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Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven: Key Essentials



Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven: Key Essentials





Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise.

How do you liberate food and taste in your everyday?  Location…follow…Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven offers gourmet morsels made with high standards.  Quality, respect for local, fresh, and organic ingredients is the recipe for success.  Artisanal goods are lightly sweetened, using natural ingredients and thoughtfully created.

Key Essentials:








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Credit: Piktochart 

Fitness and Living Jigsaw: Number 8 by Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven



Fitness and Living Jigsaw: Number 8




What signs of better strength, wellness, and living have you seen since Fitness and Living Jigsaw: Number 7?

Remind yourself again: You deserve to live well and be well.  Making fitness and good nutrition a routine, a habit, and expression of how you respect yourself is essential to developing a desire to get moving and stay moving.  




It is imperative to understand the power of health and wellness.  One of the most critical factors in the process of physical, mental, and emotional wellness is you.  Your creativity, choices, workout equipment, awareness of your own abilities, evaluation of health goals, and execution of good habits is essential.  Execution and implementation can be a challenge, although without implementing the proper healthy habits all the reading of exercise articles will not make you physically stronger.  Rather than a specific plan, this article supplies guidelines, inspiration, and ideas to spark your interest.

Often I am asked about my routine for healthy living and how I maintain good fitness, especially when I am regularly baking, cooking, and always on the hunt for excellent restaurants.  No big secrets here.  I eat well, get a good amount of sleep, rest, and give my body and mind a good workout.  If anyone knows a thing or two about fitness and nutrition, it’s me.  And if I can do it, you can too.  A background of teaching health and physical education, as well as a lifelong interest in nutrition, has been essential to maintain an excellent level of fitness, energy, and strength for me.  

Models, actors, athletes.  The images we see in ads, movies, and media can influence our goals and perceptions.  Keep in mind the people in those professions spend a lot of time and have a lot of time to look their best.  Or computer graphics best.  Rather than focusing on images in media, focus on health and wellness for the mind, body, and soul.  We all approach fitness at various levels, perspectives, and habits based upon previous experiences and family environment.  Take a moment to reflect upon good values, the ideas you hold close, that will be the center of what gets you physically fit.  Structure your day, fight for the time to eat well and get physically fit.  Work toward betterment, not perfection.  Be prepared to respond in life.  That means being ready to plan out options and alternatives to preserve your health and wellness.  We all know life is a continual journey, full of difficulties and blessings.  Put on some good music, turn up the volume, and get liberated from those unhealthy habits.  

Working out is not enough for our bodies.  Diet, what you eat, what you buy at the store and bring home to your kitchen, is highly significant to strong abs and obliques.  Purchase and prepare foods that satiate your appetite.  Eat seasonally and enjoy the monthly flavors.  Your fitness routine also needs variety.  Mix up your activities.  Sleep is also key.  The body, mind, and soul need rest and revitalizing.  Sometimes preparing yourself is the key.  Remind yourself in verbal or written form to workout the next day or after work.  Repeat that reminder each night before you go to bed.  This mantra may be the key to applying the health and wellness information you know to do. 

Eat.  Enjoy.  Satiate.  Satisfy.  Get nutrients.  Deal with emotions.  Make something beautiful to make your belly happy.  Breathe.  Those daily habits make a difference.  In my book, candy, cakes, cookies, and desserts are not the devil.  Too many sweets and too often is not good.  Not to worry though.  Take a breath.  If you get off the path of healthy living, I’m confident you can do better next time.  As David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD stated, “Overeating doesn't make us fat.  The process of becoming fat makes us overeat.  In other words, hunger and overeating are the consequences of an underlying problem.  Follow a simple lifestyle prescription focused on enjoyable physical activities, sleep, and stress relief to improve metabolism and support permanent behavior change.”

Jigsaw Number 8: Full Body Options

Swimming




Mountain Climbers




As part of improving flexibility, agility, and coordination change up your routine with swimming or mountain climbers.  Begin with either activity and then work up to doing more of that exercise.  You may find doing variations on your movements or speed and distances make working out more interesting for you and you may see better results.  

