One expert recently postulated that if you start out the morning with a little “forced” positivity, it can start the day off right. That’s right, forced positivity. Fake it till you make it, baby!

If you think about it, the morning (and Monday) are natural beginnings. When you lie in bed, waking, slowly introduce some positive thoughts into your head. Again, you may be feeling a deep sense of malaise and dread at the approaching week, so it’s alright to make it up! Take a few deep breaths. Clear your mind. Relax. Say something positive, out loud if possible. “I’m grateful to be alive today.” “The sun looks beautiful through the curtains.” “My body feels good.” “I’m strong and healthy.”

Another great way to reinforce the “first morning positivity?” Exercise. If you can’t go for a small walk or run, try some deep breaths and gentle stretching. Put on some inviting classical or jazz music.

The message here? You don’t always have to feel positive to be positive. It’s a choice - a choice that isn’t always easy to make - but a choice nonetheless.

Wake up! Your life has begun.

I've been out of action for a while - my laptop expired! But I got back online today, just in time to find this great story on NPR. It documents the progress made in cleaning up the Cuyahoga River in Ohio, USA, over the last 40 years. Amazingly, this river was so polluted in the 1960s and 70s it caught fire (more than once). Most fish couldn't survive in the water, and it would certainly have been foolish to swim in it. But media coverage led to environmental activism, which in turn spawned regulation and ultimately the birth of the Environmental Protection Agency - and the Cuyahoga got cleaned up. Now, people kayak up and down the river, which is filled with all kinds of fish. As the NPR article points out, the waters aren't pristine, but they are much healthier. It seems the public spotlight is quite an effective bleaching agent!

Some of us make the most of our time, no matter how limited. Such was the case of Elena Desserich, a little girl with a serious problem. When Elena was only five years old, she was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer.

"They told us at the very beginning that she had 135 days to live," Elena's father, Keith Desserich, told WLWT News.

Elena and her family made the most of that time. She spent the long days in the hospital working on her paintings, which were full of hearts, fairies, and smiling families. One of her artworks was displayed in a local gallery in Cincinnati, right next to a Picasso painting. As the tumor grew larger and she lost the use of her voice, she began to communicate with her family by writing notes.

Elena died in 2007, just nine months after her diagnosis, lying in bed beside her parents.

Even though they'd known Elena's death was inevitable, her parents Keith and Brooke were devastated by the loss. But they soon discovered that she had left a gift behind for them.

Not long after her death, Elena's parents were sorting through her things when they began to find notes that she had written to them. "They would be in between CDs or between books on our bookshelf," said Keith.

All through her final days, Elena had been writing love notes to her family, and hiding them in secret places throughout the house.

"We started to collect them and they would all say 'I love you Mom, Dad and Grace.' We kept finding them, and still to this day, we keep finding them."

While Brooke and Keith treasure all of the notes from Elena, each of them has left a single envelope unopened. "We always want to know that there's one more note that we haven't read yet," said Keith.

Elena’s parents Keith and Brooke recently published a book about Elena's short but inspiring life, called Notes Left Behind. All proceeds from the sale of the book go towards The Cure Starts Now, the non-profit they founded to help find a cure for cancer.

Source: Gimundo

Following up on yesterday's theme, trying to find some silver linings in current economic news, I stumbled across this piece on the Huffington Post website. It's an opinion piece, on the theme of America's "awakening". But it's not just America, of course. Many in the West, and beyond, are waking up - to what they've spent, what they owe and what they've lost in the process. The latter is an interesting theme - one that the author of the Huffington Post column says she's going to pursue in the weeks to come. The big question of course is whether and how we can recover what we've lost, find meaning beyond consumerism and achieve a more sustainable lifestyle. At the end of the day, we each have to answer that for ourselves...

The Premises Studios in East London, opened over 21 years ago, is one of the most popular music studios with state-of-the-art equipment that offer musicians and up-and-coming bands affordable space to rehearse and record. Many big names have passed through these old doors, including Nina Simone and Lily Allen.

But more than just a place to jam, the studios offer charity in the form of a various educational programs, running various courses and workshops for musicians of varying abilities. The idea here? To make music and musical training affordable and easy for would-be musicians in need.

The programs also offer specific training in the use of sound equipment.

Fully solar powered studio at Premises (above)

As if that weren’t enough, they’re a “green” studio, professionally solar-powered, producing energy from photovolataic panels on the roof. In addition, they refurbished the building using reclaimed and recycled materials.

