Truly, I am so excited to share this with you.
When I came across this, the possibilities (my favourite word) flooded my imagination.
Take a look and see for yourself. I SO want one of these!!
The bed pulls out to sleep two and there’s even a shower and toilet!
How about you? Want one? What did you think? Could you see yourself living in one of these?
You know that when one of the most optimistic people in the world references other people’s optimistic quotes, then they’re gonna be good. And they are.
But before you click on the link, here’s a few from Sir Optimism himself:
“My general attitude to life is to enjoy every minute of every day. I never do anything with a feeling of, ‘Oh God, I’ve got to do this today.”
~ Richard Branson
“Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.”
~ Richard Branson
“Personally, I see any glass half full as an opportunity to top it up, start a conversation and perhaps spark a great new idea.”
~ Richard Branson
“Through the right people focusing on the right things, we can, in time, get on top of a lot, if not most of, the problems of this world. And that’s what a number of us are trying to do.”
~Richard Branson
Brilliant!
And now…da da-da da!…the quotes that inspire Sir Richard Branson himself. (Which have in turn, inspired me, and I’m willing to bet will inspire you too.)
Oh, and btw, at the bottom of his post, don’t miss his top 10 quotes on other aspects of life too.
Did you find these inspiring? What are some of your favourite inspirational quotes? Share them below.
From the wisdom of Christiane Northrup and Oprah. How can you go wrong?
http://www.oprah.com/video_embed.html?article_id=57402
Posted in how to be positive
Tagged challenge, Christiane Northrup, confidence, I Love You, Oprah, philosophy, positivity, self worth
Oh fresh breath of Spring!
You glorious morning.
I have just heard the season’s first Robin song.
My windows are open wide to let in the cold air just so I can hear you more clearly.
Sing away sweet traveller.
You are always a most welcome guest.
It is true.
Spring is upon us. At long last.
When it feels all hope is lost – that winter’s bitter grasp will not let go –
your presence lifts us.
Your song melts our heart.
The end is near.
Hello Spring and all your glory.
Welcome.
Welcome.
Posted in reflections, observations & musings
Tagged American Robin, grateful, gratitude, happiness, inspiration, motivation, philosophy, positivity, Spring
Stories we read as children stay with us as we grow and they shape how we see the world. And that can be a problem.
In today’s Bright-Side-of-the-Web, I bring you novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk entitled: The Danger of a Single Story.
A beautiful story-teller herself, Chimamanda eloquently relates her life experiences related to her encounters with the single story.
Enjoy:
If you enjoyed this TED Talk, below is a link to four more inspiring talks about the importance of educating girls.
Don’t you just LOVE TED!
Let’s expand our stories! 4 more TED links here: http://www.ted.com/playlists/193/the_importance_of_educating_gi
Comments Off on Once Upon A… Stop! Listen to this First.
Posted in the bright-side of the web
Tagged Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, communication, inspiration, inspiring, motivation, philosophy, positivity, power of words, Ted Talk, TedTalk
For the last ten years or so, my extended family gathers for Christmas dinner but 
instead of giving each other gifts, – we really don’t need anything – we all put whatever amount of money we feel we can afford to donate into a hat – money that would have gone toward store-bought gifts. Then each person puts in one suggestion of a charity that they would like to support. One suggestion gets drawn and the pot of money gets allocated to that charity with the suggester receiving the tax receipt.
My kids, age 6 & 9 when we began, even did extra chores throughout December so they could have money to contribute too. They were happy to pass up gifts from aunts, uncles and grandparents in order to give to a worthy cause (after all, they still got gifts from Santa).
The tradition of giving is not new at this time of year. Whether you think of giving as a feel-good practice, a feeling of obligation, or maybe simply as a tax break before the year-end, the choices of places to donate are endless and varied.
That, my friends, is why I am so excited to share these two companies I’ve come across that I feel break the mould of traditional donation locations. (I get absolutely zero kick-back, I pinky swear!)
If you’re an entrepreneur, or know one, you know how hard it is to get a business off the ground.
Now add to that third-world conditions, very little money or food, and just struggling to survive from day-to-day.
What if there was a way that these people could help themselves get out of that situation using the skills they have and the knowledge of what they need based on their daily lives and traditions.
