Want to Feel Better? Laugh More.

I have been fighting the flu all week. Let me tell you there is nothing funny about that.  I did, however, come across a blog entry from Marlo Thomas over at The Huffington Post that made me chuckle. Isn't chuckle a funny word?

Marlo's post  in honor of "National Humor Month" was all about the healing powers of laughter.  There is nothing like a good laugh to brighten up my day. I didn't realize there were so many health benefits to laughter. Marlo points out:

For starters, a good, big laugh relieves physical tension and relaxes your muscles for up to 45 minutes. (Maybe that's why everyone feels so laid back when someone starts telling jokes at a party!) Laughter also keeps the immune system humming by decreasing stress hormones and boosting infection-fighting antibodies. It even protects the heart by keeping those blood vessels pumping.

I love having any excuse to laugh, but knowing the health benefits makes me want to laugh even more. 

This week the internet was all abuzz with President Obama "Slow Jamming" the news with Jimmy Fallon.

What made you laugh this week?

Career Advice From Female VIPs

I have a confession to make...I am obsessed with women business owners. There is something so fascinating to me about a woman who owns and operates her own successful business. I love reading about these successful women because they make me feel like my goals are not ridiculous, but actually attainable.

When it comes to going from the job I have to the career I desire to have, however, I have  a lot to learn. Who better to learn from than women who are at the top of their game?

Self magazine featured 7 women business owners in Secrets to Landing Your Dream Job. In the piece each woman gives her advice for career success.

One of my favorite pieces of advice comes from Rosie Pope founder of Rosie Pope Maternity. She says that a person needs to be able to "scrap your plan" if need be. Sometimes your initial goal or idea doesn't work out, you can either quit or rethink your plan. Pope rethought her plan and now her business is booming.

Another bit of advice that stuck out to me came from Spanx founder Sara Blakely. Blakely advises business owners to "risk some major blushing."  You have to not be embarrassed to put yourself out there, in Blakely's case literally, in order to be successful. According to Blakely you can't be afraid to use yourself and your experiences to go far and stand out from the crowd.

I found the advice in this piece to be helpful and will find ways to implement each tip into my career plans. Check out the rest of the 7 VIP tips to get the career you really want.

Jury Duty

This week I am serving jury duty. I will be back next week with all new posts. Until then keep moving forward!

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Eleanor Roosevelt.

National Library Week

April 8-12 is National Library Week! In the past I have written about my love and appreciation for my local library.

There are all kinds of really cool online events and contests planned in celebration of National Library Week.

Can you sum up your love for the library in a six word story? If so, enter the six word story contest for a chance to win a copy of Brad Meltzer's Decoded season 1.

On the At Your Library website there are tons of fun activities to do and articles to read. If you love books and are a fan of the library check out all that the website has to offer.

In honor of National Library Week, find out how you can support your local library!

Happy Anniversary Second Chance!

This blog turns 1- year- old today and I couldn't be more excited! A year goes by SO fast. I've learned a lot in this past year and have had a lot of ups and downs. Most importantly, I have grown and I hope that you all have grown with me!

My top 5 accomplishments over the past year:

1. Graduated with a Master's degree
2. Became a contributing writer for Fastweb 
3. Became a contributing writer for Monster College
4. Had an article published on Back2College.com
5. I maintained this blog even when I wanted to give up

Top 5 lessons I've learned over the past year:

1. Giving up is not an option
2. Rejection won't kill me
3. There is a lot of help and information available if I look for it
4. I do not have to know everything before I can do anything
5. I am braver than I thought

So how about you? What have you accomplished this year, and what have you learned? Please help me to celebrate this 1st anniversary of "Second Chance" by remembering, "It is never too late to be who you might have been."

The Nature of Encouragement

While wasting time doing research on Twitter, I came across a lovely blog post from Molly Greene a writer I was not familiar with. In the post she spoke about making an important move in her life. She sold her house and moved to a small town in California. She wrote about how scary that was. She was almost paralyzed with doubts about her decision to move until it began to rain.

I have always felt connected to the rain. Rain is almost soothing to me, and I tend to feel my most creative when it  is raining. Molly saying that the rain is what encouraged her, and helped her to feel unafraid really moved me.

I think that encouragement to overcome your fears and to keep pushing towards your dreams can be found anywhere, even in nature.

What do you feel most connected to in nature?

Read more of Molly's post, "Dance in the Rain"