Having launched Global Awesomeness Report just a week ago, we were thrilled when we came across this TED Talk from last year, which speaks our language on positivity (it also has our favorite word “Awesome” in it so we couldn’t resist!).

Neil Pasricha uses the power of blogging to spread a little optimism each day about the awesome things that make life worth living – and it is the simple things that count. In this entertaining yet enlightening video, he shares what he calls the 3A’s of Awesome.

Do check it out, and if you too are ready for a change in attitude and want to delve head-first into positive feel-good news, then hop on over to our Global Awesomeness Report Facebook page and get happy!

If this has inspired you, feel free to share some of your own awesome news or wisdom by leaving us a message on the Facebook page.

Happy days!

Reality is stranger than fiction.

And when events of such bizarreness take place in real life, who has the burden of explaining it to the public? The news anchor of course!

So when a Russian news anchor is confronted with having to report a real life story involving bears, a big dog, a Vietnamese pig, a raccoon and a giant field of pot (yes you read this correctly!) you can really see the burden on her to remain composed and professional.

Does she succeed? Watch to find out! Be warned though -  laughing is contagious!

Happy Friday, readers :)

Great, simple storytelling is one of the best memories that shape a childhood; told well, it can remain with us into adulthood and for the rest of our lives. These humble stories let our imagination play, remind us of forgotten lessons, and give us hope.

In this video, the late environmental and human rights activist Wangari Maathai, who was a beloved Nobel Peace Prize winner, tells the story of the hummingbird in conjunction with the release of DIRT! The Movie last year and carries a simple yet profound message – no matter how big or small your contribution, do your best, as that’s what really matters most.

Wangari’s lifework has enriched 30 million lives in Kenya and Africa through her actions and words, and the planet too can thank her for the trees, rivers and wildlife that she had saved.

Sometimes you can get bogged down thinking that your efforts are small and un-noticeable or overshadowed by the huge contributions of others but you are wrong! The tiniest of tiny contributions are valuable as long as you have put your all into giving them.

We hope this animated video from Dirt! The Movie will inspire you to do the best you can in everything you do, despite the limitations and the odds that come your way.

Well, this magnetic and near-haunting video below will help put your wonders to rest with a high impact and very fast moving introduction to the scope of the Universe – you may notice a plucking of vague memories from your high school science class.

For instance, what’s so great about a floating, ginormous cluster of hydrogen and helium that generates inconceivable heat? Well, it is the Sun of course! The Sun provides us with life, light, and energy, and on a great day – a great reason to tan and another excuse for cold beer. Isn’t that cool? Well, no, it’s hot.

It may be easy to forget that we are living on a planet among other planets and stars whilst orbiting in a 4.5 billion-year-old solar system that is actually spinning and traveling at 134 miles per second as we speak, but hey – you’re not an alien roaming around space so we’ll forgive you.

Just watch this video, and take a moment to let the weight of the Universe and its reality sink in and blow your mind away.

“This is the universe. And it’s really, really big.” Don’t you think?

Water aside, coffee is perhaps the next most consumed beverage in the world with 2.25 billion cups gulped down everyday. But due to its caffeine content, the power-perker is mistaken for a bad friend, despite coffee being a rich source of antioxidants and bioactive compounds. Coffee has also been linked to lowering depression and altering estrogen levels among women too.

Other studies have also linked coffee consumption and death, but the recent study by the National Institutes of Health (USA) found otherwise. Researchers analyzed and followed 229,119 men and 173,141 women between the ages of 50 to 71 from 1995 until their deaths or when the course completed in 2008. Participants were given a questionnaire and then arranged into 10 coffee-consumption-frequency categories ranging from zero to six regular or decaf cups per day.

To compare the results between participants who drank coffee and those who didn’t, those who drank three or more cups of coffee a day had a 10% lower risk of death while men and women who drank six or more cups of coffee per day had a 10% and 15% lower risk of death respectively.

Though the coffee drinkers were more likely to smoke cigarettes, eat red meat and consume alcohol, these risk factors, when adjusted to the study, revealed that drinking coffee was not related to death. These participants were also less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes and infections.

However, since the study was based on observation, the researchers couldn’t officially conclude that coffee drinking directly reduces death risk, though they speculated that if there was a relationship between coffee drinking and decreased death risk, it’s likely due to the 1000 different compounds contained in Joe’s beans and their range of effects.

It is possible that these compounds may shift and change according to how people take their coffee; a further look into this needs to be taken pronto. So… should we expect a heated match between the French press and the Italian espresso soon?

Whether drinking coffee increases longevity or not, it seems that billions around the world are still grateful for it to help us function in the morning. So here’s to raising our stained coffee mugs to the innocent goat that accidentally mistook some coffee beans for berries and got into an energetic fit, leading Ethiopian goat herder Kaldi to discover and introduce coffee to humans in the 9th-century (as legend has it).

