Dear #Positivity Friends, | |
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When we embark on a new year, we often set new goals for ourselves. “New year, new you!” as the marketing patter goes. Seeking to improve some aspect of our lives or to expand our experience is always worthwhile, regardless of the season of the year or the season of our lives, for that matter.
I make big stretch-and-grow goals and tiny be-a-little-bit-better goals all the time. They help me keep focused on the things that are important to me—my family, my community, my business. As I try to accomplish those goals, I think constantly about one of my favorite words in the English language: strive. I love this word because it’s noble and vigorous and filled with promise. Like all creatures in the natural world, when we strive, we’re seeking out the sunshine and oxygen we need to grow and contribute to this planet.
I recently decided I was going to learn to play the piano. I never played as a kid, never had any kind of musical instruction at all. My children were very excited for me and bought me books to help me learn this new skill. I’m not a book learner, though, and I don’t have the time to work with a piano teacher. So I turned to YouTube instructional videos—200 three-minute classes—that perfectly suit my learning style and lo and behold, one month into this little venture, I’m playing the piano. I’m not banging out Rachmaninoff or anything but I’m playing! On the one hand, I am kind of surprised by this outcome. On the other, I know that whatever I turn my attention—and intention—to, I believe I can make it happen, which to me is the essence and beauty of the word strive.
Find one small thing to strive for in 2023. And make it something that will put a smile on your face. Your “muscles” will get stronger and your confidence will grow. Let me know how you’re doing so we can share in each other’s progress and success.
As always, I hope that you are enjoying my newsletter. If you missed an edition, our last newsletter can be found on my website. Pass this newsletter along and encourage your family and friends to sign up!
With hope and positivity,
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World-renowned Brazilian skydiver Luigi Cani’s daredevil jumps have earned him 11 skydiving world records over his 22-year career. In March 2022, Cani performed the most important jump of his life. Over the last 15 years, deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has decimated tens of thousands of acres of trees. For more than five years, Cani planned a jump with a giant box filled with 100 million seeds from 27 species of native trees that would help replenish the bare area. He worked with partners to secure the necessary permits, map out the logistics of the jump, collect the seeds, and design and produce the biodegradable box. After many trials, he made the jump, opening the box and releasing the seeds over the target area at exactly 6,000 feet. Amazingly, the seeds fell exactly where they were supposed to and 95% of them have germinated since the jump. Cani said of this extreme maneuver, “It was the only jump in my life that I held my breath the entire time.” | |
The Buffalo, New York area is no stranger to big snowfalls. But the storm that hit on Christmas weekend of 2022 was a whopper. Three workers at a McDonald’s restaurant in Amherst, New York—Jeffrey Spangler, Kristen Kosha and Amanda Kendall—realized they weren’t going to make it home that Friday because of the treacherous conditions. They decided to keep the restaurant open and people started straggling in right away. First it was stranded motorists in the area who made their way to the restaurant, then others were dropped off by emergency crews after making rescues along the highways. Over the course of the weekend, about 50 people—including a 7-month-old baby and a couple of dogs—rode out the storm in a warm, safe place with coffee, burgers, and the Buffalo Bills game on the TV. Spangler told the local news station, “We were more worried about making sure everyone was okay and being prepared for what possibly could happen next. We wanted to be there and ready to help.” | |
The innovative recycling of plastic waste has resulted in all kinds of new products, now including roads. Five states across the country—California, Hawaii, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Virginia—are testing roads paved with waste plastics mixed with asphalt. Testing is still in the early stages, but the California Department of Transportation had such great results with a small section of road that another 500-foot section of Highway 99 near Sacramento was paved with a mix of 10% recycled plastic from printing ink cartridges and asphalt. States need to monitor this pavement carefully, test for durability and wear from weather, and make sure that microplastics from the pavement don’t leach into waterways. Many of these test roads are paved with mixtures of different plastic-to-asphalt ratios so the experts are able to compare results to determine what mixes work best in which areas. The results of these tests may prove enough to keep tons of future plastic waste out of landfills. | | |
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The number one successful business trait is grit—doing whatever it takes, all the time. True grit takes a long-term commitment, but you do it because you truly love what you do.
Follow #MosheMeansBusiness on FB and Instagram for more tips!
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Atomic Habits
by James Clear
New Year’s resolutions are all about making changes, right? While most people know what they’d like to accomplish, they have no idea how to make it happen. James Clear, a leading expert on habit formation, has the real-world strategies to help you understand your habits, break bad ones, and create good ones.
Clear breaks down the process into everyday behaviors and changes that can help you reach your goals. This book offers practical methods to help with motivation, making time for change, understanding how your environment effects your goals, and getting back on track when you go off course. There are true stories from successful artists, business leaders, athletes, and comedians who have used Clear’s system to reach the top in their fields. Atomic Habits just might give you the tools to make real change in your life.
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If you like our #Positivity® Newsletter...You’ll 💕Our Podcast, Common Denominator. Each week, I have inspiring conversations with great thinkers. | |
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Now Playing
‣ Phil Daru has trained NFL players, UFC fighters, world champion boxers, and Olympic athletes to get them physically and mentally fit for competition. He’ll share what it takes to get your body – and mind – into elite condition, and how to become a more confident and powerful person.
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Coming Jan. 31st
‣ Steve Sayre and Kelsey Bohlen are the director and narrator, respectively, of the new documentary Ghosts and the Afterlife, a film that bills itself as the first truly scientific investigation into ghosts and life after death. They’ll tell us why – based on the research – there is no doubt that life continues after we die.
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Available on your favorite podcast app and YouTube | |
Spreading #Positivity®
Thank you, readers, for sending us your photos with your comments. We are so excited that you are helping spread a positive message everywhere you go! Let’s keep spreading #Positivity® together! Send us your photos and stories to [email protected] and include your name and social media handle. We will feature them in the next newsletter and on Facebook!
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Listen to Common Denominator & Follow Me on Social! | | | | |
