Editor’s note: Sometimes I just need a lift. This book by a local newspaper writer who I’ve met and I admire qualifies. She’s also a good writer having been finalist for Pulitzer and sold millions of copies of her “God Never Blinks.” Brett’s goal seems to be to share stories she’s aware of and written about to see if one might motivate us to get off our butts and do something. I’m motivated.

Editor’s note: This is the overview of a Brookings Study inspired by the Buffett/Gates giving pledge. It is a brief and clear summary of the facts learned about the billionaire giving pledge started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and the motivation for these billionaires to promise to give away most of their fortunes. I’m going to order and read the whole study. Giving Pledgers are now up to 143, in all. Profiles of each and more info about the campaign can be found at www.givingpledge.org.

A friend recently asked me a couple of interesting questions:

Editor’s Note: I’ve been assigned by my meditation teacher to consider my "essential self." In his words, that means to try to picture who I was before I experienced the things that created my "social self”, “business self”, “family self” and the many roles we all take on to survive and prosper. In my case, I’ve gotten as far as seeing fairly clearly my six year old self, identifying how I viewed the world around me and what seemed to be characteristics that I can still identify with even after years of amending. That’s what Mayer sings about in this fairly lively tune – who he was in 1983, when he was six.

Editors Note: Heading for bed in a hotel in Austin, TX, I asked the front desk if he had any books and the young man gave me this short read about the life of Stieg Larrson, highly acclaimed author of the Millennium trilogy crime series (“The Girl With/Who”…). It is a brief and fascinating book by Larrson’s business partner about the author who died of a heart attack a month before the first of the books was published. Larrson was an extremist and his books somewhat parallel his life lived obsessively fighting right-wing extremism, anti-Semetism and neo-Nazi organizations in Sweden. If mystery interests you, as it does me, this book is a good read.

Editor’s note: Some fun ones, some wrong ones and a few that really blew me away, such as: The universe can only do for you what it can do through you. Hope you enjoy 20 or 30 of these fifty sound bites as much as I did. Thanks to Bob Mramor for passing this onto us.

As I look back I am grateful for so much. Lately I’ve been thinking about gratitude I still have for people who believed in me. In fact, I have a list of people who have given me confidence and courage and I’m still updating that list at 63.

Editor’s note: There are probably many reasons this became the theme of a generation and perhaps asking my sixties friends I’d find a few more. But to me, this song always simply said to me “keep on moving.” And if you don’t know any other song by the Grateful Dead, it’s likely you’ve heard this if only because of its catchy tune. Enjoy.

Editor’s note: My friend, Glen Warner, suggested I’d like this book and I did. Since it was written in the 1920’s and the writer’s style is unique, it was a little hard to get into. But its parabolic teaching engaged me by the end. The moral of the story is typical serving something greater than our self but there’s more – the book suggests by doing so we become capable of greater achievements ourselves and that further, if we insist on confidence in our giving then the one to whom we’ve given becomes more likely to pass such “personality” on to others.

Editor’s note: I read Daily Good most days and like the things they lead me to. It’s a volunteer organization that collects and publishes quotes and commentary regarding social good. This is an interview with now-famous Brene Brown, the behavioral research scientist who wrote “Daring Greatly” (featured book of the month some time ago). Dr. Brown is always a tough read because she studies and deals in emotions like shame, guilt and vulnerability. These are universally felt but largely ignored barrier emotions to courage and authenticity so I plow through her work in hopes I can learn more and change my own reaction to such emotion over time.