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How Noodle the pug decides the daily outlook for millions of people

Is it a bones day or a no bones day? One small pug knows the answer, and is using his knowledge to help millions of people on TikTok dictate what kind of day they will have. Noodle, who is a 13-year-old rescue dog belonging to Jonathan Graziano, wakes up each morning and has his morning routine filmed. Jonathan, who is a social media manager in New York City, sits Noodle upright so he can see if Noodle stands up on his own. If Noodle can stand up, then it's a “bones day”, but if he flops back over in his bed, it's a “no bones day”. Jonathan says that if it’s a bones day, you should get up and make the most of your day and do the thing you’ve been putting off. If it’s a no bones day, Noodle’s prophecy is the perfect opportunity to implement self-care and take a day off from any strenuous activities. With over four million followers on TikTok and each “daily reading” racking up millions of views, Noodle has quickly become an online sensation. “I had absolutely no idea this would become the barometer in which the nation foretold how their day was going to go,” Jonathan said. Many followers have reached out to Jonathan to let him know how they have lived their lives according to Noodle, such as proposing to a girlfriend or asking for a raise at work. “People have told me it’s a reason they buy lottery tickets and they’ve won a ton of money,” Graziano said. According to Neil Dagnall, a reader in applied cognitive psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University in England, Noodle’s readings are providing people with a sense of routine. He said, “Life is full of uncertainty and Noodle’s actions provide a form of guidance and reassurance to some people.” Image credits: TikTok @jongraz

Family & Pets

The movie that completely changed Julia Robert’s outlook on life

Oscar award-winning actress Julia Roberts has starred in many iconic titles in the span of her long career and now she’s revealed which role had the biggest impact on her life. In a recent interview, Roberts explained that her role in Wonder, which tells the story of a 10-year-old boy with severe facial differences, had been a thought-provoking journey. Roberts first discovered the story of Wonder by reading a list of best books for children. "It was getting tricky in my house to have a night-time chapter book everyone would like," she said. "So I bought Wonder, and I could not put it down. I read it to the three kids and they were all as knocked out as I had been. I remember calling my agent after I read the book and saying, 'I'll play the mum!'" R.J Palacio, author of Wonder, first came up with the concept of the book when her three-year-old son saw a child with severe craniofacial differences at an ice-cream store and cried out of fear. Trying to not hurt the little girl’s feelings, R.J hurried to leave the store but spilt over milkshakes in the process, drawing even more attention to the interaction. "As I pushed the stroller away, I heard the mom say in as sweet and calm a voice as you can imagine, 'Okay, guys, I think it's time to go,'" R.J. said. "And that just got to me … what could I be teaching my children so they could understand how to respond better next time? I was disappointed in myself. I started writing Wonder that very night." When discussing the message of Wonder, co-writer of the screenplay Stephen Chbosky asked Roberts how we can all work to be kinder to each other. "I think we need to stop criticising," she said. "Honestly, it's become a sport — at lunch, online, wherever. 'I can't believe the way she's wearing her hair,' or 'He looks so…' It's all so petty, and we're grown-up people. There have to be more interesting things to note about one another … and I'm talking to myself here too, because I find the sarcasm and the criticism and stuff like that very humorous, but there's a time when you go, 'Well, why don't I say all the true and kind things?'" In an interview with <a href="http://ew.com/movies/2017/11/14/julia-roberts-wonder-interview/" target="_blank">Entertainment Weekly</a> Roberts said, “I think the biggest message of the movie is that every minute of every day, we have this option to be the best version of ourselves, to make a choice that’s just a little sweeter, just a little kinder, just a little bit more positive. I think you have to be prepared to feel that. Have you read the book or seen the movie of Wonder? Let us know in the comments below.

Movies

How you can shift your outlook on life (and why you should)

No one will dispute that life can get pretty tough. Whether you’ve just heard the starting pistol, or feel you’re nearing the finish line, every phase of life comes with its own set of challenges. The real problems tend to begin, however, when we focus almost exclusively on these challenges and ignore the rewards they yield. This is a mistake – what’s the point of putting up with the bad if you’re going to forget the good? If this sounds like you, then it could be that you have a pessimistic outlook on life. Please understand that this is in no way a criticism – you’re not doing anything wrong. But, aside from missing out on enjoying some of life’s more wonderful aspects, are more likely to succumb to serious health issues after a heart attack. A study carried out at University College London showed that pessimists were twice as likely as optimists to suffer a second, more serious health condition (heart attack, surgery, angina) in the years following their first heart attack. There are many ways you can shift your outlook to a more positive view, and different methods will have varying degrees of success depending upon the person. But perhaps one of the most important one is finding the strength to silence your inner critic. According to <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/compassion-matters/201411/3-ways-change-your-outlook-the-better?utm_source=FacebookPost&utm_medium=FBPost&utm_campaign=FBPost" target="_blank">Dr Lisa Firestone</a> (Ph.D.), our inner critic “subdues us and holds us back.” To be special, it tells us, we have to be worthwhile. This nagging, nasty little voice in our heads fosters pessimistic feelings. It cultivates the belief that nothing we do will be good enough, that it’s better to stay on the sidelines than to try and fail. The best way to silence your inner critic, Dr Firestone tells us, is to actively ignore and take action against it. She cautions, however, that doing this can cause the voice to become louder (initially), increasing feelings of anxiety you might have. But, she says, persistence is key, because fighting back against the inner critic is the only way to silence it for good. So how does one fight back against this inner voice? If it tells you you’re uninteresting, tell someone a story or anecdote. If the critic attacks your appearance, do something to make yourself feel pampered and special. When it says you’re stupid, strike up a conversation you know you can actively participate in. Shifting one’s perspective from a pessimistic outlook to that of an optimist can be difficult. But it’s something you absolutely can do. Day by day, thought by thought – you’ll get there. I have no doubt. Have you noticed yourself feeling pessimistic? What did you do to combat those thoughts?

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How Noodle the pug decides the daily outlook for millions of people

The movie that completely changed Julia Robert’s outlook on life

How you can shift your outlook on life (and why you should)