“Our most effective weapon is laughter.” ~Mark Twain

I started belly laughing daily when I did the Encourage Yourself 21-Day Challenge. I keep it up now because it makes me feel better.

According to many medical centers (including the Mayo Clinic & the University of Maryland, their research quoted here), laughter is great for your health. Here are 7 reasons that you should do whatever you need to do to belly laugh at least once every day:

Belly Laughter:

• Decreases the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine.
• Balances (lower/raise depending on your body) blood pressure & improves blood circulation.
• Relaxes muscles which in turn helps your whole body & mind to relax.
• Helps open up airways and increases oxygen intake (because you take deeper breaths when you’re belly laughing).
• Acts as a natural pain reliever by releasing endorphins (hormones that increase our feeling of well-being & help with pain management).
• Improves immune system function by increasing the level of antibodies within you that fight bacteria & infection.
• Connects you with other people because it’s a universal language that puts people at ease & that everyone understands.

So do you belly laugh at least once a day? If not, start today!

Have you started your Life List yet?

The post One Wild Life ~ Belly Laugh At Least Once A Day appeared first on SHELLI JOHNSON.

Wow. Two years. Ridiculous how fast time goes by. Truly, I’m shocked writing this because it doesn’t feel like that much time at all. This is just a quick note to let you know that the vast majority (99.9%) of you are:

• amazing
• gifted & crazy talented
• supportive
• nurturing & encouraging
• stellar human beings

The very few of you who’ve been nasty, well there’s still hope for you. Believe in yourself. All you have to do is choose differently. Be kind.

Thank you so much for hanging out with me for two years. You’ve made my life a lot brighter & more fun & I’m so grateful to you for that. Raising a glass *clink* for a celebration and a wish for another great year (both for me & for you).

AN UPDATE ON MY NEW NOVEL

My apologies for those of you who’ve been waiting for a new novel from me. I know it’s been a long time. Here’s the scoop: I finished novel number two. I started number three while number two was out being read by some editor friends of mine. Turns out much to my surprise (and delight!) that the two books are interrelated. So rather than publish number two and get the details wrong, I opted to write number three at the same time. Working on two different (but related) novels isn’t something I usually do, so there’s been a bit of a learning curve.

Anyway, all that to say this: I’m shooting for a release date of later this year for novel number two. Thanks so much for your patience and your support and your encouragement. It’s meant so much to me to get letters & emails from readers of my first novel, Small as a Mustard Seed, asking to see my new work. It’s on its way. Just a little bit longer.

A REQUEST FOR YOUR HELP

I’ve committed to taking a charity/aid trip to Kisumu, Kenya this summer. It’s going to cost $3700. If you’ve found any of my blog posts helpful over the past two years, please consider making a donation to help fund my trip using the button below. A donation will give you access to a specially-designed PDF of the 21-Day Encourage Yourself Challenge that ran on my blog last month. Anything you are willing to contribute would be much appreciated.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR! 

Cheers,

The post It’s My Second Blogoversary! appeared first on SHELLI JOHNSON.

Okay, so sometimes I say yes to things without fully appreciating what I’m getting myself into. The Ultimate Blog Challenge (UBC) was one of those things. It’s a challenge to write 30 posts in 30 days. So for the month of April, I cranked out a post a day.

Here’s the good that came from it:

• It reminded me of my days as a reporter, being on deadline, cranking out copy (& proved to me I could still do it).
• It reminded me to let go of the work, put it out there in the world and let go, put it out and let go because there isn’t time to wonder if it’s good enough; I’m on deadline & I’ve got to write another & another & another.
• It reaffirmed that what matters is the work, the big picture not the petty little stuff (numbers!) that lots of people use to gauge their success/worth.
• It connected me with lots of other amazing bloggers I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.
• I showed myself how much strength I have when I kept pushing even though there were a bunch of days I just wanted to quit.

Many thanks to Michelle Schaffer for putting this challenge on. The next one will be in July. You can sign up at the UBC website if you’re interested.

As for me, whew, I’m taking a break from blogging for a little bit. So enjoy your spring. I’ll see you back here in a couple of weeks.

Have you started your Life List yet?

The post One Wild Life ~ The Ultimate Blog Challenge appeared first on SHELLI JOHNSON.

Well, the Encouragement Challenge has officially ended on the blog, but you keep going!

I’ve really had a blast doing this challenge. I hope you did, too. I hope you encouraged yourself, believed in yourself, empowered yourself, and spurred yourself on to reach for the life you most want. You are worth having it. Believe that.

THANK YOU

Thank you so much for sticking with me. Thank you for all the encouragement you’ve shown me by participating. Thank you especially to those of you who commented & emailed & connected with me via social media to let me know that the challenge was helping you. It makes me so happy to hear that it lifted you up. I’m so grateful for all your support.

I’d love to hear how the challenge went for you. So please contact me or leave a comment below.

