Your True Colours May 2016
Travel With Your Family Laughter Lawyer: Which Brain Are You Wearing? IShare Expert: Bonnie Bruderer
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The Roman Goddess of healing, Valentia, relied on nature’s gifts to heal the citizens of Umbria. Whether matriarchs seeking to maintain their youthful look or farmers seeking help for sun damaged skin, Valentia used berries, herbs, barks and other natural ingredients. We also rely on all natural ingredients due to their protective, preventative and corrective powers. Just like our namesake, Valentia Skin Care products have been formulated with natural and organic cosmetic ingredients that will repair and protect the skin. After performing extensive research into what skin care customers find most important, we found an overwhelming demand for skin care that is natural, free of toxins and paraben-free. Natural ingredients with an organic base have proven most effective at repairing skin damaged by sun or wind, preventing signs of aging such as wrinkles, dark spots, and reversing the effects of oxidative stress on the skin. http://www.valentia.com
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Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask - Natural and Organic Ingredients With Kaolin Clay, Hisbiscus & Cranberry Fibers
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Your True Colours In this Issue:
All contents of this magazine are the opinions of the individual authors. May 2016 Your True Colours Media, LLCŠ No part of this magazine may be reprinted without written permission from the editor. cbendall@fashionacademy.biz
table of contents Laughter Lawyer USA -Which Brain Are You Wearing? By Debra Norwood 5 Why Family Travel is Important by Lisa Rossmeissl 17 Enjoying Your Children Through Travel.
1000 Red Noses by Debra Joy Hart 25 IShare Expert: Navigating That Pesky Brain of Yours By Bonnie Bruderer 37
Credits for Cover Photos: Debra Joy Hart
TV Personality, Bonnie Bruderer shares highlights from an interview with one of her guests.
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Laughter Lawyer USA: Which Brain Are You Wearing? By Debra Norwood, Laughter Lawyer USA
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How Humor, Gratitude and Good Hearted Living are a Rescue from Negative Thinking THIS MONTH HAS BEEN A ROUGH CAR MONTH FOR ME. MY CAR BROKE DOWN ON MY WAY TO A PRESENTATION, AND AS I WAITED IMPATIENTLY FOR THE INSURANCE COMPANY TOW SERVICE TO HAUL IT AWAY, I WRUNG MY HANDS IN AGONY FOR NOT HAVING OPTED FOR A RENT-A-CARPROVISION ON THE POLICY. Enter Son Number One: generously donating his old Yukon just to help his mom out. Properly “carriaged”, I scraped into my presentation with all the grace of an alley cat, since the back fender had dislodged and was dragging on the pavement. I tried to act dignified as onlookers turned to the sound of screeching brakes grinding to a halt and donned my best winner’s smile as I walked into my meeting two hours late and drenched in sweat, due to no air conditioning. Still, my heart was grateful to my son, until later that day I heard that my own car would not be fixed until my next week’s presentation—two days later actually, which meant that with my son needing his car for work, I needed another means of transportation for at least two weeks—nixing the idea of a rental car as too expensive. Enter Son number Two; he offered me his 1983 El Camino, a shiny black muscle car of dubious condition, not fully restored yet, but nonetheless an elegant freebie and gift from the heart. It required premium gas, had a loud muffler, and of course, no air — which should not have been a problem in April, but 2016 had hit record temperatures for springtime— oh, did I mention that whatever air it did blow was HOT air? A model T sauna, that’s what I had inherited! Undaunted, I determined to take my trek across Tennessee in the El Camino, and being Laughter Lawyer USA, I determined to do what I did best as a resilience trainer—make lemonade out of lemons! I donned a cowboy hat and had the time of my life delivering buckets full of red noses, and books on humor to various entities. By hook or by crook, I met my presentation obligations for the month of April National Humor Month with joy and gladness in my newly dubbed “RedNoseMobile” because of the red nose I pasted over the hood ornament. Everyone loved the ride, the look, and the good mood that the
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Which Brain Are You Wearing? (Continued) ‘RedNoseMobile” spread as we sputtered into country towns and counties, me wearing a grin and a nose — and sweaty pants. What makes some situations the kind you can grin and bear, and others so intolerable that all you want to do is cry in your soup and spread crackers in your bed to add to the pain? Why are some mishaps just a small hiccup in life, and others, no less painful, often elevated to a punishment that only a saint could bear? In my opinion — it’s all about the attitude, and the attitude is all about the brain you wear at the time of the incident.
