Many of you know Six Seconds’ team member and my
friend, Todd Everett. Todd is leading a project on
“making a difference with a small d” -- about how
people can have a profound affect on one another
in many small ways. A project description and a
survey are online at www.6seconds.org/difference/.

Todd’s commitment to the project stems from
his own struggle to lead and live from his noble
goal; here is how he explains it:

"In the past few years I have been frustrated
by my own inability to make the kind of difference
I want in the world. I want to believe in Anabel
Jensen's idea the way we change the world is
'a person at a time,' but I don't know if it works
or how to do it.”

This research project is unique because it seeks to
understand the impact that "everyday" people can
have on each other. Rather than looking at stars and
moguls, we want to know about neighbors and friends,
coaches and teachers, haircutters and police officers,
grocery store clerks and uncles.

I met a custodian, for example, who has made a real
difference in my life.

It was at a major arts festival in the Cook Islands,
and I went to see the location we would be filming;
Patty and I began talking to this woman who was
sitting under a palm-frond-thatched hut to stay
out of the rain. She was elegant and serene, sincere
and gentle -- and when I asked what she did, I was
surprised to learn her job was taken care of the
washrooms.

What I’ve thought about for 18 years is how it did
not matter that she was poor or doing a menial job
-- what mattered was who she was as she did the job.
In the same way, whether my job is glamorous or
plain, I can "show up" in a way that’s ho-hum, or
ugly and corrosive, or I can do my very best to be
a real human. Maybe it’s strange to go to a tropical
island and find an old woman custodian to be a role
model, but I know if I could embody her spirit of
caring and gentleness, I'd be making my life, my
family, and the world a little better.

Who has made a difference in your life? We would
like you to tell us about this person by completing
a short survey. This information will enable us to
contact a representative sample of these people
to better understand their emotional intelligence
skills and life story so that we can develop training
materials that will transfer some of their wisdom
to others. Please go to:

http://www.6seconds.org/difference/

And please tell all your friends and colleagues
about this study. We would like to gather 1000
completed surveys by November 15.

In recognition of your time and effort for
completing the survey:
1. Everyone who does the survey can
download a set of EQ screensavers from
our Handle With Care series.
2. We will give a $250 donation to a charity
chosen by one respondent selected at random.
3. Every tenth person who completes the survey
will be invited to take the Six Seconds Emotional
Intelligence Test at no cost (a $45 value).
4. On the survey, you can indicate if you would like
Todd to share the results of the research with you.

To help us all live our noble goals, we will disseminate
what we learn about making a difference. The plan is
to develop research reports, a book, and a training
program about making a difference.

We greatly appreciate your help in finding those special
people who improve the quality of the lives of the people
they touch.

If you have any questions or suggestions about the
project, please contact Todd Everett


Warmly,
- Josh

Joshua Freedman
Director of Programs, Six Seconds EQ Network
www.6seconds.org


This email was sent to subscribers of EQ Reflections, an occassional newsletter from Joshua Freedman and the Six Seconds EQ Network (www.6seconds.org)