‘Hair is Not What Makes You Beautiful’ –Woman Inspires Millions With Engagement Photos

By

McKinley Corbley

-

Dec 12, 2017

Makenzee Meaux has spent years hiding her alopecia by wearing a wig. But now, she’s inspiring millions of other people by embracing her condition and showing that “hair is not what makes you beautiful.”

In a breathtaking engagement photoshoot that has gone viral, Meaux can be seen posing with her fiancé Bryan Ballard; except halfway through the shoot, the bride-to-be whips off her wig and shows off her natural beauty – alopecia and all.

The 21-year-old college student from Crosby, Texas was first diagnosed with alopecia when she was 8 years old.

Meaux says: “It is a disease where all of your hair follicles suddenly stop growing and the doctors can not figure out why or what will bring it back. They call it the mystery disease. Nothing else is wrong with the body other than hair will not grow, which – as you can imagine for a young girl – is a huge confidence killer.”

“I experienced lots of bullying in the early years and along the way I lost all hope that I could ever feel beautiful again.”

Meaux says that she was so self-conscious about her condition, it took her two and a half months to tell Ballard about her baldness.

But after they got engaged five and half years later in May, Meaux says that she has never felt more confident than when she is supported by Ballard.

“He has helped me be brave and realize that hair is not what makes you beautiful and is not what makes people love you, it is truly all about what’s on the inside,” writes Meaux. “He has shown me that the people who love you do not care whether or not you have hair and the ones who do are not worth your time or your love. So this is me, the true me.”

The photoshoot, which was captured by The Frost Collective, has spurred dozens of other people with alopecia to reach out to Meaux and express their gratitude over her courageous statement.

According to TODAY, Meaux even met up with a 3-year-old girl with alopecia in her city because she was so inspired by the college student’s photos.

“I never expected it to grow this large,” Meaux told TODAY. “It’s been amazing.”

Click To Share The Stunning Photos With Your Friends – Photos by The Frost Collective

Bambi On Ice: Watch Firefighter Nudge Trapped Deer to Safety

By

McKinley Corbley

-

Dec 12, 2017

This panicked little deer may not have had a happy ending if it weren’t for some trepidatious firefighters.

Earlier this week, the L4262 Sunriver Professional Firefighters of Sunriver, Oregon posted a video of themselves edging onto a frozen lake in order to save a deer that had become trapped at the center.

Though the critter can be seen repeatedly trying to stand on its spindly little legs, it keeps slipping back down onto its knees.

WATCH: Hummingbird Refuses to Leave the Dog Who Saved Her Life

Using gear that the organization had purchased with grant money back in spring, firefighter Jeff “JJ” Johnson edges onto the lake with an ice sled.

Slowly but surely, Johnson nudges the deer all the way across the lake until it reaches the embankment.

Even though the deer has landed on solid ground, it doesn’t seem to understand that it is free to go.

Johnson gives the animal a few head scratches and a pat on the neck until it finally stands up and gracefully wanders off into the wilderness.

“We are blessed to have receive so many positive comments about our recent deer rescue,” says the organization. “[But] most importantly, we are happy to have helped our valuable wildlife.”

(WATCH the video below)

Click To Share Bambi’s Sweet Rescue Videos With Your Friends

Needle-Free Injections: New Device For Insulin and Vaccines to Hit Market

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 11, 2017

Startup’s Needle-free Drug Injector Gets Commercialization Deal
Collaboration with pharmaceutical giant will bring smart jet-injection device to market.
Written by Rob Matheson
MIT News

Certain treatments for patients suffering from chronic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases, require multiple intravenous or subcutaneous injections of specific drugs. Because of the pain and anxiety associated with needles, some patients stop adhering to these treatments.

MIT spinout Portal Instruments has now landed a commercialization deal for a smart, needle-free injection device that could reduce the pain and anxiety associated with needle injections, shorten administration time, and improve patient adherence.

Based on years of MIT research, the startup developed a jet-injection device that delivers a rapid, high-pressure stream of medicine, as thin as a strand of hair, through the skin in adjustable dosages, causing little to no pain. A connected app tracks each dose and the medicine’s effects, and uploads that information to the cloud, for patients and doctors. The device would be sold as a drug-device combination product to medical professionals and provided to patients with a prescription.

The device was developed by Ian Hunter, the George N. Hatsopoulos Professor in Thermodynamics, research scientist Catherine Hogan, and postdocs and students in the MIT BioInstrumentation Laboratory.

Last month, Portal Instruments announced a collaboration with Japanese pharmaceutical giant Takeda to further develop and commercialize the device, called PRIME. The first potential drug candidate is Takeda’s Entyvio, an antibody for adults with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. Entyvio is currently administered through intravenous infusion and undergoing phase III clinical trials for subcutaneous injections. Portal will receive an initial payment, with potential to earn milestone payments of up to $100 million.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to improve the lives of patients with Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis,” says CEO Patrick Anquetil PhD ’04, who co-founded Portal with Hunter in 2012. The collaboration allows Portal to work alongside Takeda’s research and development team on the product while growing the startup’s business, Anquetil adds.

