From Gratitude to Greatness: Brownlee Global's Path to a Purposeful Life

Guide and Educate Individuals How to Build Long-Term Wealth, Better Manage Their Money, and Achieve Financial Freedom

From Gratitude to Greatness: Brownlee Global's Path to a Purposeful Life

Happy Thanksgiving: Always Be Grateful

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“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

Thanksgiving encourages you and others to reflect on what you are thankful for.

Research has shown that being thankful and practicing gratitude can have significant positive effects on your mental and physical health.

For instance, studies by psychologists Dr. Robert A. Emmons and Dr. Michael E. McCullough found that people who regularly wrote about things they were grateful for experienced greater well-being, exercised more, and had fewer visits to the doctor.

Gratitude helps you feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve your health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

“When you are grateful, you are not fearful. And when you are not fearful, you are not violent. When you are grateful, you act out of a sense of enough and not out of a sense of scarcity.” ~ Rabbi Harold Kushner

Source:  https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier

Believe Tomorrow Will Be Better

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“Three months from now, you will be in a better situation. Claim it.”

Close your eyes and imagine it. Three months from now, a new chapter unfolds. The anxieties that weigh you down now have begun to lift, like clouds parting to reveal a brighter sky. The challenges you face today are fading into the background, replaced by a sense of peace and progress.

Claim it. Claim this better situation, this improved circumstance, this renewed sense of hope. It’s not just wishful thinking, it’s a declaration of faith, a commitment to your own growth and evolution.

Three months may seem like a long time, but it’s a blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things. Within that time, you can cultivate new habits, embrace new opportunities, and make choices that align with your dreams.

Visualize it, believe it, and claim it. Three months from now, you will be in a better situation. It’s not luck, it’s not chance, it’s the power of your own intention, the unwavering belief in your own potential, and the unwavering commitment to create the life you desire.

Source:  Tips That Change Your Life.

Vitamin D and COVID-19 Research

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A new research study at the University of Chicago Medicine has found that when it comes to COVID-19, having vitamin D levels above those traditionally considered sufficient may lower the risk of infection, especially for Black people.

The study, published March 19 in JAMA Open Network, retrospectively examined the relationship between vitamin D levels and likelihood of testing positive for COVID-19.

While levels of 30 ng/ml or more are usually considered “sufficient,” the authors found that Black individuals who had levels of 30 to 40 ng/ml had a 2.64 times higher risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than people with levels of 40 ng/ml or greater.

Statistically significant associations of vitamin D levels with COVID-19 risk were not found in white people.

The study looked at data from over 3,000 patients at UChicago Medicine who had had their vitamin D levels tested within 14 days before a COVID-19 test.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210322175028.htm

Extend Lifespan and Health Span

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Lifespan is the total length of a person’s life. Health span is the period of a person’s life during which they are generally healthy and free of serious or chronic illness. 

Recent scientific research suggests that aging might not be as inevitable as we once thought.

The aim of aging research is to extend both lifespan and health span. Lifespan refers to the total number of years a person lives, while health span focuses on the number of those years spent in good health, free from chronic diseases and disabilities.

Studies in the fields of genetics, cellular biology, and biochemistry have shown that the aging process can be influenced and potentially slowed down.

For example, researchers have discovered that certain genes and cellular pathways, such as those involving telomeres and sirtuins, play crucial roles in the aging process.

Aging in people results from the gradual accumulation of defects and damage to the molecules and cells that make up our bodies. However, our bodies have built-in mechanisms for repairing this damage. But even these repair mechanisms wear out over time. Eventually, enough damage accumulates to affect the function of whole organs and systems.

Telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, tend to shorten as cells divide, leading to aging and cell death. However, some studies have shown that it might be possible to extend telomere length and improve cell longevity.

Additionally, lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, and stress management have been shown to significantly impact the aging process.

Practices like calorie restriction and intermittent fasting have been linked to increased lifespan in various organisms.

Source:  https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/research-context-can-we-slow-aging

Gratitude is Powerful

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Gratitude is a powerful emotion and mindset that can have a profound impact on your life.

When you feel grateful, you are acknowledging all the good and blessings in your life. You’re acknowledging all the peace and abundance that surrounds you.

Gratitude opens your heart and mind to receive even more good.

Gratitude is also a mindset and attitude of optimism and positive thinking.

When you are grateful for what you have, you are also showing your unwavering belief and confidence in yourself and your abilities. You are telling yourself that you are worthy of good things  You are telling yourself that you are worthy of peace, happiness and abundance.

Practicing gratitude is one of the best ways to improve your health and increase your overall sense of well-being. It can help you attract more positive experiences and circumstances into your life. It can help you feel happier and more fulfilled with life.

Family Financial Checklist

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Don’t wait any longer. Take the time to sit down with the family members and discuss important financial matters.

There is rarely an ideal time to discuss important financial matters with family members. Yet, it is important to talk to your family about inheritance, guardianship, and living wills.

Important questions like the ones below never seem to get answered or considered until it’s too late:

  • “How will we manage the bills while Dad is in assisted living?”
  • “Does Dad have a durable power of attorney?”
  • “Where does Mom keep her will?”
  • “Has anybody found the key to the safe deposit box?”

