Gratitude rocks. Plain and simple. It’s like a magic little pill that makes even the worst days seem okay and great days seem frickin’ euphoric. Gratitude also puts a whole lot of everything into perspective. How often have we gone on an airplane to complain about how long the trip is, or how horrible the security was, when a simple thought such as, “Holy cow, I’m flying across the world! I can see my friends, my family, and the entire planet in hours,” can make us feel so much happier.

Yes, gratitude is pretty powerful. So why not incorporate it into your life?

Check out the article below from the Huffington Post on how to start using gratitude in your life to kick butt and get a whole lot happier.

Or if you’re the digital type (and you want to save some trees in the process), check out GratitudeLog.com for a free account where you can send appreciation gifts to friends and record all your gratitude.

Get High On Gratitude

By Maddisen K. Krown for the Huffington Post

Here’s a question from a reader regarding the value of gratitude:

Several of my friends extol the power of being grateful and of keeping a daily gratitude log, and I just don’t get it. I tried listing what I’m grateful for a few times, but it didn’t do much for me; in fact, it feels trite and almost trendy to do so. Yet, I sense there may be some value underneath all of the commotion about gratitude. What’s your take on it?

Interesting question, and I’m happy to share my take on it. I keep a gratitude log myself and will share more about that below. I can understand how too much lip service or an unquestioned obedience to doing it or how trying it only a few times might play down the value and meaning of such a potent practice, making it feel trite or trendy. So, let’s look gratitude in the eyes and reconnect with its inherent power.

Gratitude or appreciation is a positive feeling of being grateful or thankful for a benefit that one has received or will receive.

I’ve read several articles about gratitude by psychologists Drs. Blair and Rita Justice, and how it influences our overall well-being. In one of their columns they explain that gratitude “is felt in the same frontal regions of the brain that are activated by awe, wonder and transcendence.”

Gratitude makes us feel good, and we can cultivate happiness through gratitude practices!

The Justices also cite research done by psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, who are researchers in the field of gratitude. In one experimental comparison, people who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events. Dr. Emmons is the author of several books including, “Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier,” which is available on Amazon.

The point I’m making with all of this is, yes, there may indeed be substantial value in thinking grateful thoughts, directly benefiting us mentally, emotionally and physically, and even aligning us spiritually. So, why not consider making it a practice, which is really as easy as choosing thoughts of appreciation and gratitude on a regular basis.

Your Daily Gratitude Log: 30 Days and Beyond

To experience more pleasure and optimism naturally and consistently, I recommend that you start your gratitude journal today and commit to writing down all that you’re grateful for on a daily basis for the next 30 days. This should move you past the trite and trendy or superficial level, and into a deeper and more meaningful experience of gratitude and its pleasant side effects. If you are happy with your results after 30 days, keep going.

Log your gratitude at night before bed or first thing in the morning, whichever feels best for you. I’m often too sleepy to do it at night, so I usually write in my gratitude journal in the morning with coffee, after I’ve meditated. I use a three-ring binder, but you can use any kind of notepad or journal you like.

My experience has shown that consistent gratitude yields positive results. Therefore, whatever time of day or night you choose to write in your gratitude journal is fine as long as you’re consistent. It’s also important to honor those times when you just don’t feel like doing it. So, if you miss a day, be kind to yourself, forgive yourself and simply pick it back up the next day. But be sure to pick it back up so that you can continue experiencing the benefits.

Step 1

Sit quietly with your gratitude journal. Start listing what you feel grateful for. Try to list at least 10 each day, and feel free to list more.

You can list anything you feel grateful for. For example, your friends, your electric toothbrush, your new sneakers, the loving email you received from your sister, your lover, that little flower popping up through the crack in the sidewalk, your job, dark chocolate, the kindness of a stranger, etc.

Step 2

Do this once a day for 30 days, and keep it up after that to continue the rewards.

To read the rest of this article, head here »

About a month ago on July 18th, it was Nelson Mandela Day. We love the guy because of what he’s done and what he stands for. And that’s change.

So we thought we’d share this inspiring list of 67 things you can do to change the world taken from NelsonMandela.org.

Enjoy and let us know which ones you’ve already started doing

67 WAYS TO CHANGE OUR WORLD

1. Make a new friend. Get to know someone from a different cultural background. Only through mutual understanding can we rid our communities of intolerance and xenophobia.
2. Read to someone who can’t. Visit a local home for the blind and open up a new world for someone else.
3. Fix the potholes in your street or neighbourhood.
4. Help out at the local animal shelter. Dogs without homes still need a walk and a bit of love.
5. Find out from your local library if it has a story hour and offer to read during it.
6. Offer to take an elderly neighbour who can’t drive to do their shopping/chores.
7. Organise a litter cleanup day in your area.
8. Get a group of people to each knit a square and make a blanket for someone in need.
9. Volunteer at your police station or local faith-based organisation.
10. Donate your skills!
11. If you’re a builder, help build or improve someone’s home.
12. Help someone to get his/her business off the ground.
13. Build a website for someone who needs one, or for a cause you think needs the support.
14. Help someone get a job. Put together and print a CV for them, or help them with their interview skills.
15. If you’re a lawyer, do some pro bono work for a worthwhile cause or person.
16. Write to your area councillor about a problem in the area that requires attention, which you, in your personal capacity, are unable to attend to.
17. Sponsor a group of learners to go to the theatre/zoo.