PRIME accommodates a wide range of biologics — therapeutics made from biological components, such as proteins and living cells — that currently require needle injections. These include hormone treatments, insulin, vaccines, and other therapeutics for various chronic diseases. Because these drugs have a high molecular weight, they require high volumes and have high viscosity, meaning patients must push down with increasing pressure on the syringe for 10 to 20 seconds, which can be painful. According to estimates from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control, adherence rates for injected biologics range from around 40 to 70 percent.

MORE: Ingenious Device That Can Detect Melanoma Chosen by Dyson as Top Design of 2017

PRIME is about the size of an electric razor. Drugs are loaded into a single-use, disposable vessel, which has a tiny nozzle at its tip. Once the vessel is placed into the device, a powerful linear electromagnetic actuator pushes on a piston in the vessel, pressurizing the drug and ejecting a hair-thin jet at high pressure through the nozzle.

Exiting the nozzle at about 200 meters per second, the stream penetrates skin and tissue. “If you do the math, the jet comes out at about Mach 0.7, so almost the cruising speed of an average commercial airliner,” Anquetil says.

Other commercial jet-injection devices exist. But these offer no effective method for controlling the jet, “which causes patient discomfort and suboptimal injections” of certain therapeutics, Anquetil says. Primarily, these spring-loaded devices always eject the same drug dosage, at the same skin depth.

Portal’s device automatically adjusts injection velocity up to 1,000 times in the half-second it takes to deliver a 1-milliliter dose. The key is a closed-loop feedback control system developed at MIT. This system constantly monitors the injection trajectory and provides real-time feedback to the actuator to control the exiting stream. It can thus target a specific skin depth and location for exact drug doses. The first paper co-authored by Hunter detailing the system was published in 2012 in the journal Medical Engineering and Physics.

CHECK OUT: Thousands of Blind Dogs Get New Leash on Life With This Wearable Device

The device can also accommodate different therapeutics, without any changes to the actual device. For instance, high-pressure injections for some drugs could breach the skin, while lower-pressure injections for other drugs could deliver slower streams to be absorbed by surrounding tissue.

To further promote adherence, Portal has developed a connected app that automatically tracks each dose taken. Patients can also input how they’re feeling after using the device. If taking a therapeutic for arthritis, for instance, a patient can plot any joints that still hurt on a digital image of a body. This information gets synced with a web dashboard used by doctors to check adherence and patient satisfaction and to adjust treatments.

“Our main driver is to think of patient comfort at the system-level … and fundamentally change how physicians and patients interact,” Anquetil says. “That’s comes from our MIT training.”

Anquetil joined Hunter’s lab in 1999 and graduated with a PhD from MIT in 2004. For years, he kept in close contact with Hunter, occasionally joining his former professor for lunch. It was during one of these meetings that Hunter brought up a recent, potentially commercial invention from his lab: a needle-free injection platform. Pharmaceutical giant Sanofi had been funding some of the development of the technology.

LOOK: Doctor Builds Makeshift Device To Save Baby’s Life on Airline Flight

“Ian told me this technology is ready for prime time,” Anquetil says. “It was great technology that had interest on the industrial side. We knew we could spin a company off around that.”
To help launch Portal, the co-founders met with mentors through some of MIT’s entrepreneurial services, including the Venture Mentoring Service. “That was tremendously helpful” in navigating early-days startup issues, Anquetil says.

At the time, the technology was a broad platform. Studies had shown the platform to be useful for vaccines, diabetes treatments, and delivering therapeutics to bones, eyes, and ears. Seeing a promising beachhead market in biologics for chronic diseases, the researchers built a prototype “that was about the size of a refrigerator,” Anquetil says, laughing.

A host of large instruments controlled the speed and pressure of the injection, which came from a long arm sticking out from the front of the machine. A technician, sitting at a computer behind the massive device, triggered and monitored the injections. It wasn’t exactly consumer friendly, Anquetil says, “but it worked and was developed under design control, so we did our first clinical tests with that machine.”

Over the years, the startup shrunk the device, filed more than 20 patents, and published more results about the device’s efficacy and patient comfort. An article published in AAPS PharmSciTech in May, for instance, showed about 60 percent of 40 subjects in a clinical trial preferred a Portal benchtop prototype to a traditional needle and experienced significantly less pain at injection sites.

With its technology now on track to commercialization for Takeda’s drugs, Anquetil says the startup hopes to partner with more pharmaceutical companies, with aims of replacing traditional auto-injectors, which are EpiPen-like devices used to inject biologics. The idea is to co-package PRIME with the company’s drugs.

“All along we’ve envisioned a device that was a universal injection machine,” Anquetil says. “Now that we’ve shown a viable business model — to partner with pharmaceutical companies to enhance their therapies — we can expect a few more partnerships next year and in the years to come.”

Reprinted with permission from MIT News

Give Your Friends A Daily Dose Of News To Enthuse: Click To Share – Photo by Portal Instruments

Single Mom Works Overtime Just So She Can Restore $500 to Homeless Man Who Was Robbed

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 11, 2017

Sometimes, we see something that makes us want to change the world.

That’s exactly what happened to Kari Diaz when she saw a viral video of 60-year-old Charles Reynolds chasing a man out of a local Walmart.