Did I say the brain you wear? Yes, you heard right. It’s about attitude and the brain you happen to be wearing at the time of the incident. I know because I have several brains I wear depending on my thinking habits, my hours of sleep, nutrition, exercise, hydration and the kinds of medications and supplements I have been on. For the past three months I had worn three different brains: My brain on stress, my brain on insomnia, and lastly, my brain on humor and gratitude. Need I say which brain
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won out with the brilliant idea of the Red Nose Mobile? You guessed it: My brain on humor and gratitude. My brain on stress had already obsessed the month before over medical problems, logistical problems with out-of-town commitments and local responsibilities, and my brain on no-sleep had succumbed to dangerous amnesia as I nodded off as I drove up at 3 a.m. to my home. I burnt the candle at both ends after a long weekend trapped in airports due to weather and multiple flight cancellations. No amount of assurances offered by the airlines kept me from secret worries about my 96 year old mother in hospice at home whom had taken a sudden downturn in her condition while I was gone. My stressed brain without sleep saw nothing but dark shadows and calamities.
MY BRAIN ON STRESS: According to Heidi Hanna, the New York bestselling author of the Sharp Solution, and Stressaholic, 5 steps to Transform Your Relationship with Stress, I am one of those people who may have actually acquired an addiction to stress, one tell-tale sign being that I knew that I was
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Which Brain Are You Wearing? (Continued) in high need of taking a break for almost three months, yet could not find the time or the way to do so. Not taking a break could be a sign of being addicted to stress? Isn’t that a contradiction? After all, stressed out people are stressed because they are trapped in situations where they can’t take breaks, right? They don’t do this on purpose, do they? The answer is, well, maybe they do. According to Heidi’s “test” on addiction, I had qualified in several key elements of my addictive habits—asked if I desired to stop, or was unsuccessful in my efforts to cut down, I knew I had failed dismally upon reading the accusatory phrase found on page 18: You know you should take breaks, but can’t seem to make them a priority or an equally revealing phrase: You see the consequences of unrelenting stress in your life, but continue to attempt to push past the pain or discomfort. 1 I had been in the emergency room with a bad infection, yet would not stay hydrated, nor eat properly, or even try to do what in my heart I knew was right for my body in an almost stubborn refusal to rest and just step away from the non-stop spiraling events which were leading me to feel just like a line-up of all of Snow White’s dwarfs: I was Grumpy, Sneezy, Dopey and Sleepy all rolled up into one person. My cold seemed endless and my mood was as dark as the black forest enveloping the idyllic cottage that Snow White presided over. My symptoms were described to a T, and furthermore, Heidi’s book carried a warning: My co-dependence with stress had my operating systems running on empty. If I did not do something about it I was going to crash.
MY BRAIN ON INSOMNIA: It was no coincidence that the next warning came from another member of AATH 2, my roommate at the 2016 conference, Susan Stephenson, author of the book Kidding Around, and brilliant creator of a wonderful program for Canadian youth, The Happiness- at -School Project. 3 An early-to-bed-early-to-rise-person, Susan duly noted that we were waking up at the same
Hanna, Heidi, Stressaholic, 5 Steps to Transform Your Relationship With Stress, John Wiley& Sons. C. 2014, New Jersey, Canada. 2 The Association For Applied and Therapeutic Humor www.aath.org 3 See Your True Colours Magazine, April Edition for more on Sue’s great work helping Canadian middle school students to gain resilience through stand-up comedy. 1
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time but that I didn’t seem to sleep very much. She was horrified to hear that I had finished reading two new books in the evenings that I spent at the conference in Phoenix, and that I had also managed to meet with two other groups of people who were involved with other projects with me aside from those in the conference. Embarrassed that I was disturbing her sleep, I found ways to read my phone under the covers, or read the books I had recently purchased in the secrecy of the bathroom, hoping that my subterfuge would hide the fact that I really was not sleeping, as she had correctly guessed! Upon my arrival at home, I received a cryptic prescription from my friend: Buy the book, The Sleep Revolution, Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time, by Arianna Huffington. She didn’t need to tell me. I had already gotten the message loud and clear at one of the Marriott hotels I had spent another sleepless night in during my storm layover! In a funny twist of irony, I took a picture of a blue card entitled: Arianna Huffington’s 8 Tips for Better Sleep that had been placed on my hotel bed and sent it to myself via email, ahem, to read later.
