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Fifteen things you can do to be happy

April 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I read a great article this morning by “John” about fifteen things to give up in order to be happy. Good stuff, but ‘giving up’ always seems so negative to me. So, I thought I’d write about fifteen things I can do to be happy. Thanks for the inspiration, John!

  1. Be human. And that means I am going to make mistakes. I can just hear that voice from my childhood, “You should know better.” Well, no I shouldn’t. I can relate so much better to people who are not perfect anyway. Show your warts!
  2. Remember that control is an illusion; the only thing I can control is myself and there are many times where that’s an illusion too! Going with the flow is much more fun and allows me to not take life so seriously.
  3. Take responsibility for your actions. If it’s your fault, own it! I no longer ‘awfulize’ everything. There just aren’t that many big deals and the world isn’t going to come to an end because I screwed up.
  4. Talk nicely to yourself. I’m pretty cool! There are enough people out there who’ll run us down for me to do that to myself. My actions reflect that I’m pretty cool, when I think it about myself.
  5. Broaden your belief system. Little surprises me anymore. When I believe that I can do something, I’ll take the steps to make it happen. Doubt is the big wall to progress.
  6. Look for the Good in life! Have fun! When I look for it, I find it! You know, there are miracles occurring all around us when our hearts are open to receiving them. I saw a Great American Bald Eagle on my bike ride this morning. Now that was a gift!
  7. Enjoy the luxury of compliments. When I look for the good in people, I can always find it. Try telling the clerk at the 7-11 that her long, painted fingernails are a work of art, and watch her face light up. It’s fun to brighten someone’s day by giving them a compliment.
  8. Remember that other’s opinion of me is none of my business. I want to impress myself! I no longer need anyone’s approval to feel good about myself. Perhaps that comes with age, but if you’re not a baby boomer, start now to look for the good in yourself!
  9. Embrace change. That’s the only thing that we can count on anyway! Life changes, and if I fight that, I’ll never be happy. If I anticipate change, when it comes, I can go with the flow and find the good in everything.

10. People are different. When I look for the differences, I can find them, but if I look for the similarities, they’re there too. I can relate to anyone, if I try. So who cares about what’s different? That’s the spice in life. The synonym to perfect is boring.

11. Be brave and courageous. I no longer allow fear to block me from taking action. When I draw on my inner strength, I see that it’s really there! I’m strong and invincible – I am woman!

12. Embrace who you are. I don’t need to make excuses for who I am today. People aren’t the results of cookie cutters. I like my little ideosyncrocies, because that’s what makes me special.

13. Stay in the present. When I worry about yesterday or dwell on what is yet to happen, I miss where I am. Life is so wonderful in the moment. I used to wish half my life away. Today is all I have and I’m going to enjoy every moment of it.

14. Life an unencumbered life. Seems like I collected so much ‘stuff’ as life unfolded. And now I view that as clutter! I’m slowly cleaning out all that junk I don’t need. Give it to the kids for Christmas! Donate it! As my space becomes more free, so does my spirit. Amazing.

15. Take your time. My good friend, Cheryle Touchton  always asks if any babies are gonna die if we don’t do this right now. I no longer allow other’s sense of urgency dictate my actions. When I take my time, take decisions to prayer and talk to others, solutions I never considered pop up.

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Travel Humor

January 20, 2012 By 1 Comment

I often tell my clients, “Quote yourself; you’ll never become famous by quoting someone else.” Of course, not everyone wants to be famous and there have been a quote or two that have been life changing for me.

I’m enroute to Los Angeles, waiting in Albuquerque for a connecting flight. The flight here was uneventful, save a rather restless passenger behind me. Perhaps he was listening to some great song on his I-whatever, keeping beat on the tray table – which extends from my seat. I found myself becoming irritated, wanting to turn around and politely ask him to knock it off. It was annoying.

Wayne Dyer’s quote came to mind, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” .  Gosh, why didn’t I think of that first?

But, it did come to mind and I wondered how I could change the way I perceived the constant jarring. I was blowing it way out of proportion by allowing it to become an aggravation.  Maybe it was his way of just letting me know he was back there, so I’d not feel alone.

Tadum!  I was instantly transformed. I didn’t have to be an irritated old shrew; I was once again, the nice lady from Titusville, just flying to Los Angeles with about 90 other people, one of which was unintentionally communing with me.

I wonder if I’ll be so blessed on the second leg of my journey. The nice thing about Southwest Airlines (in addition to no charge for bags or changing your flight) is that I can pick my seat. Perhaps I’ll search out a friendly looking soul with which I can share the ride. I’ve really met some nice people that way. And if the person who sits behind me wants to let me know they’re there, I’ll welcome the unknown hello and smile when I visit the restroom!