The man had stolen $500 from Charles, who had just cashed his paycheck.

Charles wasn’t able to catch the thief in the Walmart parking lot, but the money that had been stolen from him was crucial – the Largo, Florida resident says he is “pretty much homeless, and I’m doing the best I can to get up and get out of there. And, yeah, that money meant a lot.”

When Kari saw the video, she knew just how Charles felt. Just a few years previously, she had been living in low-income housing and raising her kids as a single mom. She says she knows “what it is to be poor.”

Kari wanted to help Charles out, but she didn’t just have $500 to give away to him. So, she spent her weekend clocking in 10-hour work days and setting aside the money for Charles.

Kari and Charles met up at the Largo Police Department so she could give him the money. Even though Walmart had already replaced the stolen money, Kari still wanted to pay it forward. She says someone had once helped her out when she was struggling, and she wanted to keep the chain going.

Hopefully with Kari’s help, Charles will be soon be “up and out of there” so he can continue to pay it forward as well.

CLICK the link below to watch the heartwarming video of Kari and Charles – and be sure to SHARE the story with your friends…

The Trick to Ending Overthinking and Build the Business of Your Dreams

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 11, 2017

Title: The Trick to End Overthinking and Build the Business of Your Dreams

The Lesson: There is a very simple way to stop overthinking all of your actions, and it’s actually easier than you would guess – all it takes is counting down from 5. While it may seem simplistic, there is actually some science as to how this simple habit can stimulate your behavior for the better.

The Speaker: Mel Robbins is an American author, life coach, inspirational speaker, and CNN commentator who has specialized in motivating the masses with her 5-second rule. In addition to making appearances on Good Morning America, Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Oprah, The Today Show and Fox News, she has also delivered the wildly popular TEDX Talk “How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over”.

Books: Robbins is the author of “The 5-Second Rule”, a book on how to take control of your life, business, and career by simply counting to 5, and “Stop Saying You’re Fine”, a no-BS guide to overcoming your personal challenges and getting what you want.

(LISTEN to the inspiring talk below)

Good Advice? SHARE It – Or Check Out More On Our Good Talks Page…

New Drug Could Offer First Treatment For Irreversible Huntington’s Disease

By

McKinley Corbley

-

Dec 11, 2017

A groundbreaking new drug is offering hope for Huntington’s disease: an inherited neurodegenerative disease that currently has no cure.

While the average person’s DNA produces healthy huntingtin proteins that nourish brain development, Huntington’s disease is caused by a faulty gene that makes toxic proteins instead. These deadly proteins then poison the nervous system and cause loss of motor control, memory, and speech.

While there are therapies that exist to help Huntington’s patient cope with the degenerative symptoms, patients typically die about 10 years after diagnosis.

In a new study released by the University College London, however, 46 patients with Huntington’s Disease were enrolled in the first human trial for an experimental drug called IONIS-HTTRx.

The drug, which was administered through the patients’ spinal fluid, was not only shown to be safe and well-tolerated, but it also successfully lowered the level of harmful huntingtin protein in the brain’s nervous system.

Professor Tabrizi, Director of the UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre said: “The results of this trial are of ground-breaking importance for Huntington’s disease patients and families. For the first time, a drug has lowered the level of the toxic disease-causing protein in the nervous system, and the drug was safe and well-tolerated.

MORE: Two Breakthrough Drugs to Treat Migraines May Soon Hit the Market

“The key now is to move quickly to a larger trial to test whether the drug slows disease progression,” she added.

Moving forward, the research team will conduct further testing on how drastically the drug can alter the progression of the disease. While they are not yet calling this drug a cure, they say that it is the most groundbreaking development in the disease’s treatment in over 50 years.

Patients who have already received the drug will be able to continue taking it as a treatment for their disease in the coming years.

Click To Share The Exciting Breakthrough With Your Friends

Crossing Guard Sets Up Free Coat Rack For Her Middle School Students

By

McKinley Corbley

-

Dec 11, 2017

Minnie Galloway has been a fixture at Trask Middle School for the last 19 years. Over the course of her career as a crossing guard, she has waved at passing cars, handed out free pencils and school supplies, and made sure that “her kids” were safe and happy.

Now, as the temperature drops in Wilmington, North Carolina, she has set up a free coat rack for any students who might need some warmth during the winter months.

“Some of them come with no (jacket) and just a T-shirt or something, and you know, I’m fussing at them,” Galloway told WECT.

The crossing guard picked up 30 different jackets from the local Salvation Army store in hopes that at least one of the students would benefit from the free clothing.

Galloway says that any coats she is unable to give away will be donated to a local church organization that gives clothing to foster kids preparing for new homes.

Galloway first started receiving praise on social media for her kindness when Kayla Thomas, a teacher at Laney High School, posted a photo of the crossing guard and her coat rack last week.

WATCH: Terminal Cancer Survivor Spends Days Smiling and Waving at Drivers

“It took every ounce of restraint in my body not to put the car in park and get out and hug this woman, to thank her for using her free time to keep our students safe and for giving coats to people who may not have them,” wrote Thomas.

“There is still good in this world, despite what we see and hear everyday,” she added. “People like her give the rest of us hope that we can all live in peace and focus on the things that really matter.”

