Journaling can be one of the most powerful tools in your self-improvement repetoire…and its literally right at your fingertips!

Many people are intimidated by the process, as if they are required to write something briliant and prophetic the second the pen hits the paper. But when you let go of internal expectations and just start writing, something very powerful can happen: change.

That’s right. Journaling can actually change your life:

* Its a cathartic process that releases unnecessary baggage.

* It’s a place where you can say anything and it’s alright.

* It’s a way to tap into your subconscious - to deeply check in with yourself - so you can move forward feeling more integrated.

* It’s a way to practice your creativity quickly and easily. No classes involved. No equipment (other than a notebook and pen!)

Try it for a few weeks. What do you have to lose? 3 pages of free form writing. Anything that comes to mind will do. If nothing comes to mind then write, “I hate journaling. I have nothing to say!” for 3 pages. It’s your 3 pages. Do whatever you want!

Make wishes, write scathing retorts you never had the chance to say, make-up conversations you really want to have with a loved one, compose a fairy tale with you as the villian, rant about the stupid things you have to do today - just write.

Trust me. You’ll see change.

Cafe owner Sam Lippert has a lot of faith in his customers. In order to help people through tight economic times, he has done away with a pricing system and simply asks people to pay what they want. He got the idea from his girlfriend from Bulgaria, who explained to him that it’s not an uncommon practice in her country.

And what if someone only wants to pay a quarter for a $10 meal?

As Lippert puts it: “Well, they have to look me in the eye and say that that’s what they think is fair. And, you know, that’s a big incentive. When someone’s at the counter and you say, you get to pay what you think is fair, very few people are going to take advantage of that situation.”

Tippert figures that his pricing system is actually an incentive for people to go out, even though their wallets are tight, because they are paying a fair price in exchange for their product. Their purchase seems reasonable.

And how has this been affecting sales?

“Things have picked up. My sales and customer count are up on a given day between 50  to 100 percent. And I’m starting to look at being able to bring some of my part-time people on full time and maybe being able to add a couple of new employees.

Source: CNN

While a metal fence stood between the members, the members of this yoga class had a profoundly connected experience. This was just one of the activities held at the border between Mexico and the US, in Tijuana/San Diego. The yoga class, shared through the fence, is intended to bring awareness of border issues and to help establish friendships among yoga students in both countries.

The Border Meetup Program is an amazing way to break down the barriers between countries and find common, peaceful ground. Check out their site and see what you can do to contribute to their activities, a truly positive news experience!

According to some scientists, yes indeed…and scientists aren’t known for their romantic side!

A group of scientists from Stony Brook University studied the scans of brains of new couples and partners who’d been together for 20 year and compared the results.

More specifically, the scientists measured the chemical reactions of each person’s brain when viewing a photo of his or her partner. In many cases, the reaction was stronger in those who’d recently started their relationships. But interestingly enough, close to ten percent of the long-term couples showed the same results, reflecting that same passion as twenty years ago.

“The findings go against the traditional view of romance – that it drops off sharply in the first decade – but we are sure it’s real,” Arthur Aron, one of the researchers, told the Times Online.

At first the researcher believed the couples were exaggerating their emotions but changed his mind after performing the study. “This is what the brain scans tell us and people can’t fake that.”

The researchers have nicknamed the lucky long-term couples “swans,” in honor of another animal that mates for life.

Positive News for "Swans"

Maria D’Antuono, a 98-year-old villager from Tempera, near L’Aquila, Italy, became one of the latest survivors to be pulled from the wreckage of Monday’s devastating earthquake. For 30 hours, she lay beneath the rubble of her house, hoping and waiting and…crocheting!

That’s right, Maria turned toward her hobby to keep her occupied, hoping that she would be rescued.

After her rescue, she was offered a packet of biscuits but made a request that astonished her caretakers and onlookers. This unusual request? A comb. As one reporter put it, her need for a comb “gave an entire new dimension to the concept of bella figura- which roughly translates as keeping up appearances.”

It makes one wonder about the power of a hobby. We don’t usually think much about reading a book or working in our garden, but its perhaps in those quiet, focused places, we find calm and reserve…and perhaps even survival.

