Rihanna is challenging each of us:

Even the smallest acts of kindest can really impact someone’s life. We never know where people are in their lives, what their challenges are. By being that light and helping one in any way we can makes this world a better place for that person and for ourselves as well.

Our Favorite Lines:

• “We are all human and we all just want a chance – a chance in life, a chance at an education, a chance at a future, really.”
• “I know that each and every one of you has the opportunity to help someone else. All you need to do is help one person, expecting nothing in return.”
• “You don’t have to be rich to help somebody. You don’t have to be famous, you don’t even need to be college educated.”
• “It starts with your neighbor, the person next to you, the person sitting next to you in class, the kid down the block in your neighborhood; you just do whatever you can to help in any way that you can.”
• “My grandmother always used to say, if you got a dollar, there’s plenty to share.”

Check out her speech:

Can you imagine riding your bike for 6 hours just to go to college? Well, this young man from Conyers, Georgia did. “According to this blog post, a teenager from Conyers biked 6 hours across Georgia to enroll in college classes at Gordon College,” says 11alive.com. Here’s the full video:

Now, his story has reached and inspired millions of people! This reminds me of 3 things:

• Hard work pays off.
• There are still a lot of good people in the world.
• Let’s not devalue our education.

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It’s really not a surprise that there are institutions and companies that have labeled the most played game of today – POKEMON GO – as a distraction. Employees play it during office ours, cars suddenly stop in the middle of the road, students pay more attention to it in class; all of this just to catch pokemon and be on the look out for rare ones. The game, however, isn’t all that bad. This hospital in Michigan actually uses it to get patients out of their rooms.

In the past, young patients at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich., shuffled down the hallways without speaking to each other, but now it’s not uncommon to see them stop and talk near a Pokemon Go hotspot, according to J.J Bouchard, digital media manager, and certified child life specialist at the hospital.
“It’s a fun way to encourage patients to be mobile,” Bouchard said. “This app is getting patients out of beds and moving around.”
And it really works! Because the hospital looked at the game from a different perspective, they were able to create a positive outcome from playing the game.

I am blessed to work at two world class spas in two fabulous hotels here on Maui. These are not your average hotels by any means. These spas are amazing for many reasons, but what I love is that the vision is all about creating amazing experiences for the guests that will be long lasting memories.

We, the employees of the hotels are empowered to make this happen!  I do facials, nails, and body scrubs, so I am fortunate to spend time with my guests anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours or even longer. These are one on one and can get into some really great conversations.

When I am having a conversation with my guest, sometimes an idea may spring up within me  and I call that “just a little bit of inspiration”. What I love is that I can follow that inspiration and I can do something that I may think about but  not be able to do on my own. At both of my jobs, I am empowered to talk to a manager and make little things happen, little things that can brighten someone’s day and to me the LITTLE THINGS in life are actually the BIG THINGS!  So as I am fortunate enough to experience these things with the guests, I would like to share them with you.

A husband and a wife came into the salon to do their nails. They were very, very fun, outgoing, talkative, friendly so it was already fun to begin with. But, as myself and the other nail tech got to talk to them, we realized these people were really special.

The wife was a school teacher and she had a child in her class that was not in a good situation at home and was going to be taken out of her home. This teacher wanted to protect this little child. Not ever planning any of this, her and her husband actually became foster parents to this little girl and her brother.

They talked about the ups and the downs. You could really hear about the children and what they were going through and how the boy had a hard time trusting and how they flourished through this love and supportive home. Also, the things their own children went through because these kids were in their home.

It was a heartwarming story to hear how these two people did what they did for these children. It really touched me and the other nail tech I was working with. I would have literally just come to work just to hear their stories. I had chicken skin so many times just hearing what all of them were going through and learning through all this and how love was making it better.

This couple mentioned that they were on the island of Maui about 15 years ago for their wedding anniversary. They said they had this drink when they were here and it was so great and it was called Pineapple Whip. They said it was the best drink they ever had. For 15 years they had been dreaming of coming back to Hawaii and having this special drink again. They didn’t just mention it, They went OFF about it!!! They kept talking about how great it was and how sweet it was and on and on. Then they asked me where they could get one.

