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Here is this week’s 8 Good Things. This newsletter is my year-long weekly gift containing everything from articles to books to quotes to videos that are meant to be helpful, inspirational, aspirational, informational, and just fun to read!

Please make sure to scroll all the way down to see our Upcoming Sojourn Events!

Photographic Safari and Mindfulness Workshops in Kenya and Botswana, Africa.

View Kenya and View Botswana

Also: Walking the Camino de Santiago, Spain and Sailing and Hiking the Greek Islands.

View Spain and View Greek Islands

Ongoing Program (Beta) Happiness: The Art of Life Balance.

Learn More contact me

Sojourn Explorers: Trek. Fundraise. Inspire.

1) Did you know that in 1887 Oregon was the first State to legalize Labor Day? Though it took a political disaster to get it on the National calendar. Find out more.

HISTORY

2) How to Stop Wasting Your Vacations. The science of finding happiness and restoration when getting away. “There is a pervasive societal belief that says to be successful we must stay plugged in and on top of tasks, but research shows doing this after hours and during vacations hampers long-term success. We are never giving our brains a chance to recharge.” Over a three-year period, the people who took more than 10 days of vacation had a 66% chance of getting a raise. Those who took less than 10 days had a 35% chance of getting a raise. One other thing, happiness comes from work and recovery. Read more.

THRIVE GLOBAL

3) How 139 Countries Could Be Powered by 100% Wind, Water, and Solar Energy by 2050. Proposed benefits are “an annual decrease in 4 to 7 million air pollution deaths; stabilization of energy prices; and annual savings of over $20 trillion in health and climate costs.”

FUTURISM

4) World’s biggest underground bike parking center opens in Utrecht. Traveling on a bike in the Netherlands is so popular that they now have a three-story underground bike parking structure. It is open 24-hours a day.

NEW ATLAS

Picture Happiness: Take a Shot

5) Silicon Valley is obsessed with meditation, and there is new evidence it changes the brain for the better. I have been teaching Mindfulness, Primordial Sound Meditation and Prayer of the Heart for some years now. For me, mediation has been a total game-changer in my life. If you do not have a practice, I would strongly urge you to start one. Find out why. The article also recommends retreats, please scroll down to see the ones I am leading.

BUSINESS INSIDER

6) 35 Affirmations That Will Change Your Life. “Affirmations are proven methods of self-improvement because of their ability to rewire our brains.” Basically, they help break up negative thought patterns which often lead to negative speech as well as actions. I like this one: “My thoughts are filled with positivity and my life is plentiful with prosperity.” Find your favorite affirmation.

HUFFPOST

7) Meet 99-year old Pittsburgh Pirates usher, Phil Coyne, very sweet. “I get more hugs and kisses now than I ever did in my life.”

CBS ON THE ROAD

8) Maya Angelou’s Top 10 Rules for Success. Love, love Maya. Rule number one, just do right. “Courage is the most important of all the virtues.” Find out the other nine.

YOUTUBE

“Faith is taking the first step
even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Upcoming Sojourn Events

Announcing our partnership with
Great Plains Conservation’s Wild Studio

Photographic Safari and Mindfulness Workshops
Kenya, November 14th – 21st, 2017 | March 3rd – 8th, 2018
Botswana, November 23rd – 30th, 2017 | March 21st – March 28th, 2018

Great Plains Conservation’s Wild Studio was started by award-winning National Geographic filmmakers Beverly and Dereck Joubert. Whether you are a pro or an amateur, you will have the extraordinary experience of photographing lions, leopards, elephants, and buffalo. Best part is that there will always be a veteran wildlife photographer there to give you tips on getting great shots. Leave with an amazing portfolio of your wildlife adventure. Africa has long been my favorite place in the world, and I look forward to sharing it with you. Please join the Wild Studio Team and me on a uniquely curated safari that will tap into your true inner-photographer.

View Kenya View Botswana

Ongoing Program (Beta), Happiness: The Art of Life Balance
I am committed to helping those who sit in the overwhelm, constantly feeling out of time, and always stressed. As a longtime TV producer, I have been there many times over and have spent the last eleven years studying what to do about it. My promise is to get you out of the crazy and into the happy. To do that, I have put together a 90-day program. It is designed to be an ongoing curriculum that can fit into anyone’s schedule and can be joined online anytime. You will learn to manage your day-to-day world in a way that is sustainable. For a complimentary consultation, please contact me.

Learn More contact me

Los Angeles, September 9th
I am leading a Prayer of the Heart Silent Meditation Walk and Picnic 9:30 am – 12:30 pm at Will Rogers State Park. Hiking level: easy to moderate. Length: 2-mile loop. We will meet in the parking lot, next to the polo field. Bring something for a picnic.

1501 Will Rogers State Park Rd
(Off Sunset Blvd)
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

RSVP

Camino de Santiago, Spain, September 26th – October 3rd, 2017
This pilgrimage has long been on my travel ‘hit’ list. For years, I have heard inspiring stories about it. We will stay in quaint farm houses, 17th-century stone-made mansions. Eat well, drink well. Pray, meditate, breathe. Of course, walk. Go home happy. *the trip cost includes my Happiness: The Art of Life Balance program.

Learn more

Greek Islands, May 25th – June 2nd, 2018 | Memorial Day Weekend
If you romanticize sailing and hiking the islands in the Aegean, then come along with me. Explore, meditate, do restorative yoga, energizing breathwork, eat great food, dance. Find your inner Zorba. Opa! *the trip cost includes my Happiness: The Art of Life Balance program.

Learn more

“Happy is the man, I thought, who, before dying
has the good fortune to sail the Aegean Sea.”
~ Nikos Kazantzakis, author of Zorba the Greek

Happy Weekend! Love,
Maria and Team Sojourn
Learn More About Us | +800-869-0538

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