65 WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

65 WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Sharing

1.      Seniors love your artwork! Brighten walls - and smiles - at the local senior center.

2.      Got a favorite game? Teach it to younger kids.

3.      Win brownie points! Organize canned goods at home and take extras to a food pantry.

4.      Got talent? Share it!

5.      Your old backpack needs a new friend...donate it!

6.     Gather up outgrown, gently worn shoes and clothes for your local Salvation Army, Goodwill, church or synagogue.

7.      Party leftovers? Local soup kitchen guests are gonna love 'em!

8.      Neglected stuffies in your room? Little kids at shelters are aching to cuddle them.

9.      Like a challenge? Your game board skills are in demand at the senior center.

10.     Friend forgot their snack? Share yours!

11.     Read aloud to little kids at the library - they'll love you!

12.     Dust off your old - but still good - books and give them to your school library.

Giving

1.      It's your birthday! Give a gift to someone in need.

2.      Share your lemonade stand $$$ with your favorite worthy cause!

3.      How about a toy drive for kids stuck in the hospital?

4.      Get a haircut! And give your ponytail to Locks of Love.

5.      Got old sports equipment? Bring it to your local Parks & Rec!

6.      Calling all chefs! Bake cakes and donate the proceeds.

7.      Feed your furry friends at the animal shelter...drop off a bag of food!

8.      Time is precious...share a bit of yours to help others.

9.      Kind words lift spirits...give a compliment and lift yours too.

Conserving

1.      Compost your fruit and veggie scraps...and watch your garden BLOOM!

2.      Help save a gazillion disposable water bottles...reusable bottles rule!

3.      Save a tree! Use both sides of your notebook paper.

4.      Reuse, recycle. Reuse, recycle. Reuse, recycle. Got it?!

5.      Keep the earth cool...walk, bike or use public transportation.

6.      Got energy? Pick up trash! Remember: wear gloves & work with an adult.

7.      Your town doesn't recycle? Yikes! Create a program now!

8.      Nourish your neighborhood green spaces...grow a community garden.

9.      Like clean air? Grab your friends and plant trees.

10.     Drat those petroleum-based plastic bags! Use fabric bags instead - for everything!

11.     Buzz your town selectmen for more neighborhood trashcans and recycling bins.

12. Want to save energy while leaping tall buildings in a single bound? Turn off the boob tube and play outside.

13. Love surprises? Plant fall bulbs and flower seeds...and keep a weather eye for spring blossoms!

14.     "Turn off the lights!" Make switch plate reminders for your whole house.

15.     Save water and tons of $$$ - turn off the water when you brush teeth!

16.     Keep sturdy takeout containers for future leftovers.

17. Transform colorful magazine pages, comics and more into artful projects and gift wrappers!

18. Learn how to donate/recycle old computer stuff & post instructions (with permission!) at your local electronics stores.

19.     Breathe in nature...turn off the AC and open a window to the world.

Doing

1.      Whip up your favorite yummy snack and present it to a soup kitchen!

2.     Love history? Visit folks at the senior center and ask about the amazing things they've witnessed.

3.      Want to change the world? Practice random acts of kindness.

4.      Keep your brain sharp and body strong. Ask for healthy lunch options at school.

5.      Say "thank you! "...'tis music to your teachers' ears.

6.      Seeking positive change? Ask your local government officials for help.

7.      Lead by your good example.

8.      New kid at school? Eat lunch with them!

9.      Volunteering? Invite your nearest and dearest along.

10.     Have an older neighbor? Rake their leaves or shovel their sidewalk!

11.     Need a cat or dog to snuggle? Visit the animal shelter.

12.     Help end poverty. Check out the UN Millennium Development Goals online.

13.     Make soldiers smile...send letters & goodies!

14.     There's nothing like a warm hug...share one today.

15.     Show gratitude and write thank you notes!

16.     Get fit and have fun...start a neighborhood exercise group.

17.     Eating healthy? Partner up to share knowledge, tips and encouragement.

18.     Share a home cooked meal - and cheerful chat - with a homebound person.

19.     Got a big idea? Launch it with a community event!

20.      Friend on a mission? Help them!

21.      Tummy grumbling at the grocery store? Buy a canned good for the food pantry box.

22.      See somebody struggling with heavy bags or boxes? Lend a hand.

23.      Active voters make our country great. Ensure adults in your life are registered!

24.  Adorable pets await loving homes! Where? The animal shelter...tell your friends and family!

25.      Brighten the world...smile often!

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five (5) key rules of foundation application.

There are a lot of beauty advice and trends out there, you must have come across many, and even tried out some, you must know that the foundation of your beauty is in your hands.

There are a lot of beauty advice and trends out there, you must have come across many, and even tried out some.

However, you must know that the foundation of your beauty is in your hands. From drawing excessively harsh lines over brows, packing on the concealer over the brow bone and underneath the brows, slathering on foundation not in your skintone to not blending the eyeshadows or applying them hastily and more are reason some makeup looks come out unflattering.

