Mindfulness Over Matter

Like mind over matter, but now backed by science

The Pyramid of Luxuries

The Bespoke - $1,000 Mobile Phone Shopping Spree

The Ultra High End - Heated Weighted Blanket

The Superpremium - California Grill

The Premium Core - I SPY Extreme Challenger!

The Accessible Core - Mindfulness Over Matter

The Affordable Luxury - TRIVIA

The Everyday Luxury - Online Social Reminder

The Bespoke

Click on the banner to enter The Bespoke Photo Contest. Click here for the Official Contest Rules.

• Prize: $1,000 Mobile Phone Shopping Spree [ARV $1,000]

• Odds: For every 130 Ducky Tran premium member by the time of judging, I will give out one (1) Shopping Spree

• Contest Period: July 31, 2024 at 10 AM CST to September 3, 2024 at 10 PM CST

The Ultra High End

Previous Contest Winner

The winner of Issue 38 Ultra High End contest is CONG from DALLAS, TEXAS! Here’s his submission for “something that needs to be fixed”:

Congratulations CONG, you won the Board Game Bundle so you can keep you mind off of the dishwasher that cannot open. Check out the other submissions:

The submissions were too real. I felt like all the submissions I’ve felt personally sometime in my life. No ice cream at McDonald’s, when a mailbox jumped in front of a friend’s car, an empty space where my broken glass cup used to be, and the dreaded ghost drawers that keep opening. And unfortunately, many more things that needs to be fixed.

This Week’s Contest

Click on the banner to enter The Ultra High End Photo Contest. Click here for the Official Contest Rules.

• Prize: Heated Weighted Blanket [ARV $100]

• Odds: For every 70 Ducky Tran premium members by the time of judging, I will give out a blanket

• Contest Period: August 14, 2024 at 10 AM CST to August 20, 2024 at 10 PM CST

This week’s focus is mental wealth. Whenever you’re feeling down, stressed, or tired, it soothes us to get a nice, warm hug from someone we love. Hugs have fostered our bond and relationship to our parents as babies. And as we grow up, we may be comforted with a blanket or stuff animal that we held.

As adults, we may seek this warm embrace but it may be difficult for various reasons. This week, I’m giving out a heated weighted blanket that have been proven to simulate the same relaxing responses we get from a hug or cuddled in bed with our favorite blanket/stuffed doll.

The heating element has many uses from actually warming you up in the winter, soothing aches, and relaxing tension built-up after a long day. The weighted blanket is therapeutic by placing firm pressure on your body similar to a hug. This pressure is soothing to most people and can ease anxiety and stress. The weight may vary but this week I’ll be giving out a 15lb heated weighted blanket.

The Superpremium

This week’s Superpremium topic is California Grill. California Grill is a Disney Signature Dining restaurant on the 15th floor of the Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Orlando, Florida. Generally, I would focus on the food when writing about a restaurant; however, even though food at California Grill is amazing, there is something even more valuable about this restaurant, the views.

California Grill being on the 15th floor gives it an amazing view of the Walt DisneyWorld. If you get a reservation around sunset, not only will get you a fantastic meal, but an amazing sunset and fireworks over Disney.

We go on vacation and travel for the sights and experiences of the location we visit. California Grill provides an experience that is unique and memorable. While my daughter was sleeping in my arms, I was eating a tender bison steak with a spoon, and watching fireworks go over the castle with my Disney-obsessed wife.

I remember talking to my wife why California Grill will always be a restaurant we will visit when we go back to DisneyWorld. It provides an experience that is so picturesque that it really is like a dream.

The Premium Core

It is quite funny that I write quite often nowadays. I was never a reader and tend to find the picture books and puzzles as a kid (all the way through high school). And my favorite series were the I SPY book series. Just a few words, some crazy pictures, and a whole lot of fun trying to find 18 spoons and 12 spools.

But after many years and official studies, this type of activity provided by the I SPY book is proven to help relieve stress and anxiety. It’s funny, because you would think it would cause more anxiety. However, because of the intentional nature of searching for items in a defined space, it is actually therapeutic while providing entertainment and relief from other stressors. That’s why the I SPY book is this week’s deal.

Deal #1: At shop.duckytran.com, you can get a $15 I SPY Extreme Challenger! book for just $5 (including tax). Use this book for entertainment, as a gift, to relieve your anxiety, or add to your I SPY collection. There will be 5 available. If you get one, let me help find those spools.

Caution: If you don’t like clowns, stay away from these books! For some reason, there are clowns all over I SPY books.

The Accessible Core

Mindfulness Over Matter

Similar to the I SPY book activity, in the last 50 years, there have been many studies that have linked mindfulness as a form of therapy against anxiety, depression, and stress.

For thousands of years, humans have known that mind over matter works, especially in training the body to surpass normal physical limits, like temperature, strength, endurance, and pain tolerance. Generally, meditation is attributed to the great successes of this mind over matter concept. However, through science and historic studies, it has been concluded that meditation is just one form of mindfulness that can produce such results.

Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present, aware of where and what we are doing, and to be intentional with our reaction to the activity. This means that there are many activities that can produce great results, as long as you are doing while being mindful of the activity.

The most common example is breathing. We do it every day, every few seconds, but we rarely think about it as it is an involuntary action. However, by taking controlled breaths, slowly and intentionally, while thinking about each breath we can actually use this seemingly monotonous action as a way to relieve stress and anxiety in our lives.

There are many activities, but they are only effective if you are mindful of the activity while doing them, such as:

1. Breathing

2. Walking

3. Coloring/Drawing

4. Meditating

5. Stretching

Outside help like a therapist, a friend, or a parent may help you get through hard times; however, don’t forget, that your greatest tool has always been with you and it is up to you to choose to use it, your mind. Be mindful, be happy.

The Affordable Luxury

Issue 38 Community Poll Results

Here’s the results from last week:

1. The taste that is most craved by you (40%) is salty, while the rest is split amongst savory, sweet, and spicy.

2. I asked you what is worse: To believe in something and do it wrong or doing nothing? 60% of you believe doing nothing is worse.

3. These are some unique ways Ducky Tran members use to de-stress, in order of most common feedback: walking, drawing, weight training, stress ball, coloring, meditate, and prayer.

This Week’s Community Poll

Here are this week’s poll questions:

The Everyday Luxury

REMINDER:

What: Online Social - Game and Prizes

When: Friday, August 23, 2024 @ 7:30pm to 8:30pm CST

Where: Hosting link will be included in Issue 40.

Who: 11 slots are available, Premium Members and their guests can use the link to join, after 11 slots are filled it’ll be closed.

(The referral program is only viewable on the email version of the newsletter.)

Visit shop.duckytran.com with the weekly password: blanket