(WATCH the video below)

Click To Share The Sweet Story With Your Friends

How Boredom Leads to Brilliance: Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 11, 2017

Title: How Boredom Leads to Brilliance

The Lesson: If it’s one thing that everyone has in common, it is that people hate boredom – but that tedious feeling might actually be the key to your next big idea.

Many of us are pressured to work harder, and use all of our time productively, instead of taking time off to disconnect, decompress, and digest everything that is going on in our lives. Whether this is because we automatically check our smart phones whenever we have a spare moment in the day, or that we’re just too busy with our career and relationships; our lack of time spent daydreaming can keep us from unlocking our best self.

Notable Excerpt: “Our gadgets can’t give us more minutes in the day. We still have to have the patience to get to the great ideas, because otherwise we’re just having a lot of mediocre ones that we like posting, and Tweeting, and Instagramming about.” (From the full video below)

The Guest: Manoush Zomorodi, an expert on how to encourage our creativity and preserve our humanity in a digital age, is the author of “Bored and Brilliant” and the host of the critically-acclaimed Note to Self podcast, which is available for free on iTunes and Spotify.

The Host: After spending years of his young life and athletic career struggling with his own emotional wellbeing, a crippling injury left Lewis Howes without an identity and without any work. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, however, Howes recreated himself as a multi-million dollar media producer, motivational speaker, bestselling author, and podcast host. The ex-football player now spends his days chatting with the most inspirational icons of this generation on his School of Greatness podcast.

Podcast: The School of Greatness podcast is available for download on Soundcloud and iTunes. You can also watch footage of the interviews on Howes’s YouTube channel.

Books: Howes is the author of the New York Times bestselling book “The School of Greatness”: an in-depth collection of lessons and wisdom that he has gathered from interviewing hundreds of the world’s greatest role models and thinkers. Howes’s latest book, “The Mask of Masculinity”, is based on his experience with the dangerous stereotypes and expectations that are placed on men in modern society.

(LISTEN to the inspiring talk below)

Good Advice? SHARE It – Or Check Out More On Our Good Talks Page…

Turn All Your Skills Into Superpowers and Discard ‘Impossibility’ From Your Vocabulary

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 10, 2017

Title: Super Learning and Pushing the Limits

The Lesson: This guy knows a thing or two about achieving the impossible – and he wants you to be able to do the same thing. In this fascinating interview, Tim Ferriss asks several questions that he believes will give you the tools to overcome anything; such as “what if you did the opposite for 48 hours?” and “if you could only work for 2 hours per week, what would you work on?”

Notable Excerpt: “Ask yourself: ‘What can I learn from the people I hate the most?’ Now, this does two things – it forces you to separate your morality from your search for effectiveness; and it also helps you to develop some degree of empathy – and those two things are very powerful.”

The Guest: Over the course of his career, Ferriss has become a one-time national Chinese kickboxing champion, a lecturer at Princeton University, a professional breakdancer on MTV, a horseback archer, and a multimillionaire author, motivational speaker, and investor. If that isn’t impressive enough, his critically-acclaimed podcast, the Tim Ferris Show, was also voted #1 in its category on iTunes.

The Host: Tom Bilyeu is the American entrepreneur responsible for co-founding Quest Nutrition: a health food brand that has been called the second fastest growing company in North America. Additionally, he is the co-founder and host of Impact Theory: a podcast dedicated towards educating the masses about business and success.

Pocast: Impact Theory is available for free listening and download on iTunes and YouTube.

(LISTEN to Ferriss’s inspiring talk below) – Editor’s note: podcast contains mild cursing

Good Advice? SHARE It – Or Check Out More On Our Good Talks Page…

For More Motivation to Pursue Your Dreams: The Woman Who Went From Homelessness to Graduating Harvard

The ‘Airbnb of Parking Spots’ Wants to Pay Your Parking Tickets This Month

By

McKinley Corbley

-

Dec 10, 2017

Are you annoyed by recent parking tickets or facing fines because you forgot to move your car until it was too late? Well, if you live in Los Angeles, this company wants to pay your parking tickets for you.

Pavemint is a California-based app that lets users reserve and sell their own parking spots. Described as the “Airbnb of parking”, the innovative business doesn’t just allow city residents to make money off of their unused parking spots – it also saves drivers the stress of having to search for a free spot on confusing city streets.

Pavemint also proves to be an environmentally-friendly alternative to drivers having to search block after block for open parking.

MORE: 12-Year-old Creates First App to Help Alzheimer’s Patients Keep Track of Things

After spending years of dealing with annoying parking trouble within the city, Randall Jamail first got the idea for the organization back in 2015 while he was attending a college football game.

Jamail told Good News Network: “I noticed a number of residents standing outside their homes, selling off their spare parking spaces for cash. As I drove by them, suddenly the gears clicked fully into place; what if these residents didn’t have to stand outside their homes selling parking on gameday? What if they could simply download an app and list their private spaces on a peer-to-peer marketplace, connecting them with drivers searching for parking, either in advance or on demand?”

