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The Science of Hope
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The Science of Hope

May 07, 2021

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The Science of Hope

May 07, 2021

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Hello Sojourners,

 

Recently, I watched the Nobel Prize Summit online. Their theme was Our Planet, Our Future. One of the last conversations of the day was titled “We Are the World.” It was an interview with His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. In addition to being a spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama has long been a supporter of science. He is currently advocating that scientists give more attention to our “inter-science,” our mind, our emotions, and the connection between the brain and emotion. Specifically, how we can keep our peace of mind and reduce toxic emotions like anger, hatred, and jealousy. What His Holiness calls the Hygiene of Emotion. His suggestion is that we train our minds, not just through faith, also through reasoning. Why? Because we are interconnected as a species and to the planet. The pandemic has indeed shown this to be the case. Now and in the future, we need to think like one. We need to let go of thinking in terms of MY country and think and act much more as OUR planet. Or, in the words of the Dalai Lama, “WE Humanity.” One of 8 Good Things aims is connecting with you through the words, articles, and videos we bring to you. I hope this edition offers some thoughts that inspire you. Until we meet again, please feel free to drop me a line and let me know your news.

 

Stay safe. Stay well.

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INVITE FRIENDS
P.S. E.U. set to let vaccinated U.S. tourists visit this summer.
P.S.S. Is the second dose bad? If I feel OK, is it working? Can I take Tylenol? These questions about the vaccine and more answered. 
P.S.S.S. Please share 8 Good Things with your family, friends, and colleagues. It may brighten up someone’s day. Perhaps, even help somehow live life a little better.

8 Good Things is a curated newsletter of inspirational and informational articles, videos, and quotes. If my thoughts about an article or video interest you, please click the ‘source’ button (e.g., NEW YORKER) to learn more. If you come across a story you would like me to consider sharing, please send it to explorer@sojourn-intl.com. This newsletter comes out once every three weeks. 

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The Science of Hope

If you want to know how hope works and why you want it, take a listen to this podcast with ABC Anchor Dan Harris. In seventy-two minutes, you will learn five strategies for developing hope. Believe it or not, you can learn it as a skill versus simply optimistically wishing for it.

TEN PERCENT HAPPIER
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You Might Be Suffering from
‘Vicarious Trauma’

You Might Be Suffering from ‘Vicarious Trauma’

An article on what to do when it is all too much.

WOMEN’S HEALTH
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Why Thinking Like a Scientist Is
Good for You

This article discusses why you should be open to questions about what you know and your judgment in the face of new evidence. I thought this was a timely article to share with so many different ideas, information, and misinformation these days around vaccines, climate change, and social issues. Things we thought we knew, ways we thought to act, things we thought were safe continue to change as we realize life in a post-pandemic world. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram may make us aware of a problem (or be the cause of it.) However, we would all be wise to check their sources. “Thinking like a scientist does not mean you need to own a telescope or a microscope. It just means that you favor humility over pride and curiosity over conviction.”

GREATER GOOD SCIENCE CENTER
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These 26 Celebrity Quotes About Self-Love Will Hit You Right in the Feels

“Do not allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded. Tell them to put on some sunglasses, ‘cause we were born this way!” Right on, Lady Gaga! Find out what twenty-five other celebrities have to say about self-love.

ELITE DAILY
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The Best Family Beach Vacations in the U.S.

Inspiration for those still not ready to break out their passport.

CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
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8 Over-the-Top Travel Experiences for Your First Post-COVID Vacation

Then here is something for those who either want to just dream or have the bankroll to spare no expense. These trips raise the bar on luxury getaways to a whole new level.
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST
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Travel with Intention

The Sojourn Explorers team can help you plan a spectacular trip.

SOJOURN EXPLORERS
SOJOURN EXPLORERS
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Virtual Community Book Club with Former President Barack Obama

Presented by the L.A. Times, a thought-provoking conversation between award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay and our former president about his latest bestseller, A Promised Land.

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Good Thing 8
Good Thing 8

The Exchange Project Uniting Young Americans During the Pandemic

You have heard about foreign exchange students. You may have been one yourself. Here is a new twist, a domestic exchange program for youths. Over the past year, one hundred seventy-five students in fourteen states took part in an American Exchange Program via online hangouts. The intention was to meet other kids from backgrounds one hundred and eighty degrees different from their own. An eighteen-year-old living in an affluent suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, learns about another eighteen-year-old residing in a lower-income area outside of Lake Charles, Louisiana. This kind of exchange has shifted attitudes, confronted stereotyping, and opened new worlds to the participating youths in both directions. Just because you are rich does not mean you have it made. Nor, because you are poor means you are bound by it. I think a domestic exchange program for adults sounds like a good idea too!

BBC NEWS

Sojourn Programs

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I am guiding LIVE meditations on the Insight Timer app. Come sit with me! You can also follow my meditation circle.

