holiday season – Jenna Jamieson, Author

An open letter about kindness!

By Jenna Jamieson | November 22, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

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

Using quotes for health inspiration :)

By Jenna Jamieson | December 8, 2013 | Comments 0 Comment

My inspiration this week comes from watching, listening, and absorbing the hardships, difficulties, stress, compassion (lack of) from those around me. I work retail so I hear a lot of scenarios, parenting, stress evoked responses, etc. throughout my day as well as from my own family, friends, and boyfriend. It is the holiday season, a joyous time, but also a time that typically includes heightened stress, chaos, and even sometimes frustration and disappointment. I completely understand the mixed emotions and feelings, but part of being healthy is maintaining a healthy view on life that allows you to succeed and be emotionally healthy.

Stress greatly impacts your health and if you don’t believe that, take the time to read some of the things stress can cause to your digestive health such as stomach pain. I can speak on this firsthand, as someone with digestive problems, it has been very important for me to learn to control my stress level each minute throughout the day to ensure I don’t further worsen my symptoms and health. Rather than going on and on about my own life learning experiences surrounding emotional stability, I want to use the following quotes to help show why exercise, compassion, and realizing that each person is facing an unforeseen battle for which we may not know is important to remember.

Quote 1: “Exercise is not a chore. It is a luxury to take time out of your busy schedule to take care of your mind and body.”

Quote 2: “Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.”

Quote 3: Wise words from Mother Teresa:

-People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

-If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

-If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.

Succeed anyway.

-If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you.

Be honest and sincere anyway.

-When you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.