“As I did more research, I realized that not only would an app like the one I envisioned help residents make extra income without extra work, and help people get wherever they needed to go more quickly, it would also reduce CO2 and traffic, thus improving the environment,” he added.

Though the app has over 4,000 parking spots listed within Los Angeles, the service currently only operates within the city – but Jamail says that they plan on expanding to more cities in the future.

In the meantime, however, Pavemint is celebrating the holidays by kicking off their Month of Giving initiative.

From now until December 29th, Pavemint will be paying the LA parking tickets of five followers every week for up to $250 in value. All you have to do is post your story on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook and tag the company for a chance to be nominated.

To kick off the initiative, two of the company’s workers took to the streets in search of unfortunate drivers who had received parking violations so they could surprise them with a “golden ticket”.

(WATCH the sweet video below)

Drive This Sweet News To Your Friends: Click To Share

Watch People’s Reactions Suddenly Seeing Their Messages of Love Broadcast on Huge Screen

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 10, 2017

These New Yorkers thought they were just writing letters of affection to their companion – until their love notes were turned into something much grander.

In this video created by the comedy collective Improv Everywhere in partnership with Hallmark, a team of camera crews set up a stage in Manhattan’s Big Screen Plaza with a desk that read “Light Up Someone’s Holiday”.

WATCH: When Teacher Can’t Afford Holiday Gifts for Sick Son, Students Leave Surprise on His Desk

On the desk was a series of cards and pens that passersby would use to write a heartfelt message to their companion.

After one in the group wrote down their adoring sentiments, however, their companions were shocked to see them recreated on a massive screen above their heads.

The troupe planned ahead by finding locals who wanted to surprise a loved one.

“Since the plaza doesn’t get a ton of foot traffic at night and we were shooting on a cold evening, we did a little bit of advance casting,” says the organization’s website. “We put out a notice looking for people who wanted to surprise someone. The people we cast were just told they’d be writing a card that would eventually be seen publicly. This prevented people from writing anything they wanted kept private.”

“Other than that, the people we cast didn’t know anything else about what was going to happen. The people they were surprising were completely in the dark.”

Several couples throughout the night just stumbled upon the table and were also blown away by the sentimental ‘sky’ writing stunt.

(WATCH the heartwarming video below)

Click To Share The Sweet Story With Your Friends – Photo by Improv Everywhere

Janitor Works At Bank For 30 Years So Coworkers Surprise Him With Puppy After His Dog Dies

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 10, 2017

For over three decades now, Floyd Green has been a custodial worker for a bank in Howard County, Texas – and he has become a staple of the workplace and a friend to his coworkers.

Because Floyd’s Yorkshire terrier had recently died of old age, the staff decided to pitch in and get him a new Yorky puppy for the janitor’s birthday.

As he inspects the box, the birthday man clearly has no idea what’s in store for him. He opens the gift and quickly closes it again in complete and utter shock.

Confused, Floyd asks who the puppy is for. The group of staff workers can be heard assuring Floyd the new dog is for him.

“It’s a she,” his colleague says. “She is yours.”

Floyd’s excitement is visible as he takes his new puppy – complete with a gift – out of the box and gently holds her in his hands.

“Really? Thank you!” he exclaims.

“Mr. Floyd Green has been working with our bank for over three decades,” said the employee who filmed the surprise. “Our prosperity crew found out that his Yorkie died of old age, so our staff decided to all pitch in and get him a new one for his birthday. He is a sweet man and is the reason we look forward to Tuesdays and Fridays (the days he works with us).”

CLICK to Watch the sweet surprise as it happens – and don’t forget to SHARE with your friends…

Here is a Piece of Sleep Advice That Every New Parent Needs to Hear

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 10, 2017

Coming Soon to GNN – GOOD TALKS: A daily selection of inspiring podcasts and videos to motivate you in your life, health, and business. Look for its premiere in December. (Meanwhile, here is one of our debut Good Talks…)

Title: Sleep Advice Every New Parent Needs to Hear

The Lesson: Sleep is incredibly important for everyday health, and missing out on a good night’s rest can be detrimental to your wellbeing. If your baby or toddler is preventing you from sleeping, then you need to teach them how to let you rest. While it may be difficult at first, you can train your kids to learn their limitations by setting up a simple structure.

Notable Excerpt: “You got two choices: you can either accept that this is what you want, this is how you want to parent, and you love it too, even though you’re exhausted all day long … or, you gotta get serious about teaching your son or daughter how to sleep through the night.”

The Speaker: Mel Robbins is an American author, life coach, inspirational speaker, and CNN commentator who has specialized in motivating the masses with her 5-second rule. In addition to making appearances on Good Morning America, Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Oprah, The Today Show and Fox News, she has also delivered the wildly popular TEDX Talk “How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over”.

Books: Robbins is the author of “The 5-Second Rule”, a book on how to take control of your life, business, and career by simply counting to 5, and “Stop Saying You’re Fine”, a no-BS guide to overcoming your personal challenges and getting what you want.

