GREAT way to start your day!

Recently one of my good friends shared a video with me that rocked my world! A company called Box of Crayons created the video called “The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun” This fun and very creative video goes through eight principles to banish boredom from your life and start having fun. But more than that it teaches you how to live the life you want to.  Watch it here.  As we go through the Christmas season two of the Principles really stuck out to me.  
• “Stop being busy – Being busy is seductive. Just because you’re going flat out doesn’t mean that you’re on the right track. If it’s the wrong hole, you need to stop digging.”
o Think about that, sometimes we are just busy to be busy, especially during the holiday season. Are you doing busy work in your own life?  Sometimes we have to slow down to speed up. Are you so busy going nowhere that you don’t have time to realize that you’re only going in circles? How many times have you said to yourself “I’ll do that when its not so busy….maybe after Christmas…..after New Years…..after this cold passes ….. after the kids start school….when the summer is over…..after labor day….after Thanksgiving…..then we’re back to Christmas….and it goes on and on and on. The point is if you don’t know where you’re going it doesn’t matter how fast you are going to get there. So SLOW down make a plan, set some goals, and fill your time with meaningful action steps that will get you to where you truly want to be in life. The circle of life will always get in the way if you let it. Getting caught up in busy is easy. Listen to people around you today, I guarantee you that most of them will be complaining about how busy they are. What are they really busy with? Next year will they be in a better position because of the work they were busy with today? For the most part probably not. Successful people never complain about being busy. They know where they are going and know what they have to do to get there. Its not busy work if it creates results. And you really can’t complain about results. You should feel good about doing productive work, not overwhelmed with business. The next time you have the urge to complain about being busy slow down to think about what you are filling your time with. We all have 24 hours in a day, learn how to be efficient at filling them and you will be able to live out your dreams.

• “Stop taking it all so damn seriously. – In this moment, is it a life or death decision? In 10 years, will you remember what you’re fretting about? In 100 years will anyone care? So lighten up – this too will pass”
o Ohhhh this is good for the Christmas season. Does it really matter that the tree is perfectly decorated or that your kids’ hair is perfect for the Christmas pictures? A lot of the time we end up missing the true meaning of Christmas because we are so caught up in the stress that we create. This applies our lives too. How often do we worry and obsess about little things that at the end of the day really do not matter? Life is not perfect. We should be enjoying the ride with all the ups and downs not trying to rebuild the track as we’re on it. Stress has serious health effects too. It releases a hormone in our body called cortisol. Elevated cortisol levels have been shown to increase body fat, triglycerides, blood sugar, depression and injuries. It can also decrease immune system functions and fertility. With that being said think about what you are stressing about. When you start to worry, ask yourself can I change this and will it matter in 10 years? Will anyone care in 100 years? Another good tip is to stop worrying about other people, you can only control yourself and how you react to situations. Knowing that you are only responsible for how you react takes a lot stress out of your life.  Remember you are the only one that can make the decision about how you feel. You decide to feel stress or you decide to feel happy. You have the control so DECIDE to laugh, have fun, be happy and most of all make the decision to enjoy the ride you only get one time around!
Peas&Love,
Shanna 09

On a cold January morning in a Washington, DC Metro Station, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time about two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After three minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

Four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. After 6 minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. After ten minutes, a 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

In the end, only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money, but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32. When he finished playing, no one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

The violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell had sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

The performance was organized as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and people's priorities. In a common place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do you perceive beauty? Do you stop to appreciate it? Do you recognize talent in an unexpected context?

If you do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, how many other things might you be missing?


Sources:
  Washington Post April 8, 2007