Tag: Happiness

Life lessons

Take Inspired Action

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Inspiration

Are you feeling stuck? Wondering what your next move should be? Sometimes we fall into these funks that seem impossible to shake. When this happens, the best thing to do is to be kind to yourself. Give yourself some quiet time to reflect on you. What motivates you, what thrills you and makes you feel like you can’t wait to get up in the morning? It may be something as simple as spending time with your family and friends, reading a great book, playing golf, or going for a long hike. Whatever it is, do it. Do that one thing that makes you feel good because that will lead to more things that inspire you. And as you fill your day, and then subsequent days, with these inspired actions, you will soon have a life worth living.

Photo courtesy of Heidy Benoist

Life lessons, Parenting

Be Mindful of your Words

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I believe in you

Do you recall something your parents told you when you were young? Or perhaps a teacher or friend? Isn’t it amazing what influence a few words can have upon you? Whether words of encouragement or words of scorn, they color our world. They influence our lives.

A perfect example of how words can influence a life is Maya Angelou. Her neighbor-turned-teacher, Mrs. Flowers, encouraged Angelou to read, even taking her to the library to read books there. As she continued to read, Angelou found that she loved poetry. Her teacher would have her come to her house and read the poetry to her and that encouraged Angelou even more. According to Wikipedia, “Flowers introduced her to authors such as Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Douglas Johnson, and James Weldon Johnson, authors who would affect her life and career, as well as black female artists like Frances Harper, Anne Spencer, and Jessie Fauset.” Angelou, who had a difficult childhood, went on to become a successful author, poet, and civil rights activist.

Be mindful of your words to those around you, for you may be influencing their future.

Photo courtesy of ckubber.

Happiness, Life lessons, Self care

How About Some R&R?

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Coffee

“And so taking the long way home through the market I slow my pace down. It doesn’t come naturally. My legs are programmed to trot briskly and my arms to pump up and down like pistons, but I force myself to stroll past the stalls and pavement cafes. To enjoy just being somewhere, rather than rushing from somewhere, to somewhere. Inhaling deep lungfuls of air, instead of my usual shallow breaths. I take a moment to just stop and look around me. And smile to myself.
For the first time in a long time, I can, quite literally, smell the coffee.”

– Alexandra Potter, “The Two Lives of Miss Charlotte Merryweather”

My family loves to watch “Modern Family” together. My boys tease that I’m just like Claire Dunphy – the organized, overbearing, over-scheduled perfectionist. Tonight, we saw an episode in which a number of the characters were driving together and almost hit a truck. They all experienced varying levels of fear and clarity that life is so tenuous.

Luke decided to pull out his “bucket list” and check off every item, Claire became incredibly aware of how scheduled her life had become, Haley and Alex spent some quality time together. It got me thinking about the things I plan to do “when there’s time.” I run a pretty tight ship and rarely do things that aren’t on my list or calendar happen. I have this theory that people who don’t plan also don’t get anything done.

I actually schedule “R&R” days on my calendar (yes, I even schedule those). This is a day that everyone in my household (including myself) can do whatever we want – no questions asked. Maybe we all (especially the Claire’s) need more of those kinds of days and less of the ones with items to check off.

Photo courtesy of Frida.

Happiness, Life lessons

Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk

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Spilled Milk

I remember hearing the term, “Don’t cry over spilled milk” when I was young. I never really understood it – why would someone cry over spilled milk? Why not just clean it up?

The point is, don’t overreact when things go south. And they will. Let’s face it, sometimes things just happen – someone cuts us off, hail damages our car, we stub our toe, our hearts get broken. We can’t control others and we can’t control what happens, but we can control how we react. And that is the key: instead of dwelling on and festering over, move on. Just clean up the milk and pour another glass.

Photo courtesy of Esther Gibbons.

Happiness, Life lessons

Live It Up!

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Uncycles and Donuts

Do you remember when you were 10 and you thought you’d live forever?

Do you remember when you were 20 and couldn’t wait for your life to begin?

Here’s the funny thing: life happens when we’re not looking. One day you wake up and realize that you’ve actually lived a lot. You’ve seen a lot and learned a lot and, dare I say it, eaten a lot. Weren’t those french fries great?!

Anyway, my point is that it’s a short ride so make it a good one. Paint your masterpiece, write your novel, climb your mountain. Do it now and then when you’re old and gray, you can tell your grandchildren all about it, over and over again. Just don’t tell them I told you to do it.

Photo courtesy of Robert Couse-Baker.

Happiness, Life lessons

Follow your Own Path

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Fork in the road

You may find that your heart seeks a different path than those around you. When you consider the great artists and musicians, writers and leaders, you’ll find that they didn’t take traditional paths either. Sometimes you have to sway left or right or even forge a whole new trail in order to find your version of success.

When I was younger, I thought that everyone should go to college, get a job, buy a house, work their way up the ladder, save for retirement, and spend their golden years traveling. It’s not a bad way to live but it isn’t the only way. It’s the route I’ve taken and now I’m wondering if there might be a bend in the road. Here’s the cool part: that’s okay.

It’s okay to:

  • change your mind
  • pursue something different
  • make mistakes
  • seek help
  • be happy on your own terms

The older I get, the more I realize that everyone has their own path they must follow. I hope yours finds you happiness.

Photo courtesy of Gary Millar.

Happiness, Self care

Fill Yourself Up

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One way to ensure you’re always at your best is to fill yourself up. Fill yourself with all the happiness you can find.

Ten ways to start:

  • Make or buy yourself a delicious cup of coffee or tea
  • Call an old friend just to say, “Hey!”
  • Visit a neighborhood shop and browse
  • Hug all the special people in your life
  • Go for a nice walk and stop midway to look up at the trees and sky
  • Set aside 30 minutes for a great book
  • Congratulate yourself on all your accomplishments
  • Pet your cat or dog for a full five minutes
  • Luxuriate in a hot bat or shower
  • Listen to some beautiful music

As you fill yourself up, you’ll most assuredly share that love and happiness with those around you. And so it continues.

Photo courtesy of Vladimer Shioshvili.

Happiness, Life lessons, Self care

Take Care of You

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WomanonBeach

I’ve never been a fan of the premise of the film, “Pretty Woman” – beautiful woman in dire situation saved by handsome man. I rather like that a woman can save herself. However, there’s one line that I love. Throughout the film, our heroine and her girlfriend tell each other, “Take care of you.”

It’s so important, and yet so easy to forget. Women, especially, have this drive to care for others: our men, children, parents, families, friends, pets, plants, you name it. But the most important one we should be concerned with is ourselves. If we’re happy, we’ll make others happy too.

So whether you’re male or female, take a moment now and take care of you.

Photo courtesy of Nickay3111.