I found this bittersweet video last night while surfing and wanted to share it with you. Riley, a young girl, talks about the limitations of marketing for little boys and girls…and hits home some pretty big truths.

I hope you enjoy it and happy Monday all!

Little Girl Gets Mad about Pink Toys

My friend had a difficult experience a few days ago. She was feeling ignored, small. People weren’t respecting her the way she felt she deserved. She spent some time with her friend, who seemed to be getting so much attention from “the world.” She felt envy. I told her I’d put up some quotes to help support her.

A person is born with feelings of envy and hate. If he gives way to them, they will lead him to violence and crime, and any sense of loyalty and good faith will be abandoned.
Xun Zi

Above all, you must fight conceit, envy, and every kind of ill-feeling in your heart.
Abraham Cahan

By common consent gray hairs are a crown of glory; the only object of respect that can never excite envy.
George Bancroft

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
Buddha

Envy aims very high.
Ovid

Envy among other ingredients has a mixture of the love of justice in it. We are more angry at undeserved than at deserved good-fortune.
William Hazlitt

Envy comes from people’s ignorance of, or lack of belief in, their own gifts.
Jean Vanier

Envy is an insult to oneself.
Yevgeny Yevtushenko

Envy is like a fly that passes all the body’s sounder parts, and dwells upon the sores.
Arthur Chapman

Envy is never general, but always very particular - at least envy of the kind one feels strongly.
Joseph Epstein

Envy is the art of counting the other fellow’s blessings instead of your own.
Harold Coffin

Envy like fire always makes for the highest points.
Titus Livius

Envy, like the worm, never runs but to the fairest fruit; like a cunning bloodhound, it singles out the fattest deer in the flock.
Francis Beaumont

Envy, my son, wears herself away, and droops like a lamb under the influence of the evil eye.
Jacopo Sannazaro

Babies have been born in strange places. (Hey, you can’t always dial up birth, right?) This is a story that shows, as humans, even small humans, we persevere and adapt.

Mother Anna Liza Tumanda smiles as her children Edmar, left, and Vorach, right, play with their five-day-old baby sister Aizee at an evacuation center Thursday Dec. 22, 2011 in Cagayan De Oro city, southern Philippines. Mother Anna Liza gave birth to baby Aizee on the roof of a medical center after they were rescued by police. Their house were totally destroyed.

Source: Day Life

Happy New Year, all! Both Nisandeh and I (Beth Mann) want to offer you, our reader, a hearty thanks for the success of this site. It truly has been a positive experience and continues to expand our idea of positivity with every post.

This is a recent post of mine, about the only New Year resolution that ever worked. I hope the sentiment spreads!

To Touch You More

_{My good friend Peter and I}

My New Year’s resolution made over a decade ago was to touch people more. To break that social wall that keeps our hands and bodies a safe distance from one other. To connect more physically.

I’m speaking of the non-sexual variety of contact. We all know when someone is touching us with sexual undertones. That may or may not be welcome. I wanted to offer the kind of touch that wouldn’t be misconstrued.

This was not easy at first. Not because people weren’t receptive; they were. People generally love touch. They bask in it. They appreciate it on a cellular level.

It was a challenge because I wasn’t sure how to do it. My German family is not the touchy-feely sort. Stiff, awkward hugs. Overly firm pats on the back. Touching others freely hadn’t been habituated into me, so it took some training.

But soon, my hands and body reached out to anyone in my world, whether it was via handholding or a quick massage or a touch on the cheek or a full-body hug or a head on a shoulder. Or I’d simply stand closer to people, trying not to invade, but simply enter, their space. I even began kissing some of my closest friends on the lips, which is incredibly sweet and rewarding.

How did people react? Shoulders would drop, breathing would deepen, gentle smiles would appear - people relaxed almost instantly. We so desperately crave human contact, but often aren’t even aware how hungry we are for it. And giving touch is akin to receiving it. I feel touched as well. Cosmic win/win.

Last month, while taking a bus from the Jersey shore to New York City, an older, fragile Indian man sitting across the aisle from me suddenly handed me his cellphone. I accepted it, confused and slightly nervous.

“Um…hello?”

“Hello, my uncle may be having a heart attack. He needs help. He doesn’t speak any English.”

