One of the most common things I hear from people is how busy and stressed they feel.

If you feel that way too, here is quick video to share some tips for reducing stress when you feel overwhelmed.

Guess what, you’re also much more productive when you do, and get a lot more done in a shorter period of time.

Since I can’t do Faith Hill’s voice justice, I’ve included her video below as a musical get away to brighten your day.

Breathe and then …

Rock on!

Almost every time I hear the song “Live Like You Were Dying” from Tim McGraw, I get emotional and tear up (see video below). This song has a special to me for a couple of reasons.

My mother subscribed to National Geographic magazine and dreamed of traveling the world when she retired. The trouble was … as she was getting ready to retire she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After many years of fighting and several bouts, she passed away at the young age of 69. While she lived over 30 years longer than my grandmother, and had a great life, it was cut short.

As a teenager, I came home from school one day just like any other day. My younger brother decided to go over to his friends house until my mother got back from work. Little did I know that he would not come back home again. A tragic accident took him from us at the very young age of 13.

I am grateful for the time I had with my mother and brother. What I have learned from these experiences is we never know when it will be our time to go. We never know when it will be our loved ones time to go.

We should take chances, live our dreams and treat people as if it were the last time you will see them. There is a saying in yoga that death is a great teacher.

I’m still human, but am trying to live most of my days as if I were dying.

Most people have a bucket list … the things they would like to do before they pass on from this world. The trouble is many of us wait until its too late. We think we don’t have the time, we think we don’t have the money.

If this were your last week or month on this earth, would you find the time and money? Would you do those things you have been putting off? Would you treat others with more love and kindness?

One silly thing on my bucket list has been to ride a mechanical bull, so what did I do when I had the opportunity to ride one when I was in Las Vegas last time … I got on the bull. His name might not have been Fumanchu, but I still rode the bull and checked that one off my list.

Grab life by the horns and ride the bull when you get the chance.

If you have things on your bucket list, don’t wait until its too late. Cross them off now, and learn to:

• Love deeper
• Speak sweeter
• Give forgiveness you’ve been denying
• Spend more time with those you love
• Live each day as if it were your last, with no regrets
• Treat each day as a gift, for the present is a gift

So take a couple of minutes to think how you will do things different today, as if it were your last, and I hope you’ll take the chance, to live like you were dying.

LIVE LIKE YOU WERE DYING – TIM MCGRAW

I like to attend baseball games when I am traveling. A few years ago, I was with my son Riley in San Francisco, and during a break in the game they started playing “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. It was an amazing experience to stand with 45,000+ of my fellow baseball fans and sing it together. The energy was amazing.

What topped it off … Steve Perry of Journey was in attendance that night. The crowd really lit up when he was flashed up on the big-screen singing with all of us. I will never forget that experience. (keep reading to see Journey sing it live)

Most people at times feel defeated, alone, and like they can’t make an impact in the world. At those times it’s best to “Don’t Stop Believing.”

If you are a small town girl, living in a lonely world. If you are a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit. Roll the dice, just one more time. Some will win, some will lose, and some of us will sing the blues, but not taking the shot is a guarantee we won’t make the goal.

Don’t stop believing YOU can make an impact in this world. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead.

If you feel down, get up and sing. Blast “Don’t Stop Believing” from you boom box. Blare it through your headphones. Get up and dance. Turn on your phones flashlight or raise a lighter. you might feel a little silly, you might even think you are a little crazy, but it will lighten your spirit and give you inspiration to persevere.

You can make an impact in the world. Don’t stop believing you can have the success and happiness you desire.

Don’t Stop Believing – Journey

When I was younger, I was a Boy Scout and attained the rank of Eagle Scout. One thing I had to do during my scouting experience was memorize the Scout Motto: “Do a good turn daily.” 

It turns out the Boy Scouts were on to something when it comes to our happiness.

We have all performed some acts of kindness at one time or another. These acts may be large or small, and those benefited may not even be aware of what we did. Yet their effects can be profound to the recipient but and also to the giver.

Think about times when you have done a random act of kindness and remember how you felt. Did it make you happy?

A recent social media post I saw was a man explaining that he randomly purchased the coffee for a group of paramedics ahead of him at the coffee shop. He didn’t go into the shop expecting to do this, but when he saw this group of first responders he was compelled to pay for them. He commented about how it was the best $20 he spent and how happy he felt. That feeling continued as people, who have family members that are first responders, thanked him for his efforts online.

The world was a brighter, and happier place, because this man spent $20 on a random act of kindness to strangers.

Research

This man’s feeling happy in not a coincidence. Researchers have studied participants who were asked to perform five acts of kindness every week for six weeks. They measure the participants level of happiness before and after to discover a significant boost in happiness, but only if they performed their five acts in a single day rather than spread out over each week. 

Random acts of kindness makes you feel happier because it makes you think more highly of yourself and you become more aware of positive social interactions. It may also increase your “pro-social” attitudes (kindness, compassion, etc…) and tendencies toward others. Pro-social attitudes have been found to be a key component to happiness in many scientific research.

Variety is also key: People who perform the same acts over and over show a downward trajectory in happiness, perhaps because any act starts to feel less special the more it becomes routine.

Application 

Can random acts of kindness improve your happiness? You bet. Just perform some random acts of kindness and see if it puts a smile on your face and boosts your happiness.

If you want bigger results, try doing 5 random acts of kindness in a single day. Vary them up, and do them for different people.

A good day to do these random acts of kindness would be one where you are feeling a little down, but anytime will do. 

It’s a guaranteed way to boost your spirits, and make you happier.

Musical Reminder

To wrap up, let’s listen to Glen Campbell remind us to “Try a Little Kindness.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN_twqhaK2c

 

Ideas for Random Acts of Kindness

If you are looking for examples of random acts of kindness that you can incorporate into your life, check out the following page:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/101-easy-ideas-for-random-acts-of-kindness?utm_term=.anDgqwnEQx#.sePwogrBz5

Sources

Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., University of California, Riverside

Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K., &; Schkade, D. (2005), Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change, Review of General Psychology, 9 (2), 111-131.