What are your views on drinking coffee for health? Have you experienced any health warnings or dangers with your coffee intake? If you don’t drink coffee, would you be open to picking it up for health reasons?

According to Indian scriptures, the universe was born out of the union between Shiva (Consciousness – the masculine principle) and Shakti (Energy – the feminine principle). When Shakti (Energy) plays within the context of Shiva (Consciousness), it creates; without Shiva, it operates on negative influences and thus destroys.

The same principle can and should be applied to our sex lives. When sexual energy operates within the context of love and meditativeness, it has a huge potential to create. However, when it is accompanied by negative influences like guilt, manipulation, insecurity or ego, it turns destructive.

Indian mystics have recognized the power and potency of our sexual energy field for centuries. If coupled with the Law of Attraction and its manifestation (which involves visualization exercises) for example, the potency of our creative sexual energy field can be increased by as much as 1000 times!

Sexual energy can be applied to release old habits, fears and phobias, and also to attain a new state of courage, confidence, intelligence and intuition. On the other hand, down-spiraling sexual energy can destroy your personality and kill your creativity.

If you’re wondering, “Am I leading a creative or destructive sex life?” then here a few pointers to help you figure it out:

• If sex leaves you fulfilled and energetic and the orgasmic feeling lingers on, that is creative sex. If sex leaves you drained and hankering for more (or none), it is destructive sex.
• If you enjoy being with your partner and that joy persists even when you are apart – that is a sign of creative sex. If you go through struggle and fights when you are together, but miss each other terribly when you are separated, then these are certain signs of destructive sex.
• If your overall quality of life has improved at work and in your relationships (friends, family and yourself) then you are probably indulging in creative sex. If your overall quality of life is going down, it is likely that you are caught in destructive sex.

Even though creative sex practices require deep understanding, it is important to make a clear distinction between the two so that the transformation from destructive sex into a creative one can begin. Destructive sex happens out of an urge or desire, as if something is missing. Creative sex emanates from a deep heart-to-heart and soul-to-soul communion, a state where you are now enjoying each other.

The key to creative sex is to let the impulse of desire pass over – do not get consumed by it. As you become aware of the desire, you will find it slowly evaporating. It will then give way to a soothing divine inner energy. As both partners start to feel and follow these inner impulses, the divine play starts and ecstasy begins to shower you with a state of lingering and expanding orgasmic feelings.

Though there are many sophisticated techniques to help you reach this state, here are a few simple ones to begin with:

• Bow down to each other in deep gratitude and treat each other as a gateway to divine consciousness
• Gaze into each other’s eyes
• Go to the roof, balcony or garden and enjoy watching the stars together
• Dance together with intermittent sudden stops, called by one of you
• Engage in rhythmic breathing
• Remain in a heart-to-heart hug for a long time

By grasping the distinction between creative and destructive sex, one can begin to get creative and take the great leap of evolution, while enjoying a more orgasmic sex life in that journey.

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Osho Shivo a.k.a. the consciousness evolution guide, is an enlightened mystic who has helped people explore the new horizons of spirituality through practices designed for modern times. His workshop, Celebrating Love, shifts the context of relationship between man and woman from conflict to celebration. He is also the inventor of Energy Matrix Astrology, a foundation that researches and develops the science of astrology.

Numerous sources have quoted the phrase “ring of fire” to describe the current solar eclipse and as much as we tried, we couldn’t find a more perfect way to depict the stunning marvel that shifted the energies of our planet just a few nights ago.

Though constantly referred to as a solar eclipse, this kind of solar event is correctly known as an annular eclipse, exceptional for the fact that the dark moon’s diameter appears smaller than the disk of the sun, leaving an annulus of light around the edges, or in other words – you guessed it – a ring of fire.

And as Earth spun to let the eclipse “travel” around us, it was like the sun and the moon joined forces to give us a solar Mexican wave. It was a big deal for the United States (the actual eclipse, not said Mexican wave resemblance), as this was the first time since 1994 that they were able to view an annular eclipse.

Also, over in China and Japan people braced for the moment, ready to launch their street parties.

But something else also tickled our brains about this historical event. No, it wasn’t that it confused animals into preparing for sleep or that it cast the weirdest shadow on Earth’s surfaces, but that according to ancient Mayan beliefs, May 20^th 2012 was already signaled out as a great cosmic event!

They celebrated the annular eclipse not just for the alignment of the sun, the moon and the Earth, but also Pleiades, an open star cluster located in the constellation of Taurus, as well as Alcyone, the biggest star of that cluster, which the ancient Mayans also referred to as their central sun.

For the first time in 26,000 years, this rare occurrence marked a spectacular opportunity for new beginnings. “It’s a time of new beginning. Energy can shift on a dime.  With the right use of intention, we can make good use of this portal for perceptual shift to take place in our old ways of thinking – about our self, our world, the past, the future,” says astrologer Patricia Liles.

If you didn’t get chance to witness the annular eclipse last Sunday, below is a video we’ve found featuring some incredible sightings across Asia.