Well, the companies I’m about to reveal assist in entrepreneurial endeavours in 
third-world countries, empowering citizens to create businesses that change the lives of thousands of their fellow countrymen and women.
Given a leg-up, these people are able to stand on their own and grow profitable businesses. Money invested, once re-paid – and it is repaid – gets reinvested toward other entrepreneurs. A real pay-it-forward practice.
But don’t take my word for it, check out the websites for yourself and read about the hundreds of people, families and communities that are being helped to help themselves.
Being an entrepreneur myself, I know how much time and effort it takes to get a business off the ground and keep it rolling. I can’t imagine even attempting it, let alone thinking about it if faced with the challenges of poverty.
Wouldn’t a donation in the name of an entrepreneur you know – who really doesn’t need another reindeer sweater – make an excellent holiday gift? (I can hear them thanking me now!) You’d be saying, “Your entrepreneurial spirit has inspired me to give someone less fortunate the chance to succeed, just as you have.”
I can tell you from first-hand experience that it feels great to know my money is helping kick-start a chain reaction of good.
Please take a look and decide for yourself.
Kiva
http://www.kiva.org/
The Acumen Fund
http://acumen.org/
Comments Off on 2 Quick Ways to Help Pave the Path from Poverty
Posted in the bright-side of the web
Tagged Acumen, charity, entrepreneur, grateful, gratitude, happiness, inspiration, Kiva, motivation, positive, positivity
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns,
or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
How we look at things is certainly governed by our past experiences,
but you can choose your attitude toward the outcome.
Learn from mistakes or be consumed by them.
Forgive misgivings or harbor resentments.
Look on the bright-side or seek the worst.
Words are funny little things too.
Words can evoke an emotion or project an attitude.
That’s why words can hurt and emails can be misconstrued.
As I pondered my choices of attitude and words, I felt the name of this blog didn’t really convey my feelings accurately any more.
Why did I feel I was struggling to stay positive?
Because I was pushing against the negative.
We struggle when there’s a fight. When we feel we aren’t being heard.
What happens if we stop struggling?
The resistance is no longer there.
We surrender to what is out of our control.
I can only choose how I look at things, how I react, how I feel.
And I’ve realized one thing for sure –
Positivity is a choice.
So rather than Wrestle and Struggle, I will Embrace and Choose.
Welcome to the next generation of my blog!
Embracing Pollyanna
Choosing To Stay Positive in a World of Negativity.
It may seem like a small change. A tweak in language. A waste of time even.
But to me it is a shift in attitude, in perspective, in feeling.
You may wonder why I have chosen, yes chosen, to keep ‘world of negativity’ if I am so geared toward the feeling of positivity. That is because I feel we are so bombarded by negative media and messages.
And although I have no control over that, what I do have control over is what I choose to subject myself to and what I choose to put out into this world.
What can you expect?
I will continue to post about
What you will see more of, however, are stories about:
I admit that these stories may not always, in fact may not often, portray a positive situation but they will be stories that I feel not enough people are aware of.
They are realities of our world that we must face and do something about sooner than later.
I’m hoping that by learning about them, you will feel empowered to effect change.
Once aware of a problem, we can make educated choices thereby achieving (hopefully) a positive result.
Awareness = Education.
Education = Informed Choices
Informed Choices = Empowerment
Empowerment = Positive Change
That is my hope.
That is my intention.
I want this to be a place where you can come to feel uplifted, inspired, educated and driven to make a positive difference in the world.
Where you too can Embrace and Choose.
So rejoice, because thorn bushes are chock-full of fragrant roses.
Are you with me?
Posted in how to be positive, Positive Perspective
Tagged communication, environment, gratitude, happiness, inspiration, motivation, philosophy, positivity
I love watching the Olympics, like everyone else.
The few individuals in the world who have devoted their lives to the pursuit of athletic perfection in their chosen field is an inspiration.
You rally behind them – rooting for your country’s representative to do their best, even if this is the first time you’ve ever heard their name.
You hold your breath during their performance, gasping if they fall.
But what does it take to become an Olympian?
Personally, I haven’t a clue – my favourite sport is channel surfing.
But for 16 days every two years, I am taken back to my childhood when I imagined I could be Nadia Comaneci. (Btw, did you see her during the 2014 Sochi games? I would still like to be her!!)