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Which Brain Are You Wearing? (Continued)
MY BRAIN ON GRATITUDE AND HUMOR: By now you may wonder how this story ends, but I assure you it ends well. As a resilience trainer, I had fallen into the very trap that I had warned others about, and had allowed my stress to almost engulf me, except for two things which had been deeply ingrained within me and which finally surfaced as the redeeming voice of reason in the midst of a muddled three months of messiness. They were: my years engaging in the practice of gratitude and my equally ingrained sense of humor. It was not past me to recognize that I had not only known about Heidi Hanna’s theories on “stressaholics”, but that I had actually been with Heidi, in person, at the AATH conference in Phoenix. Indeed, I even had my picture taken a with her —except for one problem — when I reviewed my I-phone to see it, one thing became clear, I had been in such a brain fog and so much in a hurry that I had worn my pants on backwards! Ha! I quickly ran to my room and then got another photo made with her — this time minus the bigger pooch and excess yardage in the stomach! Talk about an object lesson in stress! But it was too funny not to pass up as a lesson, right? Furthermore, it was because of years and years of mapping gratitude in my brain for the many wondrous and serendipitous moments of my life that I was able to recognize how lucky I was to have such wonderful mentors who not only cared about me, but that due to their brilliance and expertise, deserved also to be listened to and followed. My brain on stress and my brain without sleep might have resented the good advice given to me — even would have been falsely offended, and insulted—after all, I was a very busy, multi-tasking woman with a lot on my mind, so give me a break! But my brain on gratitude and humor recognized the irony and the rightness of the advice given. I reflected on what I read and heard and reluctantly had to admit that the truth was the truth. As an Amen Clinics Certified Brain Health Coach I had strayed from the way…I had stopped being a BRAIN WARRIOR. Brain warriors have brain envy—we admire people who know how to sleep, exercise, diet, meditate, hydrate, and supplement their brains and bodies with mental, spiritual and emotional fuel to help be productive and peaceful. We try to become like them. We don’t give up trying to break bad habits (even addictions to stress) and we strive to find balance every day, so that we can become better at whatever it is that we wish to do. We are incurable optimists, and we do not accept the vision of lack, but abundance for ourselves, our lives and for our loved ones. I knew I owed it to myself and to my family to be more rested, and
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better fueled. I returned to my practice of meditation and hydration, and slowly recaptured sleep that I thought I had lost forever. It was my experience that without a doubt, good sleep habits are an absolute essential, and Heidi Hanna beautifully lays out great tools to not only improve sleep, increase energy and but to reduce stress in fun and productive ways. She peppers these tips in all of her books, and each and every one of her masterpieces are food for the soul, and help us learn to create physical energy through the magic of learning to UNPLUG, another of Heidi’s brilliant ideas for renewal. Along with Heidi Hanna’s good advice, in my opinion, one of the greatest weapons we have to beat the crazy voice in our head that lies to us about multi-tasking, or not having enough time to take time for ourselves, is gratitude. It is an antidote to that little gerbil-on-a-wheel that Dr. Earl Henslin, in his book This is Your Brain on Joy, calls the part of your brain that obsesses and ruminates and lies to us. All too often we forget to count our blessings, and laugh a little at our foibles and life’s mishaps. As Shawn Achor, a world-renowned happiness guru explains in his hilariously famous TEDEX talk, life can be viewed in a whole different light by “changing the
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lens” by which we see the world, and we can embrace the “Happiness Advantage”. 4 For me, a simple beginning to this practice is to adopt being mindful of the blessings we are given and to daily practice Good Hearted Living Principles (GHL) as explained by the World Laughter Tour. 5 To be sure a 21 -day practice of GHL is a great start to help the brain load up with feel good thoughts, and humor and mirthful laughter floods our brains further with gamma waves and chemicals 6to help us optimize our performance and resilience. As April, National Humor Month winds down, I am glad to report that among one of my many accomplishments, the greatest has been encouraging high school students in Tennessee to look at life more cheerfully, to adopt therapeutic laughter as a means of reducing stress, and to embrace mindfulness through weekly Good Hearted Living Principles that will help to drown out the lies our brains tell us when we go into automatic negative thinking that rob us of sleep, peace of mind, productivity, creativity and our sense of humor. I am thankful to the Laughter Arts Foundation for helping me honor these wonderfully dedicated high school students who are on their way to developing resilience. Join me in adopting these GHL mindful attitudes by journaling 21 days and reporting your findings to me at debra@debranorwood.com Better yet, message me and together we can share our experiences! We can become agents of cheer in any setting. If depression and anxiety is clouding the way, let us see if I can design a plan of care with the aid of professionals who have years of experience in helping individuals with these very issues. With proper brain habits and humor, we can begin to find peace in any situation.
