5 ways to think yourself well

• Positive thinking can lower stress, depression and risk of death


• Negative thoughts can be reframed into ones that are more positive


• Negativity is often rooted in fear


• Being in the present moment and expressing gratitude can boost your mood

(CNN) -- There wasn't anything that could bring singer Pharrell Williams down in his hit song "Happy." Turns out he was on to something.

Being happy and optimistic can prolong your life, help you manage stress, lower your risk of death from cardiovascular disease and even help protect you from the common cold, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Not bad at all, especially as thinking positively doesn't cost you a thing.

There's no better time to try it out than on Positive Thinking Day, which is celebrated each September 13. Here are five expert tips to help you think yourself well:

Be aware of your automatic reactions

Take a look at the following word: opportunitynowhere.

What do you see? Opportunity now here or opportunity nowhere?

"You want to understand what is your go-to, natural way of operating in the world," said Dr. Joffrey Suprina, national dean for Argosy University's College of Behavioral Sciences.

Are you the kind of person who spills your morning coffee or trips on the way to work, and suddenly the whole day is ruined? Or do you focus more on the positive aspects and the lessons that can be learned? Maybe you needed a break from caffeine or a reminder to not stare at your smartphone while walking.

Once you become aware of your tendencies, you can start changing your behavior, according to Suprina.

10 life lessons you should unlearn

Catch and reframe your thoughts

Once you catch yourself defaulting to a negative reaction, try to change your perspective and reframe your thoughts into something more positive, Suprina suggests.

A simple question to ask yourself is, "What might be some positives?"

Although it may seem clunky at first, hang in there. Suprina says that it takes about 90 days to change a habit and that celebrating baby steps and small wins is a great way to reinforce your new behavior.

It's just as important to not beat yourself up for having negative thoughts, he explains.

"Positive thinkers don't only see the positive. They realize that the negative exists but that we can choose where to focus."

9 simple steps to happiness

Don't believe everything your mind tells you

"It's a little-known fact that we don't always have to believe what our minds are telling us," explained Bobbi Emel, a California-based psychotherapist and coach. "We become fused with our own inner workings to the extent that they inform how we feel and act."

By observing your negative thoughts instead of judging, believing or acting on them, she says, it becomes easier to let them go.

Say to yourself, "I notice that I'm having this thought or feeling," and allow yourself to put distance between you and your reactions.

Let go of fear

"The bottom of all negativity is fear," explained Terri Cole, a licensed therapist and transformation coach in New York. "Most of the time, it is based in the future. What if this does or doesn't happen?"

The solution, she says, is to be in the present moment and identify a fearful thought as soon as you have it.

"Close your eyes; figure out where you feel that fear. Focus on that spot with your mind and breathe, and visualize the stress going away. Replace a fearful thought with a better thought," Cole suggested.

A basic meditation practice that's as short as 10 minutes a day can make a difference.

"What that will buy you is two seconds of response time," she said. "Instead of believing what your fear is telling you, you don't react."

How meditating may help your brain

Find your mood changers

Sometimes life can be a little challenging; difficult news or a loss can make it hard to stay positive. In these times, Cole recommends using what she calls mood changers.

A mood changer can be as simple as having a photo of a loved one, happy experience or beautiful place on your phone so that when you see it, you'll experience a more positive emotion.

She also suggests starting each day listing three things you are grateful for and ending the day by sharing or thinking about your favorite moment from that day. Even just taking a few minutes to breathe deeply and say "I am so grateful that I'm here now" can help you improve your positivity.

"Every single person reading this article has the power to change their life -- has the power to be happy, be in love, make money. You really have to take responsibility."

The ‘Mallorca 360’ swimming challenge

RICHARD KRUGEL has set himself a challenging goal: to swim around Mallorca.

He started swimming at approximately age four. He competed nationally and internationally and later joined the South African Navy.

He decided to travel and try his hand at working on Super Yachts. He travelled to the US, where he worked in Fort Lauderdale, but then ended up in Antibes, where he worked on luxury motor yachts.

He then decided to work a land-based job, still with yachts, but not as permanent crew. He ended up in Mallorca and fell in love with the island.

