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Weekly Wednesday Inspiration #43

-by Jaime Willis


I read a post the other day in which the writer sets a word or phrase intention for the entire year. Not as specific as resolutions or goals, but just a state of being that they want to engender in everything they do that year. Matt's recent New Year's Post follows this thinking with his mantra to "Love More. Fear Less."

I sort of love the idea of this year being the year that I am stronger, braver, kinder, and more unstoppable. 2012 -- the year I will "Be Fierce."

By Kal Barteski

What about you? If you had to pick a word or phrase to embody in 2012, what would it be?

One Small Step for Humankind

-by Matt Leedham

We’ve all heard about Thomas Edison and his 10,000 failed attempts at making the light bulb sustainable and affordable for all people to use.

We’ve all heard about the work ethic of a Tiger Woods or a Michael Jordan or a Michael Phelps.

There are countless other stories out there that demonstrate persistence, perseverance, and good old hard work.

But we don’t always recognize the small things. We don’t always see the tiny actions that so many of us take on a daily, and sometimes hourly basis, to make progress.

I’ve come to realize that movement is essential to progress. Every great achiever has something in common. They tried.

That’s it.

They tried. And then tried again. And again. And again. They tried over and over again until they started to get better and people started to recognize their “talent.” Over time, people start talking about the work ethic, the effort, the focus.

But it all starts with that first moment. That first attempt to do something.

Think about it. How can you improve upon something you’ve never done before? You can’t. You can only mull it over in your head for so long.

Take that first step, friends. Get out there and give it a try.

What’s the first step, you ask? You could click on the video below…

Tell us how you will take action today and try something new, or something you’ve always wanted to try. Leave a comment below.

The Beach Boys in the Winter

-by Scott Sullivan

This time of year I always listen to The Beach Boys. Their music exudes a warmth and youthfulness that is especially appreciated on cold winter nights.

My favorite is God Only Knows because it highlights the critical anabolic connection between the self and those in our community . . . our “life-team.”

I often think about the possibility that connection and positive relationships are a universal human value.

How about we all pledge in 2012 and beyond to spend more time showing gratitude to those people in our lives who help us to maintain, and even enhance, our sense of well-being and self-esteem?

Let’s get specific here: Who are the people in your life who build you up, who help you see possibilities where before you only saw obstacles, who challenge and engage you from a posture of mutual respect and love?

Here are mine:

Will
Never have I met a person with a more robust personal constitution, yet who is still curious about the world around him and those who live in it.

Neila
She has a reservoir of empathy so deep it sometimes overwhelms her, but no one on this planet gets me the way she does. Ours is a cosmic connection.

Tess
Her smile warms my heart and her voice makes it skip a beat. She cares about her family like no one I have ever known.

Larson
A person of deep passion and great gifts who is not afraid to speak his mind and to speak from the heart. I would not change one thing about him; he is a treasure.

These four people are my nieces and nephews. The youngest is 10 and the oldest almost 13! I was blessed with the opportunity to help raise each and every one of them .

So that leads me to four more people to acknowledge . . .

Their parents: John, Jill, JC and Stephanie. They are all related to me by common experience and challenges, and some by blood as well.

Finally I am grateful for Randa. She has all of the gifts of the eight mentioned above, and she is my best friend! Lucky ME!

My self esteem is inextricably linked to my community’s esteem and these eight people are one heck of a team to have on my side…THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Who would you like to thank for being a part of your community?

Do not be shy, post it here for all to read, you will feel amazing once you do…

Are You Improving Your Who or Trying to Be Who You Aren't?

By Jaime Willis

Like many of you, I really enjoy the New Year. I love reflecting on everything I've been able to accomplish in the previous year, thinking about the stuff that didn't work out as planned, and mapping out my vision for the upcoming year.

I enjoy goals -- the bigger, the loftier the better.

This year's New Year's Resolutions started out simply and tritely enough. Lose weight. Exercise More. Same old, same old, right? My cousin is getting married in June and has asked me to be in her wedding, which was a great (additional) motivation for my health goals.

As I started thinking about how I would incorporate health into my life, I was strongly considering signing up for bootcamp classes. Bootcamps are typically women-only, group "personal" training that focus on both cardio and strength training. Lots of great things about bootcamps -- camaraderie & accountability, someone pressing you beyond your physical comfort zone, less expensive than a personal trainer, etc.

Why was I hesitating? The 6:00 am start. Which means a 5:00am wake up call, 3 days a week. Anyone who knows me well knows that the only time I am up at 5:00am is when I'm still awake from the night before. I am NOT a morning person.