For more information on Motivational keynotes or seminars about fighting automatic negative thoughts or to learn more about the GHL challenge, write me at debra@debranorwood.com or find me through LinkedIn at Debra Chaves Norwood. Friend me on Facebook at Laughter Lawyer USA or twitter @laughterlawyeru
TEDxBloomington-Shawn Achor-“The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance” May 14,2011, Bloomington Indiana https://youtu.be/GXy_kBVq1M 5 Good Hearted Living TM www.worldlaughtertour.com 6 Dr.Lee Berk, Loma Linda University, “Humor & Laughter and Gamma Waves in the Brain”, keynote presentation, AATH, April 2016, Phoenix, AZ. 4
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Contact Debra Norwood: http://www.laughterlawyerusa.com
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Contact Debra Norwood: http://www.laughterlawyerusa.com
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Why Family Travel Is Important By Lisa Rossmeissl
Photos Courtesy of Boomerang Escapes
“The world is a book and those that do not travel only read one page. “ - St. Augustine
I CONSIDER MYSELF TO HAVE HAD A PRIVILEGED LIFE . BECAUSE OF MY FATHER’S RISE TO SUCCESS ON THE CORPORATE LADDER WE SPENT A GOOD BIT OF TIME MOVING. To date I can say that I
have lived in 9 different states. But beyond the moves, and his busy work travel schedule, we always had our family vacation. We may not have traveled the far reaches of the world (that would come with my current career), but we did see quite a bit of the states and I was given the
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Hobbiton, New Zealand
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Why Family Travel is Important (Continued) opportunity to visit Canada and Mexico as well. Americans today, forget how important these family vacations are. Even if the family vacation is only an hour from your home to the nearest lake campground, the point is to escape as a family unit. It is incredible how many American families do not use their vacation time. Fortunately, my exposure to the sights of the United States led me to ultimately make sure our children were exposed to travel. One of the first major trips I did with them was to take them to Europe when they were toddlers; a driving trip through Germany and Austria. As they grew and sports demands ate into our vacation time, I would plan little mini vacations within the sporting event. I remember one year while in Huntsville, Alabama for a gymnastics meet we made time to visit The U.S. Space Rocket Center. Even with our family trips to visit relatives, I would add in an extra activity to expose the kids to a spectacular spot or event along the way. One year we included the Natural Bridge and the Caves in Virginia as we made our way to see my folks in Vermont. Once I began my travel career, the destinations outside the US increased with amazing family vacations to Jamaica and Mexico. And while most parents may have been rewarding their children’s hard efforts at school with money, mine were tempted with trips. I made a deal with each child that if they took a foreign language throughout their high school years, I would take them on a trip. So far two have completed high school and both were rewarded with trips. A cruise to the Exotic Western Caribbean and the other a trip to Australia and New Zealand. The oldest has even continued her foreign language into college and it is a second major for her.
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Why Family Travel is Important (Continued)
Why do I tell you the history of mine and my family’s travel? Because travel near or far provides so much more than the internet, home, or school. My top reasons for making time for a vacation are: •
• • •
Family travel first and foremost strengthens and unites the family. Getting away from the daily stresses of work and school together is so rewarding. Your children will only be young once, so cherish it. (I highly encourage limiting or removing the electronic usage, too.) Family travel exposes children to other people. Traveling, particularly if it is outside the US, let’s children experience new culture. It allows them see how other people live. Family travel provides hands-on education. When you take the time to visit historic sites, you bring the past to life. Family travel develops appreciation for what we have at home. Your children will be less likely to take the daily comforts for granted. I remember when our tour guide in Mexico was describing his daily life to us and the look on my daughter’s face when it dawned on her that they lived without plumbing.
