We all know that change is an intricate part of our lives. No matter that we might want to slow it down and not have change affect us, onward it goes, time will not stand still. A way to help stay focused on the positive is to take a quick inventory of moments or situations from your past where you were happy. Of course the happy times are in the past and ended just like the tough times did. But you can count on these happy times coming back around again, and it helpful to reflect on these times. It is a good exercise to remember the important stories and people from your past because they define who you are today. Take a few moments and think about 10 of the happiest, most joyful times or situation or people or a combination of these things and list them here.
1. Birth of my kids
2. The day I got married.
3. Graduating from undergrad.
4. Overcoming PTSD
5. My parents 50th wedding anniversary
6. Planning, executing and cooking successful, tasty, nutritious meals at Daybreak camp with my friend Gini. And the icing on the cake of this experience, was doing it for .36 per person per meal. I am happy at Daybreak Camp.
7. Paying off my debt.
8. Getting into the Grad school I wanted and into the program I wanted and getting close to graduating.
9. My sons going to college.
10. Lauren
This could be a much longer list. I am pretty grateful and happy for a lot of the wonderful people and places that I have had in my life. I would have to say that people though have made me happier than places. I have had and do have some wonderful friendships and family memories. You can gain some pretty incredible insight just by being aware of patterns and themes to your happiness. Can you analyze your list and find a pattern. Then reflect on that during the day and explore the possibilities of recreating that happiness today.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
August 3, 2009
Did you ever notice that the people who seem the least happy, talk the most negatively? And conversely, the happiest people you know seem to always have something really great to say and talk about. This is a very simple thing to think about and while you are there thinking about, hmmm, let's say, reviewing all the negative and horrible things that happened to you you today, maybe during your downer diatribe with yourself, you might throw in something that was new and fabulously uplifting to think about.
For instance. What is there in your job or your workplace that makes you happy. Or if you don't have a job, which a lot of us don't, take a moment and think about some of your past jobs, and find one that you were really content and happy with. Reside there a moment. And for all of you who say, well, I have never had a job I really liked, I think there might be a few things that if you thought hard enough, you would remember some things that made you happy about that place. Is work only a means to an end in your life, or could you possible imagine that any honest employment could have meaning and value. It just depends on your perspective. Here are my thoughts about what makes me happiest at my job:
1. D, R, A, A, C, J, P, W, A, J, J, P and all the other people I work with at my company.
2. Finding things to do to make one persons day a little better.
3. 2+2 always equals 4.
4. Having vendor resources to work with that I have known and used over and over again for years, sometimes decades.
5. Making lunch for my people.
6. Finishing a tough project in a creative way.
7. Contentedly sitting with a pile of payables that just need to get data entered into the software system, and knowing how to do it like the back of my hand and just doing it.
8. Excel
9. Having the feeling that I make a difference, and actually being told that I make a difference from someone that I respect, like my boss.
10. Excel ( I really love excel and generating spreadsheets...) That is why I put it twice.
Try to transform your work life into a place that you can be happy going to every day, rather than the other way around. Look for those places in your work life that you take for granted but actually you are content with. Try to appreciate that not all of us were born to be supermodels, (Okay that is my idea of a perfect wonderful job..your idea of job nirvana will be different) but think about being a super person, no matter what your job is.
For instance. What is there in your job or your workplace that makes you happy. Or if you don't have a job, which a lot of us don't, take a moment and think about some of your past jobs, and find one that you were really content and happy with. Reside there a moment. And for all of you who say, well, I have never had a job I really liked, I think there might be a few things that if you thought hard enough, you would remember some things that made you happy about that place. Is work only a means to an end in your life, or could you possible imagine that any honest employment could have meaning and value. It just depends on your perspective. Here are my thoughts about what makes me happiest at my job:
1. D, R, A, A, C, J, P, W, A, J, J, P and all the other people I work with at my company.
2. Finding things to do to make one persons day a little better.
3. 2+2 always equals 4.
4. Having vendor resources to work with that I have known and used over and over again for years, sometimes decades.
5. Making lunch for my people.
6. Finishing a tough project in a creative way.
7. Contentedly sitting with a pile of payables that just need to get data entered into the software system, and knowing how to do it like the back of my hand and just doing it.
8. Excel
9. Having the feeling that I make a difference, and actually being told that I make a difference from someone that I respect, like my boss.
10. Excel ( I really love excel and generating spreadsheets...) That is why I put it twice.
Try to transform your work life into a place that you can be happy going to every day, rather than the other way around. Look for those places in your work life that you take for granted but actually you are content with. Try to appreciate that not all of us were born to be supermodels, (Okay that is my idea of a perfect wonderful job..your idea of job nirvana will be different) but think about being a super person, no matter what your job is.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
August 2, 2009
Can you control your mind and tell it what to do and what to not do? There is some debate about this topic and it is one that intrigues me. I would like to think I can control my mind and make it do my bidding but oftentimes I seem to do things that I don't really want to do.
For instance, when I look around my house and see the *things* that I have and review about the things I would like to have, I don't really see beyond that wish list. There is a trigger in me that wants things that I don't really need. How could I bypass this desire of stuff. I don't know. But I can make a list of what I have in my home that I appreciate, so here it is:
1. Having a home and a job that allows me to afford it.
2. Washer and Dryer
3. Central Heating at the push of a button. (I REALLY appreciate this after 12 years heating my home with a pellet stove.)