Marco! Polo!  Shark!  The Color Game.  These aquatic games involve skill, strategizing, and give the body a lighthearted workout.  Full body exercise is key to your fitness program.  Swimming improves muscular strength, depending on the different strokes you do, including the back muscles and hamstrings.  Beginners must take swim lessons.  Swimming can improve cardio and power, working the heart, legs, arms, core, and hips.  Various strokes include the breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle.  Swimming is also a fun way to cool off in summer months and climates.  Using a private pool is advantageous, as the Mayo Clinic advises to “be aware of the water illnesses associated with (public) pools due to the germs that can linger”.

Mountain climbers are another significant option to get your heart pumping and lungs working hard.  This activity works the upper body, arms, core, and hamstrings.  Proper technique and exercise surface is important to gain the most out of the activity and prevent injury.  Find a floor that is flat, not slippery, and probably without any neighbors below.  First, assume a push-up position with your hands spread wider than your shoulders, and back parallel to the floor.  Next, bring your right knee to your chest.  Then, switch to your left knee.  Repeat and continue the repetitions.  Remember to maintain the push-up position with your back flat and parallel to the floor.   

Join with your family and friends today.  Find a locale to work out that gets you inspired.  Then return here and share your progress, tips, and what you learned.  Please remember all information is of a general nature and is furnished only for education.  See a doctor or medical professional for your own personal fitness advice.









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Note: All information is of a general nature and is furnished only for education.  See a doctor or medical professional for your own personal fitness advice.  Use of this information is at your own risk in regard to any losses, liabilities, injuries or damages resulting from any and all claims.

Credits: drweil.com/drw/u/ART03528/Always-Hungry-David-Ludwig.html, Image courtesy of [lkunl] at FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Image courtesy of [stockimages] at FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Image courtesy of [photostock] at FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Credits:  drweil.com/drw/u/ART03528/Always-Hungry-David-Ludwig.html, Image courtesy of [lkunl] at FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Image courtesy of [stockimages] at FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Image courtesy of [nenetus] at FreeDigitalPhotos.net,   Image courtesy of [JanPietruszka] at FreeDigitalPhotos.net, KiropraktorCentrum, https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/Activity-Categories/sports, http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-expert-discusses-safe-swimming-practices-to-reduce-water-related-illnesses/, Image courtesy of arztsamui at FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Mastering the Art of Staying Cool



Mastering the Art of Staying Cool





During summer months, on warmer days, and in warmer climates it can be challenging to stay cool and in a good disposition.  Air conditioning and electric fans are two excellent options, although there are some other brilliant options as well.  AC can be expensive and not all homes have a good energy saving design.  According to the Mayo Clinic, heatstroke is caused by “exposure to a hot environment.  In a type of heatstroke, called nonexertional or classic heatstroke, being in a hot environment leads to a rise in body temperature.”  Another type of of heatstroke is brought on strenuous activity, “exertional heatstroke is caused by an increase in body temperature brought on by intense physical activity in hot weather.”  Liberate yourself from the heat and stay cool with these tips.




1.  Change bedding to sheets made with cotton or linen.  These materials breathe “better than oil-based synthetic fabrics.”

2.  Close the curtains, shades, or blinds.  The Department of Energy reports, “medium-colored draperies with white-plastic backings can reduce heat gains by 33%.”

3.  Eat cool foods and serve cool drinks.  Bright, refreshing, spicy, cold foods and drinks can make you cooler.  Watermelon pizza, salads, and peppers can cool the core of the body.  Avoid foods that increase body temperature, such as fats, ice cream, rice, and alcohol.  Water and cold drinks are a better option to lower the body temperature.  Get creative.  Making cold brew coffee or coffee ice cubes is another option to consider. 

4.  This is war!  Water balloon tosses are a fun way to keep cool as well.  Fill a baby bath or kiddie pool with water balloons and set the ground rules before the game begins.  And prepare for some good-natured fun.

5.  Pets are family too.  Make sure dogs, cats, and other pets stay cool as well.  This means changing walking times for dogs, having fun with the water hose for Fido too, and keeping pets cool with fans and air conditioning.  

6.  Be proactive.  Make some home improvements.  This can include new windows and doors, planting trees (using careful landscape design to prevent structural and plumbing damage), and installing electric outlet and switch sealers.  

7.  Invest in a quality fan.  There are a variety of fans, including air circulators, blowers, box, desktop and table, high velocity, outdoor, pedestal, personal, tower, wall, ceiling, and window fans.  Not all fans are created equal, so it is necessary to research the features and customer ratings before making a purchase.