Challenge Day is a truly amazing and inspirational program designed to break down barriers within school systems in a comprehensive, emotionally charged and psychologically smart way.

According to the founders, Yvonne and Rich Dutra-St. John :

When we created Challenge Day, our kids were ages one, two, three, and four and we did not want them to go through the pain we did growing up. When we met we had both been working for years creating and implementing programs for youth and their families. We realized that the work we had been doing was dealing with the symptoms of the problem: alcohol and drug abuse, violence, depression and eating disorders.

Although those issues need to be addressed, we wanted to get to the root of the problem. We realized the biggest problems in our schools and communities were not alcohol, drugs, eating disorders, or even violence or suicide. Those were merely the symptoms of the “real”, deeper problems. We saw then, as we do now that the biggest problems in our schools are separation, isolation, and loneliness.

This seems crazy because our schools are packed with hundreds, sometimes even thousands of kids. If our kids are feeling lonely, it is not because there is a lack of people; it is because there is a lack of love and connection between them.

So what is Challenge Day exactly?  Check out this amazing two minute video and see for yourself. Watch as youths explore the deep pain they are experiencing on a daily basis and able to share with one another, perhaps for the first time.

Acclaimed artist and widowed wife of John Lennon, Yoko Ono is also a staunch supporter of autism research.

Ono unveiled an original mural entitled Promise which will be auctioned off in support of Autism Speaks and the 2nd Annual World Autism Awareness Day. This seven-foot mural currently is on display at the United Nations in New York City and will be auctioned for an autism charity.

Promise is comprised of 67 jigsaw-like pieces which will be broken down, signed by the Ono and auctioned off. The money raised will go to the charity Autism Speaks. The unveiled work is already missing two pieces. But Yoko hopes all 67 pieces will be reunited once a cure for autism is discovered.

“Once the solution for autism is discovered, we will see the sky shimmering in its original beauty, with no holes,” she explained.

My friend is going through a break-up. We have the the conversations that many people have to make the pain a little more bearable. “Nothing is permanent. Who knows? Maybe with some time, the two of you…” You get the picture. The beauty of it? It’s not just rhetoric. It’s positively true. Relationships are fluid, always changing. Even a break-up may not mean what you think.

Take this example:

Jim Tobin and Bernadette Tobin were a typical American couple: They got married, raised two daughters, and then, finding themselves squabbling over money and other issues, had a typical American divorce. Then Jim fell desperately ill with kidney disease that only a transplant could cure. His ex-wife, Bernadette Tobin, asked to be tested and found she was a perfect match. And so, she gave him her kidney and he gave her back his heart.

Thanks to that gift of life, the couple who had fallen out of love fell back in again. And on Sunday, they married each other again in their Hull, Mass., home — 17 years after their divorce and 10 years after the kidney transplant that saved Jim Tobin’s life.

Jim and Bernadette Tobin were young when they entered their first marriage, which lasted 27 years.

Source: MSNBC

Did you know singing actually improves your health? It’s true. And you don’t have to be Pavarotti either.

Many of us, very unfortunately, hear a negative comment about our singing voice early on in our lives. And it is the kiss of death! People will hold that comment so dearly, remember it word for word, and feel downright terrified to sing!

But guess what? Everyone can sing. You just need to reacquaint yourself with your voice.

And just a little singing can improve your health.

According to this expert:

Studies have linked singing with a lower heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and reduced stress, according to Patricia Preston-Roberts, a board-certified music therapist in New York City. She uses song to help patients who suffer from a variety of psychological and physiological conditions.

“Some people who have been traumatized often want to leave the physical body, and using the voice helps ground them to their bodies,” Preston-Roberts says. “Singing also seems to block a lot of the neural pathways that pain travels through.”

Today, take some time to sing, whether it’s in your car or shower or washing dishes. Just sing. Don’t judge yourself. Try to take some chances. Sing a little more loudly than you feel comfortable with. Sing some high notes even if you can’t quite reach them. Then take a moment afterward to notice the changes in your body. You’ll feel a little more relaxed and vibrant and joyful, guaranteed.

From Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (great movie!):