Did you feel a different energy shift around you during the annular eclipse? If the event indeed marked an opportunity for new beginnings and a change in the way you think, how would this affect your life? Inspire us!

Do you ever feel like you haven’t loved or been loved enough in your life, and you desire more? Do you ever think, “When I find my true love then I’ll be complete?” Or perhaps you are already in a long-term relationship and you’d like it to be more loving?

As long as you search for love outside of yourself, you will never find it.

When it comes to love, people often think of ways to give and receive it by involving another person. But love has nothing to do with someone else at all. If you think love is what you want, you’ll be searching for it your whole life. That’s like searching for the pot-o-gold at the end of the rainbow. It’s just not there.

Love is inside of you. It is your birthright.

No matter how hard you try, you just won’t find ever lasting love anywhere else but within. You can’t earn it or perform for it. Love is not what you want. Love is what you are. This is a very important distinction.

If you think love is what you want, you’ll spend your life searching for it. But if you know love is what you are, you’ll spend your life sharing it. By sharing love you will find what the searching would have never given you. So awaken and reconnect with your love within.

As you connect with the love inside, you will be able to share it with others.  Just by being the love, you will attract more love to you and create the love-filled life you desire.

Without feeling your own powerful love it is impossible to give love to others. So, how easy is it for you to connect to the love within yourself? It all begins with loving yourself.

Here are three things I’d like you to try this week to help you get started:

1. Do something loving for yourself every day. Ask yourself each day, “What do I desire?” and give it to yourself. Do for yourself what you wish others would do for you. Take care of yourself first. Romance yourself like you want to be romanced and fill your glass with your own love.

2. Find a quiet place and close your eyes. Take three deep breaths to ground yourself within. Now, connect with the feeling of love. Visualize someone you love such as your child, your best friend or even your pet. Or think of something you love doing, like a project you are passionate about, or an activity that makes you happy. This exercise will trigger the love that is already inside of you. Hold on to this feeling for as long as you can. Be that love.

3. Now for the hardest of the three exercises – hearing and convincing yourself that you love… well – you. Go to a mirror, look into your eyes (this may feel squeamish or uncomfortable but don’t shy away) and tell yourself, “I love you”. Feel this love for yourself as you say it and mean it.

These simple but effective exercises will help you connect with the love inside of you and be in a positive position to give and receive love.

Every relationship, including the one with yourself, is one of give and take. What goes up must come down. When you authentically feel loving, the universe matches that love. People naturally want to love you in return.

Begin the flow of love by feeling and giving love to yourself.

Have you mastered the art of appreciating and loving yourself? If yes, how have you managed to do this? Or are you trying to push past barriers and feel love for yourself?

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Cindy Prosor is an inner Feng Shui guide and certified inner-peace personal coach who works with those who are ready to discover and increase the experience of love, inner-peace and abundance in their lives through private sessions, group mentoring and coaching programs. She is also the founder of the website Opening Doors Within.

Today is the day we reflect on the lives of one billion people around the world who go through great struggle on a daily basis just to afford a single meal. It’s World Hunger Day, and while we urge you to read on and find out more about the fight against poverty, let’s also take a moment to also appreciate our lives as we learn to understand how to help the poor and the hungry better.

Let World Hunger Day be an eye opener for you to focus on your global neighbors who have no access to food, to encourage a more positive relationship with food and to appreciate your lives better through the choices you make with food.

It’s no longer just about feeding the hungry

Hunger is not just due to lack of food. Many factors also contribute to the situation, including harmful economic systems, lack of resources, unequal income distribution in specific countries, political conflict, and even climate change; droughts and floods that damage crops and agriculture have become a critical, snowballing cause of hunger and poverty.

Just how bad is it?

The reality is, one seventh of the world’s population live in extreme hunger and poverty, barely existing on less than US$1.30 a day. 578 million of that population resides in Asia and the Pacific. 25,000 people die every day to this global crisis, and 10% of them are caused by famine. These figures may seem like mere statistics and it may be hard to imagine this scale of widespread famine but don’t let that prevent you from feeling empathetic to the needs of your global neighbors.

How do I help?

The World Hunger organization recommends understanding and learning about hunger and poverty before taking action, which can be done in three key forms: influencing public policy, contributing financially and working directly with poor people.

The Hunger Project in the UK uses funds raised to implement sustainable means to educate and help the poor gain skills, meet basic health needs and participate in decisions that affect their community – get inspired on how you can contribute by checking out the video below for ideas on how to host your own fundraising events.

Every contribution, no matter how tiny, will make a difference. Imagine how happy and hopeful a simple meal could make someone feel and this can be applied to an elderly neighbor who can’t get around much these days, your local soup kitchen or hungry mouths in another city, country or continent :)

If you know of any organizations or campaigns fighting against hunger and poverty, or have more fundraising ideas to share with us, we’d love to find out about them below!