Editor’s note: How fun it is to make my article of the month a local news item about our MD, Bill Leamon’s work in the area of social enterprise! Enjoy.

Editor’s Note: I enjoy this woman’s writing style. I consider this article a modernized treatment of my favorite Viktor Frankl quote, “happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue as an unintended side effect....”

Editor's comment: I've been a student of mind-body connection for 18+ years now and this is as good a commentary as I've read. No one - NO ONE - seems to respect the physical outcomes of stress. My basic "go to" emotion is anger, which is based in fear. And I spent the majority of my life never realizing what an impact that had not only on those I loved but on my own health. Now, I work to simply notice it as it comes up (it never will "go away") so that I may manage it more skillfully.

Editor's Note: This interview with Ethos water founder and social business activist, Jonathon Greenblatt is not conclusive but it's extremely interesting. Greenblatt provides no easy answers to the great question in the title of the article but speaks wisely from his own experience and about other social businesses and the B corp certification process. Thanks to Ron DiMattia for passing this on to us.

Editor's Note: I think of David Brooks as a poor man's St. Augustine and I think of myself as a poor man's David Brooks. I find him insightful, delightful and motivating to read and I do so as often as possible. Here Mr. Brooks follows one of my favorite themes, the constant struggle between our mercenary and our better self. Enjoy. Please also note this essay is derived from my choice for book of the month, his newest, "Road to Character."

Editor’s Note: Thanks to Bob Miller for sending this to me, a deep and somewhat troubling article. We all knew that our own upbringing in relatively reasonable financial circumstance gave us advantages such as education, example and stability. But it had never really occurred to me such things as diet, neighbors and urgent problems caused by living in scarcity would make “even you and me” dumber. The article’s conclusions are not as certain to me as the findings of the research which intuitively make sense. Being stupid doesn’t necessarily make one poor but poverty may make one less aware and capable of rational decisions.

Editor's Note: The author concludes the article with the assertion that "the psychological toughness needed to be a social entrepreneur can’t be taught. It has to be lived. Only individuals who are deeply passionate about the challenge they aim to solve combined with a personal connection to the issue itself will persevere and truly make an impact on the world." Truth. 

Editor's note: This article blew me away for two reasons:

Editor's note: Living Cities' CEO, Ben Hecht, writes about Black Rock Impact, a social investing platform from mutual fund giant, Black Rock Funds. It makes me nervous and hopeful at the same time. Nervous because I've never been a "bottom of the pyramid" kind of guy. That's the theory that good money can be made off the world's poor. But the points Hecht specifically makes about urban USA areas taking advantage of these new funds to build micro-lending and such things makes me hopeful. Enjoy.

Editors Note: This great article from Gallup talked about something I agree with wholeheartedly. It is not enough for a great wellness program to focus solely on one part of the human condition...physical. A great wholistic approach to wellness deals with 5 parts; Purpose: liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals; Social: having supportive relationships and love in your life; Financial: managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security; Community: liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community; Physical: having good health and enough energy to get things done daily.