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I encourage you to make an escape each and every year. There are so many other little benefits that come from taking time away. If you are not sure how to travel with kids, checkout an earlier piece I did. How to Turn Your Toddlers into Travelers http://boomerangescapes.com/blog/2014/11/07/travel/turn-your-toddlers-intotravelers/#.VxvqZzArKM8
“..while you are alive collect moments not things, earn respect not money and enjoy love not luxuries.” –Aarti Khurana
Lisa Rossmeissl is the owner of Boomerang Escapes, a home-based agency located in Memphis, Tennessee. She has been a professional travel consultant since 2008 and specializes in Australia and the South Pacific. Australia, Tahiti, Fiji, and Cook Islands are among the specialist certificates she holds. Her agency’s focus is on creating itineraries with their client’s wants, desires and budgets in mind. She and her planners believe in getting to know the traveler to ensure they have a vacation to remember. With each planner specializing in a different market area, Boomerang Escapes can offer a wide ride of leisure vacation planning. Call 901-386-3600, Email info@boomerangescapes.com or visit the web http://www.boomerangescapes.com for more information.
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The Wall Written by: Eve Bunting Illustrated by: Ronald Himler
A boy travels to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial with his father to seek out his grandfather’s name. For ages 4+
One Crazy Summer Written by: Rita Williams-Garcia Eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. She’s had to be, ever since their mother, Cecile, left them seven years ago for a radical new life in California. When they arrive from Brooklyn to spend the summer with her, Cecile is nothing like they imagined. While the girls hope to go to Disneyland and meet Tinker Bell, their mother sends them to a day camp run by the Black Panthers. Unexpectedly, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern learn much about their family, their country, and themselves during one truly crazy summer. http://www.theknowledgetree.com
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• Glycolic Acid and Collagen Building Block smooth texture and help firm lines and wrinkles • Exfoliates and lightly hydrates every day to dramatically improve the overall appearance of skin, revealing a smooth, fresh radiance • Recommended for normal / combination skin http://www.Exuviance.com
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1000 Red Noses Your True Colours
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By Debra Joy Hart RN BFA CLL-E
Peace begins with a smile. ~Mother Teresa WHEN I FIRST HEARD THIS QUOTE, I SAID TO MYSELF, “I CAN DO THIS .” I have no idea exactly when I started wanting people to smile more. Perhaps it was my father who gave me non-verbal permission, since he was the clown of all dinnertime conversations. He retold antics from his childhood growing up in Chicago. My brother and I laughed until our sides hurt. Mom just groaned at hearing the story for the 99th time. Dad was the life of all our home parties. Mom was a “for real-dressed up clown” at our school functions. Perhaps it was the way certain grade school teachers droned on in class, and I felt it was my mission to, “lighten up” my classmates’ faces. Class clowning and getting kicked out of class was second nature to me. Maybe it was my first nature. In the work force, whether I was a waitress, factory worker, or shoe clerk, a smile brought the best tips, and laughter made for the easiest shift. So, when I began I began working in health care in 1985 and became an RN in 1989, I realized that a smile or laughter brought the best of healing and wholeness to coworkers, staff and… patients. It was at this time, that I truly began studying the powerful health benefits of smiling, humor, laughter and mirth. In 1996, I joined the Association of Applied Therapeutic Humor. (www.aath.org) I learned the concept of “Planned Spontaneity.” It became part of my
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1000 Red Noses (Continued)
everyday life. Although the phrase itself sounds like an oxymoron, it explains why my Uncle Herman could keep a harmonica in his pocket, pull it out at some quiet time, and make us all laugh.
Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day. ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
I don’t have a harmonica like my uncle. I do have red noses. I carry several with me at all times. That is the part that is planned. And, when I pull one out and put one on my nose or give one to a fussy child riding in a cramped grocery cart, the spontaneous smile, and giggles begin. It charms the scowl off the parent /guardian. The cashier spontaneously sighs relief. The people in line have spontaneous smiles.
In health care, that single red nose has been a source of encouragement and hope. And, when the laughter and giggles commence, I know there is life. It is a fact: When you are laughing, you are breathing. Perhaps, as you read this, many of you are remembering the movie, “Patch Adams.” His story, (his persona played by Robin Williams) and that big luscious plastic red nose used to cheer cancer patients on, helped put humor and health squarely in the limelight. And, before Patch Adams, people like Norman Cousins, Vera M. Robinson EdD RN, Lee Berk DrPH MPH, Robert Provine, and Rod Martin ( and these are just a few researchers in the 20th and 21st Century) all studied and reported the significant health reasons why laughter ( perhaps instigated by a red nose) is good for your mind, body and spirit. Last month, was National Humor Month. The benefits of smiling and laughing are enormous. And, to quote Founder of World Laughter Tour and psychologist Steve Wilson, MA: Even if there were not a single shred of evidence that it (laughter/humor) affected my biology or health, I would opt for a life filled with laughter because a life absent of laughter is too dreadful to contemplate.
