【推荐2】It’s a well-known fact that volunteering brings positive changes to communities.     1     As research has shown, people who donate their time to help others can experience a significant boost in their own mental and physical health. There are several reasons why volunteering is good for our mental state. By volunteering, we strengthen connections with others, which helps keep loneliness and depression away.     2     According to another study, the feelings of pleasure and satisfaction we get from helping others tend to last longer than those same feelings do when they are from activities such as shopping or dining out.

Volunteering has positive effects on our physical health too.     3     Several studies have even shown that volunteering can reduce physical pain in those suffering from an illness. Clearly, people who aren’t volunteering already would do well to consider it.

    4     One place that often needs volunteers is nursing homes. As a nursing home volunteer, you get to interact with residents through stimulating activities, such as arts and crafts, music and dance, or board games. Many times, though, nursing home residents simply want someone to chat with.

You could also volunteer at a museum.     5     Not only do these volunteers learn about the museum’s collection, but they also develop important vocational skills.

Volunteering teaches you skills that can come in handy for your future career, and of course, it will keep you healthy both mentally and physically.

【推荐3】We often try to save every drop of water in gardening. Yet this summer, over half of the world is experiencing “abnormally dry” weather, which means millions of people are living under drought conditions.     1     Here are suggestions for how to keep your garden healthy during periods of dry weather.

Choosing water-saving plants

If you are gardening under water restrictions, decide which plants need water least. Older trees, especially fruit, nut, and even evergreens, can suffer during drought, while newly planted trees require regular watering until their roots become established.     2     They can usually get by with less water than crops like corn, which have shallow roots.

Watering effectively

Most plants require an average of 2 to 4 centimeters of water each week under normal conditions. That need could increase, however, during periods of extreme heat, when the soil dries out more quickly.     3     Divide it over two or three times per week with less water. Remember deeper, less-frequent watering instead of daily sprinkle helps get the roots really wet. Also avoid watering midday when moisture is likely to disappear before reaching roots.

    4    

Consider using recycled household water, also called gray water, to water plants. Unsalted water left over from boiling eggs or vegetables provides extra nutrients. Dish and bath water that is not too oily will not harm plants.    5    

【推荐1】Growing up in the small town of Palmerston, Ontario, I had a dream: to work in television. However, it sounded like a dream that could never come true.

Thankfully, my parents had raised me to have a lot of confidence. With their help and encouragement, I applied to the radio and television arts program at Ryerson in Toronto. After graduating, I worked for Bell Canada for a while, writing and producing commercials. I soon decided, however, that what I really wanted was to be on camera.

I went to the CBC and CTV and applied for a job. They both turned me down because I didn’t have any experience. Luckily, Global Television had just started broadcasting in Canada that year. I found out the president was named Mr. Slaight and called him. I said, “I’ve heard that your studio facilities are amazing. I could come at eleven o’clock on Tuesday or eleven o’clock on Wednesday for a tour. What would suit you better?” He stuttered a bit, then picked a day. When I hung up, I was scared but ecstatic.

On the appointed day, I arrived at the studio. When we sat down, he looked at me and said, “What do you want?” He sounded a little angry and frustrated — but very curious. “All I want is a chance,” I said. “If something on camera comes up at Global — I don’t care what — I want a chance to audition. That’s all I’m asking.”

Three months later, his secretary called and asked me to audition for a new game show. When I arrived at the station, I went right into an audition for a new show called Wintario. The following day, I was handed an airline ticket to Sault Ste. Marie to do the very first Wintario show.

From Wintario, everything happened for me. I hosted the National Santa Claus Parade for fifteen years. I did hundreds of television commercials, a number of movies, training videos, and travel shows. And everything came from finding the courage back in 1975 to make that one phone call.

Why do you pull yourself out of bed every morning to go to work or school? What does it take to make you feel like your contribution in those places is truly worthwhile? Knowing what motivates you can help you find meaning in your work and make efforts to reach your goals.

Psychologists have a wide variety of ways of describing and differentiating motivations because people care about so many different things. Psychologist David McClelland identified three main motivations for people: achievement (the feeling of success), affiliation (close relationships) and power (the ability to influence the world). Authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton identified 23 motivations, including creativity, challenge and learning.

Some motivations, such as money, social position and praise, are external; these are the tools bosses typically use to encourage their employees to do better. Other motivations, including fun, personal growth and feeling like one’s work is significant, come from within the person doing the action. These ideals, called internal motivations, tend to be more reliable than external ones because they represent things that can never be taken away.

Since a wide variety of motivations exist, it’s important to understand which ones are persuasive to you. Trying to motivate yourself in a way that doesn’t appeal to you will make it difficult to convince yourself to work. When choosing a career, think about what motivates you and make decisions accordingly. If you are motivated by overcoming challenges, look for a career where you can continually try hard to reach a higher level.

People motivated by external rewards sometimes struggle to meet goals they set for themselves that no one else knows about. They can solve this problem by creating external rewards for their personal goals such as finding a friend to hold them accountable.

When you know what motivates you, you will be able to motivate yourself to do the things necessary to succeed. And if you are a leader, knowing what motivates your team will enable you to help them do the same.

【推荐3】This holiday season, it’s expected that more than 45 million people will get on airplanes by the time the year ends. With that many people on the move, delays are not able to be avoided, and with them come upset and unhappy passengers.

That space between happy passengers and unhappy passengers is where Fred Taylor Jr. worked for 15 years in customer relations with Southwest Airlines.

“My job was to say sorry by sending letters to customers whose flights have been put off or stopped,” the 47-year-old said. His daughter Olivia tells her friends he is “the Sorry Man.”

I don’t think I can explain reasonably to you for the delays that happened with your December 1st flight from ...

“For me, I’m used to saying ‘I’m sorry’ ,” Fred told his wife, Julie. “It’s been a way of life.”

Of course, you have to know your audience, he explained.

“You know, there are some travelers who may get upset pretty quick,” he said. “If an engine shuts down because parts of the fan blade(风机叶片) break and you can see plumes of(一缕缕) fire, there will be fears, worries, regrets or other emotions. My job was to calm them down: Hey, this wasn’t as serious as what it may have seemed like.”

And I know whatever I say now cannot change the poor service you were given that tiring day ...

But Fred has other ways to turn sadness into joy.

“When my dad died and you wrote a eulogy(悼词), I can remember hearing the people behind me crying. And then you started with the funny stories, and I could hear the people behind me laughing. It was just perfect. You put people at ease.” Julie said.

“So, you’re more than just ‘the Sorry Man,’ ”she said with a laugh.