Awesome Stories 313

/ April 1, 2017

This week Awesome Stories brings you healthy habits, passion, blessings, and kinder teaching.

Healthy Habits

Alex Korb, a UCLA neuroscientist, offers us four healthy habits that can create more happiness in our lives. Alex suggests that we use these habits daily to create a cycle of well-being in our lives by boosting our brain chemistry. The 4 rituals are asking questions when you feel down, identifying feelings, making decisions, and giving and receiving touch. The article gives lots of good tips on how and why to use each of these habits to improve your life. My favorite tip (and most needed) is touch. I’ve heard others sources suggest that 5-7 hugs a day can help build our immune system. Have you had your daily dose of touch?

Passionate Purpose

Passion is the magic that unlocks the door and then drives you to become that best that you can become. ~ Greta

Greta Pontarelli is clearly a woman who has found passion in her life. She had always been active, and tried to revisit gymnastics at age 55 but was injured. After almost giving up, she discovered pole dancing and transformed her body and life. Greta is now a 5 time World Master in pole dancing for people over 50. She loves to inspire others to move beyond their fears and not let age be a limiter. She has also competed on America’s Got Talent and America Ninja Warrior! As her quote shows, she believes finding our passion is the magic elixir for creating health and happiness. If you’d like to learn more about Greta or her passion for inspiring others, check out her Aerial Zen website.

Count Your Blessings

Hannah Brencher makes a fun and persuasive argument that we can change the world with hot cocoa. She offers a poignant reminder that small acts of kindness matter and the best way to create large-scale change is by making consistent small steps in the direction that we want to go. Hannah suggests that we research fun ways to be a blessing to others and then start doing them. Then we might just change the world! For her part, Hannah created the More Love Letters movement to help make love famous by bringing back the art of writing love letters! I love the idea and will contribute with more blog posts about love. 🙂

Kinder Teaching

kinder teaching, Awesome Stories

Nina D’Aran, Principal of Central School in South Berwick, Maine, where they’ve implemented many of Dr. Ross Greene’s methods.

I love this approach to teaching and discipline. Researchers have found that punishment is the worst thing we can do for kids who act out. What these kids need is help with coping skills. Psychologist Ross Greene has developed a more collaborative approach to teaching and parenting that is growing a faithful following and even being adopted in schools and detention centers. His approach turns teachers and staff into allies instead of adversaries and is being used to help kids with cognitive or development challenges develop better problem solving and coping skills. The methods range from addressing the specific needs of children with behavioral issues to the setup and structure of the classroom activities. Early results are very promising with schools reporting up to an 80 percent drop in disciplinary referrals, suspensions, and incidents of aggression. I hope this kinder approach to teaching is widely adopted.

Let’s spread more kindness and love!

Related posts

38 thoughts on “Awesome Stories 313”

  5. Awesome stories. I feel can be a open book. Because people around the world can share their life experiences and people can then give their advice on how a person can make things better. But most importantly it’s good to here a person life story. Just take it as an example if anyone see freedom writers , that’s a great illustration of close to about 313 stories, because all the kids went through something. And in the end they became successful, and pursue what they wanted to do. Just by Mrs. Gruemoll setting a positive example or a role modelship into their life.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. Thankyou Brad amazing stories of being happy… love the inspiration of the lady, my daughter who is in her early 40’s has also started pole dancing, she loves it too and swears it’ll keep her forever young and active… much love barbara x

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. It’s hard to deny the truth and conviction behind Greta’s quote about passion driving us to heights we otherwise wouldn’t attain when seeing this young-at-heart woman pole dancing her way to success. It’s also a great reminder to keep exploring those things that most people would raise their eyebrows at and dismiss.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. Thank you for another week of awesome stories! I was enjoying the article about gratitude and hugs and seeing Greta’s incredible spirit in action. I’m all for reading Pablo Neruda out loud. A collaborative approach to teaching works. Again, thank you, for a wonderful collection of uplifting stories.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. I really enjoyed that Hannah Brencher article. I’m a fan of her writing, and the more love letters idea. Thanks for this reminder. Am also inspired by this kinder approach to teaching, and it made me think of a piece in an Alice Walker book, which I can’t find right now, but the basic idea was that in this community, when someone did something ‘wrong’ the whole community would gather around them, and each person would share a specific example of something they appreciated about that person. How beautiful. How sensible! How radical, considering our society’s normal response to ‘wrong’ doing. Thanks for another wonderfully life affirming and hope inducing collection Brad. Blessings, Harula xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Harula. I love that practice from Alice Walker’s book. I’ve heard of a similar practice in African tribes when someone commits a crime or injury to another. They gather and support the person! Have an inspired week my friend.

      Like

      Reply

Your turn!