While living there, an unfortunate event took the life of his only younger brother back in South Africa on July 4, 2003. The news devastated him.

Luckily he had very good friends that comforted him and took him to a beautiful quiet beach in Mallorca to mourn. He went for a swim and got a crazy idea: “One day, I will swim around this entire Island in the name of my brother.”

He wants to attempt this swim in stages, starting on September 20.

His swim route is roughly 360km long, circumnavigating the entire island. The start and end is planned near the main marina of Palma. He wants to swim for about 18 to 20 days, swimming two stages per day of roughly 10km each in an anticlockwise direction.

The two stages will be split up into daylight hours and he will beach between every stage. A land-based vehicle will carry supplies and after the last stage of every day he will stay over at a location close to there. A support boat and crew will follow him all the way for safety and visibility to other vessels in the area.

He will not touch the boat and beach between every stage, except for two or three places on the island where beaching would be impossible and the land based support crew cannot reach him. During those days/stages he will get on board the support boat, GPS locations will be taken and he will start the next stage from those locations.

He will swim for the Allen Graham Charity for Kids and hopes to generate a decent amount of donations. They can be found at: http://ift.tt/1q0Agg0 and on his Facebook page: http://ift.tt/1D448Cv.

Splurging at Disney World

No matter how you approach it, a trip to Walt Disney World is an investment. But sometimes, splurging yields more in time saved and memories made.

The new Four Seasons Orlando combines luxury with Disney fun.

A lazy river is part of the resort's large pool complex.

Rates at the new hotel, which opened in August, start at $545.

If a luxury stay is too steep, you can still sample some of the high-end properties. Book a spa treatment at the Grand Floridian or dinner at Todd English's restaurant at the Swan Hotel.

• The Four Seasons Orlando offers a new level of luxury


• It may be difficult to lure kids away from the expansive pool complex


• A VIP park tour means breezing through lines for as many rides as you can fit in

(CNN) -- Walt Disney World is expensive. No two ways about it.

Thirty years ago, when I was a kid, you could get into the Magic Kingdom for just $18. Now, tickets cost $99 and up. But if you want to take the plunge, you might find that a few splurges are worth it.

If you can splurge a bit on the luxury details, you'll get the luxury benefits, which can really pay off.

To Disney or not to Disney?

Check in, stay in

It's long been the advice of every Disney travel guru on the planet that staying at a Disney World property improves your trip a thousand-fold.

You get early access to the parks and easy transportation there, plus you're eating and breathing Disney 24/7, that wraparound experience that really makes it feel like vacation.

Wanna go the extra step? Check out Disney World's newest on-site hotel, the Four Seasons Orlando. Opened in August, the gorgeous property blends Four Seasons luxury style and service with Disney fun. Rooms start at $545, pricey but only a small jump from other luxury Disney properties, and you're getting a much fancier room and hotel.

Plus, the Four Seasons hotel has arguably the coolest swimming pool complex in the resort. Forget paying extra for the water parks. As a guest of the Four Seasons, you can take full, and free, advantage of a family pool, a castle-like kiddie pool with shooting jets of water and other surprises, an 11,000-square-foot lazy river, two water slides and an adult pool.

There's also a supervised kid's club open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a clubhouse, well-thought-out games and activities and almost more staff than kids. My 6-year-old tried out the kids' program and didn't want to leave. And it's free with your stay at the Four Seasons. Book a stay before December 19, and you get your third night free. Certain restrictions apply.

The most insane new U.S. roller coasters

Take advantage of valet parking

Maybe you can't spring for the Four Seasons or another luxury Disney hotel. But that doesn't mean you can't sample some of their offerings.

If you have a car, you can book a massage at the glorious Grand Floridian hotel (where room rates start at $488 per night) or maybe even a reservation for the resort's princess tea party. It costs $20 to park for the day with the valet, and then you get the treat you book, plus you can wander around the lush hotel property and enjoy its other wonders.

Monorail, kids? For another window into Disney luxe experiences, you might try dining at Todd English's high-end bluezoo restaurant at the Swan Hotel and then check out the rest of the joint, which is near Hollywood Studios and Epcot (plus, Swan and Dolphin hotel restaurants will validate your parking, making that part free).