 

For those new to meditation, check out The Mindfulness Movement documentary that looks at the growing number of people around the world who believe mindfulness is the key to creating a healthier, happier world. Mindfulness is a practice, a tool for the mind, that anyone can use to make the moments of their lives more meaningful, more compassionate, and more aware. The film features interviews with Deepak Chopra, Jewel, Dan Harris, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sharon Salzberg, Daniel Goleman, and other renowned meditation movement leaders.

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I write video content for a mindfulness productivity app, Centered. This app is a tool that helps you do great things. Use it to organize your weekly tasks. You can listen to music from your Spotify list as you work. Their daily videos offer productivity tips, inspiring quotes, and mindfulness techniques to get you into the zone and realize your potential. No one is going to write the next great novel while endlessly scrolling through their social media feed. Check it out.

CENTERED APP 

Sojourn Getaways

Camino De Santiago  |  Spain

September 19th – 29th, 2021  |  $4650 Per Person/Double Occupancy

Camino De Santiago  |  Spain

September 19th – 29th, 2021
$4650 Per Person/Double Occupancy

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I genuinely think what you experience on this journey is a metaphor for how life can and should be, lived – more mindful of your environment. We have thoughtfully curated a transformative journey covering the last 100 kilometers of the Camino’s most popular route, The French Way. I also chose this route because it is doable for almost anyone, no matter their age.

ASK ABOUT THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

Picture Perfect Holistic Safari  |  Zambia + Malawi

November 8th – 19th, 2021  |  Inquire About Cost

Picture Perfect Holistic Safari
Zambia + Malawi

November 8th – 19th, 2021
Inquire About Cost

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We have partnered with our Zambia + Malawi specialist to curate and guide a photographic safari that combines everything you want in an African adventure through a mindful lens. Please join me for this unique small group sojourn. It will give you something to look forward to later this year!

 

SUPER Special Guest Invitation  |  Now – December 31st, 2021

 

If you want to visit Zambia and Malawi this year. However, the November dates above do not work for you, I have an amazing offer for fourteen nights! The caveat is that you have to book the trip by the end of May for travel anytime this year. Here is the itinerary. Email me for more details.

ASK US ABOUT ZAMBIA + MALAWI
The Holy Land  |  Israel
December 2nd – 11th, 2021  |  $4395 Per Person/Double Occupancy
The Holy Land  |  Israel
December 2nd – 11th, 2021
$4395 Per Person/Double Occupancy
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This trip is a beautiful spiritual journey with Very Reverend Father John Bakas from Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Los Angeles. We have made the pilgrimage twice before. Each time, it was indeed a joyful, uplifting experience for all. Father John has so much depth and knowledge of religious teachings and their historical contexts. It is shared with today’s relevance and good humor. Suffice to say that we laugh a lot on these trips.

ASK US ABOUT HOLY LAND
Patina  |  Maldives
Unveiling Offer  |  Inquire About Cost
Patina  |  Maldives
Unveiling Offer
Inquire About Cost
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The newest island resort is opening in this remote part of the world. I am so excited about Patina’s unveiling. I have been watching this resort being created from afar for over a year. It is the most unique place I have seen in the Maldives. Their clean, sophisticated modern design is where minimalism meets the environment in a balanced way that is in harmony with each other.

 

Special Guest Invitation  |  Now – December 19th, 2021


Twenty-five percent off with four consecutive night stays.
Thirty percent off with five consecutive night stays or more.
Complimentary half-board
Complimentary luxury return transfers
One sixty-minute spa massage
One sixty-minute guided snorkeling trip
*Based on two-person occupancy

 

Sojourn Explorers is happy to curate a Maldivian experience that is the perfect post-COVID getaway. Here is one possibility.

ASK US ABOUT MALDIVES

Six Senses Zil Pasyon  |  Seychelles

Thirty Percent Discount Offer  |  Inquire About Cost

Six Senses Zil Pasyon
Seychelles

Thirty Percent Discount Offer
Inquire About Cost

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Six Senses Zil Pasyon is located on Félicité, a private island thirty nautical miles (fifty-five kilometers) northeast of Seychelles International Airport in Mahé. A twenty-minute helicopter flight gets you there. Make sure to have your camera with you!

 

Special Guest Invitation  |  Now – December 20th, 2021

 

Thirty percent off with a minimum of four consecutive night stays. This offer applies to all villas.

*Ask how you can receive an additional ten percent off.

ASK US ABOUT SEYCHELLES
Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve  |  South Africa
Four Nights for Three Offer  |  Inquire About Cost
Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve
South Africa
Four Nights for Three OfferInquire About Cost
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One of National Geographic’s Unique Lodges of the World!

 

Special Guest Invitation  |  Now – June 30th, 2021

 

Stay four consecutive nights, pay for three.

