Tag: cheer

An open letter about kindness!

An open letter about kindness!

I just celebrated my 30th birthday a little over a month ago.  It’s always an exciting time to celebrate my birthday, not because I get gifts or eat my favorite local pizza, but because it starts a new year of random acts of kindness.  It’s a new year of pledging to do a minimum of 30 different surprises of giving back, helping others, and spreading more kindness out into the world.  The world has enough craziness, chaos, and uncertainty in it that every little bit of kindness helps.

My ultimate dream through my random acts of kindness is to be the person on Ellen that gets to surprise a deserving family or person of something extraordinary that will change their life – notifying someone they will be able to provide presents for their kids on Christmas, a new car that allows them to get to work safely, helping a college student pay for tuition who may not otherwise have the opportunity, supporting a food drive or coat drive, etc.  My favorite acts of kindness are the random ones to strangers and people I barely know.

So, one day I hope to be that person that can spend an entire day(s) or hour(s) surprising others with things that will change their life.  After all, when you spread kindness and give back you are changing the world one good deed at a time.  Keep that in mind today and every day, not just around the holiday season, on #GivingTuesday, #SmallBusinessSaturday, or during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

And, remember to join me on the #ProjectKindnessBook pledge and follow my Project Kindness by using your birthday as the minimum number of times you give back, help others, and spread kindness throughout the year. Use #ProjectKindnessBook in your post to show you have made the commitment to making a difference in the lives of others and changing the world around you.

Simple and easy ideas include leaving a note for a veteran, baking cookies for your local police or fire department, reaching out and thanking your child’s teacher, leaving a large tip for a server, buying someone’s coffee or meal, and donating food and coats throughout the year.  My high school students created cards for veterans, the elderly, and sick children this week to celebrate others.  This small project helps the students see how their gesture can change the life of someone else.  Keep spreading cheer and kindness…it’s the best gift you can give during the holiday season and every day throughout the year!

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Share Your Joy!

Share Your Joy!

snow-flakes-background

Tis’ the season to remember that Christmas isn’t a happy, cheerful, fun, and joyous time for all.  Some find this time of year to be extremely hard due to loss, stress, anxiety, financial strain, or internal struggles that many of us may not even be able to see.

It is easy to get wrapped up in the holiday lights, the music, and the lovely Christmas and New Year’s festivities, forgetting the many people that have no one to share the season with, or don’t feel the happiness that others feel throughout the season.  There are kids that won’t have presents under the tree on Christmas morning, people suffering from depression and anxiety, divorced parents that must share the holiday with their ex-spouse, and endless situations that create anger, sadness, and uneasiness.

Remember that you have the ability to change that for someone. You can use your joy to help put a smile on the faces of others.  Smile at those who are hurting to give them hope and strength that shows them you care.  After all, your smile may be the best part of their day.  Consider changing the way you celebrate Christmas by decreasing the amount you do in your own family so that you can help give to another family.  Further, be willing to reach out and help strangers by delivering cookies, gift certificates, or presents to a family in need.  You could help someone putting air in their tires, a shopper who can’t reach groceries on the top shelf, or holding doors for senior citizens.  Be sure to also show a little extra appreciation this time of year to those in the customer service field, including retail workers and food service employees who work tirelessly and endlessly throughout the season (often at very low wages) to ensure that others are able to create special memories with their loved ones. (I speak from experience on this one!)

As you wrap up the holiday week, please keep in mind all those that may be suffering.  Those are the people we desperately need to reach out and offer a hand to.  It can be as simple as a smile, or as elaborate as offering to give to those in need.  After all, there are many people that struggle to even meet their basic needs this time of year and all year long.

So my challenge and hope is that by reading this you choose to use my #ProjectKindnessBook to spread YOUR cheer this holiday season.  Your cheer could be the difference in someone’s life; even if you only change one life this holiday season, that is better than none.  Happy Christmas with love and hugs from me to you!  May 2017 be the year of spreading kindness to strangers.

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Why I cheer myself on every single day!

Why I cheer myself on every single day!

Life is a mountain, not a beach.  I don’t think you could convince me otherwise. Plus, I like the mountains more than the beach and I like challenges more than being bored, but positivity is often what keeps me moving forward.  On hard days, long days, rough days, and all the days in between I need to hear the voice in my head cheering me on.  I like to cheer myself on when I go through life and when I workout.  It keeps me going.  See previous blog post from October 2014:  Cheer yourself on—be your own cheerleader!

In America, we have become a nation that doesn’t associate fun with working out.  I often hear people say they lack time to workout, but in reality it’s not a lack of time, but not having the right attitude.  We don’t think of working out as a stress-relieving, fat-burning, energy-creating, life-changing, and fun-loving activity that makes us happy.

Don’t convince your brain that you don’t like working out!  Find an exercise or workout routine that you love and then let the cheering begin!  An exercise routine or workout that makes you feel at your best…it de-stresses you, relaxes you, and rejuvenates you after or before a long day.  If you need a mind-clearing workout consider yoga or some form of meditation, if you need a good cardio sweat consider a run or cross training session.  Once you tell yourself you don’t like working out or it’s not fun your brain starts to believe that and you begin to convince yourself of that.

Instead, cheer yourself on!  Tell yourself you can get through it and be a better person because of your workout.  Let your positive attitude cheer you on through life whether it be your workout, your job, your educational goals, and everything else you set your mind to.  Start adding positive thoughts to your daily planner, your workout routine, and all your little activities throughout the day.

I am the door monitor at school as the second and third graders get off the bus or are dropped off by their parent.  I love this because I can set a positive attitude for the children as they enter the school building.  (I like early mornings so that helps things, too!)  I always say “Good Morning, we are having pancakes for breakfast today (whatever is on the menu for that day).  Happy Monday!  I hope you have a great day!”  Most of the students are still tired from getting up early, but I like to put some positive energy into their day.  I also say good morning to all the teachers, but I think my bubbliness might get on their nerves on occasion.  I go through the day with some of the teachers probably wondering why I am always smiling and talking to the kids.  I love it and it makes the day more fun.  I hope this gives you a little inspiration to add positive energy to your workout and life!

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

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