The benefit of being nonchalant isn't about not being happy – it's about not easily getting upset, angry, or stressed. And how might one do that? Well, when everything is comical is a good start. Just like most things have a silver lining, most things have a comedic edge to them, too. Though it's a simple example, let's say you trip onstage at some award ceremony. Instead of turning bright red in shame, you either brush it off like you meant it to happen and accept your award from the floor, or you put up your arms in a "tada" moment and embrace the spotlight. Let the hooting and hollering commence. " All of us have that little voice in our head that's telling us to look cool and to act socially acceptable. This is generally a smart voice in our heads – it makes us friends, gets us connections, and makes life a little easier. But sometimes it halts us in our tracks, keeps us from growing, and just makes us worried, emotionally erratic, and anxious. Instead, pretend for a moment that you don't have it. How do you act? What is your body telling the world? That's nonchalance. So much of what we do is to avoid shame and to feel accepted. If that urge wasn't within you, what might you do differently? Would you really care if Joel liked your shoes or if Marcia texted you back? Probably not. Start out by focusing on this just for a few minutes a day until it becomes naturally nearly all the time. The world is going to end at some point. Do you worry about that? Probably not. Your mom sometimes wears the ugliest sweaters. Do you worry about that? Nope. If you can't change it, there's no point in worrying about. What can you do? Worry about it...and then just worry some more? Yep. There's no point. So when your teacher announces a pop quiz? No reaction from you. There's no point in worrying about it – the only thing you can worry about is doing well. And when your crush doesn't text you back? Moving on – you were just feeling it out anyway. All of life becomes infinitely easier when you come to the conclusions that nothing is that big of a deal. We are all well-oiled specks of dust on this amazing blue planet, and if today isn't going our way, well, that's just how the cookie crumbles. Bad things will happen and good things will happen. Why get worked up about it? You've probably met someone who takes themselves way more seriously than they should. They're wound up, constantly caring what other people think of what they're doing, saying, and what they look like. In reality, others aren't really thinking about them at all. Just watching them is exhausting because they're wound up so tight. Be the opposite of that person, and the nonchalance will come. Along with yoga being a decent way to burn calories and tone your muscles, it's also fantastic at getting rid of all that mind-chatter so many of us have. Many studies have shown that "yogis" suffer from less stress, less anxiety, and even lower blood pressure rates. If you're having trouble changing your thinking patterns, yoga may be able to do it for you. Another good idea is doing deep breathing exercises. Concentrating on your body and your breathing takes you out of your mind and into the here and now. You focus on more tangible realities, like how the chair you're on feels on your skin and the temperature of the room – and not on whatever's been worrying you lately.

Summary: Find a comedic angle to everything. Pretend you don't have the "shame gene. Worry less about what you can't change. Don't take yourself (or anything) too seriously. Do yoga.


Do not use a plastic comb or a comb with no handle. Your hot comb must be made of metal or ceramic so that it won’t melt, and it needs a heat-resistant handle so that you don’t burn your hand. Hot combs can be purchased at beauty supply stores or online. If you have a gas stove, hold the comb so that the teeth are just barely getting brushed by the top of the flames. For an electric stove, hold the teeth against the hot burner, and use medium to medium-high heat. After 30 seconds, test the comb before you use it by setting it on a white paper towel. If the towel turns brown, your comb is too hot and will damage your hair. Let it cool for a minute and test it again before using it in your hair. This test is very important, as your hair can burn or fall off if the comb is too hot. Remove the clip holding one of the bottom back sections of your hair. Give that section a quick comb-through with a normal plastic-tooth comb before using the hot metal comb. This prevents getting the hot comb stuck in your hair. Position the teeth of the comb on the hair near your roots. Do not allow the comb to actually touch your scalp, but get it as close as possible so you can straighten any new growth. Holding the section of hair out from your head with one hand, use the other to gently pull the comb all the way from the root through the ends of the hair in one quick motion. Avoid keeping the hot iron comb in one spot for too long, or you could scald your hair. If one pass-through didn’t get it straight enough, you can go over it again with the hot comb. But don't do this more than one additional time, or you risk burning your hair. One pass should be enough for fine or medium hair. Two passes may be necessary for coarse or thick hair. After running the comb through your hair a few times, it will begin to lose its heat. Hold it over the flame or on the burner again, but remember that it's already slightly hot so it won't take as long to warm back up. Remember to test the comb on a white paper towel each time you heat it up to make sure it isn't too hot for your hair. Continue hot combing, working your way from the nape of your neck to the top of your head. Work from back to front since the back is the hardest spot to reach, and having the rest of your hair in clips will make it easier to see what you're doing.

Summary: Use a ceramic or metal comb with a heat-resistant handle. Hold the comb over a stove burner for 30 seconds. Test the comb on a white paper towel. Loosen a section of hair. Place the comb close to your scalp. Pull the comb down through your hair quickly. Repeat on the same section of hair if necessary. Reheat the comb periodically. Comb the rest of your hair.


Go to https://www.ubuntu.com/download/server in your computer's web browser. It's a green button on the right side of the page. Your Ubuntu Server disk image (ISO) will begin downloading onto your computer. Go to https://rufus.akeo.ie/ in your computer's web browser. Scroll down to the "Download" heading, then click Rufus 3.1 below the heading to prompt the launch file to begin downloading. Insert a flash drive that has at least 4 GB of storage capacity on it into one of your computer's rectangular USB ports. Keep in mind that the flash drive will be completely erased during the installation drive creation process. You may want to copy any existing files on the flash drive onto your computer before proceeding. Double-click the downloaded Rufus file, then click Yes when prompted. It's on the right side of the Rufus window. This will open a File Explorer window. Go to the location of the Ubuntu Server file, then double-click it to open it in Rufus. It's at the bottom of the Rufus window. Your ISO file will begin burning onto your flash drive. You may have to click through a few prompts (e.g., click OK to begin the process) before your flash drive will begin burning. This may take several minutes. Once your flash drive finishes burning, you can proceed to the next part. Don't remove your flash drive once the burning completes. You'll need to keep your flash drive inserted throughout the installation process.
Summary: Open the Ubuntu Server download page. Click Download. Open the Rufus website. Download Rufus. Plug a flash drive into your computer. Run Rufus. Click SELECT. Open the downloaded ISO file. Click START. Wait for the burning to finish.