ASK US ABOUT SABI SABI

The Great Elephant + Rhino Adventure  |  Kenya

Amboseli National Park + Laikipia Plateau +  Maasai Mara 

12 Days  |  Choose Your Dates  |  Inquire About Cost

The Great Elephant + Rhino Adventure  |  Kenya

Amboseli National Park + Laikipia Plateau +  Maasai Mara 

12 Days  |  Choose Your Dates
Inquire About Cost

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The Kenyan bush is an awe-inspiring sensory landscape that is humbling to experience. The most iconic way to travel is to move every few days and set camp like the old explorers, except with more creature comforts. I am offering an extraordinary photographic mobile safari camp experience that can be curated to your desires. No detail is too small or unimportant. This adventure is perfect for families and small groups.

ASK US ABOUT KENYA

Arctic Quest  |  North Pole

Launches 2023  |  Choose Your Dates  |  Inquire About Cost

Arctic Quest  |  North Pole

Launches 2023

Choose Your Dates
Inquire About Cost

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This pioneer’s adventure to the North Pole in a modern airship is getting a lot of attention. It is one of the most extraordinary and unique travel experiences you will ever have in your life. Many travel dates are already sold out! The airship has eight cabins and can accommodate up to sixteen passengers. Prices will go up the closer we get to the launch in 2023. If you are interested, book now.

ASK US ABOUT THE NORTH POLE

Sojourn Cares

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Between May 17th and Thanksgiving, 2020, I walked 1000 Charity Miles for Stand Up To Cancer. I took to the foothills in my Los Angeles backyard. I hiked almost every day to support patients and caregivers with COVID-19. On Christmas Day, I pledged to walk another 1000 Charity Miles. Since our last 
8 Good Things
I have walked almost another 100 miles.

 

My fundraising page from the 1000 miles I did in 2020 is still open. Every donation is meaningful to those in need. Bless you for caring.

GOFUNDME

Art & Science of Happiness in Action

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Awe Video

One, check out the video in the link below.

 

Two, find a place or activity that will give you a sense of perspective in relation to the rest of the world, like how you feel when standing on top of a mountain or at the edge of an ocean. Make a video of this location. If you want, it can include your thoughts.

 

Three, notice whether making this video shifts the way you understand the world. Perhaps, your everyday concerns will feel less important or inspire you to push yourself to greater heights.

 

Why this works: 
Consciously taking time to experience awe can break your routines. It can challenge you to think about new possibilities. It is a way to lift yourself up and out of the mundane.


Time Required: 5 minutes   |   Frequency: 1x per month

GREATER GOOD UC BERKELEY

Picture Perfect

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Mermaid Show

“A group of 110 divers performs underwater as they set a new Guinness World Record for the ‘largest underwater mermaid show’ at the Atlantis resort on April 28, 2021, in Sanya, Hainan province, China.”

THE ATLANTIC

Thoughtful

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“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
~ James Baldwin

“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”
~ Charlie Chaplin

Stay safe. Stay well.

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Maria Baltazzi

PhD, Conscious-Centered Living  |  MFA, Film

Emmy-winning TV Producer  |  Happiness + Mindfulness Teacher

Transformational Travel Council Advisor + Herald

Seven Continent Marathon Walker

Explorers Club Member

Scare Your Soul Advisor

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Maria Baltazzi

PhD, Conscious-Centered Living | MFA, Film

Emmy-winning TV Producer
Happiness + Mindfulness Teacher

Transformational Travel Council Advisor + Herald

Seven Continent Marathon Walker

Explorers Club Member

Scare Your Soul Advisor

ABOUT

Every three weeks, we bring you eight big ideas to help you live better.

Each edition selects topics that reflect The Sojourn Experience’s desire to serve the greater good, both inwardly and outwardly. We are a conscious-centered company with three portfolio brands. The first is Picture Happiness: Take a Shot, which focuses on the art and science of happiness and mindfulness. The second is Sojourn Explorers, which curates transformational travel experiences to extraordinary places around the globe. Part of the money for each trip goes to nonprofit organizations we support. The Sojourn Media Group looks to create partnerships with writers, producers, and directors to get their projects sold to production companies and various platforms.

Special thanks to Astrid Martin, article and video content research, and Michael Tobias, editorial review and formatting, for their ongoing contributions to 8 Good Things.

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Let us know your favorite things from this week.

Share how your perspective changed this week.

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Once a month, we bring you eight big ideas to help you live better.

8 Good Things is a newsletter of insightful, inspirational articles, videos, and reflections you will not find elsewhere in one place that is simple and easy to digest delivered to your inbox as our gift.

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A Grateful Life is A Happy Life
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The Science of Love
Living a Meaningful 2022
Merry, Merry! May Good Things Come to You
Thanksgiving Reflections
Go for a Walk
See More

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Arctic Quest

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Thirty-six hours that will change your life. This is no overstatement. Be among the first to land at our magnetic north in a modern airship that uses innovative technology that combines the best of fixed-wing airplanes, helicopters, and static helium lift. What is old is new and even better, and more sustainable than jets or vehicles.

Photos provided by Design Q
View North Pole
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