World's top 25 amusement parks

Take a private VIP tour

The cost of Walt Disney World is even more exasperating when you realize you've paid all that money just to wait in line for rides.

The always-improving FastPass+ system helps, allowing you to make reservations for up to three rides per day.

But who wants to go on just three rides? Paying for a Disney World VIP tour gives you all kinds of perks: door-to-door transportation from your hotel, preferred seating during select entertainment options and parades, and most important, what amounts to unlimited FastPass+ entries onto rides.

Want to go on Splash Mountain six times? In a row? At the height of the season? Well, you can do it with a VIP tour.

The various Disney World VIP tour options start around $200 per person, but look at it this way: Instead of paying for theme park tickets for three days (i.e., $300-plus a person) to go on only nine FastPass+ rides (plus wait in interminable lines for whatever else you choose), for the same amount of money, you could buy a ticket for just one day, pay for the VIP tour and ride as many rides as you want.

Universal Orlando also has great VIP tour offerings, starting around $229 per person. In addition to priority entrance to rides, my family enjoyed having a knowledgeable guide walking us through the park, showing my daughter exactly how to use her wand in Diagon Alley, for instance, or how we could meet the minions without going on the Despicable Me ride.

Sally Kohn is an activist, columnist and television commentator. Follow her on Twitter @sallykohn.

Elephants take over Hong Kong malls

Artist Noppawan Nusansiri designed this colorful elephant to represent fish, a symbol that denotes positive feng shui in Asia. The statue is part of the "Elephant Parade" exhibit currently on display around Hong Kong.

Beyond malls, the elephants can be found in office buildings, outdoor spaces and hotel lobbies. This one -- "Sunny" by Cristiano Cascelli -- sits in a residential area near Hong Kong's City Plaza.

"Elephants Never Forget Cookies," by David Harvath and Sun-Min Kim, is a colorful piece anyone with a sweet tooth can appreciate.

Diane Francis, artist and creative director of the Elephant Parade, designed the prosthetic leg for baby Mosha. She was Marc's inspiration for the urban art project.

"Hearts in Nature" by Luka Boonkerd Kaewdee captures the strength and delicacy of the elephant. The metallic sculpture sold at auction for HK$250,000 ($32,255), the most any of the elephants fetched.

"Angel" by Yu Jordy Fu captures the grace of elephants moving in the wild. The sculpture consists of more than 1,000 elephants walking and playing on a "cloud."

Hong Kong star couple Donnie Yen and Cecilia Wang designed "Shine Bright" with Elephant Parade creative director Diana Francis. It sold at auction for HK$170,000 ($21,933). The money will be donated to the Heep Hong Society, an organization providing training and education to special needs children and their families.

Artist Turdsak Phiromgrapak's "Star of the Harbor" was inspired by Hong Kong's iconic Star Ferry. This elephant looks like it's ready to take off, possibly at a faster pace than the ferry it's designed after.

Diane von Furstenberg's "Love is Life" elephant design might not be wearing one of her iconic wrap dresses, but it does embody the designer's love of color and print.

Hong Kong is a battleground for shark conservation. Sharon Kwok created 'Sharkaphant' to merge the two animals, inspired by her hopes for a sustainable future. Proceeds from this one will be donated to Aqua Meridien.

• "Elephant Parade" features series of colorfully decorated elephant statues


• The elephants are on display throughout Hong Kong


• The statues are auctioned off for charity


• Auction this week in Hong Kong raised $277,398 for the Asia Elephant Foundation

(CNN) -- Designer elephants have invaded Hong Kong's Pacific Place mall, attracting a stampede of photographers and tourists.

The Elephant Parade, created by Marc Spits in 2011, invites artists and celebrities to design and decorate large elephant statues to be displayed in public spaces.

This year's collection includes pieces from fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and local actor Donnie Yen.

The statues were auctioned off on Thursday at Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong.

The auction raised HK$2,150,000 ($277,398) for the herd of 31 elephants.

