Skip to content

Posts from the ‘Happiness’ Category

Jan 10

Song and Dance

“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” – Neil Gaiman

Each morning, set the tone for the day. This requires quiet to be able to contemplate, to see the beautiful forest rather than be lost in the trees. Decide what song you will sing and if you will dare to even dance. There are a lot of distractions, so you must make a conscious decision if you will sing and dance or if you will merely get through.

“Have tos” and “should’ve beens” are joy thieves. And we don’t realize that we’ve been robbed until we’ve wasted many days that turn into years. Struggle is certain, our response is not.

So remain in this day and give it your best voice and step. That is what we are called to do, especially when we don’t “feel” like it. Our joy is not in some far off land or mythical future when everything falls in place. It’s right now, this moment, today.

And when you sing your song and dance your dance, you give others permission to do the same.

My best friends and roommates Sasha and Abby know how to dance to be sure. Ear-flapping freestyle.

“When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way.” – Wayne Dyer

Jan 3

4 Comments

If You’re Not in One of These, Start Living

As I was driving back to work after a chiropractor appointment to ease some chronic wrist, hand and neck pain, I pulled up behind a hearse at a stop light. I didn’t really notice it until I came along side it on the road.

It woke me up out of auto-pilot as I was thinking about the 500 emails I was returning to and the nonstop meetings and interruptions that make up a regular work day.

Bottom line – if you’re not in a box riding in the back of a hearse, start living! It may sound morbid but what’s even more morbid and morose is our complacent acceptance of the daily minutia and grind that steals the beauty and joy that we are meant to partake in and offer while we are here for a very short time.

So next time you’re stuck in a negative mood or worse, in a state of numb, wake up and enjoy each day starting now. Take the last-minute trip, call your Mom and Dad if you are fortunate to have them still here, laugh more, try something new, dare to be bold and bright.

Because if you’re not in one of these, you are obligated to live fully, to walk softly and to embrace your days with delight and awe. No regrets. Start living.

Jan 2

2 Comments

Soak in Your Blessings

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley

If you make only one resolution this year, make it daily gratitude. Commit each day to soak in your blessings. We move so fast that our blessings that we are showered with barely touch our skin, much less soak in.

Soaking and depth demand quiet and connection. Be grateful and all of your other resolutions that are meant to be will fall into place.

Our cup is not only half full, it’s overflowing. Soak it in.

“I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness - it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude.” – Brene Brown

“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” – Brene Brown

Dec 28

4 Comments

Start Today

“Keep every promise you make and only make promises you can keep.” – Anthony Hitt

As the holidays wind down with the new year around the corner, the next thing on “the list” is the obligatory list of new year’s resolutions. If we are not really resolved and ready to commit, they fall by the wayside by the end of January. And we get disappointed in ourselves and fall back into the same old rut perplexed that we are getting the same results.

Rather than a laundry list of well-intended but uncommitted to items of what to fix, lose or remove, choose what you will add to your life. Actively and consciously choose how you will spend your time and what you will give yourself to.

Be present in the moment, spend quality time with family and friends, carve quiet into each day, commit to running or walking at least one mile every day, vow to not hibernate over winter, play more. Being active, eating better, resting more, having fun and being curious will bring daily contentment and lasting results. We never really start over, we start where we are at. And we’re farther than we think we are.

No need to wait for January 1 to live more fully. Start today.

Nov 27

3 Comments

Wag More, Bark Less

No better way to start a Monday after a long holiday weekend than with sage bumper sticker advice – “Wag more, bark less.” Pretty much sums it up. The road to a happier life is noticing and celebrating simple moments, every day. The gifts of being present daily are available to all of us. So unwrap the gifts and start wagging that tail.

Barking leads to more barking and diminishing joy. Let go of judgment, complaining, cynicism, assumptions and the stories that we tell ourselves about scarcity. Abundance comes from wagging, not barking.

Wag a lot more and bark a lot less. Then every day, even Mondays, become Fridays.