I looked over at the older gentleman and he was grasping his chest and moaning. I went to the bus driver and explained what was happening. As I returned to my seat, the man had fallen to the floor, in the aisle.

The bus pulled over. Emergency help was contacted. Several passengers made suggestions but few had any medical training, myself included. So I resorted to my New Year’s resolution. I placed both of my hands gently on his face and began whispering in his ear, “Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.”

I then unbuttoned his shirt and placed my hands on his chest. He was very agitated and his heartbeat was frighteningly rapid, so it took some time, but finally his breathing resumed to somewhat normal. At one point, he opened his eyes to look at me and they were filled with gratitude. No clumsy words needed.

When the police finally arrived, they instructed everyone off of the bus. (Another was waiting to take us to our destination.) I was afraid if my hands left his body, he would become unwell again. The cop didn’t really want to hear my spiritual take on the situation, so I got up to leave.

Almost immediately, the man’s breathing became erratic and his eyes glazed over and looked filmy. I left the bus feeling a sense of peace regardless. Strangely, I could feel his essence on me for quite some time, like an energetic imprint of some sort.

Fortunately, the man was fine. (His relatives left me a lovely message the next day.) But it was then I realized that touching was something beyond “feel good.” We live for it. I live for it.

So that is my first (and only) working New Year’s resolution - one that would change my life on a level beyond words.

Solah from Positively Purposeful has contributed some great suggestions to Only Positive News in the past, so when she dropped us a comment, I was excited to pass on an excerpt from her latest article about New Year’s resolutions. We all know how fallible resolutions can be. Maybe we set ourselves up a bit too much. Here are a few pointers to take it down a notch:

One way that we can cultivate belief in ourselves is by incrementally increasing how we challenge our self. We can do this by setting one small goal at a time, taking the neccessary steps to set ourselves up for success and then of course, by sticking with it. Once we reach our goal, it’s equally important that we take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate our achievements before putting our focus on something just a tiny bit bigger. This process builds our belief in self.

It’s important to also know that for a resolution to be successful, it must be lined up with what our subconscious really wants for us. When we try to go against the subconscious, it will always find a way to meet it’s own agenda.

Read more here.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired! This last week has been packed with friends and family and gift giving and eating, eating and more eating! Today, I’m taking an official day off from the festivities and treating myself to a good movie. I found this list as a starting point:

The Classics

These are the films that your grandparents approve of and for good reason: they’re wonderful.
1. It’s a Wonderful Life
Arguably the most-watched film each holiday season, George Bailey’s never-been-born adventure is sure to make you cry tears of life-is-beautiful joy.
2. Holiday Inn
Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire: what more do you need? How about the debut of the now-classic song “White Christmas”? Warning: this film will make you want to quit your job and only work on holidays.
3. White Christmas
After you’ve seen Holiday Inn, watch its Crosby-starring spin-off, “White Christmas.” Rosemary Clooney is a dream—as are the fur-trimmed capes and painted Vermont landscapes.
4. A Christmas Carol (1951)
The classic Dickens novel has countless adaptations. A top recommendation: the 1951 version starring Alastair Sim. It will destroy your inner “bah, humbug!”
5. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
In this 1947 Oscar winner, Santa Claus is on trial. By the inspirational movie’s end, you’ll believe again.
6. The Bishop’s Wife
The non-musical inspiration behind The Preacher’s Wife, this film stars Cary Grant as an angel-slash-marriage-counselor. Enough said.
7. The Bells of St. Mary’s
More Bing Crosby, the face of classic Christmas movies. This 1945 film features a Christmas pageant at the run-down school he and a nun are trying to save.
8. Meet Me in St. Louis
This Judy Garland classic is on the list merely for the scene in which she sings a magical rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

9. Babes in Toyland
Laurel and Hardy rescue Tom Tom and Bo Peep from Bogeyland in this 1934 adaptation of Victor Herbert’s operetta. Disney’s adaptation was released in 1961.

Read more at Gimundo!

We received this over the weekend from a reader, about our post, Positive Quote Wednesday - on Gifts.

For me gift giving is about giving proper Gifts, thoughtful Gifts, Gifts from the heart. The ones you made/bought/collected with the person at heart. Those are the most valuable and fun ones to give.