Help out for good health

18. Get in touch with your local HIV organisations and find out how you can help.
19. Help out at your local hospice, as staff members often need as much support as the patients.
20. Many terminally ill people have no one to speak to. Take a little time to have a chat and bring some sunshine into their lives.
21. Talk to your friends and family about HIV.
22. Get tested for HIV and encourage your partner to do so too.
23. Take a bag full of toys to a local hospital that has a children’s ward.
24. Take younger members of your family for a walk in the park.
25. Donate some medical supplies to a local community clinic.
26. Take someone you know, who can’t afford it, to get their eyes tested or their teeth checked.
27. Bake something for a support group of your choice.
28. Start a community garden to encourage healthy eating in your community.
29. Donate a wheelchair or guide dog, to someone in need.
30. Create a food parcel and give it to someone in need.

Become an educator

31. Offer to help out at your local school.
32. Mentor a school leaver or student in your field of expertise.
33. Coach one of the extramural activities the school offers. You can also volunteer to coach an extramural activity the school doesn’t offer.
34. Offer to provide tutoring in a school subject you are good at.
35. Donate your old computer.
36. Help maintain the sports fields.
37. Fix up a classroom by replacing broken windows, doors and light bulbs.
38. Donate a bag of art supplies.
39. Teach an adult literacy class.
40. Paint classrooms and school buildings.
41. Donate your old textbooks, or any other good books, to a school library.
Help those living in poverty

42. Buy a few blankets, or grab the ones you no longer need from home and give them to someone in need.
43. Clean out your cupboard and donate the clothes you no longer wear to someone who needs them.
44. Put together food parcels for a needy family.
45. Organise a bake sale, car wash or garage sale for charity and donate the proceeds.
46. To the poorest of the poor, shoes can be a luxury. Don’t hoard them if you don’t wear them. Pass them on!
47. Volunteer at your local soup kitchen.

Care for the youth

48. Help at a local children’s home or orphanage.
49. Help the kids with their studies.
50. Organise a friendly game of soccer, or sponsor the kids to watch a game at the local stadium.
51. Coach a sports team and make new friends.
52. Donate sporting equipment to a children’s shelter.
53. Donate educational toys and books to a children’s home.
54. Paint, or repair, infrastructure at an orphanage or youth centre.
55. Mentor someone. Make time to listen to what the kids have to say and give them good advice.

Treasure the elderly

56. If you play an instrument, visit your local old-age home and spend an hour playing for the residents and staff.
57. Learn the story of someone older than you. Too often people forget that the elderly have a wealth of experience and wisdom and, more often than not, an interesting story to tell.
58. Take an elderly person grocery shopping; they will appreciate your company and assistance.
59. Take someone’s dog for a walk if they are too frail to do so themselves.
60. Mow someone’s lawn and help them to fix things around their house.

Look after your environment

61. If there are no recycling centres in your area, petition your area councillor to provide one.
62. Donate indigenous trees to beautify neighbourhoods in poorer areas.
63. Collect old newspapers from a school/community centre/hospital and take them to a recycling centre.
64. Identify open manhole covers or drains in your area and report them to the local authorities.
65. Organise the company/school/organisation that you work with to switch off all unnecessary lights and power supplies at night and on weekends.
66. Engage with people who litter and see if you can convince them of the value of clean surroundings.
67. Organise to clean up your local park, river, beach, street, town square or sports grounds with a few friends. Our children deserve to grow up in a clean and healthy environment.

For more about Nelson Mandela head to NelsonMandela.org

When I’m down or away from my peak state, there’s one thing I almost always do and it’s got a fail rate of 0.

Check it out in the video below. It’s real simple and gets me energized each time.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The video was taken from Engage Today where I spoke about flow. You can check out the vid on that over here.

In 3 precious minutes, Dr. Laura Trice shares with the TED audience the power of 2 words that matter the most, but are often not expressed, or taken for granted — “thank you”. These words are deceptively simple, but have the power to deepen a friendship, to repair a bond, and to make sure another person knows what they mean to you. Try it. Thank someone who care about today.

Have we said thank you to you today?

If we haven’t, thank you. Every one of you who reads this blog, who comments, and who’s part of our Facebook community brightens our day. We love writing for you, and we love reading your comments and connecting with you.