I said, You know, I have never heard of it. They were soooo bummed! They thought if I lived here and I have never heard of it, that’s really bad. They were really disappointed. Well I got this LITTLE IDEA, this LITTLE INSPIRATION but I did not say anything. I just finished their treatments. I said goodbye to them and thanked them for meeting.

When I was done I researched online and the drink had been sold at a store but since was closed down.  I went outside and talked to my manager. I asked her if she knew where we could find this drink. My manager and I talked and thought maybe our chef could make it? She made some phone calls and sent some emails out. And that was it.

The next day, I ran into the director of our spa. She said “Hey Dana, you know the guests you did yesterday, Mr. and Mrs. ______? “
“Yes of course!” I said.
“We are going to get that drink for them, that pineapple whip!”
“Are you serious?! That would be so awesome!”
and she said “yes, we are going to surprise them with the drink today when they come to the spa for their treatments!”
Later on that day I was doing a pedicure on a guest and I felt someone staring at me. I turned my  head and there they were, these two happy guests were staring at me in their spa robes, really close to each other with a big smile on their face and then slurping away on their Pineapple Whips! And they were just so happy! They said Dana we just want to thank you so much! Just the smile on their face was just priceless. Come to find out the hotel even took a picture of them drinking their pineapple whip , framed it and sent it to their room . That will be a lifetime memory for them!

Even though it was something SO SIMPLE,  it was so fun to do. Sometimes it just takes a little extra time out of your day to do something, but that little tiny something can mean something so amazing to another person.

So when you get that feeling of INSPIRATION for anything small or anything big, see what you can do to act upon it. Maybe you can’t do something at your work  and don’t have the support like I do or maybe you do… but just FOLLOW THAT INSPIRATION everyday and LIFE IS REALLY GREAT!

Most of us look forward to our days off because it’s the perfect time for us to get some chores done, sleep longer, spend time with the family more, do unfinished tasks and so on. This barber from New York, however, has a very different idea of how he should spend his free time off from work.
Mark Bustos started giving the homeless free haircuts in the Philippines. A couple of years back, he visited his family’s province, and decided to work at a small, local barber shop. He worked along side other barbers, but, unlike them, his customers where less fortunate children.
He decided to bring this practice back home, in New York. Mind you that Bustos works at a high-end salon and his cuts usually cost around $150, but every Sunday afternoon, he dresses down, goes around the city of New York and gives the homeless free haircuts.
“The best way to inspire other people is to be inspired by others. The reason I’m out in the streets is so I can inspire other people. I just so happen to be a hairstylist and I’m able to give people haircuts on the street, but everybody does something that they can do for anybody out in the street.” – Mark Bustos
For more Daily Positive posts and Inspirations, LIKE the Positive Connection on Facebook or click here for more stories of inspiration.

“I’m Gonna Love You Through It” by Martina McBride

When you’re weak, I’ll be strong
When you let go, I’ll hold on
When you need to cry, I swear that I’ll be there to dry your eyes
When you feel lost and scared to death,
Like you can’t take one more step
Just take my hand, together we can do it
I’m gonna love you through it.
These children are beautiful, so much good stuff here! Just look at the kid’s faces and their vibe. The song is like a prayer, already affirming Mrs. Lopez coming through her battle healed. And LOVE CAN heal anything.
Share this as you say a prayer for healing for this teacher and an appreciation for the kids and the other teacher helping to put all this together.

We usually just see big and random acts of kindness in movies. There’s “Paying it Forward” which is very popular (go see that when you have the chance), but does it ever happen in real life? My answer would have been NO before I saw this story on ABCNews. Maybe it’ll change your mind too.

It’s a wonderful ending to a story that began with grocery and donuts! Chauncy Brown is an admirable young man whose acts remind us to always be kind and to work hard for the things we want. Matt White, on the other hand, shows us that there’s always a way for us to help those in need. I hope this story inspires you like it inspires me.