The economic doom-mongers have ceased getting to me at last. How about you? Are economic forecasts scaring you? Have the job losses in the U.S. gotten to you? Are you buying the collective scaredy-cat vision of the future? Has someone you know lost money in the market?

Relax. You’re not alone. The news is everywhere and it’s hard not to buy into it.   Read more...

Winston Churchill said, “If you are going through hell, keep going.”

This phrase enforces that when the going gets tough, when you are in rough waters; keep your courage, your strength and fight until you achieve victory over the situation that is creating ‘hell’ in your life.   Read more...

Yutaka Miyazaki is a special person. He is a doctor in a small town in northern Japan. Even though his home life is rural, his heart is as wide as the earth, and his heart is as deep as compassion will allow.

Dr. M could have opened his own clinic and served his community’s colds, flus, hay fevers, and general ailments, as many with his training do here. But instead of following that conventional route, Dr. M decided to devote his life to promoting the welfare of people who are physically and mentally challenged.   Read more...

I learned about this from the World Peace Emerging newsletter, and it so struck me that even though I had planned another post, I pushed that one to next week in order to share this wonderful idea.

Here’s a little from their website:   Read more...

T.R.E. Frankel's from B-Rilla on Vimeo.

My friend told me this once: "Start your day, with a moment of gratitude."   Read more...

By many alternative thinkers starting your own business is associated with capitalism, ambition, materialism and "success". This certainly has a lot to do with it but there is much more to it than that. I can confirm as I've been working on my own startup for over a year now. We are making a web site where users can recommend web sites within their self defined area of expertise.

It should have been ready several months back, but we're not there yet. I can assure you that it is a challenge and that your self esteem, your ideas and values, your courage, persistence and mental and emotional stability are being tested. See some of the spiritual issues I faced:   Read more...

T.R.E Mike Kershnar from B-Rilla on Vimeo.

In times of real trouble, I found that people usually ditch their dreams, their aspirations, and their passions.   Read more...

Someone, no idea who, sent me this story via email years ago, and I seem to have kept it for just this moment.

There was a woman who wanted peace in the world and peace in her heart and all sorts of good things, but she was very frustrated. The world seemed to be falling apart. She would read the newspapers and get depressed.   Read more...

Drink more tea. When the whole Starbucks craze started, I always felt left out when my girlfriends wanted to meet for coffee because while I love the aroma of fresh brewed coffee, the taste makes me gag and cringe. But then a friend turned me onto hot tea, and things have never been the same since.

I love hot tea for many reasons. For one, it has turned out to be my herbal Xanax. It calms me when I'm feeling anxious, and comforts me when I'm having a rough day. I'm known for being freezing cold at all times, so I enjoy holding a hot mug while reading a book or people watching. These are all of my emotional reasons for drinking tea, but here are 10 health reasons to make the switch!

• Tea contains antioxidants that protect your body from the ravages of aging and the effects of pollution.
• Tea has less caffeine than coffee. An eight-ounce cup of coffee contains around 135 mg caffeine; tea contains only 30 to 40 mg per cup. If drinking coffee gives you the jitters, causes indigestion or headaches or interferes with sleep -- switch to tea.
• Tea may reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Drinking tea may help keep your arteries smooth and clog-free, the same way a drain keeps your bathroom pipes clear.
• Tea protects your bones. It's not just the milk added to tea that builds strong bones. One study that compared tea drinkers with non-drinkers, found that people who drank tea for 10 or more years had the strongest bones, even after adjusting for age, body weight, exercise, smoking and other risk factors.
  Read more...

I am filming a nationwide documentary about our current economic state. It is an unique and an exciting time; we are on the verge of making a difference and impacting our future in a huge way. I want to ask the question: What’s next?

From January 24 to April 30, I will visit the major, most impoverished cities in the United States, from Los Angeles to New York. I will interview everyday Americans: rich, poor, black, white, etc. I will interview students, families, and single adults. In addition, a large portion of the story will be the voices of both small businesses and large corporations. Businesses are shutting down and laying off. Recently, Sharper Image shutdown all major operations; DHL is closing down all domestic operations; Citigroup laid off 53,000 jobs; Chrysler shutdown their plants for a month. And I got laid off on December 5th, 2008. I subsequently applied for unemployment for the first time on December 8th, 2008. We all share a common story– I am going to capture and share that story.   Read more...