I hear you on the receiving part. But I also have that feeling when giving a gift. The not knowing how the receiving party is going to react - that’s just as satisfying.

A couple of months ago I gave a friend of mine a cake I made especially for him. It wasn’t something you can buy in a shop, it requires a bit of effort and love and care. It came right out of my heart. So I was realy curious what he would think of it. His reaction made a real impression on me. I barely see that reaction on people anymore. The look on his face when he received it - the thrill, the thankfulness…the sheer appreciation. Immense joy! It really felt I made a connection.

And I think that’s what’s it all about. Walking that extra mile, putting in that extra effort. Giving your love and make that connection.

Whishing you a warm loving Xmas spend amongst your loved ones
BIG HUG,
Ingrid

I usually pass on gifts during the holidays. I don’t like the excess and frankly, the things I need are beyond a ribboned box. But like anyone else, I still feel a thrill when a gift is given to me. Curiousity, thrill, the wonder of the unknown.

Here are some sweet quotes on gifts this holiday season - or any season of the year!

You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.  ~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

What is bought is cheaper than a gift.  ~Portuguese Proverb

A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver.  ~Thomas á Kempis

The only gift is a portion of thyself.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers.  ~Seneca

We do not quite forgive a giver.  The hand that feeds us is in some danger of being bitten.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays

But it is a cold, lifeless business when you go to the shops to buy something, which does not represent your life and talent, but a goldsmith’s.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Gifts,” Essays, Second Series, 1844

If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.  ~George MacDonald

The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.  ~Pierre Corneille, Le Menteur

Christmas is the season when you buy this year’s gifts with next year’s money.  ~Author Unknown

A hug is a great gift - one size fits all, and it’s easy to exchange.  ~Author Unknown

If you give what can be taken, you are not really giving.  Take what you are given, not what you want to be given.  Give what cannot be taken.  ~Idries Shah

I read a review yesterday about a fun book entitled Quirkology. As the name insinuates, this book covers strange and interesting human quirks or behaviors that may have bigger implications. This one about smiling seemed to hit home. Fake it till you make it!

The Smiling Solution

And finally, if you want to feel happier, there’s a simple way to do it: Just smile.

In a 1988 study, researchers at the University of Mannheim in Germany had participants look at Far Side cartoon strips (see below) under two conditions: One group of people was asked to hold pencils between their teeth, which forced their mouths into smiles. The others held the pencils with just their lips, which produced a frowning expression. According to the results, the people who’d been forced to smile found the comics far more hilarious than the frowners did.

So if you want to boost your mood, just grin and bear it. Soon enough, your smile will be for real. Science says so.

Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things is available from Amazon.

This week, we say goodbye to Vaclav Havel, leader, free-thinker and inspired playwright. He was the tenth and last president of Czechoslovakia (1989–92) and the first President of the Czech Republic (1993–2003).

During a time when many of us question world leaders, it is reassuring, even in time of death, to look back on a political career with respect, reverence and yes, positivity. According to Lucas Kavner of The Huffington Post:

In many ways, Havel embodied the spirit of the “flower child;” he spoke often of “truth and love” as trumping all other things, and was emphatically anti-war. In 1990, one of his first acts as president was to empty Czech prisons and close down its arms factories. Yet even the most conservative leaders seemed to love him. President George H.W. Bush, in an interview with Columbia University, remembered watching Havel command a crowd of a million after the Velvet Revolution, and said he couldn’t think of another foreign leader for whom he has more respect.

“I cannot say enough good things about President Vaclav Havel,” he concluded.

In 1990, Havel delivered a New Year’s address to a budding new nation, three days after being named its first president. He encouraged the new nation to be built around a politics of morality above all else, a message Orwell would likely have approved himself.

“Let us teach ourselves and others that politics should be an expression of a desire to contribute to the happiness of the community,” he said. “Let us teach ourselves and others that politics can be not simply the art of the possible, especially if this means the art of speculation, calculation, intrigue, secret deals and pragmatic maneuvering, but that it can also be the art of the impossible, that is, the art of improving ourselves and the world.”

This past week we lost a writer and a major intellectual, and we lost a brutal, confounding dictator. We also lost a playwright, a rebel, a rockstar, a chain-smoker, a renowned artist, a non-profit leader, and one of the most beloved presidents in history.