Category Archives: happy

All About Today

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Sometimes it’s fun to reminisce about the past – to romanticize how things used to be, to remember a time when things didn’t seem so complicated.

And sometimes it’s fun to visualize the future – dreaming about how wonderful your life is going to be, hoping that everything will turn out exactly how you planned.

And sometimes it’s fun to look at your life right now in this exact moment and recognize all of the wonderful parts of it – how everything is working out just as it is meant to – how you are just where you need to be.

So on that note, let’s think about what we love about our lives right now.

This is a great exercise to do on a day when you are feeling positive and happy! You’ll be able to list many things very quickly.
It’s also a great exercise to do when you are feeling a bit down – it’s an instant mood booster.

We can always find tons of things that are absolutely perfect about our lives.

And even if the big topics (love, home, job, kids, self care, etc.) aren’t seeming so great at the moment – there are always little things that add up quickly (like a beautiful, sunny day, or your favorite song coming on just when you needed to hear it, or eating the most delicious dinner, or chatting with a friend who really loves you, or having all of the lights turn green on your way home from work, or not having your cats fight for one day, or receiving a surprise check in the mail, etc…)

So let’s all think about what IS working in our lives TODAY.

And let’s reminisce about the past and dream about the future another day.

Today is all about today.
And what a great day it is!

A Gratitude List

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It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to write a post about gratitude! 

Feel free to click here (or below) to learn more about our Gratitude Project. 
Okay – now for today’s post:
 
 Happy June! 
Today’s post is about keeping a gratitude list. 
 
There are so many ways you can do this – and you get to decide what feels best for you. 
Some will choose to have one notebook (like our I Am Grateful For… book) that is designated to hold list upon list of all that you love about your life. Some may keep this list on their computer. Others may just tell their loved ones around the dinner table each night what they are grateful for. 
It’s completely up to you! 
 You may choose to write a gratitude list every day, once a week, or whenever the mood strikes. 
And that’s completely okay! 

When we focus on gratitude and everything that is going right in our lives, our thoughts end up attracting more positive events and feelings. This is the kind of snowball effect that we can welcome with open arms!

So let’s all take some time today to write our gratitude list.
And then continue this practice when it feels right.

Here is mine:
 
I am grateful…
 
that I have a great start on writing my new book: 50 pages written so far, and an outline for the rest!
 
for self-care days – staying in my pjs all day, lying around, reading, and doing exactly what I want to do – whatever that may be.
 
that today is one of my self-care days!
 
for healthy green smoothies.
 
for a loving husband who supports me in everything I do.

that things seem to slowly be working themselves out between our new kitty and the older one who likes to bully her.

for sun showers – beautiful and refreshing.

that my sweet Biddle cat is such a mama’s boy – perfect for every day, but especially a self-care day.

that I am keeping my word and not working during this sabbatical.

for so many exciting possibilities and opportunities on the horizon.

for our local library – I am constantly amazed by their wonderful selection of books.
 
for all of your wonderful comments and feedback about this blog.
 
for a supportive community that understands that going within and taking care of ourselves is crucial for lasting happiness and finding our way in this world. 

In gratitude,
Jodi





Smile. Smile. Smile. :)

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Doesn’t it feel good to smile? 
You can’t help but be happy when you are smiling – so smile, smile, & smile some more!
I recently watched Eat Pray Love, and I loved the part where Julia Roberts was in Thailand meditating with a smile on her face the entire time. 
I started doing this each morning while taking a shower. 
And at first it feels a bit strange to just be in there with a big smile on my face while shampooing my hair. 
It’s definitely awkward.
But…while I’m doing it I can feel something start to shift in my brain.
I start to feel happier. 
I start to feel lighter.
My brain isn’t able to worry or stress or be overwhelmed when I am smiling.
And these are definitely good things!
Try it tomorrow – see how great you feel!
Plant a big fat smile on your face from the moment you step into the shower until the moment you step out of it. 
You get extra credit for thinking about everything you are grateful for while you are smiling!
And for today, take some time to write down some things that bring a smile to your face. (Be prepared to start smiling just thinking about them.)

The more you think about smiling, the more you will start to smile. And the more you start to smile, the happier you will be. And the happier you will be, the more fulfilling your life will become. And the more fulfilling your life is, the more you have to give to others. And the more you give to others, the more they will pay it forward and give to others. And pretty soon the entire world is paying it forward and happy. 
And it all started with just one smile. 
🙂

What Are You Thinking?

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Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions. – Einstein
This is one of my favorite quotes because it’s so true. 

We all have active imaginations, and we are all thinking a million thoughts each day – many of which we aren’t even aware of. Have you ever had someone ask you what you were thinking and realized that it was hard to put it into words because either 1.) you were thinking many different things at the same time or 2) you are so used to being on auto pilot that you had absolutely no idea. 
Regardless of whether you are conscious of your thoughts or not, you are creating your present life with them.
And this can either be a very positive thing or it can be a not-so-good thing. You get to decide. 
Think about how you see yourself and what you believe you are worth and how you deserve to live. Think about the messages that you tell yourself when something goes right in your life – are you excited and pat yourself on the back or are you doubtful that you deserve this wonderful thing and keep waiting for it to be taken away. Do you embrace the good or try to sabotage yourself somehow?
Keep in mind that you may have to do a little digging here to find out what your thought patterns are – you have had a lifetime of setting up unconscious habits for how you think about everything. The first step in changing your thoughts is to recognize what they are. 
I believe that what we think about today becomes our life tomorrow. If you think that you will never be able to live your dream life, than you won’t. If you truly believe that you will be happy and live the life you were meant to live – you will. 
It’s that simple. (Sort of.) 
Once you realize that your thoughts become your reality, you need to make a choice to become more conscious and aware of what you are thinking. That way when a negative thought pattern appears, you can recognize it and change it immediately to a positive thought – which (if done enough) will create a new pattern. 
This takes a lot of practice, and I am still getting the hang of it. I am in the awareness stage where I am learning to harness my thoughts and make sure they are the thoughts that I want to be thinking to create the life that I want to live.
If this is a new concept for you, just take some time to sit with it. Maybe for one day, try to be aware of your thoughts. You can even write some of them down. It may be very eye opening to read in black and white what you spend your time focusing on and thinking about. This is the first step. 
And the worst thing that can happen by changing any negative thoughts into positive ones is that you will be a much happier person. 
And you’re definitely worth it!