Thank you for being a part of FinerMinds.

If there’s someone you want to thank, or appreciate, for their awesomeness, but may be a little shy about doing it in person, sign up for a free GratitudeLog account here and you can express your appreciation virtually

A follow up on the Giving Pledge where 38 billionaires have pledge to give away 50% or more of their wealth in their lifetimes. This is the personal pledge of Warren Buffett. I think it’s really sweet.

If any of you have a giving pledge, put it in the comments below. Even if you pledge to give just a tiny bit, a few bucks a month to the SPCA or a shelter, or if you’re volunteering your time, kudos to you. You rock!

My philanthropic pledge

Warren Buffett

FORTUNE — In 2006, I made a commitment to gradually give all of my Berkshire Hathaway stock to philanthropic foundations. I couldn’t be happier with that decision.

Now, Bill and Melinda Gates and I are asking hundreds of rich Americans to pledge at least 50% of their wealth to charity. So I think it is fitting that I reiterate my intentions and explain the thinking that lies behind them.

First, my pledge: More than 99% of my wealth will go to philanthropy during my lifetime or at death. Measured by dollars, this commitment is large. In a comparative sense, though, many individuals give more to others every day.

Millions of people who regularly contribute to churches, schools, and other organizations thereby relinquish the use of funds that would otherwise benefit their own families. The dollars these people drop into a collection plate or give to United Way mean forgone movies, dinners out, or other personal pleasures. In contrast, my family and I will give up nothing we need or want by fulfilling this 99% pledge.

Moreover, this pledge does not leave me contributing the most precious asset, which is time. Many people, including — I’m proud to say — my three children, give extensively of their own time and talents to help others. Gifts of this kind often prove far more valuable than money. A struggling child, befriended and nurtured by a caring mentor, receives a gift whose value far exceeds what can be bestowed by a check. My sister, Doris, extends significant person-to-person help daily. I’ve done little of this.

What I can do, however, is to take a pile of Berkshire Hathaway stock certificates — “claim checks” that when converted to cash can command far-ranging resources — and commit them to benefit others who, through the luck of the draw, have received the short straws in life. To date about 20% of my shares have been distributed (including shares given by my late wife, Susan Buffett). I will continue to annually distribute about 4% of the shares I retain. At the latest, the proceeds from all of my Berkshire shares will be expended for philanthropic purposes by 10 years after my estate is settled. Nothing will go to endowments; I want the money spent on current needs.

This pledge will leave my lifestyle untouched and that of my children as well. They have already received significant sums for their personal use and will receive more in the future. They live comfortable and productive lives. And I will continue to live in a manner that gives me everything that I could possibly want in life.

Some material things make my life more enjoyable; many, however, would not. I like having an expensive private plane, but owning a half-dozen homes would be a burden. Too often, a vast collection of possessions ends up possessing its owner. The asset I most value, aside from health, is interesting, diverse, and long-standing friends.

My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest. Both my children and I won what I call the ovarian lottery. (For starters, the odds against my 1930 birth taking place in the U.S. were at least 30 to 1. My being male and white also removed huge obstacles that a majority of Americans then faced.)

My luck was accentuated by my living in a market system that sometimes produces distorted results, though overall it serves our country well. I’ve worked in an economy that rewards someone who saves the lives of others on a battlefield with a medal, rewards a great teacher with thank-you notes from parents, but rewards those who can detect the mispricing of securities with sums reaching into the billions. In short, fate’s distribution of long straws is wildly capricious.

The reaction of my family and me to our extraordinary good fortune is not guilt, but rather gratitude. Were we to use more than 1% of my claim checks on ourselves, neither our happiness nor our well-being would be enhanced. In contrast, that remaining 99% can have a huge effect on the health and welfare of others. That reality sets an obvious course for me and my family: Keep all we can conceivably need and distribute the rest to society, for its needs. My pledge starts us down that course.

This video reminds me of that Sunscreen song by Baz Luhrman way back. You gotta love the music in this video though:

Click here to view the embedded video.

What rules do you live by? There’s probably a million working in your subconscious or unconscious mind but what rules do you follow in your waking life? Rules that guide, help you stick to your principles, and keep you on track.

Can’t wait to read them (because we know you’re brilliant)

What makes you happy? Well, on the FinerMinds team some like running, some enjoy a good book, while others prefer unicorns, glitter, and rainbows.