THIS IS ME REACHING FOR WHAT I WANT

So I’m not great at asking others for help, but I’m going to reach for the life I want and I’m going to take some advice from Amanda Palmer (who says that when we really see each other, we want to help each other) & I’m going to ask you for help. I’ve committed to taking a charity/aid trip to Kisumu, Kenya this summer. It’s going to cost $3700. If you found this challenge helpful, please consider making a donation to help fund my trip using the button below. A donation will give you access to a specially-designed PDF of the entire challenge. Anything you are willing to contribute would be much appreciated.

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE COMING SOON! 

**In case you missed it, the challenge starts here.

The post Encourage Yourself Challenge ~ Ends Here appeared first on SHELLI JOHNSON.

CHALLENGE TASK:

1. Look at how far you’ve come.
2. Make a list of all you’ve achieved (big or small).
3. Enjoy & celebrate your successes the whole day.

REMINDERS:

• Be gentle with what you say & think about yourself today (remember to use your pillar-word mantra).
• Write down & say out loud something positive (that you admire or appreciate) about yourself today.
• Spend some time today relaxing in the inviting space you created.
• Belly laugh at least once today.

CELEBRATE! 

**In case you missed it, the challenge starts here.

The post Encourage Yourself Challenge ~ Day 21 appeared first on SHELLI JOHNSON.

CHALLENGE TASK:

1. Let go of the outcome.
2. Don’t worry about how it’s all going to turn out.
3. You just do your work today. You keep working toward the life you want.
4. Let go of the expectations.
5. Let go of the need to control.
6. Let go of the box you may have put yourself in (I should be here by now, I should have achieved this by my age, that kind of thing).
7. Let go of the stress of hanging on so tight (Are your shoulders scrunched up near your ears? That’s stress.)
8. Be free today, all day.
9. Let yourself just enjoy the process.

REMINDERS:

• Be gentle with what you say & think about yourself today (remember to use your pillar-word mantra).
• Write down & say out loud something positive (that you admire or appreciate) about yourself today.
• Spend some time today relaxing in the inviting space you created.
• Belly laugh at least once today.

LET GO! 

**In case you missed it, the challenge starts here.

The post Encourage Yourself Challenge ~ Day 20 appeared first on SHELLI JOHNSON.

CHALLENGE TASK:

1. Speak strength to yourself today.
2. Write YES I CAN! on something.
3. Anything. A Post-It or a notecard or the back of your hand. Somewhere you will see it.
4. Read it.
5. Carry it with you.
6. Read it again.
7. Let it sink in.
8. Believe it.
9. Tack it to a mirror & look yourself in the eye and say it.
10. YES I CAN!

REMINDERS:

• Be gentle with what you say & think about yourself today (remember to use your pillar-word mantra).
• Write down & say out loud something positive (that you admire or appreciate) about yourself today.
• Spend some time today relaxing in the inviting space you created.
• Belly laugh at least once today.

SPEAK STRENGTH TO YOURSELF! 

**In case you missed it, the challenge starts here.

The post Encourage Yourself Challenge ~ Day 19 appeared first on SHELLI JOHNSON.

CHALLENGE TASK:

1. Take care of yourself today.
2. Slow down. Calm down. Take a few deep breaths.
3. Get some extra rest.
4. Eat better.
5. Drink plenty of water.
6. Get some exercise.
7. Get some fresh air.
8. Make an appointment with the doctor/nutritionist/therapist/healthcare-professional if you’ve been putting it off.
9. You’re worth the time to take care of your body.
10. Do it today.

REMINDERS:

• Be gentle with what you say & think about yourself today (remember to use your pillar-word mantra).
• Write down & say out loud something positive (that you admire or appreciate) about yourself today.
• Spend some time today relaxing in the inviting space you created.
• Belly laugh at least once today.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! 

**In case you missed it, the challenge starts here.

The post Encourage Yourself Challenge ~ Day 18 appeared first on SHELLI JOHNSON.

CHALLENGE TASK:

1. Be your authentic self.
2. All day.
3. Don’t try to be what your mama/daddy/spouse/kids/friends/boss wants you to be.
4. Tell the truth to yourself & about yourself.
5. Let go of the person you might be pretending to be.
6. Be yourself. All day.

REMINDERS:

• Be gentle with what you say & think about yourself today (remember to use your pillar-word mantra).
• Write down & say out loud something positive (that you admire or appreciate) about yourself today.
• Spend some time today relaxing in the inviting space you created.
• Belly laugh at least once today.

BE YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF! 

**In case you missed it, the challenge starts here.

The post Encourage Yourself Challenge ~ Day 17 appeared first on SHELLI JOHNSON.

CHALLENGE TASK:

1. Reach again for the life that you most want.
2. Take another action today that will move you closer to the life that you most want.

REMINDERS:

• Be gentle with what you say & think about yourself today (remember to use your pillar-word mantra).
• Write down & say out loud something positive (that you admire or appreciate) about yourself today.
• Spend some time today relaxing in the inviting space you created.
• Belly laugh at least once today.

REACH AGAIN! 

**In case you missed it, the challenge starts here.

The post Encourage Yourself Challenge ~ Day 16 appeared first on SHELLI JOHNSON.