After asking a bunch of friends, I still was having trouble making the decision -- I really wanted to commit to the bootcamp, but I really didn't want to get up at 6:00am. I decided to pose the question to my coach - what should I do?

What happened next is probably one of the most profound insights of my life.

My coach very quickly helped me identify that the 6am wake-up call was not aligned with WHO I am and so I shouldn't sign up.

Then she asked, "doesn't it feel great to make a decision that honors your true Who?"

"No!" I quickly retorted.

It didn't feel great. It felt lame, like I was this defective person that had a get-up early handicap. Just like I can't keep my house clean. Just like I can't seem to grocery shop & cook on a regular basis. Just like I have trouble figuring out what to wear every morning. The next words out of my mouth shocked even me.

"I feel like I would make an excellent man, but I am a crappy woman." (And no, this isn't some big reveal about how I need a sex change operation -- I'm talking about the "roles" of women and men have in our culture.)

By Mary Engelbreit

You see, growing up, all my female role models -- my mother, my grandmothers, my aunts, my friend's moms, the ladies at church, etc., were all of a type. And, because many of these women read this blog, I want to be clear -- I am not trying to judge these women, or say one is better than the other. I love these women dearly and think they are phenomenal.

The type of women I grew up with as role models were so amazingly domestic. My mother is probably the best hostess on the planet. Seriously! She gives coupons for visits to her home as gifts and people practically punch each other to get the coupon. She's that good.

No one is asking for a coupon to come to my house. I'm either deflecting visitors from coming over to view my piles of "to be sorted" this or that, or begging a friend to come "work" on decluttering my house -- a far cry from my mom's hostessing prowess.

In the "womenly arts," my family of women have collected all the merit badges. They are awesome.
And next to them, I truly can't compare.

Albert Einstein probably said it best: "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

Here's the thing though -- sometimes it isn't *other* people judging us that hurts us. It's us judging ourselves! I may not be the hostess my mother is, but I can talk to a room of 1,000 people with no planning. I may not being the snappy dresser my best friends and aunts are, but I can fix almost any computer problem you have. I may never cook an amazing Thanksgiving dinner, but I can organize a week of travel for 20 people.

Rather than focus on what I am *not*, I want to focus on WHO I really am. I'm not going beat myself up for not being a tree-climber. I'm going to be excited to be the best darn fish I can be.

I won't be signing up for the 6am bootcamp. But I know that I will find a "Jaime" way to get more fit this year. Awesomely, I have a much better chance of being successful at my goals when they are aligned to my true self.

I want 2012 to be the year that I honor my true Who in all that I do.


How are you honoring your true Who?

Now you can hear more about this post from my on YouTube!  Check out my video below.

Weekly Wednesday Inspiration #42

By Jaime Willis

Happy New Year!

A lot of you are probably spending some time thinking about resolutions for the New Year. I'll be back on Friday to talk to you more about setting intentions for 2012, but I thought I'd give you a few inspirational hints to whet your appetite.

Palliative care nurse reveals the top five regrets from her patients:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I didn't work so hard.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish I had let myself be happier.

There's a lot more insight, so click the link above to read the whole article.

Love More, Fear Less

-by Matt Leedham

My New Year’s resolution is simple. It’s not a goal. It’s not a metric to hit. It’s not entirely measurable or specific.

But it is inspiring. And it challenges me to grow.

Love more. Fear less.

That’s it. It’s more of a mantra than anything else. Yet it speaks volumes to me. In fact, the depth of its meaning for me is immeasurable.

You see, I’ve been living for many years at the whim of circumstance. I’ve tried to project, outwardly, an image of success, confidence, and perfection. While digging deep into who I am this year, I’ve discovered that I was living in a cycle of fraudulent fakery.

To me, love more has many meanings. Not only does it mean to have and express gratitude for all of the wonderful people and experiences in my life, but it goes one step deeper. It means having an unconditional love for myself, something I had never experienced before.

Which leads me to fear less. I have never allowed myself to live fully, in great appreciation of who I was. I was always not something. I was always not someone. I was always so busy projecting out a confidence that was inauthentic, that I found myself trying to protect the image that I wanted others to see. An image of perfection.

This inauthentic image prevented me from taking risks. It prevented me from going 110% in life to explore my full potential. It prevented me from living fully. And for what? To maintain an undefined image of success that I wanted others to see?

This year, I choose to live differently.