Proceeds will be donated to the Asia Elephant Foundation, whose conservation efforts range from funding hospitals to lobbying governments.

Idea born from a baby elephant

The idea was born in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Spits was vacationing in the northern Thai city in 2006 when he met Mosha at an elephant hospital.

The baby elephant had lost her front right leg after stepping on a landmine.

"The hospital said it would like to operate on the elephant and give her a prosthetic leg but didn't have the money for that," says Mike Spits, co-founder of the parade and Marc's son.

The first Elephant Parade was held in Heerlan, Netherlands, in 2011.

Since then, the colorful pachyderms have been auctioned off around the world. The herd arrived in Hong Kong's Pacific Place, City Plaza and Citygate Outlets for the first time in August.

Spits says humans are the biggest threat to elephants.

"The speed of human development, particularly in this part of the world, leads to a fight for space," says Spits. "And the elephant often loses that fight."

Enterovirus moves into Northeast

• New York State Department of Health confirms cases of Enterovirus D68


• Enterovirus D68 seems to be causing breathing problems for children with asthma


• Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky and Missouri also have confirmed cases

For more on Enterovirus D68, watch "Sanjay Gupta, M.D." this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET.

(CNN) -- More than a dozen cases of Enterovirus D68 have been confirmed in New York state, according to officials.

"EV-D68 is causing cases of severe respiratory illness ... sometimes resulting in hospitalization, especially among children with asthma," the NYS Department of Health said in a statement Friday.

Enteroviruses are quite common in September; the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 10 to 15 million people are infected by these viruses each year. But doctors believe this particular type of enterovirus, Enterovirus D68, is causing more serious problems than others have in years past.

As of September 11, more than 80 cases in six other states -- Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky and Missouri -- have been confirmed to be EV-D68, according to the CDC.

New York is the first state in the Northeast with confirmed cases.

On Thursday, media reports of kids flooding ERs in Alabama and Washington state spoke to the spread of the virus. Other states, including Michigan, Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Utah, are also investigating clusters of respiratory illnesses. Several have sent samples to the CDC for testing.

New York sent additional samples from patients with severe respiratory illness to the CDC for confirmation of Enterovirus D68.

The virus is hard to track, as so many enteroviruses cause similar symptoms, and hospitals generally do not test for specific types.

Enteroviruses usually present like the common cold; symptoms include sneezing, a runny nose and a cough. Most people recover without any treatment. But if your child appears to be having trouble breathing, take him or her to a doctor right away.

"It is important that we follow common sense rules to prevent the spread of this virus, as we do for flu and other contagious illnesses," said New York acting State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. "Because there is no specific treatment or vaccination against this virus, our best defense is to prevent it by practicing proper hygiene."

What parents should know

Fiscal fraud clampdown

ANTI-FRAUD measures earned the Spanish government €5.5 billion in the first six months of this year.

It was the best half-year result ever, announced Cristobal Montoro, who heads the Finance ministry and Spain’s tax authority Hacienda.

The government’s efforts to bring the submerged economy to the surface are getting results, Montoro said, and this was reflected in increased VAT (IVA) income.

In the first six months of the year Hacienda’s revenue from VAT grew by 6.8 per cent although earnings from other taxes rose 5.3 per cent.

“More income from the consumer tax should signal increased spending but revenue is ahead of the way the economy is evolving,” Montoro pointed out.

Hacienda is also receiving more corporation tax, the minister added. In 2011 Spain’s large companies paid 3.8 per cent, but a year later this rose to 5.3 per cent and owing to changes in the law is now expected to have reached 9 per cent in 2013.

For the first time 134,000 Spaniards and residents had to declare assets and holdings outside Spain, Montoro explained, an innovation that earned another €88 billion for the government.

Hawks GM on 'indefinite leave'

• Hawks GM Danny Ferry vows, "I will find a way to make a positive difference"


• Ferry requests and is granted a leave of absence, CEO says


• He has been under fire for comments he made about player Luol Deng

(CNN) -- Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry is taking an indefinite leave of absence, the NBA team's chief executive announced Friday, days after a report surfaced about controversial comments Ferry made about a free agent player.

