Shane Bohannon - Help Where You Can

According to CharityNavigator.org, Americans donated $358.38 billion in the year of 2014. The year of 2014 marked the fifth straight year that giving has increased and it also surpassed the previous record of $355.17 billion donated in 2007. With so much money given to charity, it might feel inconsequential to donate a small sum of $5 or $10 when you can, but donations like that are exactly why giving is steadily increasing. People like Shane Bohannon, who donates to the Wounded Warriors Project (WWP) on a regular basis, keep this in mind when they give what they can, when they can.



Donating to a cause is not about putting yourself behind on bills or taking away from your time with family. Instead, it is meant to happen when you can eliminate an unnecessary expense – a trip to the movie theater, for example – and put that money toward a cause that you believe in. If you cannot spare money for a donation, or if you simply don't feel good about donating money, you can donate time or items instead. It's not about how much you donate, it's about helping where you can.

Whether you volunteer for an organization that you support, donate money to a charity you respect or give clothes to the local donation center, you are making a difference in the world.  When you make a difference in the world, and you truly help if and when you can, you will feel good about yourself. Humans have an inherent sense of generosity, and if you encourage your generous nature, you might experience a new-found sense of well-being.

After you make your first donation, you might just see why people like Shane Bohannon are happy to continue making regular donations. Knowing that your dollars, your unused items or your time and effort make a difference in the lives of others is the greatest reward you can find.

Shane Bohannon - The Beach is Waiting

Shane Bohannon is a travel enthusiast and two of his favorite types of destinations are beaches and mountains. When he isn't enjoying a hike up the side of a mountain or helping clients plan their vacation, Bohannon might be found spending time with family on a beach. While it's hard to find people with bad things to say about hitting the beach, not everyone realizes just how beneficial an escape to the beach can be.
First and foremost, spending time at the beach will help you relieve stress from daily life. Setting foot on the sand with the ocean on the horizon offers near-instant stress relief. The combination of the waves and the warm sunlight will help to release muscle aches, to relax your entire body and to boost feel-good hormones like serotonin. The sound of waves gently lapping at the shore only amplifies the serotonin release. Some doctors even prescribe trips to the beach as anxiety and stress treatments because of the serotonin release that they create.

After coming home from a day at the beach, you'll likely sleep better than you have in a long time. Even if you simply walked along the shore for a few minutes, the exercise paired with the day's relaxation will lower your stress hormones enough to promote restful sleep. Similar to how some doctors recommend the beach to anxiety sufferers, they also often recommend that people with insomnia spend a day at the beach to promote deeper sleep.

Whatever your reasons for spending a day, or even just a morning, on the beach, you're sure to walk away with a desire to return and to explore other beaches. Shane Bohannon encourages his travel clients to see the world and, if they're looking for new beaches, he knows exactly where to point them.