(LISTEN to Mel’s advice in the video below)

Don’t Let Your Friends Sleep On This Story: Click To Share – Photo by Winnie T, CC

Still Having Trouble Falling Asleep? The ‘Dullest Movie Ever Made’ was Filmed to be a Perfect Cure For Insomnia

Overlooked and Undervalued? How Brokenness is the Prerequisite to Greatness

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 10, 2017

Title: Overlooked and Undervalued, But Not Forgotten

The Lesson: Everyone has their own specific pain that they have to deal with in their lives – and while we may feel like it’s our job to get over that pain and be more perfect, that may not be the case. In this episode of the School of Greatness podcast, Pastor John Gray talks about what loving yourself has to do with loving others, living with yourself and your flaws, and reconciling with your pain.

Notable Excerpt: “Even though he’s not here, and he hasn’t been here for 17 years, I still yearn for the approval of a father – and so, it drives me. I want to do well. I want to do right … and now this is the big challenge of my life: living a life feeling like an orphan, and now, the very thing that I need is the thing I am.”

The Guest: Gray, who is the author of “I Am Number 8”, had to spend years coming to terms with the pain he felt over his father leaving his family. As he got older, however, he finally understood how his pain led him down his own path of greatness, humility, compassion, and empathy. Now, he is a pastor, a record producer, musician, and inspirational speaker.

The Host: After spending years of his young life and athletic career struggling with his own emotional wellbeing, a crippling injury left Lewis Howes without an identity and without any work. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, however, Howes recreated himself as a multi-million dollar media producer, motivational speaker, bestselling author, and podcast host. The ex-football player now spends his days chatting with the most inspirational icons of this generation on his School of Greatness podcast.

Podcast: The School of Greatness podcast is available for download on Soundcloud and iTunes. You can also watch footage of the interviews on Howes’s YouTube channel.

Books: Howes is the author of the New York Times bestselling book “The School of Greatness”: an in-depth collection of lessons and wisdom that he has gathered from interviewing hundreds of the world’s greatest role models and thinkers. Howes’s latest book, “The Mask of Masculinity”, is based on his experience with the dangerous stereotypes and expectations that are placed on men in modern society.

(LISTEN to the inspiring talk below) – Photo by MiiiSH, CC

Good Advice? SHARE It – Or Check Out More On Our Good Talks Page…

Aldi to Give Away All its Unsold Fresh Food to ‘Less Fortunate Individuals’ on Christmas Eve

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 9, 2017

In celebration of the holiday season, grocery store chain Aldi is being lauded for announcing a plan to donate all unsold fresh food to various nonprofits and charitable organizations on the afternoon before Christmas.

The company first published news of their philanthropic endeavor on social media and called for their fellow corporations to follow suit.

“Aldi is offering local organizations the opportunity to receive surplus food from their stores on the afternoon of Christmas Eve,” said the company in a statement.

“As Aldi stores will shut at 4pm on Christmas Eve until December 27, they will have a variety of good quality surplus food products that they will wish to redistribute in support of less fortunate individuals and to prevent food going to waste.”

Aldi, a global discount supermarket chain with over 10,000 stores in 18 countries, is unable to deliver so organizations would have to collect the bounty themselves.

They will expect the level of food available to vary. However, estimates of around 20 to 30 crates will be expected from each store.

Make Sure Your Volunteering Friends Know About This: Click To Share… OR, – Photo by Stephen McKay, CC

9 Apps That Supercharge Your Spiritual Practice and Positive Thinking

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 9, 2017

Whenever I look for an article that lists things such as tools and resources, I usually skip the pre-amble and get right to the list. I’m going to assume you’re the same way – so let’s get to it.

1. The Secret to Money: An app to shift your mindset regarding money

There are 5 elements to the app:

Desires – where you list your top 5 desires
Purchases – Every day you get a cheque from the universe to spend on whatever you want
Manifested Money – Here you track manifested money. It doesn’t have to be money. It includes coupons, gifts, health benefits or anything else where you make or save money
Daily Inspirations – taken directly from The Secret books, these are intended to shift your mindset about money
Affirmations – new affirmations around money and abundance are loaded daily (and a lot are recycled)

Cost: $6.99 one-time for Apple and $6.49 one-time for Android
Pros: it’s fun spending money on whatever you want, which is the point. Actively searching for manifested money in your life is a neat way to shift your money from lack to abundance. It’s easy to use, and the inspirations and affirmations are inspiring
Cons: After a while, you stop getting money every day, and instead you get it once a week, unless you reset it to the beginning. There are also some technical glitches here and there.

2. Law of Attraction Toolbox: LOA techniques to help you manifest

The features include:

Feel as if game – Your given a positive scenario (you just landed your dream job etc.) and then asked to feel the feeling of having that manifestation
Appreciation Game – The app identifies things (such as water) to be appreciative about)
Receive and Spend Game – similar to The Secret Game, but not as comprehensive
Thank You Journal Game – You write a journal entry highlighting your feelings after manifesting something
List of Positive Aspects – You identify positive aspects of something in your life (education etc.)
The Magic-Daily Gratitude – identify what you’re thankful for daily
Focus Wheel – If you don’t know what that is, watch this video to find out

Cost: Free to use each technique once a day, or $6.99 for unlimited use for Apple only
Pros: It is comprehensive, really well thought out, and easy to use
Cons: Not yet available on Android

3. Insight Timer – Meditation App

An insane spiritual app with over 4800 guided meditations filtered by length, topic and your experience with meditation. There is plenty of spiritual “music”, including chantings and mantras, nature sounds, binaural beats, drumming, and more that is also filtered by length of time and genre. There is also a 365 playlist where a new meditation is featured everyday; over 500 talks on all sorts of spiritual subjects; a list of over 1,500 spiritual teachers; and a timer for meditations.