One of the Canadian women athletes (and I am ashamed to say that I can’t recall which one – if you know, please post it below) said something that I thought really summed up what sets Olympians apart from the rest of us mere mortals.
She said, (and I am paraphrasing),
“The Olympics aren’t something you can dream about coming to. You have to believe you will get here.”
It’s been almost a week since I heard that, and it has stayed with me. Not because I believe that one day I will get to the Olympics, especially if I put zero effort into training for …well, anything.
But I resonated with that statement because it could be applied to each of us, in whatever our life’s pursuit.
For me, my career goal is to tell the stories of people and businesses who are making a difference in the world so they can gain the recognition and support they need to continue their great work.
I could go about making up ad campaigns and marketing strategies to attract companies to my website. I could cold-call prospects. I could network and schmooze my patootie off, but if I don’t BELIEVE that I can do this work, I will never reach the ‘Olympic’ level I’ve dreamt about.
Why? Because something in me – in the way I speak, in how I present myself to clients – will convey that I don’t believe in myself – so why should they?
Of course I can’t just cross my fingers, close my eyes, click my heels and say ‘I believe, I believe’ – even if I feel that belief in my soul.
The belief has to be accompanied by action.
There is work to be done to attract the clients, just as the athletes need to train vigorously for hours on end.
I will compete against others vying for the same clients. And I will win some and I will lose some. That’s part of the game.
I have heard that athletes that win a silver medal are often depressed because
they were so close to the gold; that bronze medal winners are thrilled because they made it onto the podium; and that fourth place winners are driven to train even harder and often return to win a medal themselves at the next Olympics.
The psychology of competition is complex and interesting.
Often our biggest competition is against ourselves.
We question our very value and self-worth.
Can I do this?
Will anyone find me in the vast webosphere?
What can I offer that is different from the next person?
While I won’t be presented with ribbons or medals for each of my wins, I will consciously acknowledge and celebrate each victory, no matter how small, because with each step I am learning what it takes to be champ.
Here’s what I believe:
To have a chance at winning, no matter the race, you have to:
1. Find what you love to do.
2. Learn all you can.
3. Practice every possible moment.
4. Set firm and realistic goals.
5. Set your intention.
6. Believe you can do it, no matter what others may say.
7. Do it – as many times as it takes, over and over again.
8. Surround yourself with coaches and cheerleaders.
9. Celebrate each and every milestone.
10. Never stop believing.
And every now and again, look back at the starting line and see how far you’ve come.
Because every victory along your journey is a gold medal win.
Comments Off on 10 Life Lessons from a Couch Olympian
Posted in positive ponderings
Tagged grateful, gratitude, happiness, inspiration, inspiring, motivation, Nadia Comaneci, Olympics, philosophy, positivity
* * *
Then think about:
Seriously. Try this!
Comments Off on Positive Ponderings: Words That Serve
Posted in positive ponderings
Tagged challenge, communication, happiness, inspiration, inspiring, motivation, philosophy, positive, positivity
The age-old question which scholars and school children have answered with equal thought and insight is one in which I have my own theory – simple yet obvious – and one in which I am sure to be nominated and ultimately win some worldly award for Questions Yet To Be Answered To The Satisfaction Of All Mankind.
So, why is the sky blue?
Simple. So we can see rainbows.
Brilliant, right? Think about it.
If the sky were red, the rainbow would be missing a stripe.
Same goes for yellow, pink and orange.
Also, had the sky been white, how would we know if it were cloudy?
Brown or Green? Mountains and trees would vanish, camouflaged. Millions of people would be walking around smacking into things.
So why does blue seem the perfect choice?
Blue sets off all the other colours so that we can see and appreciate their beauty.
Now stay with me. I have saved the best for last; the indisputable, award-clinching part.
If, as I say, the sky is blue so that we can see rainbows, why does that matter?
What good are rainbows?
Rainbows symbolize hope.
An end to the storm.
The light at the end of the tunnel.
That tomorrow is a new day.
And as long as we all have hope, we’ll keep our chins up, our eyes on the horizon and keep searching for that elusive pot of gold.
And what better reason is there than that?
Would you agree? Comment or nominate me for the world award below.
Posted in reflections, observations & musings
Tagged grateful, gratitude, happiness, inspiration, motivation, philosophy, positive, positivity
#B4Peace
Embracing Pollyanna 