Ferry made the remarks about Luol Deng during a June conference call about prospective players, according to a letter obtained by CNN affiliate WSB and audio of that call obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

J. Michael Gearon Jr., a minority owner of the Hawks, wrote the letter to team owner Bruce Levenson shortly after the conference call to complain about Ferry's language.

In that letter, Gearon said Ferry -- in addition to positive statements about Deng -- described the now-Miami Heat forward as "a two-faced liar and cheat" who is "like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back.'"

Gearon also stated that the Hawks GM said Deng "has a little African him." This sentiment is reflected in the audio of the call posted to the AJC's website, in which a man purported to be Ferry describes Deng as "a good guy overall, but he's not perfect. He's got some African in him." He says that Deng "was very worried about his bobblehead being the last one given away that year, or that there's not enough stuff on him in the team store."

Jabbar: Levenson needs chance to explain

Hawks owner's email racist, or business?

Hawks owner hypocritical about Sterling?

Hawks general manager accused of racist comments

Ferry apologized for the comments in a statement Tuesday, describing them as "insensitive remarks."

Then, Friday afternoon, he requested "an indefinite leave of absence, effective immediately," Hawks CEO Steve Koonin said in a statement.

"It is my hope that this time away from the Hawks organization allows him the privacy he needs to listen to the community, to learn about his mistakes, and to begin the long process of personal healing," Koonin said. "As a human being, manager and friend, I wish him well as he undergoes this process."

Ferry released his own statement Friday, reiterating his apology to Deng and "all that I have offended." He said "these were not my words" but "I deeply regret repeating them." He did not address specifics of the conference call.

The former NBA player-turned-executive has said he was reading from scouting materials provided to him. CNN obtained a copy of such a scouting report on Friday. It contained elements of Ferry's remarks on that June conference call, but it was not word-for-word of what he said.

In his latest statement, Ferry said he plans to meet with community leaders to "further educate myself and others on the extremely sensitive issues surrounding race, diversity and inclusion."

"My focus moving forward is to tirelessly work to rebuild trust with this community and with our fans," said Ferry. "... I will find a way to make a positive difference in this area, and further learn from the sensitivity training that I will go through."

Follows a report about other racially charged remarks

The WSB report came days after Levenson announced he would sell his stake in the franchise following the release of a racially charged email he wrote in 2012.

The email was found by an outside law firm brought in to review the Hawks franchise following Ferry's comments in June. The comments had spurred concern within the organization, especially given the uproar over former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling's racial remarks.

In the email, which was sent to Ferry, Levenson described the franchise's difficulties in attracting more affluent white season-ticket holders.

The email -- one of 24,000 pieces of evidence looked at as part of the outside investigation, according to Koonin -- bemoaned the high number of black cheerleaders and said that white fans may have been scared away by black fans.

Hawks owner to sell team after racially charged email

"Bruce was confronted with this email from 2012," Koonin told CNN's Martin Savidge, "and he decided that instead of fighting it ... he thought it was best for the city, for the team, for his family, to walk away."

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who brought the hammer down to force out Sterling as the Clippers owner, called Levenson's 2012 email "entirely unacceptable" and commended Levenson for self-reporting to the league office. Silver said the league will work with the Hawks to determine the appropriate sale process for the team.

As to Ferry, the commissioner told USA Today this week that he didn't believe the Hawks general manager should be fired for his June comments.

"Understanding ... the fact that he was looking at the scouting report as a reference when he was making these remarks -- ... my opinion is that this is a team decision in terms of what the appropriate discipline is for their employee," Silver told the newspaper. "But if I'm being asked my view, I'm saying that, based on what I know about the circumstances, I don't think it's a terminable offense."

Not everyone agrees.

NBA great Earvin "Magic" Johnson, for example, tweeted Tuesday that Ferry should step down for his comments.

"The city of Atlanta and the Hawks fans deserve and should demand better from the Hawks leadership," said Johnson, who had a significant, albeit indirect role in the Sterling saga and was among those who pushed hard for the then-Clippers owner's ouster.

CNN's Jill Martin contributed to this report.