Cost: Free to use for both Apple and Android, but there are chargeable service options that will soon be available
Pros: There are a ton of meditations for any subject, it is easy to use, and it has the ability to connect with others.
Cons: With the amount of content on this app, it can get overwhelming.

4. Day One Journal – Journaling App

Okay, so this is not directly spiritual but if you’re looking for a way to journal, then this is your app. Features include reminders, a calendar, and the ability to add photos, sync across all devices (premium version only), and add details such as location, time and date, temperature and weather, step count and music playing. Additionally, your past journals are stored.

Cost: Free to download for both Apple and Android. Premium version costs $48 per year.
Pros: It is a journaling experience you can’t even replicate in real life and it is easy to use
Cons: Premium version is expensive

5. Quotes – Daily Quote of the Day by Ultabit LLC

A simple app that shows one inspiring quote a day. You also have the ability to share quotes and create a favorite list of quotes. Plus, you can click on the person who said the quote and the app will take you to a Wikipedia about that person

Cost: Free for both Apple and Android, but there are ads. You can pay $1.99 per year to remove the ads
Pros: It is simple, easy to use, and the ads aren’t in your face like other quote apps
Cons: There are other apps by the same name. Not really a con of the app, but be wary. You want to get the app by Ultabit

6. Brain Focus Productivity Timer

Based on the Pomodoro Technique by Francesco Cirillo, this simple app helps you focus and maximize your productivity. Basically you pick a task and decide to split it into 4 work sessions with mini-brakes in between. Then, after the 4 work sessions, you have 1 long break.

The app allows you to choose the length of the work session and the length of the short breaks and long breaks, and it includes other handy features, such as statistics that track your productivity and the ability to export stats to CSV, to group stats into categories (unlimited for pro version), and backup data (pro version only).

Cost: Free to download for both Apple and Android. Donate from $1.99 up for pro version
Pros: It is easy to use and it is a great way to stay focused
Cons: None

7. SimpleMind: A Brain Storming Tool

The law of attraction can help you think things through. The more you think about a particular subject, the more like thoughts are attracted to you. That’s why this brainstorming and mind mapping app is so helpful. It allows you to map and brainstorm your ideas and do it long enough and LOA will kick in, making it easier for you to come up with awesome ideas. Features include the ability to create and color code unlimited mind maps, the ability to use auto layouts, add media and documents, sync with other devices, and share your content.

Cost: free for the basic version for both iOS and Android. Pro version $6.99 if you upgrade within the free app.
Pros: The app has ton of cool features and it is very flexible and multi-functional
Cons: Can take a little while to figure out

8. The Kindness App

A cute app with about 100 kindness challenges that you can do every day. What’s great about this app is that the developer is doing this out of the kindness of his heart. He makes no money off of this whatsoever. The features include a list of kindnesses you can perform every day, audio exercises to help you build compassion, and the ability to document and revisit your progress; to start a compassion challenge; and suggest your own kindnesses for others.

Cost: Free to use for both Apple and Android.
Pros: It is intuitive, made with love, and very easy to use.
Cons: None

9. Good News Network: Positive News Every Day

And finally, if you didn’t already know, the website that you are on right now has produced an app to share all the good news from around the world every day. This simple app, free for both Android or iOS, keeps in perspective that there is so much good in this world and will surely helps with your mood and mindset.

Features include:
Split into categories including news, culture, uplift, this day in history, photo of the day and animals
Ability to comment
Ability to save as favorite
Ability to share
Free to use for both Apple and Android.
Pros:
Lots of good news stories
Easy to use
Beautiful layout
Cons:
None

Blogger Dave Aschaiek is the man behind Tryary, a free online spiritual learning community. Join today and receive our free eBook: “9 Truths That Will Turn Your World Upside Down.”

Supercharge Your Friends — Click To Share… Or, (Featured photo by unsplash, CC)

The Power of Broke: ‘You are going to fail more than you succeed’

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 9, 2017

Title: The Power of Broke in Building Your Business

The Lesson: Trying to run a business without any money can be very frustrating, but the experience and wisdom that comes from maneuvering the entrepreneurial world without financing can give you a very special advantage. In this episode of the School of Greatness podcast, Daymond John talks about the valuable perspective that comes from being broke – or in other words, how hustle is the best way to the top.

Notable Excerpt: “I’m not glamorizing not having resources in your life, because we all want to be able to take care of our family … but if you’re going to be [in that situation], tap into that hunger instead of complaining or feeling sorry for yourself.”

The Guest: John is an entrepreneurial advisor on the hit television show Shark Tank and the author of “The Power of Broke” – a book on “how empty pockets, a tight budget, and a hunger for success can become your greatest competitive advantage”.