But here’s 5 easy ways that’ll make ANYBODY happy, no matter your personal preference. And why should you get happy right now? ‘Cause it’ll improve your health, stress levels, state of mind and give you a better perspective on your life

1. Express gratitude! Either do it in a journal, say it to someone, or record it on GratitudeLog.com for everyone to see. Don’t just think it, express it. Just doing so will increase your happiness by 20–25%! So why not take a few minutes each day and say what you’re thankful for. It’s worth the joy you’ll receive.
2. Unfollow negative people on Facebook and Twitter. Chances are you’ve got one or two people on Twitter of Facebook who seem to always have something negative to say. They might complain about traffic jams or work, but either way, it can be a big drain on your energy and mood. Remember, you are the sum of the 5 people you choose to hang around so choose wisely. If someone on Twitter is overly negative, just unfollow them. And if someone on Facebook is too negative, just click the little Hide button next to their names and you won’t see them in your feed anymore. Instead get fun and uplifting updates from the FinerMinds Facebook page by Liking us or follow us on Twitter here. And for more laughs and inspiration, here are some of our favorite people on Twitter to follow: P. Diddy, comedians Sarah Silverman and Conan O’Brien, Louise Hay and Deepak Chopra.
3. Lift your head and smile. Lots of studies have been pouring in that prove your physiology affects your psychology. If you’re slumped over and frowning, you’re going to feel down and mopey. So instead, smile. Smile to everyone you see and smile to yourself. Lift your head up, look up, and smile. Do it right now. It’s a lot harder to be depressed when your body is showing all the signs of joy.
4. Meditate now. You don’t need a lot of time to do this and you don’t need any fancy candles or incense. Just go into a quiet room, set your alarm or timer for 15 minutes and you’re set. Even if you don’t have your favorite meditation audio, that’s okay. Just take the time to focus on your breath, clear your mind, and welcome clarity and focus. When you take the time to de-stress like this on a regular basis, you’ll be amazed at the positive effects. If you only unwind and relax on the weekend, you’ll find yourself more stressed out and unhealthy in the long run. It’s like starving yourself for a week only to eat after 7 days. Instead just take 10–15 minutes and relax everyday by meditating. You’ll see the difference soon. For an easy 3-minute meditation, check this out »
5. Watch some funny videos that inspire! Thanks to the internet and Youtube we’ve been given a delicious buffet of inspirational videos. If you don’t know where to start check out the videos of little Jessica doing her affirmations, why the world is so awesome, and how EVERYTHING’s amazing. These videos are hilarious and will most definitely make you smile.

If you’ve got any other tips to help get our happy on, drop a comment below Can’t wait to read them.

This awesome vid was taken from the award-winning documentary, “Playing For Change: Peace Through Music”. And it all started with a couple of microphones and headphones.

In this video, a street musician called Roger Ridley from Santa Monica, California, sings the classic ‘Stand By Me’ with guitar. It then moves on to New Orleans, Louisiana with Grandpa Elliot, a blind singer, adding vocals and harmonica while listening to Ridley’s track on headphones. And it snowballs from there…

Street musicians band together from across Europe, Africa and South America to send out a message of peace and love to the world. It’s a must watch from start to end!

Music does connect us all.

Now it’s your turn to connect this music to your loved ones! (over 23million have! )

Hope you had goosebumps!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Does this resonate with you? Then spread the message and share it on Facebook.

Just click on the Facebook share button or on the image itself

Money doesn’t buy happiness. Here’s a personal opinion by Pico Iyer on why he thinks so…It’s a long read, but it’s worth every single word.

As always, leave your thoughts and let us know what you think.

…

The Joy of Less

by Pico Iyer

“The beat of my heart has grown deeper, more active, and yet more peaceful, and it is as if I were all the time storing up inner riches…My [life] is one long sequence of inner miracles.” The young Dutchwoman Etty Hillesum wrote that in a Nazi transit camp in 1943, on her way to her death at Auschwitz two months later. Towards the end of his life, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “All I have seen teaches me to trust the creator for all I have not seen,” though by then he had already lost his father when he was 7, his first wife when she was 20 and his first son, aged 5. In Japan, the late 18th-century poet Issa is celebrated for his delighted, almost child-like celebrations of the natural world. Issa saw four children die in infancy, his wife die in childbirth, and his own body partially paralyzed.

I’m not sure I knew the details of all these lives when I was 29, but I did begin to guess that happiness lies less in our circumstances than in what we make of them, in every sense. “There is nothing either good or bad,” I had heard in high school, from Hamlet, “but thinking makes it so.” I had been lucky enough at that point to stumble into the life I might have dreamed of as a boy: a great job writing on world affairs for Time magazine, an apartment (officially at least) on Park Avenue, enough time and money to take vacations in Burma, Morocco, El Salvador. But every time I went to one of those places, I noticed that the people I met there, mired in difficulty and often warfare, seemed to have more energy and even optimism than the friends I’d grown up with in privileged, peaceful Santa Barbara, Calif., many of whom were on their fourth marriages and seeing a therapist every day. Though I knew that poverty certainly didn’t buy happiness, I wasn’t convinced that money did either.

Click here to continue reading»>