4 Acts of Random Kindness That Can Make A Difference

When someone does something gratifying for you, it can make your day, week or even month. I know personally, I feel like "skipping through the streets" when I receive a complement. A complement is a type of random act of kindness. An act that I not only appreciate in every way, but think about returning.

Complements
As you can see throughout the first three posts, I like to challenge my readers to go out of their way to do something that will help them. In the next twenty-four hours I challenge you to go out of your way to make somebody happy. It can be your mom, dad, aunt, uncle, boyfriend, girlfriend, sister, brother, grandpa, grandma. All I suggest is to look someone in the eye and give them a complement.

Physical Actions
Of course, complements aren't the only way to make a positive impact on another person. Try to import a physical commitment to your schedule. It can be as simple as helping your mom clean her house or as complex as driving a stranger to her broken down car. As the saying goes, "Actions speak louder than words." If you are a firm believer of the statement, this type of "Random Act of Kindness" will probably be for you.

Money Donation
Please don't make this out that I'm trying to scam you of your money because I'm not. Now that that is out of the way, I think I should give a more in depth reason on why money donations make an enormous impact on a person. Do Not: give to the person him or herself. Give to his or her charity. When you give to a friends charity you are not only making your friend feel good, your helping the charity.

Help A Child
The future of society is on seven and eight year olds' back. We know they'll learn and develop (hopefully!) but why not try to speed the process up? Why not go to a local library and volunteer to read a book? Not only do the kids look up to you because you are old, but also because as a member of the world, you are a role model for kids everywhere. Parents: This final "Act of Kindness" is suited for you.

Take the initiative. Realize that someone out there is feeling downtrodden and gloomy and needs to be picked up by a complement. Realize that your roommate might need help with the dishes; help him out. Realize that your brother might be looking for someone to sponsor him in his upcoming race; help him out. Realize that a child in your local area might need a role model. All of these different types of people can be helped with a random act of kindness.

Sleep Is As Easy As 1, 2, 3

Sleep can change one humans life. Rest is incredibly important to the human body, without it we would all be moaning and moping around the world. I suggest sleep to such a high degree, that at 11:00 PM on this very night I will promise to go to sleep.

I'll be honest, I hate sleep. Sleep seems like nothingness. Nothingness is sleep. The problem here is that I'm viewing sleep in a negative way. If you feel like me and hate sleep, here is a three step process that could turn it all around.

Step 1: Love To Sleep
Zen Habits writer, Leo Babauta, wrote an article to "Love Thy Enemy". In this case we can use some of his examples. When your enemy, in this situation sleep, is viewed poorly, the relationship between you and your opponent is going to get worse. Whereas if you try to make the relationship better it might get better.

Step 2: Accept Sleep
After you learn to love, you must accept that sleep helps you in tremendous ways. When you sleep you 1) feel prodigious 2) it is easier exercise your body 3) have a more relaxed personality. If you accept it, you have sixty-six percent of the battle done with. Don't give up on me yet, you are almost done!

Step 3: Actually Sleep
Put the plan into action. Have some motivation that gets you to sleep. My motivation is being able to wake up in the morning and write. Yours could be that you hope you have a good dream, you exercised during the day, or your bed feels extremely comfortable. Please have a motive because without it, you might forget your goal.

Try not to make your rest short. According to this article, many of us are getting much less than the necessary eight hours of sleep. To quote the article: "There is plenty of evidence that long-term sleep deprivation can be unhealthy. Horne says that it can affect decision-making and cognitive functioning, and contribute to obesity, metabolic syndrome and related problems." Worldwide society could take a hit if we do not get enough sleep.

I suggest taking this three step process to heart and try to use it. The time frame can be anywhere from three weeks to three months, but as long as you end up trying to use this plan you end up a winner. I'll join you in trying the guide out. Farewell!

6 Places To Visit For Relaxation

When you are a tourist for the first time, you are presented with new experiences, new adventures, and new thoughts.

The place you visit will likely be somewhere extravagant and beautiful, but it certainly does not have to be. Most places will have stunning scenery, but it certainly does not have to. Most places will have a quality tourist attraction, but it certainly does not have to. What's my point? Every place provides a different kind of relaxation.

• Maine. Everything in Maine can be described as rustically ravishing. The clear water, the log houses, the old automobiles are all dressed in fine dapper suits, but seem to resemble something you would see in the Midwest. Unlike many places I've been to, Maine's ancientness doesn't take away from the experience, it adds to it.

• Miami, Florida. The mass amount of beaches are the tourists attraction. The beaches are here. The beaches are there. This is an ideal place to visit for me. I like to go swimming in the ocean, playing beach volleyball with my family, and overall just having a good time with my family.

• New York City. For some shopping is a relaxation. In order to bide by those men and women requests, NYC has to be on the list for places that can be extremely relaxing. By the way, I'm not just talking about clothes. Technology is abundant and if that suits you, more power to ya.

• San Francisco, California. San Fran is a cool city to visit. The official Visitors Site for San Francisco says, "Cool fog. Hot restaurants. Neighborhoods to explore." I buy it, plus transportation is awesome. Add that all together and you have a quality tourist city.

• Puerto Rico. Tradition, history and relaxation can all be found at Puerto Rico. There are a lot of thing you can do which makes Puerto Rico an excellent place to stay. There are a ton of worthwhile luxurious places to stay that this trip is a can't miss.

• Los Angeles, California. LA is a tourist town. If you have never been, you are definitely missing something. Not only do they have beaches, but also "tourist hotspots" like Universal Studios and the Santa Monica Pier. I was there once and felt I didn't get to see enough, a second trip would make me happy.

Some of these places, or all, are not built for the frugal lifestyle. I'm sorry about that, but I tried to pick out some of the most relaxing places to visit.

5 Ways To Relax

Relaxation is an important part in our every day life. When we relax we feel rejuvenated, delightful and pleasant. This than brings up the spirits of everybody we meet. I've found that relaxing can change the moods that I'm in. Without relaxation I can be very tense and worried. With relaxation, stress is no where to be found. Here are five ways you can relax and live in a stress-less environment:

• Wake Up Early. When you wake up early you release the stress of being late. And when your late, your are definitely not relaxed. Getting into a wake up routine is something I am trying to do. I believe waking up early is one of the most effective ways to eliminate stress.
  

• Spend Time With Family. Not only will you make yourself happy, it will make your loved ones happy as well. Something small like watching T.V., can lead to something larger than life, like planning a run for autism.
  

• Exercise. Exercise leads to relaxation? Yes it does. When you play tennis or go for a one mile run, you work your butt off. Once you get home, you take a shower and relax. After working yourself out you feel good about it. Take my word for it.
  

• Read. Reading is an important activity even if it's not from a book. Not only do you relax when you read, but you also gain knowledge. If you are reclining and gaining knowledge all from doing one activity, you are being very productive. Which leads us to...
  

• Be Productive. The more time you spend working at work, the less time you'll have to spend time working at home. Which means more time spent with the family. Being productive makes you feel good about yourself. You feet like you've accomplished something when you've finished one of your most important tasks.

I try to incorporate all of these concepts every day, but sometimes it can not be done. Yesterday, for instance I spent time with my family playing board games, I exercised playing tennis, I read an online article, and did most of my work for the weekend, but because my alarm wasn't working I didn't wake up early. Things come up like meetings, emergencies, and late notifications; working around those things to complete those five items is extremely important. The five items listed above are keys to life because they can single-handily make the difference between a person who is overwhelmingly stressed and a person who is deeply connected to relaxation.