4. My Mom and Dad's couch to take a nap on.
5. Books
6. My bed to retreat to after my long days.
7. Gas stove for creating and expressing myself in a culinary way
8. My Kitchen Aid Mixer
9. My Great Grandmothers china
10.Big giant picture window to look out on the Santa Cruz mtns and the winery in the distance.
So you can see that a few of my things I appreciate are practical, a few I am sentimental about and some are just lovely things that are there to see. I think the point of this exercise is to take a moment to just savor and reflect on your blessings.
Yeah, yeah, I know it seems as if there is some little voice that does tell us at odd moments that we should be more grateful for all we have and blah blah blah. But make this exercise personal for you. What do you appreciate. Write it down. Start with 10 things and go from there. You might be surprised that after you write 10 you write 10 more and then 10 more again.
The next time you find yourself at the store or the market or anywhere you could go to spend your money that you might take a moment to reflect on what you have already.
Making this list has certainly helped me to consider my needs vs. my wants in a way that it wasn't so concrete before. Just to be able to think about *things* and how my mind works, and are those *things* going to make me happy, or are they a replacement for something else.
For instance, when I look around my house and see the *things* that I have and review about the things I would like to have, I don't really see beyond that wish list. There is a trigger in me that wants things that I don't really need. How could I bypass this desire of stuff. I don't know. But I can make a list of what I have in my home that I appreciate, so here it is:
1. Having a home and a job that allows me to afford it.
2. Washer and Dryer
3. Central Heating at the push of a button. (I REALLY appreciate this after 12 years heating my home with a pellet stove.)
4. My Mom and Dad's couch to take a nap on.
5. Books
6. My bed to retreat to after my long days.
7. Gas stove for creating and expressing myself in a culinary way
8. My Kitchen Aid Mixer
9. My Great Grandmothers china
10.Big giant picture window to look out on the Santa Cruz mtns and the winery in the distance.
So you can see that a few of my things I appreciate are practical, a few I am sentimental about and some are just lovely things that are there to see. I think the point of this exercise is to take a moment to just savor and reflect on your blessings.
Yeah, yeah, I know it seems as if there is some little voice that does tell us at odd moments that we should be more grateful for all we have and blah blah blah. But make this exercise personal for you. What do you appreciate. Write it down. Start with 10 things and go from there. You might be surprised that after you write 10 you write 10 more and then 10 more again.
The next time you find yourself at the store or the market or anywhere you could go to spend your money that you might take a moment to reflect on what you have already.
Making this list has certainly helped me to consider my needs vs. my wants in a way that it wasn't so concrete before. Just to be able to think about *things* and how my mind works, and are those *things* going to make me happy, or are they a replacement for something else.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
To Start today August 1, 2009
Lists--Making a list seems like a mundane and archaic thing to do. But we are talking about your life here, so give this practical task a try and see how you do. For today make a list of at least 10 things you were happy about yesterday.
I will list mine for you here:(These only need to make sense to you..if you want to post them please do..)
1. 395
2. Los Gatos Diner
3. Tomatoes from my Garden
4. Hummingbirds
5. Little Puppy
6. Kate talking to me
7. Thomas home from Pepp
8. Soft Bed and Sleeping
9. Intelligence
10. Ability to read
There you go, If I can do it so can you. Try to dwell in a place of positive thoughts. There is some scientific basis to the fact that the more you let your mind move in negative patterns and dwell on negative thoughts, the stronger those thought patterns remain in your brain. Like little negative super highways. Give your brain a chance to start building a positive super highway. Even in this little, tiny, minute way.
August 1, 2009 12:04 PM
I will list mine for you here:(These only need to make sense to you..if you want to post them please do..)
1. 395
2. Los Gatos Diner
3. Tomatoes from my Garden
4. Hummingbirds
5. Little Puppy
6. Kate talking to me
7. Thomas home from Pepp
8. Soft Bed and Sleeping
9. Intelligence
10. Ability to read
There you go, If I can do it so can you. Try to dwell in a place of positive thoughts. There is some scientific basis to the fact that the more you let your mind move in negative patterns and dwell on negative thoughts, the stronger those thought patterns remain in your brain. Like little negative super highways. Give your brain a chance to start building a positive super highway. Even in this little, tiny, minute way.
August 1, 2009 12:04 PM
The Field Guide to Happiness
I have been reading this book by Barbara Ann Kipfer called the Field Guide of Happiness and decided to write a blog about my reflections regarding the reading of this book. I am having a lot come up about this topic, and wanting to write a journal about some of my feelings and thoughts anyway, this seemed like a good place to start.
Some evenings, not all of course because that would be too much for me to handle, but a lot of evenings, I will post a reflection from my reading of this book with a recommendation that you could do that day to help on your journey with a by product being happiness! I know a few of my friends want to follow along and have an email to start their day.
A blog is a very interesting way to communicate. My own personal bit of the internet to to write about anything I want, my own personal commentary, my own diary so to speak on a subject.
If you would like to follow along also, please feel free to drop me your email address and I will add you to the list.
Have a great Day!
Some evenings, not all of course because that would be too much for me to handle, but a lot of evenings, I will post a reflection from my reading of this book with a recommendation that you could do that day to help on your journey with a by product being happiness! I know a few of my friends want to follow along and have an email to start their day.
A blog is a very interesting way to communicate. My own personal bit of the internet to to write about anything I want, my own personal commentary, my own diary so to speak on a subject.
If you would like to follow along also, please feel free to drop me your email address and I will add you to the list.
Have a great Day!
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