Tag Archives: happiness

InspiredMe: What Is Beauty…

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I was so inspired by this post from joyful on purpose … I just had to share it. Let us see and love our own beauty we posses. We are loved and we are beautiful.

 Flowers don’t worry about how they’re going to bloom. They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful.  ~Jim Carrey

I’ve been thinking about beauty lately… how obsessed we are with beauty and the current standard. For me, beauty is so easily seen in nature: the glorious colors of flowers, the texture of moss or tree bark, even the cycle of birth and death as the seasons change. I find it much more burdensome to see beauty in people, especially myself. Like many people, I can point out every single flaw in myself, all the imperfections that don’t quite meet the definition of beauty. (Who gets to define it, anyway? Who are “they” and can we fire them?) Trying to reach the acceptable standard has taken a toll on me over the years, and it is still difficult to change my mindset even as I become more and more aware of what true beauty is. It is a daily chore, a conscious effort, for me to wake up and have a healthy view of myself and others.

I wish we were all more like flowers. The quote above rings true in my heart and my mind. Flowers don’t worry at all about how they will open up, how they will be seen as the petals unfold and reveal what is inside. Flowers also turn toward the light without thought, craving its warmth and knowing that it provides life as well as illumination.

As human beings living in a gorgeous world, surrounded by beautiful objects, we should take better care of ourselves and of each other by being less obsessed with unrealistic standards. A geranium never tries to be a rose. A thistle doesn’t strive to be like a lily. Each one is simply beautiful in its own way, its own very perfect way. They all turn toward the light, open up, and radiate beauty. I wish, for myself and for you, to follow the way of the flowers. I want to turn my face toward the light, all that is positive and wonderful. I want to smile and open up my heart and my life, letting the beauty within reveal itself. Perfect in its own way, just as it is.

-written by joyful on purpose

InspiredMe: Happy Mother’s Day To My Beautiful Mother…

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Being a mother makes you Beautiful.

I know, because my mother is.

She is beautiful not only in the way people can see,

but also feel.

My mother is beautiful in every way.

With make-up, or without,

In p.j.’s or all dressed up.

She is beautiful because of who she is,

And who she is makes the world around her more beautiful.

From the inside out and outside in, my mother is truly beautiful.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

Thank-you for teaching me what true beauty is all about.

InspiredMe: Right Now…

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(Inspired today by this simple post from Mindful Balance.)

“Drop into the moment that is now…

Just be here, drink in all that this moment has to offer

as if it is the only one that you have– because it truly is.”

- Jon Kabat Zinn
Be present. Stop yourself and breathe deeper a few more times. See the beauty around you. Take it all in. Be present. This moment is a gift.

InspiredMe: 15 Things You Sould Give Up To Be Happy

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I found this post from Purpose Fairy and had to share because it was so inspiring. Here are the 15 things she said that will bring more happiness to your life:

1. Give up your need to always be right. There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

 


2. Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better that will make you feel.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

 

3. Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your power away and start taking responsibility for your life.

 

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

 

5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

 

6. Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

 

7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

 

8. Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

 

9. Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell

 

10. Give up labels. Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer

 

11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
“The only fear we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

12. Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

 

13. Give up the past. I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

 

14. Give up attachment. This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another,  attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

 

15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations.

Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

InspiredMe: 10 ways to go from “ok” to GREAT!

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                                               image found on Google search

Don’t you wish every day could be a great day? Well, this list might just help it get there… Here are my top 10 things that make my day go from “ok,” to “wow, what a great day!”

# 1. Wake up early. Preferably before the sun rises. There is something magical that happens in the early morning when most of the world is still sleeping. If you sleep in you miss it.

# 2. Limit your sugar consumption for breakfast. Put the Lucky Charms away and have a whole grain, protien-rich meal instead. Try an egg with whole wheat bread toasted with a bit of olive oil and cinnamon or a power green shake. Or better yet have one of these.

# 3. Work out first thing. Working out in the morning will give you more energy for the rest of the day.

# 4. Spend a half hour or more reading an inspirational book. And fill your day with good music that helps you feel motivated and happy.

# 5. Take a walk. If it’s sunny or snowy, walking always helps clear your mind and give you energy. Breathing fresh air is good for the soul.

# 6. Make your bed. My mom always told me if your bed is made, your life is made. In other words, your day will feel more at ease.

#7. Clean/organize something. Anything. There is a peace and feeling of accomplishment that comes when you make something cleaner or more organized.

# 8. Limit TV time and don’t watch it right before bed. You’ll sleep and dream better if you don’t bombard your brain with TV right before bedtime. Watching the news can especially create unwanted “sleep stress.”

# 9. Don’t ever go to bed with a dirty kitchen… it makes for an awful morning the next day!

# 10. Breathe a lot. Breath has the power to disperse tension and emotions. If you feel frustration or anger coming on, take a big breath and breathe it all out. It works much better than yelling or getting upset. Also, if you take a few minutes in your day to concentrate on your breathing, in and out, in and out, it can give you a burst of energy and concentration. Breath is powerful! Use it.

And there you have it, my top 10 things. I’m sure there are about a hundred more… but it’s a good start. The next time you lay in bed thinking “wow, what a great a day it was,” think of what you did different and start incorporating it into your future days… so everyday can truly be a GREAT day!

InspiredMe: 7 Days, 7 Ways to…

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LOVE. Valentine Day shouldn’t just be about romantic love. It should be about all aspects of love. Like loving yourself, loving your neighbors, loving your God, your friends, your family… and the list goes on. So this year I’m doing something different. I am celebrating valentines day all week long. Each day I will focus on a person or group of people and do one act of love for them. Seven days, seven ways to love. Join with me on the Love Week! Here’s a list you can use with some examples you can do. And you can tweak the list so it fits your life and the people in it, and come up with some of your own ideas too. The ideas are endless.

Day 1: Love Yourself: Go to a yoga or favorite work out class, eat something healthy, paint your toes, write some of your strengths/qualities in a journal, take a bath, read a good book, look at yourself in the mirror at least three times today and say, “I love myself!”

Day 2: Love the World: Recycle, pick up trash, go for a nature walk, bundle up and play outside, buy organic or local food, paint, make a craft, learn something about the world

Day 3: Love God: Spend a little more time meditating, praying, reading scripture or inspirational books, dedicate the day only doing spiritually uplifting activities, write down a goal to improve one of your weaknesses, serve someone

Day 4: Love your Family: Spend a day not criticising, play with your children, build something with them, cook something yummy with your children, call a sibling or parent you haven’t talked to in a while, tell them you love them, give lots of hugs, write a thank-you letter

Day 5: Love People: Volunteer at a hospital, nursing home, etc, smile at someone, talk to the person at the cash register, say hi, make cookies and deliver them to your neighbors

Day 6: Love your Friends: Take a friend to lunch, call a friend, write a letter telling them some of their best qualities you love about them, have a friend or two over for dinner

Day 7: Love your Spouse/ Significant Other: Play a game, go on a date, write a love letter, spend some cuddle time, buy or make them their favorite dessert, really listen, laugh, do something fun

Love is what this life is all about… how we love, loving more, loving better, loving when it is hard to. This is a simple and wonderful way to fill and find more love in your life. Maybe we can all start thinking of Valentine’s Day a little bit differently and start “loving” it more! So….. Happy Valentine’s week!