The Host: After spending years of his young life and athletic career struggling with his own emotional wellbeing, a crippling injury left Lewis Howes without an identity and without any work. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, however, Howes recreated himself as a multi-million dollar media producer, motivational speaker, bestselling author, and podcast host. The ex-football player now spends his days chatting with the most inspirational icons of our generation on his School of Greatness podcast.

Podcast: The School of Greatness podcast is available for download on Soundcloud and iTunes. You can also watch footage of the interviews on Howes’s YouTube channel.

Books: Howes is the author of the New York Times bestselling book “The School of Greatness”: an in-depth collection of lessons and wisdom that he has gathered from interviewing hundreds of the world’s greatest role models and thinkers. Howes’s latest book, “The Mask of Masculinity”, is based on his experience with the dangerous stereotypes and expectations that are placed on men in modern society.

(LISTEN to the inspiring talk below)

Good Advice? SHARE It – Or Check Out More On Our Good Talks Page…

Library Hangs Helpful Poster For Subjects People Might Be Embarrassed to Ask About

By

McKinley Corbley

-

Dec 8, 2017

While the internet has made it exponentially easier to learn more about uncomfortable subjects from the comfort of your own home, the web is littered with false information and misleading articles.

On the other hand, most people probably don’t want to ask a librarian about where the books are on abusive relationships and drug habits.

That’s why this library in Syracuse, New York is making it a little easier for their guests to get reliable information without feeling embarrassed.

LOOK: Poem’s Twist Ending Gives Bar Patrons Whole New Perspective on the Words

The Fayetteville Free Library is being lauded for hanging a directory that lists the locations of “tough topics” according to their Dewey Decimal number.

The sign names every delicate subject from “STDs” and “pregnancy” to “abuse” and “suicide”. It also has a reminder at the bottom about how the librarians are ready to help any of their visitors in case they have any questions – no matter what.

A photo of the poster went viral after someone posted it to Reddit. It has since received an outpouring of praise and support over its ingenuity.

MORE: Human Library Lets You Check Out People, Aims to Foster Diversity

One librarian chimed in on the conversation by saying: “The majority of librarians are wonderful, helpful, nonjudgmental people. If you encounter a librarian who is not these things, please don’t think we are all like this. I have worked in academic and public and special collections libraries in both the north and the south for over a decade and have never worked with any librarian who was judging someone.”

Margaret Kingsport, Director of Innovative Family Services for the Syracuse library, told Inverse: “We are here to make sure that our community members are connected with the information that they’re searching for. They want to know something and we want them to know it.”

Click To Share The Innovative News With Your Friends (Photo by Whenitrainsitpours via Reddit)

When Dog Chews Girl’s Beloved Elf on the Shelf, Hospital Works Magic With a Little Help From Santa

By

McKinley Corbley

-

Dec 8, 2017

Earlier this week, Jenn Thelen woke up to the sound of her 7-year-old daughter Aubrie screaming over a horrific tragedy: the family’s German shepherd had mauled the little girl’s beloved Elf on the Shelf doll named Sam.

Because Santa does not allow anyone to touch the sneaky elves, Aubrie had no idea how Sam could be saved. It was going to take a Christmas miracle to fix the doll’s injuries.

Luckily, Jenn is the nurse manager for the emergency department at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Florida.

WATCH: Sleepy 2-Year-old Asks Santa for the Simplest Gift Imaginable

The hospital staff insisted that Santa had given them “magic gloves” that specifically allowed them to touch Sam. Plus, the treatment would be covered by his “elfcare” plan.

Aubrie agreed to the operation, and the nurses wheeled the little doll into the trauma bay for surgery.

True to their word, a surgeon pulled on some magic Yuletide gloves and restored Santa’s little spy to his former self.

“One of our ER team members, Ashley, carefully put Sam back together again and bandaged his injuries all up,” the hospital wrote on their Facebook page. “She even sprinkled some Christmas magic (glitter) on Sam when she was done.”

“Sam was able to go home to Aubrie later that evening. Jenn showed her all the videos and pictures of Sam’s day at the Arnold Palmer Hospital ER. The magic of Christmas and Sam the Elf continues for Aubrie.”

(WATCH the sweet video below)

You Better Not Pout: Click To Share This Adorable Story With Your Friends

Airline is Offering Early Boarding to Anyone Wearing Ugly Christmas Sweater

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 8, 2017

As a means of lifting the spirits of anxious travelers this holiday season, Alaska Airlines is having a bit of Yuletide fun with a classic winter tradition: ugly sweaters.

If you’re traveling on Alaska Airlines, Virgin America, or Horizon Air on December 15th, you can get early boarding for your flight by wearing an ugly holiday sweater.

The airline said in a statement that they were hosting the promotion in honor of National Ugly Sweater Day.

“Travel during the holidays can be stressful for guests, especially those who do not travel often,” said Natalie Bowman, the company’s managing director of marketing. “This fun promotion not only allows guests to board early on that day, but gives people another opportunity to dust off that ugly holiday sweater hanging in the back of their closet.”

Airline workers will be posting pictures of the most festive get-ups on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages under the hashtag #MostWestCoast.

Wanna Get On Your Friends’ Nice List? Click To Share This Story on Social Media (Photo by The Ugly Sweater Shop, CC)