3 More Reasons To Quit Smoking

1. There is a study that will be published in the July issue of the Journal of Neurochemistry that suggests a direct link between smoking and brain damage. This research, led by Debapriya Ghosh and Dr Anirban Basu from the Indian National Brain Research Center (NBRC) found that a compound in tobacco provokes white blood cells in the central nervous system to attack healthy cells, leading to severe neurological damage. This research has found that a chemical known as NNK exists in all forms of tobacco and is therefore equally as dangerous in second hand smoke as well as for those who chew tobacco.

2. Here in Florida, the taxes on cigarettes are raised another $1.00 on July 1st.

3. Smokers sleep less soundly than non-smokers. They are also more likely to snore, disturbing their sleep and the sleep of their partner. (Want to improve you relationship?)

The I.R.S. recognizes only one form of smoke cessation, hypnosis! In fact, it offers a tax credit for smokers who want to make the change. That means 100% of the money spent on smoke cessation with a hypnotist is deducted from your income!

Walk On - ESPN Video

Keeping with the theme of overcoming obstacles and in addition the fact that this weekend is Father's Day I wanted to share a video that I sent to my husband. As a golfer, he loved it and shared this with many of his buddies.

more about "Walk On - ESPN Video", posted with vodpod

It's All Small Stuff

It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day stuff that comes up. Traffic slows to a halt, friends disappoint you, money is tight. Over the weekend, my son who is in Argentina could not access his money through the ATM machines. He is 13 hours by plane away, does not speak Spanish, is unfamiliar with the city as he just landed there on Tuesday and was 45 minutes from the campus of the University of Buenos Aires (by bus) where he is working for the summer. The night before he got off at the wrong bus stop and it took two hours of wandering to find his apartment.

I was on my way into a restaurant for dinner when I got his call. He called using Skype. (How I love Skype!) However, he has to call me, as he had not yet purchased a local cell phone. He was down to 12 pesos and it was now Friday night. There was a banking strike in Argentina. It is winter, so it was colder than he is accustomed to here in sunny Florida. The details continued to pile up (electric was down, so he lost communication, etc.) and of course, it was extremely easy for me to go into awfulize mode.

However, that would not change or improve anything. My son is bright, and truth be told, he is 21, a man! So, I reminded myself of his ability to problem solve and focused on what an adventure this is for one his age. I was reminded of a time when I traveled for a company as a young model and I would call my mother from the hotel with some panic. Later, the panic was done and I would go out for the evening. Not bothering to call her back, I couldn't understand her being so upset with me the next day when I got around to checking in.

I spent Sunday breathing deeply and enjoying the friendship of a long time friend. We walked the beach and then enjoyed a glass of wine together watching little ones splash in the water. By Monday morning, my son sent me an email, things were restored back to normal and he had great fun with his fellow comrades who live off campus with him there. He had made good use of American Express and so had his friends. He paid for their purchases, they paid him back in pesos. Simple enough.

I recently came across this video and I have shared it with clients. I think it is a great lesson in recognizing just how much we really are capable of overcoming and puts the little stuff into perspective.

I hope you enjoy this, get a tissue ready!