This year, I choose to express my gifts and talents freely, without the pressure to impress anyone. This year, I choose to understand my own ideal image of success, and not try to live up to an imaginary one I’ve created that I think will please others.

This year I choose to love more and fear less.

If this resonates with you, leave a comment and us know what you’re thinking.

New Year, New Who

-by Scott Sullivan (one of Velocity’s new extraordinary additions)

This time of year always makes me think of gifts, but not the kind that are wrapped with shiny paper and decorated with fancy ribbons (as FUN as those are to open!). As a life coach I constantly remind my clients that their strengths and gifts far outweigh their perceived weaknesses. The passing of one year to the next is a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect on our gifts. As I foray into the world of blogging each week, I would like to share with you personal and meaningful stories about my life in an effort to explore WHO I am. Together we will begin a journey that will help you define WHO you are and WHO you want to be…

My Gift

I have avoided airports for the past few years. In August of 2009, while waiting for a plane to take me from Tel Aviv to Boston, I discovered that my partner of ten years was in love with another man. You see, he had left me two months earlier but I had spent the entire summer attempting to reconcile. I fought, I battled…I cried every tear and felt the panoply of emotions that break ups seemingly force us to feel. I could not understand why anyone, why HE, would not want to be with me. Ten years of adventures was too much of an investment to squander. And then to find out it took him two months to fall in love again?

I started to think that there was something inherently wrong or broken about me.

When my connecting flight from Atlanta to Boston was about to depart that sultry summer day, I was faced with a life altering choice. Do I begin the process of moving forward and accept what I cannot change or do I return to our home in Budapest and fight for my man?

I chose to give up the self-loathing battle.

Instead I chose an internal self exploration and the emotional work of the past 2.5 years has now brought me to a fundamentally new level of self acceptance and understanding. I chose not to be with someone who did not want to be with me. I chose to build a strong but supple self esteem, tempered by years of breathtaking experiences, respected by innumerable acts of kindness, accepted as me, all of me, just the way I am.

Two weeks ago I faced my sad memory head on as I confidently walked through Reagan National Airport and onto a plane that took me to the ski slopes of Montana to celebrate the most amazing Christmas of my entire life with my family. Now I must be forthright, tears were running down my face (I am Italian-American and we do not just live life...we FEEL life). They were tears of absolute joy.

I have learned that love is not an investment, love is love, the most exhilarating of all the human emotions. I choose to love myself unconditionally.

My journey of self-love and self-embracing saved me from years of bitterness and self-loathing as I exposed myself emotionally to whomever would provide me with support and comfort. I would like to thank all of my friends, my family, my life coaches, my students and even my guardian angels in heaven for allowing me to grieve, to struggle, to temporarily capitulate, to experiment, to cry, and ultimately to live . . . boldly!

My gift this holiday season is ME, just the way I am… (plus some cool presents from my nieces and nephews).

What are your gifts and how do you choose to live in 2012? Who do you choose to be?

Watch my video...I would love to hear from you below or by email!

2012: Massive and Immediate Action

-by Matt Leedham

My New Year’s resolution is to not write about New Year’s Resolutions.

No, this year is about massive and immediate action. In fact, you will begin to see the effects of that action shortly.

For starters, we’re launching a new website. Everything is in production and is coming along nicely. You will likely see us go live in the first week of January.

We’re also launching an exciting new program, designed by 4 professional coaches, focused on a method that will drive sustainable change for those that are inspired to grow in 2012.

Next, we have partnered with two other premier coaches to enhance our ability to offer you incredible content online, in our workshops, and in one-to-one coaching.

And finally, you will see the contributions of these two amazing coaches in our blog posts going forward. Keep an eye on a couple of new voices started next week!

For you, in 2012, I wish the following massive and immediate action:

• Love more
• Fear less
• Invest in yourself
• Express gratitude
• Develop deeper connections
• Be creative
• Know your unique talents
• Love your unique gifts
• Step into possibilities

Happy New Year from all of us at Velocity!

Spirituality: Defined

-by Matt Leedham

You will find no definition of spirituality here.

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to deceive you, but I’ve come to realize that spirituality is a very personal journey. It would be impossible to simply provide you with a definition.

Instead, perhaps I can at least give you the gift of awareness, if only for a brief moment. As comfortable or uncomfortable as you are with the concept of spirituality, take a moment to stop what you are doing and reflect on what spirituality means to you.