  

The Lasko 42" Wind Curve Platinum Cooling fan is an excellent fan to provide an indoor breeze during those hot days.  Features include a wind curve profile, oscillating movement, remote control, three speed settings, ionizer, adjustable louvers, and timer.  An easy and effective way to create a more comfortable indoor climate.  

Lasko made a name for themselves during the mid-1900s with their turquoise fan.  “Lasko Metal Products was founded in 1906 by Mr. Henry Lasko in Philadelphia.  Lasko has been engineering and building great-looking, high performance home comfort products in the U.S. and around the world for more than 100 years.  The company has grown to an international organization and market leader in portable fans and ceramic heaters including room fans, high velocity fans, ceramic, low-profile heaters and many more.”




The Vornado VFAN Mini Modern Personal Vintage Air Circulator Fan is another quality fan for smaller indoor spaces or for office spaces.  Features of the mini fan include metal construction, Vortex air circulation, two speed settings, and multi-directional airflow.  





The Vortex design originated in the 1930s with Ralph K. Odor work on a new airplane.  Odor teamed with O.A. Sutton, owner of a fabrication shop, in the 1940s.  In 1945, designer Richard Ten Eyck collaborated with Odor and Sutton to perfect the Vornadofan.  














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Credit: mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heat-stroke/basics/causes/con-20032814, thefabricofourlives.com/learn-about-cotton/the-benefits-of-cotton, energy.gov/energysaver/energy-efficient-window-treatments, healthland.time.com/2013/06/15/surprising-foods-that-toy-with-body-temperature, pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/dog-cool-summer, amazon.com/gp/product/B000RL3UJA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, laskoproducts.com, Image courtesy of Sura Nualpradid at FreeDigitalPhotos.net, vornado.com

A Twenty-one Day Study of Gratitude, Happiness, and Meaning



A Twenty-one Day Study of Gratitude, Happiness, and Meaning





The human mind is powerful.  Brain study, philosophy, and religion tell us about significant values, reflect a legacy and story of a time and space, support communication, and are complex.  This series of twenty-one studies regarding gratitude, happiness, and meaning encompasses some of the key characteristics of brain science, philosophy, and religious studies. The series began with a desire to capture favorite quotes, thoughts, and expertise.  Over time, day-by-day, the draw, context, and nature of gratitude, happiness, and meaning was captured.  There was no deliberate decision or bias to convey certain subjects and not others, rather the desire was to curate evidence, memorable images, and an overall account of gratitude, happiness, and meaning.  For example, laughing so hard you cry, hiking in nature, bread, and wine.  

Many of us are transformed into a happy disposition by our environment.  For instance, The Pointe is a quaint, seaside community nestled in the Orange Coast of California.  The town is situated beachside along the pristine Pacific Ocean, between magnificent cliffs and headlands.  Residents have nicknamed it the “California Riviera”.  The Pointe is bold, panoramic, and truly alluring.  Cooking and entertaining is an opportunity to share with family and friends.  Growing up I learned the basics of good cooking, baking, entertaining, gardening, and entrepreneurship.  I am grateful to be living in this fabled locale.

A synthesis of the twenty-one day study led to a rediscovery and a sharing of an appreciation with others regarding the power of how we approach life.  As Emerson observed, “For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends.” (“Prayer 71”)  Thoughtful insights are gleamed from the study of gratitude, happiness, and meaning through asking essential and effective questions, utilizing reliable resources, and incorporating real-life connections with cross-curricular expertise.  The process requires curiosity, carefully reading, listening, and connecting the dots between multiple genres.  

Studying and executing what you learn can liberate and inspire yourself and others.  You do not need to be a professional scholar to start a series of your own, although a background in Liberal Studies, the classics, or science is beneficial to provide context to what others have to say about happiness.  It takes time each day, reading books (such as Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician), experience, and practice.  If you embark on your own series you will learn about a variety of stories, topics, perspectives, and more in relation to happiness.  The process and result of this twenty-one day series is a treasure.  The research, quotes, and photos in this series reveal beauty in others, how others tell the evocative and moody story of the human experience, and captures the gorgeous peaks and valleys of life.




