I love my Book Club! Our January book was The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. February is our Movie month. For March, we will be reading Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt.
I love my Book Club! Our January book was The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. February is our Movie month. For March, we will be reading Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt.
12 Things Happy People Do Differently
Studies conducted by positivity psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky point to 12 things happy people do differently to increase their levels of happiness. These are things that we can start doing today to feel the effects of more happiness in our lives. (Check out her book The How of Happiness)
1. Express gratitude. – When you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value. Kinda cool right? So basically, being grateful for the goodness that is already evident in your life will bring you a deeper sense of happiness. And that’s without having to go out and buy anything. It makes sense. We’re gonna have a hard time ever being happy if we aren’t thankful for what we already have.
2. Cultivate optimism. – Winners have the ability to manufacture their own optimism. No matter what the situation, the successful diva is the chick who will always find a way to put an optimistic spin on it. She knows failure only as an opportunity to grow and learn a new lesson from life. People who think optimistically see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in trying times.
3. Avoid over-thinking and social comparison. – Comparing yourself to someone else can be poisonous. If we’re somehow ‘better’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, it gives us an unhealthy sense of superiority. Our ego inflates – KABOOM – our inner Kanye West comes out! If we’re ‘worse’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, we usually discredit the hard work that we’ve done and dismiss all the progress that we’ve made. What I’ve found is that the majority of the time this type of social comparison doesn’t stem from a healthy place. If you feel called to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to an earlier version of yourself.
4. Practice acts of kindness. – Performing an act of kindness releases serotonin in your brain. (Serotonin is a substance that has TREMENDOUS health benefits, including making us feel more blissful.) Selflessly helping someone is a super powerful way to feel good inside. What’s even cooler about this kindness kick is that not only will you feel better, but so will people watching the act of kindness. How extraordinary is that? Bystanders will be blessed with a release of serotonin just by watching what’s going on. A side note is that the job of most anti-depressants is to release more serotonin. Move over Pfizer, kindness is kicking ass and taking names.
5. Nurture social relationships. – The happiest people on the planet are the ones who have deep, meaningful relationships. Did you know studies show that people’s mortality rates are DOUBLED when they’re lonely? WHOA! There’s a warm fuzzy feeling that comes from having an active circle of good friends who you can share your experiences with. We feel connected and a part of something more meaningful than our lonesome existence.
6. Develop strategies for coping. – How you respond to the ‘craptastic’ moments is what shapes your character. Sometimes crap happens – it’s inevitable. Forrest Gump knows the deal. It can be hard to come up with creative solutions in the moment when manure is making its way up toward the fan. It helps to have healthy strategies for coping pre-rehearsed, on-call, and in your arsenal at your disposal.
7. Learn to forgive. – Harboring feelings of hatred is horrible for your well-being. You see, your mind doesn’t know the difference between past and present emotion. When you ‘hate’ someone, and you’re continuously thinking about it, those negative emotions are eating away at your immune system. You put yourself in a state of suckerism (technical term) and it stays with you throughout your day.
8. Increase flow experiences. – Flow is a state in which it feels like time stands still. It’s when you’re so focused on what you’re doing that you become one with the task. Action and awareness are merged. You’re not hungry, sleepy, or emotional. You’re just completely engaged in the activity that you’re doing. Nothing is distracting you or competing for your focus.
9. Savor life’s joys. – Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing down to enjoy the joy. It’s easy in a world of wild stimuli and omnipresent movement to forget to embrace life’s enjoyable experiences. When we neglect to appreciate, we rob the moment of its magic. It’s the simple things in life that can be the most rewarding if we remember to fully experience them.
10. Commit to your goals. – Being wholeheartedly dedicated to doing something comes fully-equipped with an ineffable force. Magical things start happening when we commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to get somewhere. When you’re fully committed to doing something, you have no choice but to do that thing. Counter-intuitively, having no option – where you can’t change your mind – subconsciously makes humans happier because they know part of their purpose.
11. Practice spirituality. – When we practice spirituality or religion, we recognize that life is bigger than us. We surrender the silly idea that we are the mightiest thing ever. It enables us to connect to the source of all creation and embrace a connectedness with everything that exists. Some of the most accomplished people I know feel that they’re here doing work they’re “called to do.”
12. Take care of your body. – Taking care of your body is crucial to being the happiest person you can be. If you don’t have your physical energy in good shape, then your mental energy (your focus), your emotional energy (your feelings), and your spiritual energy (your purpose) will all be negatively affected. Did you know that studies conducted on people who were clinically depressed showed that consistent exercise raises happiness levels just as much as Zoloft? Not only that, but here’s the double whammy… Six months later, the people who participated in exercise were less likely to relapse because they had a higher sense of self-accomplishment and self-worth.
Have a happy day!
10 golden life lessons from Albert Einstein – Quotes
and Inspirations
Albert Einstein has long been considered a genius. He was a theoretical physicist,
philosopher, author, and is perhaps the most influential scientists to ever
live. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics “for his services to
Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the
photoelectric effect.” He published more than 300 scientific works and over 150
non-scientific works. Einstein is considered the father of modern physics.