Need help? Here are some questions to consider:

• Does spirituality have to do with your beliefs you have about your soul?
• Or does the definition lie in who you are?
• Does it have to do with your core values?
• Does it have to do with your relationship with God?
• Or your relationship with others?
• Does it have to do with energy?
• Is it about connection, or love, or expression?
• Does it have to do with the universe?

Have you simply never considered it before?

Those that specialize in health and wellness have identified 4 core areas of well-being: Spiritual, Emotional, Mental, and Physical. How would you rate your satisfaction or fulfillment in these areas?

I’m full of more questions than answers today, I’m afraid.

I’d be very curious to hear your thoughts on the matter. Please share a comment below.

Nirvana During the Holidays

-by Matt Leedham

For some people, the holidays are filled with gifts and surprises, yummy treats to enjoy, and lots of love and connection with friends and family. For others, it’s crowded airports, last-minute trips to the shopping mall, arguments with siblings, and traffic on the highway.

For most of us, it’s a combination of all those things.

No matter where you fall on the spectrum, you will likely need to take some time and relax, refocus, and re-energize. Try not to let the stress of the holidays interrupt your ability to give and receive with the ones you love.

As my family and I celebrate Christmas this year, I will keep this little cartoon handy, and thought you might want to as well. Merry Christmas!

This was posted on YogaDawg’s Facebook page,
but I’m not sure who the original credit belongs to.

Make a Difference Today

-by Matt Leedham

Hi everyone.  Occasionally, Jaime and I reach out to our readers for help.  And this is one of those times.  I could really use your help, and so can some kids in Northern Virginia.  Please read below and be in touch if you can be of assistance!

The Short Version:

I need your help.  My wife works at an afterschool program for disadvantaged youth and needs arts, sports, and academic supplies.  Take a look at the list below and let me know if you have anything lying around your house that you can contribute.  You are all awesome people and I am eternally grateful for whatever you can give! J

------

The Long Version:

For those that don’t know, my wife has recently transitioned full-time from being an entrepreneur  in the unique field of multi-cultural marketing (for 8+ years!) to working with immigrant youth.  This is her passion after dealing with the struggles of assimilating to a new society when she was young.  Immigrant advocacy and education is now her focus and her first stop on this journey is running an afterschool program to better understand the needs and resources available to this demographic.

Her program is called the Culmore Safe Youth Project (CSYP) and is run out of Alternative House, a non-profit that calls itself the “abused and homeless children’s refuge.”   Culmore is near Bailey’s Crossroads and is a predominantly Hispanic immigrant community living in low-income apartment complexes.  Her “center,” if you can call it that, is single room about the size of a typical apartment living room (maybe 25’ x 25’).  She averages 22 kids per day in that small space and tries to provide a safe space for children while creating an atmosphere conducive to studying, physical activity, and socializing.  It’s tough, but she’s really making a difference.

My wife is extraordinarily gifted in working with troubled, disadvantaged youth.  What she can’t do is provide all of these kids with the tools and resources they need to learn and grow.  And so, it has become my personal mission to raise money, awareness, and resources to support her.  I believe this is my strength, and a way for me to contribute.  In fact, I’m in the process of planning a fundraising event in February that will be A LOT of fun, and you will all be invited!

So, my “ask” of you is to review the wishlist below.  Do you have any of these items?  Are any of these things collecting dust in your home?  What about your friends or family members?  Please take a moment to review the list below and let me know what you might have that is either not being used, or that you’d be willing to part with.

I’ve always believed in asking for help.  You just never know who or how someone can help you until you ask.

Can you help?

------

CSYP Wishlist

Arts & Crafts

• Paint Sharpees & regular color Sharpees
• Cool coloring project kits
• Colored construction paper
• Regular color marker set
• Lego set
• Miscellaneous arts & craft projects and supplies
• Play Doe
• Paint sets with brushes
• Any other general art supplies

Books

• 3-6th grad level reading books (fiction and non-fiction)
• Educational books
• Coloring books

Electronics

• Computers w/ or w/out monitors (they do not need monitors)
• Just Dance Game 2nd or 3rd version (Wii)
• Other Wii games
• Computer games (strategy and leisure)
• Boombox with CD player
• Computer printer & extra ink cartridges
• Ethernet cable splitter

DVDs

• Educational age-appropriate documentaries
• Discovery DVDs

Outdoor Equipment

• Badminton racquets
• Pogo sticks
• Jump Ropes
• Hoola hoops
• Soccer balls
• Footballs
• Rubber balls for Dodge Ball

Gift Cards / Prizes

• Foot Locker
• Barnes & Noble
• Target
• iTunes

Games

• Non-board games
• Strategy games
• One-player games
• Group games

Activities

• Movie Tickets
• Amusement Park Tickets
• Tickets to anything that would be appropriate for a field trip

*Many people have already told me that they don’t have any of these items, but would like to contribute some money to buy these items for the program.  A number of us (mostly family and close friends) have decided to forgo Christmas gifts this year and pool our money together to support the program.  You are welcome to join us in donating to the pool.  I can’t even imagine the kind of academic/art supply shopping spree we’re going to go on after the holidays!  J

What's Your Superpower?