Nov 20

3 Comments

The Unknowing

“People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

We want to know the end before we start. We hesitate, freeze, hold back, analyze and run the opposite direction of the unknowing. We take comfort in the familiar, especially when it’s time to move on. But it is in the unknowing, in the mystery, we find our true capacity, strength, depth, resolve, resilience and at its core, our very soul and its longing.

Keep moving and release the hollow fear that is holding you back from fullness of living, from the very breath of life. Return again and again to a beginner’s mind, ready to learn, to make mistakes, to risk being the fool. For the fool is unhindered from what others think and self-imposed limitations. The fool transforms into a genius by moving swiftly into the unknowing until it becomes known.

Move fiercely into the unknown and discover with a renewed enthusiasm where the road less taken will lead you.

“Oh the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all.”

― Dr. Seuss

Nov 7

Every Mile

Listen for and open your eyes to the signs, cues and clues whispering to reassure that you are where you are meant to be now. Nothing, not one step, is wasted. So keep moving. living and learning. Don’t stall or get stuck in the past and never accept less than what God has in store for you. The faster we go, the farther we get behind. Tune out the noise of busyness, slow down and enter the rhythm of daily life with deep gratitude.

I just discovered a new song from Nicole Nordeman and have been playing it over and over – Every Mile Mattered. There are many moments we question where we are at and why. It’s reassuring to know that every mile mattered and it’s gotten to us where we are now and will be the path that prepares us for what’s next.

“But it’s history
It don’t define you
You’re free to leave
It all behind you
Every tear brought you here
Every sorrow gathered
It’s history
And every mile mattered
Every mile mattered”

Every mile that has been and all that is to come matters. Be present and anchor your days in joy, faith and trust. Turn up the music and bust a move.

Oct 26

4 Comments

Measuring Cup

“Calendars and clocks exist to measure time, but that signifies little because we all know that an hour can seem as eternity or pass in a flash, according to how we spend it.” – Michael Ende

We measure our years with birthdays, but we experience the soul of life in moments. As we grow older and time moves faster, we discover that our cup is over flowing when we measure the right things. And the hot pursuit of position and accumulation of stuff comes up empty. Less really is more. Depth over distance. Connection over chaos. Quality over quantity.

Beauty, spring, winter, loss, light, dark, laughter, tears, delight all merge into a tapestry of color and pattern that is all our own yet we share the same journey that takes us each down different paths. The gains and losses. The joy and trials. A thousand hellos and two thousand good-byes. All of it binds together to shape us and prepare us for what’s next.

So as I celebrate my 53 years on earth today and Abby’s 1 year, I am mindfully aware and grateful for all of my blessings that came with many sunrises and sunsets, of days filled with joy and even the ones with the seemingly endless challenges. The authentic life has it all.

Ride the jet ski at 81, throw the ball (again and again) and never lose your sense of humor. And above all, be kind. And that includes to yourself. Cast light, measure the right things and choose abundance and joy.

 

Oct 15

2 Comments

Little Pauses

“If you are losing your leisure, look out; you may be losing your soul.” – Logan Pearsall Smith

“We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves. And we’ll also have a lot more joy in living.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Speed over depth
Multi over single tasking
Loud over quiet
Busy over slow
Quantity over quality

Make different choices, get different results. Pause. And then pause again. Go deeper, slower and stay longer in each moment.

Oct 2

1 Comment

Blank Slate

“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” – Helen Keller

“Every human is an artist. And this is the main art that we have: the creation of our story.” – Don Miguel Ruiz

“Every human is an artist. And this is the main art that we have: the creation of our story.” – Don Miguel Ruiz

Your story is yours to write. It’s a blank slate waiting to be completed by you, not others. The past few weeks, I’ve felt invisible for a variety of reasons that don’t really matter in the overall scheme of things, of what’s really important. And I have a blessed life, so imagine those who aren’t as fortunate, who’s circumstances are truly dire and out of their control.

We need to make others visible, to see them, the authentic human behind the two-dimensional stereotype. To pull our head up from our technology, from our ridiculously busy lives and lock eyes, to connect to our humanity.

Each day is a blank slate to write our own beginning, middle and end, to rise higher than we think we can and to choose invincible over invisible. We can be kind, encouraging and generous, especially when others are not. Write your story.

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »