Joy & Happiness

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” ~Dalai Lama

Life does not have to be complicated. Happiness doesn't have to be difficult, and yet, we frequently make it so. We are responsible for our own happiness. It comes from within, which is great news because it gives us control and makes things possible!

It takes effort and it may not be easy, but you can accomplish it. Happiness is a practice. It’s on us to learn it. While some days are easier to find a smile than others, happiness is a daily choice. It’s a mindset we can nurture and train. 

That does not mean it’s there every second, but when you notice it's missing, often the tiniest shift can put you right back on top of the world. Life is an open-ended horizon. Nothing is impossible.

We often mistake joy in life as something provided to us. We make joy, the world does not make it for us. Every moment, every activity we engage, offers us an opportunity to create the joy we seek. Life changes when we realize we are the gatekeepers of our joy. 

Get back to basics

 

Trust me, anyone can go back to basics. It’s all about setting an intention and following through with consistency and discipline. 

Everyone I speak to is feeling a sense of grief, insecurity, frustration, and concern right now. I know that going back to basics won’t magically dissolve the real difficulty and mix of emotions we are all experiencing. But they truly do help us feel better.

A - Z Journey: You can begin to develop and strengthen your spirit when you listen and trust yourself.

A - appreciate the gift of life

B - blessings are all around us

C - how we choose to respond to every experience we encounter. 

D - discernment  through ongoing attentiveness to our experience

E - becoming the most encouraging person you know.

F - Keep it simple and focus on what you care most about.

G - grateful for all things big and small that every day brings

H - hope; let this positive emotion fuel your dreams, actions and attitudes

I  - inspiration: Commit to starting and ending your day with inspiration

J - choose to become joyful.

K - kindness: Let’s work on being the kindest human being we can be.

L - love instead of fearing.

M -  make today so full and meaningful there’s no room to dwell on yesterday.v

N - nurturing; take good care of the best that is within you. 

O - open up to opportunities

P – Infinite possibilities

Q - questing; savor questions and see your life as a journey

R - receptive: self exploration and personal growth continue  

S - soul solutions; cooperating, participating and working together

T - trusting; healing self and relations,

U - understand that pain is unavoidable. 

V - vocalize your feelings; feel them, acknowledge them, express them

W - wonder; cultivate a vibrant curiosity 

X -  x factor; accept the unknown as part of life

Y - You: There is only one you. That is your superpower.

Z - zen your now: Experience, appreciate, enjoy, and let go to new experiences.

How we experience the world is largely a result of how we internalize it. Instead of telling yourself dramatic stories about the past—how hurt you were or how hard it was—challenge your emotions and focus on lessons learned. It won’t always be easy. 

Just know you have the power to choose from moment to moment how you experience things you enjoy: with a sense of ownership, anxiety, and fear, or with a sense of freedom, peace, and love.

The most important question: What do you choose right now?

Good enough!

“There are plenty of difficult obstacles in your path. Don't allow yourself to become one of them.” ~Ralph Marston

What Is Good Enough?

I could have done that better. I should have gotten more done. Likewise, I wish I had been more sensitive. For many years, “never enough” was a chronic habit of my mind, and I could run endless variations on the theme.

We sometimes make excuses for why we don't deserve the best.

Isn't it time to stop letting fear control your life? Isn't it time to stop making excuses for why things aren't better in your life?

Feeling good enough has been one of my biggest struggles, and something I've realized will possibly be a lifelong process.

Our destiny is not fixed; it is constantly changing. One that we constantly influence and shape as we progress along our journey towards enlightenment.

I realize now that I can only embrace all the good I deserve in life if I stop fixating on others' opinions of me and fully acknowledge that, just as I am, I am good enough.

We are all good enough, and we all deserve the best. We just have to believe it.

There are many different paths to the same destination, and the right path for us is the one that aligns with our values, feels truthful, and enables us to connect with our true selves.

Today, believe what is true. You are an amazing, wonderful, and powerful human being that the planet is lucky to have walking on it.

Pause and gently say to yourself, “There's nothing to do." "I am enough." 

Nurturing Self Talk & Self Care

 

“You will never speak to anyone more than you speak to yourself in your head. Be kind to yourself.” ~Unknown

Here are some examples of creating the space for nurturing self-talk:

• Choosing myself, even if it means upsetting others
• Giving my body the rest, exercise and comfort it needs to the best of my ability
• Appreciating myself as a whole person
• Making time to do whatever I love, without worrying about wasting time
• Learning to set boundaries that nurture my relationship with myself and others
• Complimenting myself without feeling guilty, arrogant or entitled (owning my inner and outer beauty)
• Allowing myself to make mistakes and not berating myself for making them
• Loving and accepting myself even when I fail 

And by speaking to myself more kindly, I am bringing clarity and harmony to my internal world. The more time I take to nurture myself with these loving words, the more peaceful and grounded I feel. 

Inner Peace

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” 

~ Martin Luther King Jr.

“Peace begins with a smile.” 

~ Mother Teresa

“You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.” 

~Eckhart Tolle

“There is peace even in the storm.” 

~ Vincent van Gogh

“Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.” 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do you frequently feel stressed-out, upset, uneasy, or simply too busy to be at peace? 

In a chaotic world, peace of mind can occasionally be hard. Inner peace is elusive. Like numerous people, I lived my life failing to recognize that internal peace is a choice. 

There's a lot of craziness in this world, and inner peace can occasionally feel faraway/far off, particularly in today’s fast paced society. For me, inner peace comes from within; an internal state of tranquility  despite the challenges you face. 

You might feel 

• at ease within yourself 
• a sense of compassion 
• navigate life’s frequently-turbulent waters more easily.

Inner peace comes from making changes inside you. It’s the internal and emotional stillness that comes with understanding yourself. Inner peace inside you endures regardless of what challenges life brings. Inner peace isn’t just a state of mind but a key for a meaningful life.

“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.”
~ The Dalai Lama

“I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart. I am. I am. I am.”
~ Sylvia Plath

“Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity.” 

~ Thich Naht Hahn

“Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.”
~ Albert Einstein

“Peace is liberty in tranquility.”
~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

Rejuvenate: mind, body and spirit

“If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.” ~Ajahn Chah

“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.” ~Goethe

“ She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom.” ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Why do we stress ourselves out? Why is it that being productive and getting tasks done are more important than healing and taking the time to feel calm?

Stress and anxiety will have an impact on our lives in lots of precise ways. Taking time out for yourself to destress and rejuvenate is so far down the “to-do list"—sometimes I don’t even consider it a possibility until I am exhausted.

I keep learning that you are your own most valuable asset, and no matter how important another task is, if you don’t dedicate some time to yourself, you’ll burn out. You constantly don’t want to do something to restore a problem; every so often, all it takes is to permit yourself to surrender and permit your issues and stresses to soften away.

Give yourself permission to let go of tension and mental chatter. Simply rest and enjoy the gift of relaxation. We deserve to chill. We need to take a break from our lives. We deserve to heal. We deserve respite.

When you are well-rested and calm, your whole body, mind, and spirit will feel it too!

Spring

 “Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.” ~John Muir

 

 

“The earth laughs in flowers.”  

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

How can you lighten your load from the inside out? 

Spring brings a spirit of hope, a reminder that all kinds of life force energy is renewed and brimming with new possibilities.

Know that each day is different. Some days, your balance and your focus will be rocking and in the flow. Other days, not so much. Learn to accept and allow yourself to be open to the possibilities that arise, and trust in the natural cycles of life that guide us towards growth and expansion.

Revel in the warm weather too! Get out and be with nature and the sunshine. Spring is a great time to clear out anything that is no longer serving you so you can make way for new ideas, perspectives, intentions, and desires.

The Art of Allowing

 

“Accepting, allowing, and interacting with your life as though it is exactly as it should be, without making yourself wrong (or right) for what you discover is the way to Self-Realization.” ~Ariel Kane

Just as the seasons change, so do we. Develop awareness of the changes that occur around you. Notice the natural changes and allow change to flow naturally without force within your life. 

