One Degree of Separation

Watching the Red Sox victory on television on Sunday night and then standing amongst the crowd on Boylston Street in the Back Bay Fens at noon yesterday, watching the "Rolling Rally" of Red Sox players and their families, along with Red Sox coaches, managers, owners and other staff wave to the crowds and shoot confetti into the air, one couldn't help but feel pure joy and exhilaration. The positive energy in the city was more than apparent and the genuine happiness people felt reverberated throughout the day. It was cause for celebration! And for the most part, it really brought out the best in people. Seeing people come together was actually very touching.

But it also got me thinking. What separates the winners from the losers? What decides who revels in victory and who wallows in the despair of defeat? Well, as anybody who follows sports can tell you, sometimes what separates the winner from the loser is less than one second; think of an Olympic race, whether it be swimming, biking or running. The difference in time between the Gold, Silver and Bronze and the competitors who receive no medal at all, is usually very little.

You can use this analogy in life as well. What factor decides who gets the promotion and who doesn't? What factor decides who wins the bid and who doesn't? What determines who wins the scholarship and who doesn't? Sometimes, the difference is just one small thing, that makes the big difference. That is why it is important to always do our best. If we truly want something, genuinely want it, then the Universe will conspire to help us achieve it. But we do have to work for it. We must put forth our best effort. We can't slack off, then expect a big payoff. Big effort, big results. Whenever you're working toward something you really want, remember this:

TO GET WHAT WE'VE NEVER HAD

WE MUST DO WHAT WE'VE NEVER DONE

As the following 2-minute movie will demonstrate, at 211 degrees, water is merely hot. But at 212 degrees, water is BOILING. One degree, big difference!




For photos from the Red Sox's Rolling Rally through the streets of Boston CLICK HERE

For more inspirational movies CLICK HERE

Positive People Day

Who knew that tomorrow was Positive People Day? Nancy Purbeck of Boston founded this idea 10 years ago and every year on October 29th, she and her band of volunteers spread the word, starting at dawn, at the very busy South Station train terminal in Downtown Boston, where an average of 60,000+ commuters pass through each morning.

Ms. Purbeck describes, "It's a springboard for everyone in the city of Boston and beyond to spread kindness, to swap it for negativity. Without kindness, there is violence." Her goal? "Well, it's not always about changing attitudes. It's just the simple act of doing something positive. I'd like to say we're really hoping people make a commitment to kindness, but not everyone's on top of their daily stress. I know that. This is not a club for people who know how to feel cheerful. It's advocacy for people to reach out to others who need a little bit of help." And what about their mascot? You'll never guess who it is! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

Meanwhile, please commit to participating in "Positive People Day" on October 29th and spread the word! Now what about their mascot?

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

12th Annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival

One of my favorite annual traditions is coming soon and I am so excited about it! What is it, you ask? None other than the Vegetarian Food Festival that is held by the venerable Boston Vegetarian Society. Now in its twelfth year, the Vegetarian Food Festival is the biggest event of its kind in New England and its popularity continues to grow. Although it is a vast resource for vegans and vegetarians, people practicing all different types of diet are encouraged to attend! You need not be vegetarian. If you are looking to incorporate more healthy and diverse plant-based foods in diet, this is a great place to start. If you consider yourself an environmentalist or simply want to learn how you can try to "go green" or reduce your carbon footprint, find out how a plant-based diet impacts the Earth by attending the festival.

The festival includes:

• 100 exhibitors
• free food sampling
• cooking demonstrations by noted chefs
• educational exhibits
• cookbook authors and publishers
• children's activities
• restaurants
• food producers with their healthy products, freebies & coupons
• natural grocers
• information on animal welfare & environmentalism
• top national speakers (movers & shakers!)
• free parking / free admission / T stop right there!

Of the seven noted speakers presenting on October 20th, the most I am most excited about this year is Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. She is the founder and director of Compassionate Cooks, a columnist for one of my favorite magazines, Veg News and is a contributor to NPR. Additionally, Colleen does an amazing podcast for Compassionate Cooks, Vegetarian Food for Thought, of which I am an enthusiastic subscriber. (Her podcast is accessible via iTunes for free.) Will I see you at the Vegetarian Food Festival this year? Mark your calendar! Colleen Patrick-Goudreau speaks at 3:00 PM. For a list of other speakers and for more information regarding the festival at the Reggis Lewis Athletic Center in Roxbury/Boston, click here

Another Way to Meet Your Meat

Anyone who's attended one of my workshops or met with me for an individual consultation, knows how I feel about food labels and food ingredients. If you cannot pronounce an ingredient or cannot identify what it is (and especially if the food has multiple chemical ingredients that you've never heard of) why would you feel comfortable eating it? Eating food is a very intimate experience; every time you eat, you are choosing to put something into your body, which ideally, should nourish you. But so often, these food choices that include processed ingredients and refined sugar and flour do not provide nutrients; they actually create a deficiency in the body. This makes your body have to work harder to digest the food and in the end, instead of receiving nutrients like vitamins or minerals, your body has actually lost stored values of these nutrients because the refined sugar and flour has no goodness associated with it (no fiber, no minerals, no vitamins at all). So instead of providing any benefit, these actually deplete the body of good things, including energy.

And what about meat? Well, meat contains other added ingredients besides just the animal flesh itself. Sometimes you will find this listed on the label and other times you will not. And a good example of this is processed meat, like sausages and packaged deli meat. For an interesting and eye-opening look at what exactly you're consuming when choosing these kinds of meat products, I encourage to check out this informative photo show, by clicking:
Mystery Meat Macrophotography