-by Matt Leedham

Su-per-pow-er (noun) \ˈsü-pər-ˌpau̇(-ə)r\
A power greater in scope or magnitude than that which is considered natural or has previously existed.

My superpower is creative logic. I know that sounds weird, but creativity is one my greatest strengths, yet I have a very strong sense of logic and can systematically turn an abstract (or creative) idea into a defined action plan and process.

Most superheroes have a team of super friends. They don’t need these other superheroes but they choose to surround themselves with friends that have complimentary superpowers. Together, they are a juggernaut, or an unstoppable force for good (usually).

Years ago, I discovered the importance of complimenting your skill set. That’s why Jaime and I have banded together.

But a few months ago, we discovered that growing the Superhero Alliance does not just add more individual superpowers, but it exponentially increases our superpower options and collectively creates an entirely NEW superpower.

Jaime and I are excited to unveil the next big development in Velocity’s future. We have partnered with a couple of amazing superheroes to expand our services and exponentially grow our impact. The project we have in development is SUPER exciting and is focused on sustainable change and personal growth. Both this project, and our new website will released in early January. Get excited!

What’s your superpower? What are your unique gifts and talents? Have you surrounded yourself with super friends that compliment your superpower?

And most importantly, how are you using your superpower to change/save/improve the world?

Seasons

By Jaime Willis

To everything (turn, turn, turn)

There is a season (turn, turn, turn)

And a time for every purpose under heaven.

A time to be born, a time to die

A time to plant, a time to reap

A time to kill, a time to heal

A time to laugh, a time to weep. 

-The Byrds

My best friend lost her father today.  

My sincerest condolences to Jacky and her whole family in their time of loss and sorrow. 

Rest in Peace Ed Tully. 

Is Suicide Ever the Right Choice?

-by Matt Leedham

The answer is no.

However, last night I was reminded of the frailty of the human psyche and the limitations of our own perspectives. An old friend of someone close to me took his own life yesterday.

I was immediately struck with compassion for the person telling me. Losing a friend like that must be traumatic and shocking.

Then my mind zipped over to thoughts of the deceased’s mother and young daughter…and all of the friends he left behind. Anger ensues as you ask yourself, “how could he do this to those around him?”

But then, after the dust settled and I reported the news to my wife, I couldn’t stop thinking about the state of mind of a person in so much pain that choosing suicide was, at the time, the best choice.

I got choked up thinking about the loneliness, the torment, and the depression. How terrible that must have been.

As someone that loves life passionately, it is really hard for me to fathom ending my own life. I can understand wanting to kill yourself, but I cannot process the pain and conviction of a person that goes through with it.

I have no other words for this.

I try to include a picture in every post, but couldn’t think of something that represents this topic. Instead, I’ll share something I found beautiful the other day. Just after sunrise, I was walking into a hotel in a business park near Dulles Airport, glanced up and saw this. For some reason I took a picture of it, and now I guess I know why.

It is reported that approximately 30,000 people commit suicide every year in the United States, while over 750,000 people attempt suicide. The most common cause of suicide is untreated depression.

If you or someone you love is having suicidal thoughts, please seek professional help immediately by calling a therapist or by dialing 1-800-SUICIDE.

Giving is Receiving

-by Jaime Willis

I am pretty excited for the holidays this year. Both of my nephews are old enough to get into the spirit and it will be fun visiting with all of my family. Although I wasn't able to make it to my mom's family Christmas this past weekend, I skyped in and talked to almost everyone! Technology really is awesome!

I've flummoxed my family a bit this year by gently refusing to give a Christmas list. The older I get, the less exciting it is to GET gifts and the more exciting it is to GIVE gifts. Is this true for anyone else?

I feel so blessed this year -- a raise at work, meeting great new friends through coach training and Camp Mighty, and lots of new experiences & fun. Asking for more seems downright selfish. This year, I asked my family to consider spending the money they would have spent on me helping someone else in need.