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1000 Red Noses (Continued)
In 2012, as part of my Humor Academy (AATH) studies, I started the 1000 Red Noses project. It formalized what I have been doing for years. I found out back then that the United Kingdom has been doing a RED NOSE DAY for years, to raise money for people in the UK and Africa. It started in February of 1988. The U.S. version of this started last year, May 2015. I handed out Red Noses that I supplied (not the ones from Walgreens) at a local coffee shop and raised almost $200 for our local foodbank.
Become a piece of peace. How does it get any better than this? And it always does! Debra Joy Hart RN BFA CLL-E
And, what is 1000 RED NOSES all about?
My mission: To plant seeds of peace in the world, growing one smile at a time. M a y 2 0 1 6 | 29
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Why:
A singe Red Nose, whether seen and/or worn, is symbolic of the potential to smile. Human smiles can be a symbol for possibilities and hope. The physical act of smiling can create positive brain chemistry. Positive brain chemistry can lead to increased emotional and physical health.
“Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice, pull down your pants and slide on the ice." Sidney Freedman "O.R." M.A.S.H. TV series
How: 1000 Red Noses educates and creates an experience for the positive effects of humor and laughter on the mind, body and spirit. Education is offered to corporations, healthcare, schools, orphanages, business and ministries. This is accomplished with Laughter Exercises (worldlaughtertour.com), visual arts (PowerPoint presentations) and scientific inquiry and knowledge (aath.org and worldlaughtertour.com). In all presentations, as well as gatherings to distribute red noses, all are offered a single red nose. M a y 2 0 1 6 | 30
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1000 Red Noses (Continued)
In 2012, I applied for “not for profit” status within the state of Illinois. I started a specific Facebook page. However, legally, if I put pictures on social media, anyone can take and use them. I want to save those photos for my book: 1000 Red Noses: A Visual Study of Love and Laughter. The fun part is traveling all over the world, presenting and handing out red noses. Red Noses have been handed out at the base of Machu Pichu, and helped temper a riot that was happening. Chicago Police Department riding on bicycles thru the city appreciated the jocularity and red noses as they patrolled Occupy Chicago demonstrations (2011). The Mayor of Komatsu Japan, wore a red nose as he met with townsfolk. A bed and breakfast host in Ireland smiled widely with a red nose. College classes around the Midwest and Japan proudly sported red noses. 102 year old from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Canada) and a 10 minute old newborn from Sierra Leone (Africa) have been touched with a red nose.
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I used to be afraid that writing and acting in comedies might be a frivolous occupation, but when I think about all the good that laughing does for people, I get the feeling that making people laugh can be noble work. You have a wonderful laugh. You gurgle when you laugh. Keep gurgling. Be sure to gurgle three times a day for your own wellbeing. There are people who think that the only thing that separates humans from the rest of the animals is their ability to laugh. I'm not so sure anything separates us from the rest of the animals except perhaps our extreme egotism that leads us to think that they're animals and we're not. But I do notice that when people are laughing, they're generally not killing one another. So keep laughing yourself and if you can get other people to join you in your laughter, you may help keep this shaky boat afloat. Alan Alda Intuition”
“The Wilderness of Your
Commencement address at Connecticut College New London, Connecticut USA May 20, 1980
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1000 Red Noses (Continued)
And, what do Canadian Ursaline nuns and Peruvian shamans have in common? Red Noses. Travelling the markets of Huarez, Peru, I handed out red noses. One gentle man, sitting with his adult daughter, took one. He posed and gave a lopsided full grinned smile. His daughter rushed after me and the translator said, “Her father had a stroke and this is the first time he has smiled in months.� The daughter had tears in her eyes that showed nothing but gratitude for this moment. And this is why I bring 1000 red noses as I travel to certain countries. Because if I make at least 1 person smile each day, I feel as if I have made the world a little more peace- filled, one nose at a time. Really. How does it get any better than this? Perhaps this prayer from an anonymous clown sums up what is in my heart: As I stumble through this life, help me to create more laughter than tears, dispense more cheer than gloom, spread more cheer than despair. Never let me become so indifferent, that I will fail to see the wonders in the eyes of a child, or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged. Never let me forget that my total effort is to cheer people, make them happy, and forget momentarily, all the unpleasantness in their lives. And in my final moment, may I hear You whisper: "When you made My people smile, you made Me smile." M a y 2 0 1 6 | 33