One building - long-standing, creatively productive, community-based and green. If all of our buildings could sing the same song!

Contact: The Premises Studios,

201-209 Hackney Road, London, E2 8JL

Tel: +44 (0)20 7729 7593

Website: www.premisesstudios.com

Did you know that reading is a great way to get out of the dumps? Not only does it stimulate parts of my your mind but it serves as a form of self-meditation and stimulates creativity. Of course, the other added benefit is that it improves your intelligence and educates you. Reading before bedtime, for instance, it’s been shown to relax and “clear” your mind for a more restful night sleep.

If you’re feeling particularly stuck in an area of your life, go to your used book store or library and find a book that advises you in that area. Find a quiet space, take a deep breath and open your mind for what’s in store.

During this computer age, we have slowly drifted away from this simple act that has such profound effects.

Make some time to lift your spirits and stimulate your mind.

Read, learn, grow, let go….

After reading reviews about Bruce Springsteen’s performance during last week’s Super Bowl, one can only be impressed. Regardless of what you think about his music, his physicality and presence is still amazingly strong and vibrant. He’s close to 60 years old.

Conversely, there are many of us who at 35 or 40, start talking like this:

“Well, I’m not a kid anymore.”

“I can’t do (fill in the blank) like I used to.”

“My age is really starting to show.”

Now, the point here is not to dismiss the fact that we’re getting older. All of us are! But your attitude surrounding it can make the difference between vibrancy or shoulder slumping defeat.

How much do you excuse because of your age? Perhaps that “aching back” is based on chronic inactivity, not the fact that your 45.

Give up your ideas about age and move toward health. There are tons of examples of people whose creativity, activity, life direction and attitude give them a sense of constant youth, vibrancy and strength.

With a population nearing 3 million, Guayaquil in Southern Equador is home to more than 200 gangs and 60,000 gang youth. But the streets are a little quieter these days and considerably more safer, due to the divine workings of Nelsa Curbelo, a 66-year-old former nun and teacher and a true social reformer.

Unafraid to examine the inner workings of gangs in her neighborhood, for years she spent enmeshed with the gangs, asking questions, trying to understand. And instead of dismissing the kids she was meeting as delinquents, she took the time to find out about the positive aspects of gangs: togetherness, teamwork, camaraderie

"By far the most terrible thing I learned," says Curbelo, "is that assaulting, harming or killing others is a way to say, 'I am here. What needs to be enhanced is the power to build life, So Ser Paz [her organization based on peace] offers the local youth a way to "feel present without committing a crime."

As the crime rate drops in Guayaquil drops substantially because of Curbelo and Ser Paz’s social efforts, she has this to say:

"Love is the greatest power in the universe. Love is more powerful than violence, more powerful than the atomic bomb. Love has the power to transform lives, to change cities and the whole world. Only love has this deep creative power. I am absolutely sure of it."

Most of us pay very little mind to the way we speak. We don’t realize that it influences the way people hear our message and interpret our intention. Conversely, we may notice how others speak to us. If someone talks to us in a strident, high-pitched manner, for instance, it may make us nervous. If someone speaks too monotonously, we may “zone out” and not really care about the message they are sending.

A kind, warm and inviting voice helps others around you relax and want to communicate with you. Take a moment today to notice your speaking voice. Can you make some improvements to it? Do you speak clearly and succinctly? Is the back of your throat open when you speak (which creates a richer sound) or is it closed off, constricted?

Your voice is a very direct extension of yourself. When you speak well, you create a positive energy around you. It’s the vocal ripple effect! Today, make some positive changes to the way you speak. You’ll notice it makes others around you feel better as well as giving you more poise and self-confidence.

Every now and again you witness a feat by a fellow human being that is truly astounding. This story, from Canada's CBC News, documents just such a feat. Earlier today, 56-year-old Jennifer Figge arrived on a small island off the coast of Trinidad. It was the first time she'd set foot on dry land for 24 days, since she left Cape Verde to swim across the Atlantic. In doing so, she became the first woman to swim across the ocean. The first man did so about a decade ago. Apparently, Figge swam in a large cage to ensure she wasn't attacked by sharks! Marine life aside, I'm just amazed she managed to keep warm enough. Rather her than me... I'm seriously impressed! (Photo from AP/CBC News.)