Oldest Marathoner to Retire at 101

Do you ever catch yourself saying things like "I'm too old to learn something new." or "Exercise at this age is just too difficult."  My personal favorite excuse is "At this age I'm about where I'm supposed to be.  If I had been meant to (fill in the blank with whatever activity I feel I'm too old for) than I would have started it by now."  Well this article pretty much puts those ridiculous statements to rest.  This man started running marathons at age 89 and after 13 years he's decided to retire.  Yes, he's 101.  No more excuses for me.
World’s Oldest Marathoner to Retire at 101

How An 8 Year Old Raised Autism Awareness On His Birthday

I love stories about children making a difference because they're a great reminder that if an 8 year old can raise awareness for a local charity then what's stopping the rest of us?  A local boy decided that he didn't need any more toys and that his birthday party would be a great way to raise money for sensory toys for the local autism program from which his brother had just graduated.  You're an inspiration Michael! 
Read about it here:  8 year old asks for donations for autism instead of birthday gifts

Twitter Feed Sends Out Compliments To Fellow Students

Here's a prime example of the positive power of social media.  One Iowa high school student started a Twitter feed existing only of compliments to his fellow students.  One year and 3100 tweets later he's still sending out praise.  Here are a few of his recent tweets:
"your sense of humor can brighten anyone's day. Never lose your caring personality and ability to stay positive"
"just remember tomorrow is a new day! your friends, family and everyone around will always be there for you including the bros"
"right. Keep doing what you're doing! Believe it or not it makes a huge difference. Every word."

His twitter ID is @westhighbros - yes I just followed him and I look forward to reading his supportive tweets. Restores my faith and reminds me that there is good to be found in all of the social media "noise." 
Read all about it here:
Twitter feed sends out compliments to high-school students

11 Ways To Make This Your Best Year Yet

One thing that's great about a fresh new year is that there are a lot of written compilations of good ideas to help us start the year out with a good attitude and with positive perspective.  I've read many of these lists but so far this one is the most inspiring.  So good in fact that I'm going to read it again. 
11 ways to make this your best year yet ... it is never too late to start a fresh new year!