Jason Alan Griffin :: The Blog

Today, on Facebook, I was asked a question, which I answered. The response to my answer was, “It was just a question.” To which I replied, “yes, and I answered it.” The asker of the question then offered that she didn’t mean for the question to be offensive. I assured her that I was not offended by the question.  (To me it seemed like she had asked a legitimate question that deserved a thoughtful answer, which I gave.) I have no desire to ‘interpret’ why she felt the need to assure me that she didn’t mean to offend me because such interpretations lead to more problems than to understanding. 

 If I really wanted to pursue it, I could’ve asked her, “Why did you think it necessary to inform me that you didn’t intend to offend me?” But I actually think it would have been a waste of our time and would keep us mired in the misunderstanding and possibly dig us in deeper. Instead I chose to assure her that I wasn’t offended and let it be. That way we were free to move onto other topics...

SMILE Each time you smile it activates health and happiness in your brain and those around you. Smiling releases neuropeptides that help reduce feelings associated with stress. Neuropeptides are molecules that facilitate communication to the whole body when we are happy, sad, angry, depressed, excited. The feel good neurotransmitters dopamine, endorphins and serotonin are all released when you smile. This not only relaxes your body, but it can lower your heart rate and blood pressure. These endorphins also act as a natural pain reliever without the potential negative side effects of synthetic analgesics. The serotonin release brought on by your smile also serves as an anti-depressant and mood lifter. Many pharmaceutical anti-depressants work by increasing the levels of serotonin in your brain; but with a smile, you don’t have to worry about side effects, dependencies or addictions (and you don’t need a prescription from your doctor). As an actor, I learned that I could a...

Ever since I was old enough to think for myself, I have been questioning life. And most specifically, I have been fascinated with humans; their bodies, their minds and their spirits. I have studied the body extensively though educations in massage, physical therapy, personal training, nutrition, dance and group fitness instruction. All of these endeavors brought me to a study of anatomy, physiology and kinesiology. 
As a personal trainer, I soon discovered that most people have unconscious mental blocks preventing them from achieving their fitness goals. So I studied the mental realm through human psychology/sociology and was certified in a form of therapy called Neuro-Linguistic Programming. 
As an actor, I deeply studied human feelings, their cause and their expression. I practiced tapping into very strong emotional pools and learned what powers they did and didn’t have over me. I became adept at controlling and understanding these wonderful, energetic expressions of energy called em...

I am responsible for my happiness.  One of the quickest ways I can make myself unhappy is to try to place the responsibility for my happiness on other people. Most of the time, they don't truly care about my happiness. And the reality is that they have no control over it. When I accept that I am in charge of how I feel, it is empowering. And then I can choose to be happy in any situation. For example, if someone gives me a gift, I can be thankful or critical. I can be suspicious of their intention or grateful for the thought. In any given situation, I have the choice of how to react. If I want to be happy, I simply choose happiness. I am sometimes wrong.  I am always doing my best, but sometimes I simply miss the mark. If I go through life constantly defending my position as the right way, then I could find myself in conflict over petty things. (see #8) One of the biggest gifts I gave myself was when I allowed the possibility to be wrong into my life. Being w...