There is a deep well of inner wisdom within you. This innate sense of wisdom will guide you.

Start small. Practice making minor changes in order to build confidence. Evaluate what motivates you.  

Change requires participation and action. Whatever you choose, allow it to nourish yourself and let go of any expectations.

Part of the real beauty of life is that it’s unpredictable. Nothing is permanent, everything changes, and of course, a lot of things can happen that will transform who you are and have an impact on your life. 

Focus on taking small steps to create change you can be proud of. Don’t try to make major changes overnight; you’ll likely get overwhelmed. Just do one tiny thing every day to help you move you in a  direction.

Big or small, I find three things I did well and choose to acknowledge. Start building your self-confidence by choosing one thought to begin practicing today.  Self-confidence is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.

Heart Day, Every Day!

“There are days I drop words of comfort on myself like falling leaves and remember that it is enough to be taken care of by myself.” ~Brian Andreas

“Caring for your body, mind, and spirit is your greatest and grandest responsibility. It’s about listening to the needs of your soul and then honoring them.” ~Kristi Ling 

“Never be ashamed to say, ‘I’m worn out. I’ve had enough. I need some time for myself.’ That isn’t being selfish. That isn’t being weak. That’s being human.” ~Topher Kearby

“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.” ~Jean Shinoda Bolen

Do you ever forget to take care of yourself?

Sometimes, when we’re feeling stressed and running around taking care of everybody else, the healthiest thing we can do is to stop and consider how we can take care of ourselves.

While this seems obvious to some people, many of us struggle with the idea of putting ourselves first. We were raised to think we should always put others before ourselves and ignore our own needs that it is somehow self-centered and not a nice thing to do.

We all get lost sometimes. So lost that we lose track of who we are, where we’re going, what we want, and how to give ourselves what we need to feel nourished and healthy.

I’ve been there many times, enough times to realize that Self-Care isn’t a One Time Deal. It’s the constant repetition of many tiny habits.

Self-care is essential for us all, but looks different from person to person. We are all individuals with different preferences. Listen to your inner voice to find out what makes you content. 

You deserve the time and attention. 

Love

 

“You, yourself, as much as anybody else in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” ~Buddha

The most important decision of your life, is the commitment to love and accept yourself. 

      Love & Accept yourself!

And it starts with yourself. So many of us, including myself, tend to beat ourselves down when we need our love the most. So, be good to yourself. 

Self care is not selfish. I found that self-love is a not a destination; it’s a practice.

So choose to be most loving and forgiving with yourself when things don’t go as planned.

Life is full of ups and downs. No matter what happens on the outside, we can still have a solid foundation built on self love. 

Imagine feeling more confident in who you are.

Imagine opening up your heart and allowing love in. 

Magic in simple things

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” ~ Goethe

You want to live a simpler life? 

You can make every day, every activity, every experience, fulfilling and nourishing to your soul by simply being more present with what you are doing and bringing more enjoyment to what you do. 

Pause and think about how you can make any activity more enlightening, and you will see it lightening your life. Then establish what’s important, and eliminate as much of the rest as possible. It truly is that magically simple.

So, what things are important to you?

Celebrate your growth

 

“Always concentrate on how far you’ve come, rather than how far you have left to go.” ~Unknown

It is easy to forget to stop and take stock of how far we have come in our lives. Our world focuses so much on what we lack, be it money, beauty, prestige, or success. It is far too common for us to get trapped in the loop of needing to have, be, or do “more” before thinking that we might be good enough. I, for one, do it all the time.

Celebrate our strengths, your resilence, your compassion, your efforts, your grace!

Our lives are a constant work in progress, which is the way it ought to be. Trust me, you’d be bored if you weren’t constantly changing and growing.

Whatever you are working toward, and however far you still have to go, stop to think about all the things you’ve already done.

It doesn’t matter if you are moving fast or slow, only that you keep moving! And the best way to ensure that you keep doing that is to cherish each step along the way.