A study of gratitude, happiness, and meaning can begin at any time and for any reason.  For pure inquisitiveness, a desire to be in a healthier disposition, when you are at a peak or valley.  As actress Stephanie Zimbalist noted, “Our Creator…one of best things we can do to honor that Creator is to be grateful and to show gratitude and give thanks.  And appreciation.  Even in our lowest moments.  Just give true appreciation.  And probably in the moments when life isn’t going the best for us is the time to do it the most…The troughs are there as much as the peaks for our growth.”




Emily Esfahani Smith posed this question in The Atlantic, “How do the happy life and the meaningful life differ?”  Smith’s thought provoking curiosity is at the core of this twenty-one day study.  Your creativity, choices, resources, awareness of your own abilities, and execution of good habits is essential to your own study of happiness.  Execution and implementation can be a challenge, although without implementing the proper disposition, all the reading of books and quotes will not give you more gratitude, more happiness, nor more meaning.  Rather than a specific plan, this series of articles supplies inspiration and ideas to spark your own endeavor. 


Explore the Series


























Join the Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven circle:


Credits: http://www.bethlehemdundee.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2015-10-NEWSLETTER.pdf, http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work/transcript?language=en, http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/theres-more-to-life-than-being-happy/266805/, http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/education/2015/10/29/want-happier-challenge-promises-success-21-days/74694488/, http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/train-your-brain-for-happiness/, Credo In Hollywood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGN5VzNrqn4, facebook.com/MonarchBeachGolf

Gratitude, Happiness, and Meaning #21: A Great Hike



Gratitude, Happiness, and Meaning #21: A Great Hike





#21.  “Things To Be Grateful For: A great hike.  When you’re done, it feels like you’ve accomplished some great feat.”--Lindsay Holmes, Deputy Healthy Living Editor




According to the Mayo Clinic, you can train your brain for happiness.  “The human brain is hardwired to focus on threats and imperfections, yet you can flip the switch.”  The Mayo Clinic suggests the 5-3-2 Plan to switch the brain to think in terms of gratitude and compassion.  5: Choose five people to be grateful for in your life each day.  3: Take three minutes at night with your loved ones to be interested in his or her life and praise them.  2: Approach people in a positive manner.  Take the first two seconds on an encounter to mentally wish them well.

Our own bad habits, mental and physical health conditions, childhoods, and images we see in media have an impact on our lives.  When we see actors, athletes, and models in media they often are presented looking their best.  Or shall we say computer graphics best.  It is healthy to keep this in mind, rather than contrasting ourselves to images and then reaching for ___________ (whatever the temptation) to momentarily make us feel better.  That is not real happiness.

“Real happiness doesn't come from getting everything you want.  It comes from sharing what you have with people who matter.  Opportunities to show compassion and caring require  stepping out of your comfort zone.  The realization that it should begin with me sets in, as well as the willingness of my own heart, for starters.”—James O. Murr, Jr.

The values and ideas we hold on the forefront of our minds makes the difference in how we experience life.  Clear, healthy, good ideas bring meaning, enjoyment, and self-respect.  As each new challenge, crisis, or fear enters our heads it requires us to respond and not just react.  When we think we are not worthy, when we don’t respect ourselves, when we are fearful it opens doors to bad eating, bad relationships, bad spending, and much more.  Acting from calm, spending time wisely, and protecting what matters in your life is key.

Researcher and author Shawn Achor found there are ways we can train our brains in short amounts of time through gratitude.  Achor promulgates a habit of gratitude challenges to force the brain to work more positively, “We're finding it's not necessarily the reality that shapes us, but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality.  We need to reverse the formula for happiness and success…I found that most companies and schools follow a formula for success, which is this:  If I work harder, I'll be more successful. And if I'm more successful, then I'll be happier. That undergirds most of our parenting and managing styles, the way that we motivate our behavior…our brains work in the opposite order. If you can raise somebody's level of positivity in the present, then their brain experiences what we now call a happiness advantage, which is your brain at positive performs significantly better than at negative, neutral or stressed.”


  

A better way to approach life may be a recipe consisting of a mix of things.  You need a certain amount of olive oil, a certain amount of spice, and a certain amount of broccoli.  When we don’t respect ourselves, when we don’t address our emotions, temptations, and foibles, we hide from our purpose.  When we develop our notions of what is good and is good for us, we are truly liberated.