Here are 5 outlined rules you can follow to nail your makeup routine like a pro.

(1) Figure out your skin undertone: Stand in natural light and look at the skin on your wrist. If your veins look blue or purple, you likely have a cool skin tone. If they look greenish, you're warm. By choosing foundation that matches the undertones in your skin, you get a much more natural look.

(2) learn how to use your  makeup brush toolkit: there are different brush for different application, make up brush helps get a precise and perfect makeup application. You need to apply your makeup with brushes having the basics that work with the products you use is essential.

(3) Always use primer: primer reduce the need for touch-ups later in the day. They create a smooth barrier between your skin and your makeup, you can get them for face, eyes and lashes.

(4) Know where to apply highlighter: learn how you high keep lightening game balanced, it can make your cheekbones pop and give you a luminous glow. If applied corrected, if not the end result is a sure disaster.

(5) Define a balance brow: defining your brows is the most interesting part of making up. The brows compliment the eyes you can pick a few trick from here.

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The secrets to staying creative in your workplace

 Have you ever found the creative inspiration you were seeking at the most unexpected time, or thought you were having that long-awaited problem-solving epiphany just as you nodded off to sleep?

According to neuroscientists John Kounios and Mark Beeman, there's a reason for that. Their book, "The Eureka Factor", explores the influences at work behind that much sought-after "Aha!" moment. Research suggests that in trying to conjure up inspiration, most of us end up suppressing it. The book explains how to clear out mental junk, in order to make way for pivotal revelations.

Dr. Kounios explained: "Insights involve unusual connections. Cognitive psychologists call these 'remote associations'. They are processed mostly in the brain's right hemisphere. Insights occur when a subconscious remote association suddenly pops into awareness. This is accompanied by a burst of activity in the brain's right temporal lobe."

"We wrote "The Eureka Factor" to help people understand how creative insight works in the brain so they can use various strategies harmoniously without having them cross-circuit each other, " said Kounios. "For example, there is evidence that imagining the future helps to put someone in an insightful state. However, if a person imagines a specific future that makes them anxious, then insightfulness could decrease because anxiety is a creativity killer."

"That said, a positive mood and a broad, expansive spread of attention are a couple of key features of the insightful state," he added.

Following are some of the tips they suggest for unleashing your creative potential -- both at home and at work.

Expand your horizons... literally

Spaciousness helps broaden thoughts. Even high ceilings have been shown to broaden attention. Small, windowless offices, low ceilings and narrow corridors will do little to inspire our brains and make us flexible, creative thinkers.

Color is key

Relaxing outdoor colors such as blue and green contribute to this state. "Emergency" colors such as red suppress it. Surprisingly, dark colors and dim lighting can also be beneficial: by obscuring visual details, they help people think more abstractly.

Get moving

Static surroundings encourage static thinking. Don't be predictable. You should sometimes change everyday routines, such as where you go for coffee or your route to work. Rearrange your furniture and decor from time to time, at home and in your workplace. Hold meetings in a variety of places.

Embrace diversity

Make sure to include some nonconformists in your inner circle. Unusual people tend to be out-of-the-box thinkers, and their unique outlook might help you attack a problem from a different angle.

Ditch the deadline

The threat of a firm deadline will narrow your thinking and inhibit your insight. Try and use soft target dates and a flexible schedule to establish a helpful, nonthreatening time frame. Rewards and punishments for meeting or missing deadlines, if needed at all, should be vague and mild so they don't contribute added pressure.

Don't worry, be happy (that's an order)

A positive outlook will help stimulate a more open mind, one that can process a greater number of ideas. If you struggle to think happy, try focusing on the people and things that bring you joy. To put a twist on Pasteur's famous saying, chance favors the happy mind.

Change direction

When you're stuck on a problem, take a break to do or think about something very different. Expose yourself to a variety of people and places. Listen to music or go to a pleasing movie, art exhibit or talk a walk. Play a game, dance, do yoga, read. Insight triggers appear at the most unlikely times and places.

Take a cat nap

We all know how important sleep is to our cognitive thinking. The sleep-deprived mind is more likely to fixate on small matters -- an absolute killer to creativity. Ample sleep also helps foster the discovery of hidden connections between ideas.

Find your peak time of day, then work against it

Insightful thought is at its best when your powers of inhibition are weaker, because reduced focus opens up your awareness to remote associations that wouldn't come to you when you're feeling sharp. If you're an early bird, you should try doing your creative work at night. If you're a night owl, try the morning.

Do whatever it takes to reduce anxiety

Perhaps the single most important thing to remember is that your mental state can change. It takes a while to sink into an insightful mindset. Try and schedule uninterrupted blocks of time for relaxed, freewheeling creative thought. Turn off your phone. Get rid of the clock. Let abstract ideas and vague impressions flow where they will.

Tips have been extracted from the book "The Eureka Factor", which has been written by Dr. John Kounios and Dr. Mark Beeman.

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