What Is Philly4Good

Why the Philly4Good Movement?

A Word from our Founder: Why the name Philly4Good?

Greetings Philly!

Philly is my hometown. I’ve lived here most of my life. I love my city! The people I love the most live in the Philly area. I have received abundant blessings here in Philly over the years. Even though some bad vibes are plaguing our city, good things happen in Philly every day and I challenge my beautiful city to take up this call to be KINDER, more GRATEFUL and more MINDFUL while inspiring others beyond the confines of our city to do the same. I see myself in Philly for Good. For all of these reasons, this movement has been named the Philly4Good Movement! Join us! Be a part of this movement and help make our city what its name professes, THE CITY OF BROTHERLY (and SISTERLY) LOVE!

Love, Peace and Blessings,

Brother Jeremiah, OC

Did you know?

The average person has approximately 60,000 thoughts throughout the course of their day. Of these thoughts, 80% of them are negative. It’s just the way our human condition is wired! This is bad and it so negatively impacts our health on so many levels!

Is there a remedy?

Yes, there is a remedy! Mindfulness is that remedy. Mindfulness is defined as an intentional mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while gently acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, without judgment.

What are some ways I can practice MINDFULNESS?

The intentional practice of Gratitude, Kindness and Meditation are proven ways to heighten one’s Mindfulness and break the patterns of negativity, depression, hopelessness and discontent that tend to plague humanity! All 3 of these practices are addressed and encouraged in this movement! And, during these troubling and unprecedented times, MINDFULNESS is needed more than ever before!

Kindness

WHAT WISDOM CAN YOU FIND THAT IS GREATER THAN KINDNESS?

~ Jean Jacques Rousseau

Kindness means being nice, friendly, generous, considerate, warm, concerned, gentle...or offering the best of yourself to someone else whether it be a second, a minute or longer. While kindness sometimes has a connotation of meaning someone is naive or weak, that is so not the case. Being kind often requires courage and strength.

Current scientific research shows that giving of self to others brings about lasting well-being. Researchers have found that stability in marriages depends on kindness. Many colleges, including Harvard, are now de-emphasizing standardized test scores while endorsing the idea of placing more emphasis on community involvement and acts of kindness when students apply for admission.

Here are six science-backed ways to improve your life through kindness:

~Kindness releases feel-good hormones.

~Kindness eases anxiety.

~Kindness is good for your heart.

~Kindness can help you live longer.

~Kindness reduces stress.

~Kindness prevents illness.

"Kindness is the honey that dulls the sting of unkindness when we receive it from another. A kind word can conquer anger, calm the spirit, and even start a friendship.

Christians should be kind. But kindness is not exclusively Christian. Rather it is as broad and old as humanity. The Greek playwright Sophocles alluded to the naturalness of kindness when he said, “Kindness gives birth to kindness.”

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius understood the personal as well as the social benefits of kindness. “Ask thyself daily,” he wrote, “to how many ill-minded persons thou hast shown a kind disposition.”

Goethe viewed kindness as the “golden chain by which society is bound together.” The fact that the word kindness is derived from the Old English gecynde, meaning natural, is a good indication that kindness is a very natural virtue.

Shakespeare’s immortal and oft-quoted phrase, “the milk of human kindness” (Macbeth, act 1, scene 5), also attests to the naturalness of kindness, especially with regard to its manner of nourishment...Expressions of kindness may be simple and undramatic but the results can be decisive and most dramatic. Kindness, truly, can save lives."

~ from PraisePhilly 107.9 HD2 Minute Meditation

It costs absolutely NOTHING to spread the joy that springs from KINDNESS! Check out my blog on "What Does Kindness Look Like" and PRACTICE RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS EVERYDAY! It's good for your health, it’ll make you happier and it will make someone else's day brighter while making the universe a much better place!

Gratitude

"The struggle ends when gratitude begins."

~ Neale Donald Walsh

Gratitude means thanks and appreciation. Gratitude, which rhymes with "attitude," comes from the Latin word 'gratus," which means "thankful, pleasing." When you feel gratitude, you feel a deep appreciation for and are very pleased by what someone has said or done for you.

Whereas gratitude is a noun, giving thanks is a verb. The act of thanksgiving springs from a feeling of gratitude but it can also be an action one chooses to embark upon no matter how one may be feeling. One can be down in the dumps and yet make the choice to give thanks.

In positive psychology research, gratitude, and more importantly, thanksgiving, are strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness and fulfillment. Gratitude, coupled with the act of giving thanks, helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal better with adversity, and build strong relationships. Here, the words gratitude and thanksgiving are used interchangeably and are given the same meaning.

Research reveals gratitude can have these seven benefits:

Gratitude opens the door to more relationships.
Gratitude improves physical health.
Gratitude improves psychological health.
Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression.
Grateful people sleep better.
Gratitude improves self-esteem.
Gratitude increases mental strength.

We all have the ability and opportunity to cultivate gratitude. Simply take a few moments to focus on all that you have – rather than complain about all the things you don't have or think you deserve or want.

Here’s some food for thought:

"If you have food to eat, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world’s population!

If you have money in your wallet and can go anywhere you want, you are among 18% of the world’s wealthiest people!

If you are alive and healthy, you are more blessed than the millions who will not live past this coming week!

If you can actually read and understand this message, you are more fortunate than the 3 billion people in this world who cannot see, cannot read and suffer mental disabilities!"

Life is NOT about complaining! Rather, life is all about a thousand other reasons to be grateful and happy!

"let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me..."

The PHILLY4GOOD Movement

...was born to promote and celebrate this message of MINDFULNESS. There is great power in practicing intentional KINDNESS and GRATITUDE as well as MEDITATION / SILENCE daily. The benefits are amazing and the effects are even more so.

Well known environmentalist David Orr once wrote the following:

"...the plain fact is that the planet does not need more 'successful' people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of every shape and form. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral

courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these needs have little to do with success as our culture has defined it.”

It was Mother Theresa who once said, “we are not called to be successful, rather, we are called to be faithful.”

This movement challenges all of us to commit and be faithful to heeding the call to impact our little corner of the world in a positive way. It doesn’t take much! Just BE KIND, BE GRATEFUL and add daily MEDITATION / SILENCE to the mix! What greater success can there be than just this?