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Travel Photography Tips from People Who Do It For a Living
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8 Good Things is a curated biweekly newsletter of inspirational and informational articles, videos, and quotes. Content falls into three buckets. Sojourn Explorers is about travel, technology, and exploration. Picture Happiness is about conscious-centered living. Sojourn is about photography, storytelling, and the entertainment industry.

Announcing. For thirteen years, I have been studying Happiness. The last two have been spent working towards a PhD in Conscious-Centered Living. In that time, I wrote a thesis comparing the types of meditation practices that I teach: Mindfulness, Primordial Sound Meditation, and Prayer of the Heart. Followed by a dissertation on the keys to cultivating and sustaining Happiness. I am very pleased to say that I now have three new initials after my name. My hope is that I am able to take what I have learned and help others to live better, more fully.

Make sure to scroll all the way down to see my upcoming trips and programs.

Invite Friends

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1The Best Fourth of July Celebrations Across the U.S. If you are starting to think about plans for the Fourth, here are some suggestions. Me, I will be in Cleveland visiting my family. Happy Independence Day!

TRAVEL+LEISURE

2Carl Sagan: We Humans Are Capable of Greatness. I agree. Here is a beautiful video of time-lapse photography of our world and beyond as the legendary Sagan reads an excerpt from his book about his future vision of humans in space, “Pale Blue Dot.”

CARL SAGAN
PALE BLUE DOT

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33 Ways to Turn Your Greatest Insecurities into Your Greatest Strengths. “Learn how to own our insecurities, instead of letting our insecurities own us.” This article is a brief lesson in standing up to shame by showing your vulnerability.

Research professor Brené Brown also has a lot to say on this topic. I have shared her TEDTalk before. However, it is worth posting again.

LIGHTWORKERS
Brené Brown

4The Pursuit of Happiness: 3 Myths Everyone Should Stop Believing. This article is written by Happiness Psychologist and Bestselling Author Sonja Lyubomirsky. I have been reading her work for years. Sonja has validated and influenced much of my thinking around cultivating Happiness. Her Happiness Myth Number Two, “I’m going to lead a sad, lonely life because I’m single.” I will gladly dispel that one myself. As part of the Single’s Club, life is joyful and full. However, that is because I made this my choice. You create the life you lead. It is one hundred percent up to you to pursue the things that bring you Happiness, purpose, and meaning.

HAPPIFY DAILY

5Get Your Mind and Body Out of Crisis Mode. “Unchecked stress can wreak havoc on your well-being. These are the warning signs that you’re heading toward burnout, plus six steps to manage your stress.” The two stress management steps I use most effectively are 1) do one small thing at a time, and 2) remember that everything changes. Approaching a task in bite-size chunks and putting a timer on it makes anything manageable. If it is clearing the mountain of paper on top of my desktop, I set a 20-minute limit. If it a difficult writing assignment, I go for ninety-minutes. I get a lot done with a lot less stress by doing this, and telling myself “this too shall pass.”

MINDFUL

6Do Mindful Apps Work? About four years ago, researchers started looking to see if meditation apps really work. Early findings say, yes. One study showed that after just two weeks of using a mindfulness app, one could experience a biological change in their response to stress. For some time, I have used a meditation app called Insight Timer. I love it, though I was already a dutiful practitioner and meditation teacher before I found it. I like the extensive offerings, including music. It also keeps track of consecutive days meditating. As of this writing, I have five hundred and twenty-nine days in a row recorded. You might try it. I would still suggest a teacher who can answer questions and keep you on track 😉

GREATER GOOD SCIENCE
INSIGHT TIMER

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78 Travel Photography Tips from People Who Do It For a Living. Thought this was a good article to share as many of us are out exploring the world this summer. I like the suggestion to have a sunset strategy. However, mine would include a dry vodka martini, well-shaken with three olives, and dirt on the side!

CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER

8Five Ways Real Science Would Make the New “Jurassic World” So Much Better. According to scientists, Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom neglects decades worth of dinosaur research. It seems dinosaurs hooted more than roared and had feathers! The film is getting less than stellar reviews as well. At any rate, cool read for those who like dinosaurs—especially T.rex.

SMITHSONIAN
TRAILER

” Thoughtful

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
~ Albert Einstein

Sojourn Experiences

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Greek Islands | Inquire About Dates
Hit the pause button to sail and hike the islands in the Aegean Sea. Explore with me. Meditate. Do restorative yoga. Eat great food, and do like Zorba. Dance! Opa!! Bring together a group of six friends and set course on your own Greek Odyssey.

Learn more
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Photographic Safari and Mindfulness Workshops
Kenya | Botswana | Inquire About Dates

I took this photo on the last morning of a recent trip to Africa — my favorite place in the world. Great Plains Conservation’s Wild Studio was started by award-winning National Geographic filmmakers Beverly and Dereck Joubert. This is an experience that I put together. It combines learning the secrets of great wildlife photography from a Wild Studio pro along with my Mindfulness teaching. Please join us on a uniquely curated safari that will tap into your true inner-photographer. This adventure can be shared with a group of friends or done as a solo sojourn.

View Kenya
View Botswana

Sojourn Programs

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Happiness: The Art of Life Balance
I am committed to helping those who sit in the overwhelm, continually feeling out of time and always stressed. As a longtime television producer, I have been there many times over and have spent a decade plus studying what to do about it. Now, I work with professionals, helping them get out of the crazy and into the happy (and yes, I still produce shows). I have designed a program that can fit into anyone’s schedule and joined at any time. For a complimentary session, please contact me.

Learn More
Book 50-Minute Phone Session
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By Appointment
Offering private sessions in Mindfulness, Primordial Sound Meditation, Prayer of the Heart Meditation, and Restorative Yoga. Available in-person, or on Skype and FaceTime.

DETAILS
CONTACT ME

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

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Maria Baltazzi, PhD, Founder
Purveyor of Happiness and Conscious-Centered Living


Emmy-winning TV Producer, Happiness Mentor, Transformational Travel Guide

Transformational Travel Council logo Transformational Travel Council
North America Ambassador

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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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