7 Things Remarkably Happy People Do Often | Inc.com

Actively express thankfulness.

According to one study, couples that expressed gratitude in their interactions with each other resulted in increases in relationship connection and satisfaction the next day--both for the person expressing thankfulness and (no big surprise) for the person receiving it. (In fact, the authors of the study said gratitude was like a "booster shot" for relationships.)

Of course the same is true at work. Express gratitude for employee's hard work and you both feel better about yourselves.

Another easy method is to write down a few things you are grateful for every night. One study showed people who wrote down 5 things they were thankful for once a week were 25 percent happier after ten weeks; in effect they dramatically increased their happiness set-point.

Happy people focus on what they have, not on what they don't have. It's motivating to want more in your career, relationships, bank account, etc. but thinking about what you already have, and expressing gratitude for it, will make you a lot happier.

And will remind you that even if you still have huge dreams you have already accomplished a lot--and should feel genuinely proud.

Read All 7 Here 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! 

Javier, Danielle, & Saige Mendoza in La Ceiba Honduras supporting a local run/walk in support of kids with cancer. 

2015 was quite an amazing year for Connect Global and for our family. As many of you know we moved to Honduras in January 2015. We had many good reasons to do so but I'll just list a few. 

It really all started 11 years ago when Javier and I fell in love on a mission trip. We were young but shared the same goals and dreams. We both wanted to spend our life helping others. From that trip on we were inseparable and were married a year later. As time moved forward our desire to do something BIG began to grow. We were no longer satisfied with a mission trip once a year and began to map a course for MORE. We were friends with a ministry( Worldwide Voice in the Wilderness) in Dallas Texas who at the time already had over two decades of ministry experience and insight into the non profit world. We decided to deepen that relationship and with their blessing learned all we could from their prison ministry with the intention of applying their practical knowledge to what would one day become Connect Global, our missions organization. Javier and I along with our ministry partners Travis and Gina Moffitt set out to create a world class missions organization over 4.5 years ago. Our goals were lofty and we have held our standards high.

We have set out to create sustainable solutions to solvable problems around the world. We do this through building fish farms, building new construction when needed, bringing in 100s of pounds of medical supplies, mentoring and training with the local police department, partnering financially with schools, orphanages and food banks as well as ministry/ mission training for local pastors. 

Javier, Danielle & Saige Mendoza with David (mask) and his mother Sandra and their friend.

Our work has taken us to Mexico, Thailand, Haiti, Colombia, and Honduras. We are honored to serve the beautiful people we have met over the past 11 years and look forward to many years to come. 

We have just expanded internally and will now have a Connect Global base in both Tampa, Florida and Dallas, Tx. Our biggest support as an organization comes primarily from these two states and it is where the majority of our teams come from when traveling with us. We look forward to developing deeper and stronger relationships with individuals, churches, & organizations, in the North Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, & Louisiana areas. 

Javier and Saige Mendoza with long term friend/partner Jorge Amador his wife, Janeth, and their daughter Alison

The past year we spent in Honduras truly gave us deeper roots in that community, which in turn has provided several open doors for continued partnership. Honduras is the murder capital of the world and over half its citizens live on less than $2.00 a day. What this means to you & me is that WE still have a lot of work to do. 

Connect Global continues to be committed to Honduras on a long term basis. We already have several trips planned for 2016 that you can attend, we are coordinating a business leader conference in 2016 in partnership with Global Advance of Dallas, Tx which will be hosted in Honduras,  and many other ways you can connect to the sustainable work we are doing. 

We could not do it without the love and support from all of you and for that we are thankful. If you are interested in traveling with us in 2016 please visit our TRIPS PAGE

We are excited about the New Year and all the projects Connect Global has in the works. Please Join us!

Javier, Danielle, & Saige Mendoza

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MAKE A DONATION

Please Consider making a Financial Gift to help us continue the hard work in Honduras and in other parts of the world.

Your generosity is amazing! Thank You. 

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The Road Less Traveled

After living in Honduras these past eight months I have began to see many things from a different perspective.

One thing I have been mulling over almost constantly is gratitude. Being grateful shows depth in someone’s character, while being ungrateful displays an attitude of entitlement. I am learning that being grateful often times is a choice made by the individual and is rarely determined by ones set of circumstances.

I have been humbled by many of the citizens here in Honduras.

Scouting projects, vision casting and follow through takes a significant amount of work not only from our organization but also from the leaders in the community who graciously plan, facilitate and include every needed detail to accomplish the task at hand. These community leaders are the ones who lend us credibility to their friends, their families, their schools and hospitals.

The gratitude that they exude in the day to day has even made me feel uncomfortable at times. In part because our organization solely exists to be a help, a support and a friend to such communities, so what else would we be doing? I really want to carry pictures of ALL of YOU and say “ thank them.” We are simply trying to be a follower of Christ who fulfills the Great Commission. For Javier and I personally, as well as Connect Global as a staff, we have made a decision to actually do what the bible says to do. It sounds crazy but by simply doing what the bible says our purpose in life can be revealed. We are to enhance others with the gifts we have received.

Everyone has the ability to play a role in enhancing someone’s life.

For most of you this will not involve you moving to a developing country, learning a new culture or deciphering a new language, but if you are mindful it will re-route your heart and your thinking.

For many of you this will look like you being the best teacher your students will ever have, being a co-worker that will listen in someone’s time of need, or being a spouse that dedicates their life to friendship and mutual partnership within your marriage. The list can go on and on, the idea is that when you begin to nurture your attitude of gratitude you will no longer be able to settle for surface relationship, petty gossip, constant discontentment or dissatisfaction. By focusing on the enhancement of others, you forfeit the “right” to be selfish and that leads you to places you’ve never imagined being.

In fact you might catch yourself volunteering to feed the homeless, taking in foster children, booking a ticket to a foreign land to go and serve, or playing the piano for the elderly in your local nursing home. The possibilities are endless.

YOU have the power to make a significant difference in the lives of others.

It is easier at times to focus on present circumstances, feel entitled or harbor resentment but that road is wide, and leads you nowhere.

Practice gratitude, give of yourself, and live on purpose so you too can experience The Road Less Traveled.

Happiness is contagious.

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