1. Follow Your Curiosity
“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”
2. Perseverance is Priceless
“It’s not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
“I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is
false. The hundredth time I am right.”
3. Focus on the Present
“Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss
the attention it deserves.”
“Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist.
They are wrong: it is character.”
“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can
be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.”
4. The Imagination is Powerful
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions. Imagination is
more important than knowledge.”
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
5. Make Mistakes
“A person who made a mistake never tried anything new.” “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”
6. Live in the Moment
“I never think of the future – it comes soon enough.”
7. Create Value
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”
8. Don’t Expect Different Results
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
9. Knowledge Comes From Experience
“Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.”
10. Learn the Rules and Then Play Better
“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone
else.”
I never thought I would laugh at how busy I used to be. I was serious about my ability to be superwoman. I could work 40+ hours a week, raise a child, volunteer when anyone asked, exercise, travel, cook, and clean. I could do it all, and then some.
Everyone was doing it all, so I did too. I didn’t want to do it all. Doing it all made me exhausted. Doing it all cost me friendships. Doing it all cost me my health. My busyness wasn’t even a little bit silly.
Becoming less busy was not an accident, but a decision I made on purpose. I made the decision that a busy life wasn’t a life for me. Being a good person, loving wife, mother and friend…that was the life I wanted. Next to that, I wanted the freedom to do things that made my heart sing instead of things that weighed me down.
Until I intentionally left a life of chronic busyness, I couldn’t see how silly it really was. The silliness of busyness is that sometimes you are so busy, you can’t recognize you are in trouble. You are so overwhelmed that you can’t figure out how to change. You are so used to being busy that you create more work to make your life even busier.
If you are anything like me, you are busy because you want to be or because you don’t know how to be un-busy. You are busy out of misdirected guilt because you think if you do enough, you will be enough. When you decide that it is ok to live life your way, you can stop being busy and start doing things that matter. You can talk about your meaningful day instead of ranting about your busy schedule. Decide today that you are enough, even if you never do anything, accomplish anything or produce anything ever again. You are enough.
While you may think that you are making sacrafices for others by being busy, you are likely sacraficing the same relationships you think you are saving. Get real, make time and consider what is most important to you. Then do that first. The rest can wait.
Courtney Carver is the author of Simple Ways to Be More with Less. Read more from Courtney at her blog, Be More with Less, or follow her on twitter.
Approximately 1100 mothers and daughters of District V, Region 5 ( Orange County- 13 Chapters) of National Charity League arrived at Camp Pendleton Sunday morning and shared a day with the Marines while packing 2500 care packages for the men and women Marines stationed in Afghanistan.
As District Specialist- Philanthropy, I commend this year’s chairperson, Pam Roy on the outstanding job she and the team did. It could not have gone better. It was inspiring during the course of the day to see moms and daughters asking questions of our Marine hosts, approx.120, who guided the chapters through the rotations of giving a glimpse of Marine life while allowing time for us to pack out the necessary care packages. It was a great day. We shared and learned and walked away with a fondness and respect for the Marines and all they give to us.
Please read the Orange County Register Article on the event – http://www.ocregister.com/news/marine-283372-pendleton-league.html
Please watch the NBC Video on the event – http://www.nbcsandiego.com/station/shows/knsd/morning-salute/Saluting_Operation_Valentine_San_Diego-113206334.html
Please read the article that appeared in the military news:
Thanks to all.
Operation Valentine 2011 will be on January 9, 2011 at Camp Pendleton Marine Base. Enjoy the video of last year’s event, I had the privilege to Chair. This year’s Chair is Pam Roy of the Laguna Chapter. I am now the National District Specialist and still involved. How could I not be ! Enjoy last year’s video.
This may seem like stream of consciousness…After a challenging year, as many of you have experienced, we made it to Thanksgiving, 2010. The economic situation has hit us and many changes have been made. Some have been practical and others have been subtle. In some respects I have become more solitary. I am spending more time reading ( I belong to two book clubs), I am cooking more…Thanksgiving dinner was insane!!!. I am fine tuning the home, and spending more quality time with my daughter. Not so bad. On balance the practical changes have been sensible. Ultimately, I wondered why we did not make them earlier.
My career took a turn. Who would have ever thought that I would or could ever be an entrepeneur!!! Never!!! Movement forces change. Usually, it is for the good. But, like all change it is painful and somewhat like stepping into the unknown. Imagine a scroll rolled up and start unrolling it. We see a sequence of images that begin the scroll and as we unroll it and move closer and closer to the end, we see new images appearing with the ones at the beginning fading into the background. This is a picture of change. Now let us unroll the scroll completely and look at it altogether. The same images are there that we saw in sequence. But now, we see them all at once. This is the perspective of change – suddenly you are no longer who you were or thought you were. If you’re lucky, you’re better. As Henry Miller said “Life is constantly providing us with new funds, new resources… In life’s ledger there is no such thing as frozen assets.”
So here I am. Grateful to have movement. I am joyously aware. Happy holidays to all. Looking forward to 2011.