Here’s a recommended list of financial topics to cover with family members.

Adult family members might use each item as a platform for discussion. Think of it as a conversation starter:

  1. Do you have an updated will? (Attorneys usually recommend that all adults have one, not just senior family members.)
  2. Are there specific family heirlooms you would like to give to specific family members, or is there something special you would like to receive some day? These decisions can be included in a will.
  3. Do you have guardians for minor children?
  4. Do you have a durable power of attorney?
  5. Do you have a living will and/or a medical power of attorney? You have a legal right to specify the level of care you wish to receive if you are incapacitated. Most importantly, you can designate the individuals responsible for making such decisions.
  6. Are your life insurance, pension, IRA, and annuity beneficiary designations current?
  7. Are all your important documents in one place, such as a safe deposit box? Are designated family members’ names on the signature card?
  8. Do you have an available list of important information? This might include bank accounts, retirement accounts, other financial accounts, life insurance policies, and other assets, as well as the names and contact information of your attorney, accountant, financial advisor, and other professionals.
  9. Do you need to contact your attorney to update your will, or do you need to contact your insurance agent or financial advisor to review your life insurance and other financial concerns?

Source:  New York Life article: How to talk about managing family finances

 

Focus Like A Lion

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“What you focus on expands; results follow focus.” – Marcus Buckingham

“What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it.” – Oprah Winfrey

Focus and concentration are key components for success, progress, and improvement. Focus allows for, and even accelerates accomplishment.

“Results Follow Focus.”

NBA legend and Hall of Fame basketball player Kobe Bryant often spoke about the importance of focus and how it contributed to his success on and off the basketball court. He believed that maintaining a high level of focus was crucial for achieving greatness, both on and off the basketball court.

Key Points from Kobe Bryant on Focus:

  • Attention to Detail: Kobe emphasized the importance of paying attention to the smallest details in everything you do. He believed that mastering the basics and refining every aspect of your craft were essential for success.
  • Mindset and Purpose: He often talked about having a clear direction and purpose. Knowing what you want to achieve and staying committed to that goal helps maintain focus. “Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise,” convey Kobe Bryant. 
  • Meditation and Mental Training: Kobe practiced meditation to help center his mind and improve his focus. He found that mental exercises were just as important as physical training for peak performance.

The key points are that focus and concentration are essential to winning and succeeding.

Kobe’s dedication to focus and his relentless work ethic are inspiring examples of how maintaining concentration and purpose can lead to extraordinary achievements.

Kobe once said about focus and winning, “I focus on one thing and one thing only – that’s trying to win as many championships as I can.”

Source:  https://thestrive.co/quotes-about-focus/

Maintaining a Positive Outlook

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The human mind tends to jump to the worst possible explanations and then further catastrophrzes the situation.

Most people have a negative filter and are pessimists, and they don’t even know it, and they don’t know how much this is hurting them in time, in energy, in productivity, in sanity, and actual lifespan.”

Recent research shows that maintaining a positive outlook can boost your chances of living beyond 85 by more than 50%, stated Positive Mindset Mentor Darren Daily in a podcast. Additionally, he shares that optimists don’t just live longer, they live better.

Scientists followed over 70,000 people for 30 years, considering every variable that you can think of. Education, lifestyle, health, and even the frequency of their smiles. Their conclusion was undeniable.

On average, optimists lived 15% longer than pessimists, and they weren’t just surviving longer, they were thriving more, and more likely to reach that coveted status of exceptional agers.

Optimism is a skill that you can learn, and it only takes five minutes a day to boost your optimism muscle significantly, Daily explains.

For starters, you can focus your mind on what’s positive and what you’re grateful for to help you ignite your growth mindset and help you become better every day.

Source:  DarrenDaily On-Demand: This Will Positively Save Your Life, Nov 1, 2024

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/darrendaily-on-demand/id1449270369?i=1000675324353

 

Chess

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In a game of chess, you don’t speak. You just think, plan and act quietly. The only time that you ever speak when playing chess is to say “check” or “checkmate”.

Life is like chess. Don’t broadcast your plans or intentions. Act quietly. Keep progressing and achieving. Your accomplishments and achievements are your “check” and “checkmate”.

Let your haters only see your reality, never your vision, or you will have division and unnecessary friction.

Tolerance for Failure

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“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford

A tolerance for failure and learning from the failure is crucial for personal and professional growth.

Several key points to consider include :

  • Resilience: Failure teaches resilience. When you face setbacks and learn to overcome them, you build a stronger, more adaptable mindset.
  • Growth Mindset: Embracing failure helps develop a growth mindset, where you see challenges as opportunities to learn and improve rather than as insurmountable obstacles.
  • Innovation: In many fields, especially in innovation and research, failure is an essential part of the process. It helps identify what doesn’t work, paving the way for breakthroughs.
  • Learning Culture: Organizations that foster a culture of learning from failure tend to be more innovative and successful. They encourage employees to take calculated risks and learn from their mistakes without fear of punishment.
  • Emotional Intelligence: Understanding and accepting failure can improve emotional intelligence. It helps you manage your emotions better and empathize with others who are going through similar experiences.

Embracing failure is a fundamental basis of achieving great success in one’s professional and personal life.