There is more to life than happiness and gratitude.  Happiness is momentary; it’s present thinking.  “Meaning, on the other hand, is enduring. It connects the past to the present to the future.  How do the happy life and the meaningful life differ?  Happiness, they found, is about feeling good. Specifically, the researchers found people who are happy tend to think that life is easy, they are in good physical health, and they are able to buy the things that they need and want.  In other words, meaning transcends the self while happiness is all about giving the self what it wants.  People who have high meaning in their lives are more likely to help others in need.”—Emily Esfahani Smith










Join the Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven circle:


Credits: http://www.bethlehemdundee.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2015-10-NEWSLETTER.pdf, http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work/transcript?language=en, http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/theres-more-to-life-than-being-happy/266805/, http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/education/2015/10/29/want-happier-challenge-promises-success-21-days/74694488/, http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/train-your-brain-for-happiness/

Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut at FreeDigitalPhotos.net


Gratitude, Happiness, and Meaning #20: Things to Be Grateful For, Big and Small



Gratitude, Happiness, and Meaning #20:  
Things to Be Grateful For, Big and Small





#20.  “Things to Be Grateful For, Big and Small: The money in your bank account.”--Sierra Horton, Editorial Assistant Popsugar




According to the Mayo Clinic, you can train your brain for happiness.  “The human brain is hardwired to focus on threats and imperfections, yet you can flip the switch.”  The Mayo Clinic suggests the 5-3-2 Plan to switch the brain to think in terms of gratitude and compassion.  5: Choose five people to be grateful for in your life each day.  3: Take three minutes at night with your loved ones to be interested in his or her life and praise them.  2: Approach people in a positive manner.  Take the first two seconds on an encounter to mentally wish them well.

Our own bad habits, mental and physical health conditions, childhoods, and images we see in media have an impact on our lives.  When we see actors, athletes, and models in media they often are presented looking their best.  Or shall we say computer graphics best.  It is healthy to keep this in mind, rather than contrasting ourselves to images and then reaching for ___________ (whatever the temptation) to momentarily make us feel better.  That is not real happiness.

“Real happiness doesn't come from getting everything you want.  It comes from sharing what you have with people who matter.  Opportunities to show compassion and caring require  stepping out of your comfort zone.  The realization that it should begin with me sets in, as well as the willingness of my own heart, for starters.”—James O. Murr, Jr.

The values and ideas we hold on the forefront of our minds makes the difference in how we experience life.  Clear, healthy, good ideas bring meaning, enjoyment, and self-respect.  As each new challenge, crisis, or fear enters our heads it requires us to respond and not just react.  When we think we are not worthy, when we don’t respect ourselves, when we are fearful it opens doors to bad eating, bad relationships, bad spending, and much more.  Acting from calm, spending time wisely, and protecting what matters in your life is key.

Researcher and author Shawn Achor found there are ways we can train our brains in short amounts of time through gratitude.  Achor promulgates a habit of gratitude challenges to force the brain to work more positively, “We're finding it's not necessarily the reality that shapes us, but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality.  We need to reverse the formula for happiness and success…I found that most companies and schools follow a formula for success, which is this:  If I work harder, I'll be more successful. And if I'm more successful, then I'll be happier. That undergirds most of our parenting and managing styles, the way that we motivate our behavior…our brains work in the opposite order. If you can raise somebody's level of positivity in the present, then their brain experiences what we now call a happiness advantage, which is your brain at positive performs significantly better than at negative, neutral or stressed.”


  

A better way to approach life may be a recipe consisting of a mix of things.  You need a certain amount of olive oil, a certain amount of spice, and a certain amount of broccoli.  When we don’t respect ourselves, when we don’t address our emotions, temptations, and foibles, we hide from our purpose.  When we develop our notions of what is good and is good for us, we are truly liberated.