Your True Colours
Your True Colours
Vol. 3 Issue 5
http://www.amazon.com/Grandma-Ds-Bubbles-Lesson-Life/dp/1496961951
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Your True Colours
Vol. 3 Issue 5
Your True Colours
http://www.valentia.com
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Your True Colours
To order the workbook, $12.95, or monthly support for $35 a month or $300 a year: http://yourtruecolours.biz/store.html
We live in an age where instant gratification is at its height. Instant gratification does not encourage the setting of short term, and eventually, long term goals. We have developed a simple program of goal setting and working towards individual changes within one’s life experiences and daily encounters. Our subjects cover a variety of different options within one’s personality, personal choices, or professional endeavors. Do not overload yourself. Make yourself accountable. Present yourself in your best light, and then move forward toward that life definition. Select two goals a month, one from two different subjects. After you have completed one goal in each subject; start over again. Sometimes you may be able to choose more than two goals a month, however, realize that to change a behavior one must do a goal for at least 21 days. Do not give up. If you stop for a few days, just pick up where you left off. It if is a goal that would change behavior, then your 21 days would start over. Need help? For $35 a month, we will provide support weekly through email and one video chat call a month.
Your True Colours
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Vol. 3 Issue 5
Your True Colours
Vol. 3 Issue 5
Your True Colours
Navigating That Pesky Brain Of Yours By Bonnie Bruderer
My Sit Down With Business Guru Katherine McIntosh I’m very fortunate in my line of work to have constant face-to-face interaction with people who have dedicated their lives to helping entrepreneurs young and old improve their business. Katherine McIntosh is a person who specifically helps success-seekers navigate their own brains to achieve their goals. I run my own business and life out of Manhattan, so I know all too well how tough dealing with my own brain can be, so this woman came to me like out of a dream.
Here are four very important things I learned from our chat: 1. Entrepreneurs are born. I remember my first lemonade stand. I would rummage through my mom’s pantry and take her own groceries to increase my sales. And I’d always get in trouble. Katherine agrees that people like us are born with an inner urge to make our business succeed. Without it, we would have no motivation. And motivation is key. This inner hustle is that “entrepreneurial spirit” we hear so much about, but don’t quite understand.
this woman came to me like out of a dream. 2. Everybody’s brain is different, and therefore handles business differently. People are people. They are unique in every possible way. Business, as we know, is about money. So how can so many different brains know how to make money? That’s right, they don’t. Instead, you need help from people like Katherine in locating and exploiting your own strengths, which can be a tough feat. Every entrepreneur has a special talent they can apply to their business. Find yours! 3. When in doubt, take a step back. When you hit that road block (and trust us, you will) it’s important to “look at the bigger landscape,” says Katherine. The path to achieving your goal has been blocked by something. It’s not your fault, that’s just how it works. What you may not realize is that there are an infinite number of paths available for you to achieve that same goal. You just need to step back a little to see them. 4. Be in the curiosity, not the conclusion. This is what separates the real business minds from the others. Being in business shouldn’t be all about the money and success that comes with it, it should be about the act and the love of making your dream come to life. Everyone knows the cliche “it’s about the journey, not the destination.” Well, let’s update it to be more like “it’s about the grind, not the paycheck.”
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Your True Colours
Your True Colours
Vol. 3 Issue 5
“If it’s inside of you, you have the resources and the magic to create it into existence.” ~Katherine McIntosh
Bonnie Bruderer Bonnie has an extensive background in the personal development field including training in NLP, Hypnotherapy, Holistic Health, Results Coaching and holds 10 certifications in human behavior and personal development. She also attended Columbia University’s Internal Coaching Certification Program.
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Your True Colours
Your True Colours
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Vol. 3 Issue 5
Your True Colours
Vol. 3 Issue 5
Your True Colours
http://bonnieannbruderer.com/
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Your True Colours