Empathy

There is not enough empathy in the world today, so here are some quotes to remind us how important this is for us:

When you show deep empathy toward others, their defensive energy goes down, and positive energy replaces it. That's when you can get more creative in solving problems. Stephen Covey

Empathy is about standing in someone else's shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate, but it makes the world a better place. Daniel H. Pink

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.” 
― James Baldwin

“for there is nothing heavier than compassion. Not even one's own pain weighs so heavy as the pain one feels with someone, for someone, a pain intensified by the imagination and prolonged by a hundred echoes.” 
― Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

“Compassion hurts. When you feel connected to everything, you also feel responsible for everything. And you cannot turn away. Your destiny is bound with the destinies of others. You must either learn to carry the Universe or be crushed by it. You must grow strong enough to love the world, yet empty enough to sit down at the same table with its worst horrors.” 
― Andrew Boyd, Daily Afflictions: The Agony of Being Connected to Everything in the Universe

Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?” 
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

When you show deep empathy toward others, their defensive energy goes down, and positive energy replaces it. That's when you can get more creative in solving problems.
Stephen Covey

All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.
Tahereh Mafi

Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.     
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Empathy is really the opposite of spiritual meanness. It's the capacity to understand that every war is both won and lost. And that someone else's pain is as meaningful as your own.   Barbara Kingsolver

Empathy depends not only on one's ability to identify someone else's emotions but also on one's capacity to put oneself in the other person's place and to experience an appropriate emotional response.
Charles G. Morris

I believe empathy is the most essential quality of civilization
Roger Ebert

You know, there's a lot of talk in this country about the federal deficit. But I think we should talk more about our empathy deficit - the ability to put ourselves in someone else's shoes; to see the world through the eyes of those who are different from us - the child who's hungry, the steelworker who's been laid-off, the family who lost the entire life they built together when the storm came to town. When you think like this - when you choose to broaden your ambit of concern and empathize with the plight of others, whether they are close friends or distant strangers - it becomes harder not to act; harder not to help. 
Barack Obama

Empathy is a powerful behavior of nurturing. When it is given properly, the receiver can feel that the giver really cares about them, and that what they are going through is not trivial. 
William E. Krill

True empathy is always welcomed, compared with sympathy which may be rejected, because of an implicit or deliberate act of movement 'towards', rather than 'being with' and almost 'being one with'.
Murray Cox

What dooms our best efforts to cultivate empathy and compassion is always, of course, other people.
Kim Kreider

How about a cup of coffee a day?

Looking to save money for retirement and don't have any idea on how to start?

How about a daily coffee? Here are some interesting statistics.

 One Latte per day at $4.50 over 25 years = $41, 062.50 

 One lunch per day at $10.00 over 25 years =$91, 250.00

 One dinner per week at $50.00 over 25 years = $65, 000.00

If you added a tip, then the amount could be higher by between 10 and 20%

Make a difference

The difference you make in someone else's life will always be smaller than the difference it will make in your own life.
How do you make a difference in someone's life? I believe we make a difference by the little things we do or say. The small touch, of encouragement, the smile at the end of the day, the look of admiration for a job well done. We remember the little things because they add up. 

Many years ago, I had my senior students reflect and consider their elementary years, and what made a difference to them during those years. The answers were not about big gestures, but about how an adult had reached out, cared for them in a time of stress, or laughed with them in a time of fun. Those little gestures were what was remembered.

Life is, for most of us a series of small events that we weave together to make a story that reflects who we are, or who we want to become. We, I am told see and retain everything in our heads, but we choose what we want to recall, and want we want to make important, and those important events are usually not the big events, but the small ones.

So by making small positive gestures, you can have an impact on another person. Try it, maybe next time you are walking, smile and say high or just nod. Little gestures can have big impacts. 

Retirement Confidence is low for women

A new report shows some interesting facts about women and retirement in the US.  I am highlighting six facts here, but the report contains Seventeen Facts About Women’s Retirement Outlook Select Findings from the 17th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey of American Workers. For the full report (pdf file) go to Women and retirement some facts:

Fact #1. Retirement Confidence is Low Only 10 percent of women are “very confident” in their ability to fully retire with a comfortable lifestyle, compared to 19 percent of men. Nearly half of women (45 percent) are “not too confident” or “not at all confident” compared to only 32 percent of men who share those sentiments.

Fact #2. Many Expect to Retire After Age 65 or Not at All Fifty-three percent of women plan to retire after age 65 (40 percent) or do not plan to retire (13 percent), a similar percentage to that of men (54 percent). One in four women expects to retire at age 65, and 22 percent expect to do so before age 65

Fact #3. Half Plan to Work in Retirement Half of women (50 percent) plan to work after they retire, including 11 percent who plan to work full-time and 39 percent who plan to work part-time. Similarly, 52 percent of men plan to work after they retire, including 15 percent full-time and 37 percent part-time. Continuing to work in retirement can help bridge a savings shortfall; however, it may not be a viable option without taking proactive steps to allow for continued employment in retirement.

Fact #4: Are Women Being Proactive So They Can Work Past 65? A majority of women are taking proactive steps to help ensure they can continue working past age 65. Sixty two percent are staying healthy, while 54 percent are performing well at their current job and 42 percent are keeping their job skills up to date. However, responses were lower for networking (16 percent of women, 22 percent of men), scoping out the employment market (16 percent women, 18 percent men), and going back to school (12 percent both women and men). All in all, 91 percent of women have taken at least one of the six steps identified. More than half (55 percent) have taken at least two steps, 33 percent three steps, 14 percent four steps, six percent five steps – but only two percent of women have taken all six steps.

Fact #5. Most Lack a Plan B If Forced Into Retirement Sooner Than Planned An alarmingly low percentage of women (19 percent) and men (31 percent) have a backup plan if forced into retirement sooner than expected. While delaying retirement and taking proactive steps to enable continued employment during retirement, it is vitally important to have a backup plan if forced into retirement sooner than expected (for example, due to a job loss, health issues, family obligations).

Fact #6: Seven in 10 Women Are Saving for Retirement Seventy-two percent of women are saving for retirement through employer-sponsored plans (e.g., 401(k) or similar plans) and/or outside the workplace (e.g., in IRAs or mutual funds), compared to 80 percent of men. Women retirement investors started saving for retirement at age 28 (median), while men investors got an earlier start at age 26 (median)