There is more to life than happiness and gratitude.  Happiness is momentary; it’s present thinking.  “Meaning, on the other hand, is enduring. It connects the past to the present to the future.  How do the happy life and the meaningful life differ?  Happiness, they found, is about feeling good. Specifically, the researchers found people who are happy tend to think that life is easy, they are in good physical health, and they are able to buy the things that they need and want.  In other words, meaning transcends the self while happiness is all about giving the self what it wants.  People who have high meaning in their lives are more likely to help others in need.”—Emily Esfahani Smith









Join the Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven circle:


Credits: http://www.bethlehemdundee.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2015-10-NEWSLETTER.pdf, http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work/transcript?language=en, http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/theres-more-to-life-than-being-happy/266805/, http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/education/2015/10/29/want-happier-challenge-promises-success-21-days/74694488/, http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/train-your-brain-for-happiness/

Image courtesy of lekkyjustdoit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Gratitude, Happiness, and Meaning #19: The Capacity to Appreciate Gifts



Gratitude, Happiness, and Meaning #19: The Capacity to Appreciate Gifts 




#19.    …“[A] grateful heart is itself a gift.  The capacity to appreciate gifts is a gift.  It is also the greatest blessing a human being may possess other than a strong will…that doesn’t mean that a grateful heart cannot be nurtured by choice.”  (The Road Less Traveled M. Scott Peck)




Our own bad habits, mental and physical health conditions, childhoods, and images we see in media have an impact on our lives.  When we see actors, athletes, and models in media they often are presented looking their best.  Or shall we say computer graphics best.  It is healthy to keep this in mind, rather than contrasting ourselves to images and then reaching for ___________ (whatever the temptation) to momentarily make us feel better.  That is not real happiness.

“Real happiness doesn't come from getting everything you want.  It comes from sharing what you have with people who matter.  Opportunities to show compassion and caring require  stepping out of your comfort zone.  The realization that it should begin with me sets in, as well as the willingness of my own heart, for starters.”—James O. Murr, Jr.

According to the Mayo Clinic, you can train your brain for happiness.  “The human brain is hardwired to focus on threats and imperfections, yet you can flip the switch.”  The Mayo Clinic suggests the 5-3-2 Plan to switch the brain to think in terms of gratitude and compassion.  5: Choose five people to be grateful for in your life each day.  3: Take three minutes at night with your loved ones to be interested in his or her life and praise them.  2: Approach people in a positive manner.  Take the first two seconds on an encounter to mentally wish them well.

The values and ideas we hold on the forefront of our minds makes the difference in how we experience life.  Clear, healthy, good ideas bring meaning, enjoyment, and self-respect.  As each new challenge, crisis, or fear enters our heads it requires us to respond and not just react.  When we think we are not worthy, when we don’t respect ourselves, when we are fearful it opens doors to bad eating, bad relationships, bad spending, and much more.  Acting from calm, spending time wisely, and protecting what matters in your life is key.  

A better way to approach life may be a recipe consisting of a mix of things.  You need a certain amount of olive oil, a certain amount of spice, and a certain amount of broccoli.  When we don’t respect ourselves, when we don’t address our emotions, temptations, and foibles, we hide from our purpose.  When we develop our notions of what is good and is good for us, we are truly liberated.

There is more to life than happiness and gratitude.  Happiness is momentary; it’s present thinking.  “Meaning, on the other hand, is enduring. It connects the past to the present to the future.  How do the happy life and the meaningful life differ?  Happiness, they found, is about feeling good. Specifically, the researchers found people who are happy tend to think that life is easy, they are in good physical health, and they are able to buy the things that they need and want.  In other words, meaning transcends the self while happiness is all about giving the self what it wants.  People who have high meaning in their lives are more likely to help others in need.”—Emily Esfahani Smith

Researcher and author Shawn Achor found there are ways we can train our brains in short amounts of time through gratitude.  Achor promulgates a habit of gratitude challenges to force the brain to work more positively, “We're finding it's not necessarily the reality that shapes us, but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality.  We need to reverse the formula for happiness and success…I found that most companies and schools follow a formula for success, which is this:  If I work harder, I'll be more successful. And if I'm more successful, then I'll be happier. That undergirds most of our parenting and managing styles, the way that we motivate our behavior…our brains work in the opposite order. If you can raise somebody's level of positivity in the present, then their brain experiences what we now call a happiness advantage, which is your brain at positive performs significantly better than at negative, neutral or stressed.”











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Credits: http://www.bethlehemdundee.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2015-10-NEWSLETTER.pdf, http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work/transcript?language=en, http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/theres-more-to-life-than-being-happy/266805/, http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/education/2015/10/29/want-happier-challenge-promises-success-21-days/74694488/, http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/train-your-brain-for-happiness/

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Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.