffic.

Suddenly, my angst turned to empathy and I shivered with realization. A blind, disoriented man came into view as he wandered in the middle of the street not knowing where to go. All this confusion and frustration that everyone else was feeling while in their cars safely tucked away behind the wheel — imagine how he must be feeling! People screaming, horns honking, not being able to see the multiple sources of anger and annoyance … his confusion trumped ours instantly.

It wasn’t until I witnessed three people rushing to usher him out of harm’s way that I finally took a breath. Their kindness warmed my heart and made me smile inside and out, and suddenly I was so very thankful that I hadn’t let my frustration get the best of me.

The moment triggered memories of my late Auntie Hong Yee. She was a graceful woman, who embodied the word “Zen,” and she was my favorite aunt because she never judged and was always supportive of me and my four siblings. We trusted her and felt we could confide in her.

Hong Yee fought a long, courageous battle with cancer and passed away about ten years ago, but her timeless wisdom embraces us. Not a week goes by that I don’t think about her. I used to accompany her on an occasional errand and on some of her medical visits.

She did things on her own timetable, slowly, with patience and this included driving. She walked at her own pace. She would take her time meticulously cleaning and cooking. Oftentimes, she would drive under the speed limit. If the speed limit said 45 mph, she would carefully drive 40 mph or less.

Cancer slowed her down even more, to about 35 miles per hour. Every time I was in the car with her — people would honk, snicker and even flip the bird at her. As a teenager I remember getting angry at them. I wanted to shout back at them and explain that she was ill and her days on earth were numbered. She felt my nervous energy and in a soft, loving voice, she said, “so what… let them get mad, they are not being conscious of what they’re doing.” I didn’t fully understand it then.

This experience changed my outlook on life’s speed bumps and barriers that block my path. Through her actions Hong Yee taught me to be more aware of my impatience and recognize that it is my ego that is getting out of control and driving the negative emotions. I also learned to be conscious of the way I react to other people’s actions and not to lash back out of habit — after all, negativity begets negativity.

I learned that I too needed to look at every situation that comes my way with the same compassion and consciousness as my beloved auntie. I wondered, what would the world be like if we viewed all the slow drivers as though they are our aunties, friends, family members or neighbors, who are going through their own battles in life. This awareness is the roadmap to my actions and have changed the trajectory of how I react.

All our actions and reactions affect others. If you’re a road raging parent, your kids will learn from your actions, and they too may react the same way, while driving, walking or living.

Beep. Beep. You are in the driver’s seat when it comes to what you choose to say or do to others. This is what my Auntie Hong Yee taught me: Be aware. Be conscious. And smile at other angry drivers.

(Oh, and don’t text while driving.)

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