For my part, I'm trying to find new and interesting ways to give back this year. (I'm not going to go into more detail because the purpose of giving, for me, is not about getting accolades for giving, but the giving itself).

It is so amazing how incredibly generous people are this time of year. Read some of these tear-jerker stories of giving and consider what you can do to help someone else this season!

Secret Santas paying off layaway bills at Kmart...inspire others to do the same.

Reddit users raised more than $31,000 in under 12 hours to help 3 year old needing bone-marrow transplant.

Strangers band together to help a man and his dog.


If you need a little help this holiday season, please let us know in the comments, on our facebook page, or via email (jaime AT velocitygoals.com).

Trust Your Skills

-by Matt Leedham

It may not come as a surprise to you that I speak with a lot of people that do not believe in themselves. It’s probably also not surprising that as a coach and very optimistic person, I see tremendous potential in others.

The shift I see in those that make progress stems from choice. It originates from making a conscious choice to bet on your own abilities. Growth comes from choosing to trust your skills.

Doing it once is usually enough. Trusting yourself to express your unique gifts and talents just once can propel you into a new way to view yourself and how you can contribute to the world. Confidence grows and progress ensues.

How can you step outside of your comfort zone and trust one of your unique strengths? Give it a shot…you may surprise yourself.

Weekly Wednesday Inspiration #41

By Jaime Willis


Leslie, one of my teammates at Camp Mighty did the below visual journal entry of the talk Brian Piotrowicz did at Camp Mighty.  I love this so much, I've got it hanging on my wall at work.

The big takeaway from Brian's talk for me was learning to Set Your Intention.  Every day. For every decision.  When you live your life intentionally, you add focus and direction to all of your actions.  You infuse your daily life with things that you value.  You are happier.  You are more fulfilled.  You are you.

How can you be intentional today?

By Leslie from lightsandletters.com

Laughter Could Save Your Life

-by Matt Leedham

Last year, Jaime wrote about the power of positivity on your health. She shared the story of her grandfather who at the time was fighting cancer. While Grandpa Willis courageously battled, Jaime discovered some research proving that optimism can save your life.

On Friday, I was reminded of this. In the morning, I had the great opportunity to speak to Deloitte Consulting in Virginia on the topic of Stress Management. I stressed (no pun inteneded) the importance of choice management and specifically, choosing new thoughts in a high-stress environment.

After the workshop, I rushed home to meet 3 friends as we had planned a one-night excursion to Atlantic City. I hadn’t packed yet, and was feeling a little pressure – you might even say I was feeling stressed.

But as soon as we hopped in the car, there was laughter. Whether we were recounting funny stories of the past week, or simply ripping on each other like guys do, I found myself laughing. I noticed how much better I felt immediately.

Our primary purpose for going to Atlantic City was to see Bill Burr. Bill was on the Chappelle Show and has hosted his own HBO special. He’s hilarious – probably my favorite comedian right now. After an hour with Bill on the stage, I was in a great mood!

On the ride home, I thought, there has to be something to this laughter thing, right? I mean, I was always told that “laughter is the best medicine.”

As it turns out, laughter helps you oxygenate the cells in your body, resulting in lower blood pressure, reducing pain levels, and even helping your cholesterol. According to research, you’re actually changing your brain chemistry to feel better, and are halting the production of chemicals that make you feel anxious and tense.

And the crazy thing is, you don’t have to laugh spontaneously. It actually works the same even if you fake it. Seriously!

Check out this new phenomenon that’s catching on around the globe. It’s called Laughter Yoga (or Laughter Therapy). Laughter Clubs are popping up all over the place. Do they work? I’m not sure, but after watching a few videos on YouTube, I feel fantastic!

What do you think? Is laughter something that helps you reduce stress? Ever try to be intentional with your laughter to live more stress free?

P.S. Grandpa Willis has since left us, but his spirit lives on with all who remember his positive impact.

The One Thousand Dollar Mustache

-by Matt Leedham

One month ago I began a journey with an undefined destination.

The quest? To grow a mean ‘stache.

The cause? To raise awareness for men’s health and raise money for prostate cancer research.

The result? I personally raised $1,005 and my team of Mo Bros raised $2,575.

The other result? A serious ‘stache…

The effort? Not much.

The sacrifice? I looked creepy.

The lesson? You can make a HUGE impact by being you.

This reminds me of what my wife and I were able to accomplish last holiday season with a small concentrated effort.

And now I’m left thinking…what else? What more can I do?