Gosh, this whole thing could turn into a spiritual experience. Thanks, Wayne!

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Happy Easter

April 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Easter Sunrise

Good morning, and Happy Easter to my Christian friends. And a blessed Passover to my Jewish friends. We started our day out with a beautiful sunrise Mass at our little church, Blessed Sacrament in Cocoa, FL. The sun did rise with some brilliance but then disappeared behind a cloud for most of the service, which was a good thing, as we faced east.

Perhaps it is my imagination, or perhaps just my own stuff, but it seemed to me that there was alot of excitement about Easter this year. Many Christian friends posted notes throughout Holy Week, full of anticipation of the Ressurection. My reaction was more quiet and reflective on Good Friday, thinking about where I am and what I’d like to do differently. And then I awaited Easter Morning. This morning it truly felt like a day to celebrate. I don’t quite know what is different, but it feels like change is on my horizon.

We have finally outgrown the “Easter Bunny.” This is my eighteenth year of no sugar, so of course, no chocolate bunnies for me. We were shopping yesterday and I asked Dave if he wanted some candy, but he thought it’d all be half price tomorrow and he’d wait. I didn’t even decorate eggs. No grandkids to celebrate with me this year, as they stayed in Atlanta for the weekend.

Easter can just come and go for me, or it can be an opportunity to make a difference. I feel like that difference for me this year is to be more quiet.  I don’t have to be running the show all the time. I also am really going to slow down, travel less and do some nesting. The next two months are hectic travel-wise, but there are less trips scheduled over the summer. I want to concentrate on me, my almost ten-year marriage to David and our home.

So, Happy Easter to you. What will this day bring for you? Is it just another day, or an opportunity to experience the greatness of change?

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Spiritual tip of the day ~ Find the good in every challenge!

October 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Mothers and Daughters uid 745832My Pollyanna was in high gear yesterday. It is sometimes challenging, but I try to find something good in everything. And it can often be a spiritual experience!

I had several appointments in Orlando. I have a really cute pair of white Capri’s but don’t I wear very often, because they are a perfect fit – so perfect that sometimes they are too tight!

Well, I had a notion to wear them yesterday and they stretched out! Now they’re comfortably loose. I came downstairs in them and my husband said, “Wow!” Nothing like a compliment from my hubby to make me feel like a million bucks.

I had several errands in Orlando, the first a lunch appointment. I had a mishap with the white pants on the way … my car was burglarized some weeks back and the police dusted it for fingerprints. That black powder gets into everything. I thought I had it all out … wrong! There I was, walking into the restaurant looking like I forgot to do the laundry. Drat!

So after lunch, I called Dave and explained my dilemma. He suggested that I go buy a new pair of pants, so I headed to a favorite store, where I know they regularly have 70% off racks. I not only found a beautiful pair of slacks (in safe black!), but also five really fantastic tops and spent … are you ready?

$67.29 … Now THAT is a spiritual experience for sure!

I am the QUEEN of bargains!  Lots of  good came out of that little challenge. Later, at home, it took some hand spotting and two runs through the washer, but I got the black spots out of the white pants too! I’m grateful, because I really like those britches!

In my morning rushing to get out of the house, I forgot my packed dinner in the fridge. I weigh and measure most of my meals. For those of you who are new to my blog, I’ve lost over one hundred pounds and have maintained it for nearly seventeen years. (http://www.trustGodandbuybroccoli.com)

Not to worry, I had time to slip into Whole Foods and order what I needed from the deli, and enjoyed some things I don’t normally fix for myself. But geeze, $17 to get what I needed. That was almost double my lunch in a Chinese restaurant! It sure tasted good though.

The next two appointments were fantastic. I met up with another author whom I haven’t seen in at least a dozen years. She looks fantastic and her life is a total success story. We both were struggling back in the nineties and now we both are success stories. It was a great reunion. A bonus; her mother was a good friend but I lost contact with her. I’ll also be reuniting with her soon.

Next, off to the book store where I met my new web designer who’s going to give my website a facelift. She and I agreed to some ideas and now I’m really excited. Over the weekend, my task will be to prepare the content for the new pages and we are off and running. So stay tuned for the grand unveiling in the near future!

It was a great day, even with the spots on my pants and the expensive dinner. We can always find either the worst or the best in everything. Call it Pollyanna, but the positive spin can turn even the worst nightmares  into a spiritual phenomena!

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