Favorite Finds Of The Week

Finally no rain in the forecast this weekend. Yay!! We are off to the lake to do a whole lot of relaxing and taking it easy. I hope you enjoy these articles I found on my journey around the web this week. Have a great weekend and Happy Independence Day to all of our American friends!

Rope Jumping As a Form of Exercise – dietriffic

How would you like a piece of exercise equipment, which sells for less than $20, can fit into any bag, the whole family can use it, it’s fun, and it improves your cardiovascular fitness while toning muscle all at the same time?

What is it? A jump rope of course!

What I love about skipping is you can burn an amazing amount of calories in just 15 to 20 minutes. Depending on how fast you jump, you could potentially burn off 5 to 15 calories per minute.

Happiness Tip: Practice Random Acts of Kindness - Abundance Blog at Marelisa Online

In “The Healing Power of Doing Good”, Allan Luks reports that there’s a phenomenon called the helper’s high, which is described as a feeling of warmth and increased energy, as well as a feeling of euphoria, that people feel when they’re being kind to others. In addition, a 2005 study from Hebrew University in Israel found a link between kindness and the release of dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter in the brain.

The Psychology of Cash Management: How Large Bills Can Help You Spend Less – Almost Frugal

Small bills are very convenient to carry around. After all, they do make it easy to pay in exact change. But according to a recent study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, carrying small bills can actually cause you to spend more on impulse than you otherwise would.

This phenomenon is called the “denomination effect,” and has a lot to do with the ease of making a purchase. For example, let’s say that I walk into a souvenir shop and see a baseball cap I just have to buy. After tax, the cost of the cap comes to exactly $13.00. If I had exact change (say a ten and three ones), it would be very easy for me to complete the transaction. However, if I were only carrying twenty dollar bills, then the transaction becomes a bit of a hassle. I’d have to break a crisp new twenty, and then count my change. Psychologically, breaking a large bill makes it seem like I’m spending more, thus increasing the probability that I’d reconsider the impulse buy.

The Detachment Myth – Happy Lotus

When I first began my spiritual journey, I read many books or passages in books that dealt with the concept of being detached. Usually, I felt extreme resistance to the concept of detachment. It sounded too cold and too mean.

Often, I saw passages that would warn against becoming too attached to your loved ones because eventually, you or they will die. There are many books that talk about controlling your emotions as well.

How To Make Today Memorable – Marc and Angel Hack Life

Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is just a figment of the imagination.  So if you think about it, today is the only day you’re alive.  Today is the day that matters the most.

Here’s how to make it memorable:

Try something totally new. – Variety truly is the spice of life.  You can see or do something a million times, but you can only see or do it for the first time once.  As a result, first time experiences usually leave a reflective mark in our minds for the rest of our lives.  So spice it up!

Entertain yourself with real-world experiences. – Great memories are the product of interesting life experiences.  So turn off the television (or the computer) and get outdoors.  Interact with the world, appreciate nature, take notice of the simple pleasures life has to offer, and just watch as life unfolds in front of you.

They did, we did … I did – Quantum Learning

Conspiracy theories seem to be quite popular these days – ranging across the spectrum from religion, politics through to historical events. If this interests you (and you have 2 hours to spare!) then the film ‘Zeitgeist’ might appeal (see the end of this article for the embedded video).

Personally I don’t need conspiracy theories or elite underworlds to explain the state of the world. I also don’t need alien or divine intervention to explain it.

We did it ourselves!