Each year I use an issue of the Just One Thing newsletter to offer Twelve Good Things. I think they’re really wonderful, and worth your attention.

May you and those you love and in fact the whole wide world be truly well, truly happy, and truly at peace.

1. UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center is a world-class resource for compassion, parenting, and positive psychology – including their Greater Good Magazine.
2. Human activity dumps about 100 million tons of carbon dioxide each day into the air, and the terrible consequences we’re already seeing are just the beginning of what our children and grandchildren will inherit. While reducing emissions at all levels is hugely important, meanwhile individuals can support projects that compensate for their own carbon footprint each year. The EPA, Nature Conservancy, and WWF all have good carbon calculators, and Carbon Footprint, Terrapass, and Native Energy offer a variety of “offsets.”
3. An organization close to my heart – the BRITE Initiative – has a school in Haiti for 5-12 year olds who would not get a decent education otherwise. They have over 100 students who still need support for this school year, and you might like to join me in sponsoring one of them.
4. Here are a few TED Talks gems: David Lang advocates for citizen scientists to protect the future of our oceans; Kelly Lepley offers a compelling personal story about how important it is to be true to your deepest self; and Ilona Stengel takes an intriguing look at the compatibility of emotions and logic.
5. The Foundations of Well-Being is my online program for growing an unshakable core of resilient happiness in a changing world. It’s super practical, you can go at your own pace, and there’s a money-back guarantee. You’ll get the tools you need to develop more calm, contentment, and confidence each week – and there’s a $180 discount if you sign up by January 1.
6. For some great fiction (at least to my taste!), check out All the Light We Cannot See, The Dog Stars, Night Soldiers and other WWII spy/romance novels of Alan Furst, Consider Phlebas and other Culture novels of Iain Banks, Lord of Light, The Skull Mantra and the other detective novels set in Tibet by Eliot Pattison, the Ancillary Justice trilogy by Ann Leckie, and All Systems Red and other Murderbot Diaries books by Martha Wells. (For simplicity, I linked to Amazon here, and of course there are other options – including your local bookshop.)
7. Many wonderful organizations are helping our world. Two that are near and dear to me are Amnesty International and the International Campaign for Tibet, and I invite you to join me in supporting them.
8. Spirit Rock Meditation Center has been my primary personal wellspring of contemplative practice, and it offers many high-quality workshops, retreats, and online courses. Also see Dharma Seed, a great collection of talks and meditations by hundreds of teachers.
9. The Sounds True Foundation is offering 5,000 scholarships for those in need to receive their Self-Acceptance Summit and Living From a Place of Surrender programs and you can apply here.
10. Joyful Mind Project provides mindfulness education to children of all backgrounds, and you can support their work with at-risk youth at Bayside Martin Luther King Jr. Academy.
11. For some fun videos, take a look at Alex Honnold on Jimmy Kimmel (after soloing El Capitan), The Sound of Silence from Disturbed, Vienna Teng, Mr. Rogers and his Emmy acceptance speech, Dancing Barefoot covered by First Aid Kit, Queen and David Bowie performing Under Pressure, The Persian band Niyaz, Supersymmetry live from Arcade Fire, a profound meditation on gratitude from Brother David Steindl-Rast, the classic Powers of Ten exploration of the universe from the tiniest to vastest scales, and the Moody Blues doing Ride My Seesaw in a small club in France in 1970. And for a bonus, I loved this movie: The Dawn Wall.
12. And for 52 short and hopefully sweet ways to develop even more happiness, love, and wisdom, try my Just One Thing Card Deck – and use coupon code GOOD25 to get 25% off and free shipping through the end of the year.

Twelve times warm wishes to you,

Rick

P.S. Last, for a Baker’s Dozen, check out these free and really useful resources: The Resilience Summit, my Well-Being Check-up, and the Being Well podcast.