Attitude

"You bring your own weather to the picnic."

--Harlan Coben

Best Day

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Laughter

"Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand."

--Mark Twain

Be present

"Children think not of what is past, nor what is to come, but enjoy the present time, which few of us do."

--Jean de la Bruyere

Smile

The act of smiling has been shown to lift a person's mood.  So you should "Smile even if you don't feel like it.  Eventually you'll feel like it."

-- Unknown

That is why I'm going to start keeping a running list of things that make me smile, and I resolve to make at least one of those things part of my life every day.  Watch my left column; the list will begin and grow there.

Time

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life."

-- Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech, June 2005

Revamp

I have to admit, I actually forgot this blog existed this week.  Part of it was sheer exhaustion; not getting enough sleep, stress (from many different areas, not the least of which was trying to keep up with my resolutions), allergy medication modifications.  All of these things conspired to wear me out!

So now that I've remembered this blog, I've been thinking I should make some changes.  I didn't even originally have an idea for a blog; I started collecting quotes and tips for a healthier life as part of a happiness project (inspired by Gretchen Rubin's book and blog).  Then, I had an idea for a gift that I could make from my collection.  Finally, the idea for this blog was born.  My initial idea was to post a tip (for healthier living) or a quote (that may or may not make you think, but that definitely resonates with me) every day.  But when I started posting, I completely ignored my initial thoughts and added to my stress when I had to figure out what to post every day.  Well, that's enough of that.

I will post either a tip for healthier living, or a quote, regularly.  I won't hold myself to every day, but I resolve not to forget about this place again.

Today's tip: Take it one ______ at a time.  (You fill in the blank; some examples might be: minute, hour, day, week, decision, step, workout, meal, page, etc.)

Again

I didn't post on Friday; instead, I was in bed and asleep before 10 pm and slept until after 8 am ... it felt really good.  I wrote the following yesterday (longhand), but didn't get on the computer all day, so here it is:

Tip for the day: Replace one calorie-laden drink with an equal amount of calorie-free water.  Try it at different temperatures for a different sensation; some people swear by the soothing effect and tastiness of hot water, while I prefer mine very cold.

The thought for today (not necessarily related to today's tip): You are loved.

Planned

When I first thought of this blog, I had a simple plan in mind: each day I would post a tip to promote health or well-being, and I would include a synonymous quote, if I had one (and I've been collecting quotes for a year, so I have quite a few).

I haven't actually followed that plan, have I?  Each day I've struggled to think of something to write, and felt stressed as a result.  That is going to stop.  Starting tonight, I will return to my simple plan:

1) Post a tip for healthful living.

2) Include a synonymous quote.

I won't limit myself to those two things, if I have more to say, but I won't stress if my post is that short.

That being said...

The tip for today: Get enough sleep (this month's unplanned theme).

Quote:

"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

-- Benjamin Franklin

Until tomorrow...

Conspire

Do you ever feel as if the world is conspiring against you?  That's what seems to have been happening to me the last few days; events are conspiring against me.  Each night I resolve to get to bed on time so that I get a good night's sleep, and each night something keeps that from happening.  Tonight, it was an overflowing toilet (and the need to then launder all the towels used to sop up the wet).

But I have something in mind:  

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book.

-- Irish Proverb

Time to find a short comedy video, and then a good night's sleep.

Smile

Just seeing that word makes me smile, and I bet it does the same thing to you.  I dare you; say the word "smile" and see if you don't.  It's hard to resist!

For example, this evening I was feeling pretty lousy.  Probably low blood sugar from not having enough to eat during the day (note to self: don't skip meals), but regardless of the cause, I was in a pretty rotten mood.  And I was taking it out on those around me.  This is  NOT the way to live a salubrious life.

Then, I thought to myself.  Why don't I just smile?  Immediately, I felt the corners of my mouth lift oh so slightly, and the blue mood started to dissipate.  Huh.  Maybe there's something to this.  I should keep smiling.  The corners rose a little more, and the clouds did, too.

So today's tip is: Smile even when you don't feel like it.  Pretty soon, you'll feel like it. (And it won't take as long as you might think.)

Until tomorrow...

Platinum Rule

The Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”  This rule should be pretty easy to follow.  After all, most of us probably have a pretty good idea of how we want to be treated.  Although I know that sometimes it is difficult to be as considerate of other people as we are of ourselves.

However, the Platinum Rule is a little different.  I learned the Platinum Rule from an instructor when I went to some training a few years ago: “Treat others as THEY want to be treated.”  Obviously, this is going to take more work.  First, you have to figure out how the other person wants to be treated.  This may not be intuitive, and it may be in direct contrast to how we ourselves want to be treated, but in the long run it will be worth the effort.  It shows the person that you genuinely care about them, and that you are willing to take the time to learn about them.

Last year I read a book called The Five Love Languages.  The author, Gary Chapman, postulates that there are five major love languages (and as many dialects in those languages as there are people in the world).  When you are in a relationship, he recommends watching what your relationship partner (regardless of the type of relationship) does to express care and loving for you to determine what your partners love language.  The same applies to the Platinum Rule.  One of the best ways to learn how someone wants to be treated is to note how they treat you … that person is following the Golden Rule.  They might even be following it unconsciously.  That’s because it is so much easier to follow the Golden Rule.

Quote for today:
"We make a living by what we get.  We make a life by what we give."

– Winston Churchill

Until tomorrow…

P.S.  Obviously I did not post this in the morning; stayed up too late and couldn’t get up.  I need to actually follow through on my resolution to get enough sleep five nights a week by giving myself a bedtime (10:30 pm Sunday through Thursday because I can’t sleep in Monday through Friday).

Golden Rule

It may be cliché, but that doesn't mean it's wrong - today's tip for a salubrious life: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

Tomorrow is Sunday, and I will probably take the day off from writing here ... probably.  When I return on Monday, I may try something new; it makes more sense to leave a "tip of the day" at the beginning of the day, so I am going to try to post my entries in the morning (although if I do post in the evening, I could always post a "tip for tomorrow.")

Until Monday...

Didn't

In my post yesterday I said that I was going to bed at 9:33 pm ... I didn't.  I stayed up until 1 am to finish reading Kill You Twice by Chelsea Cain.  Her books can be disturbing (they are, after all, about a homicide detective and a serial killer), but so well written.  I should know better than to pick one up in the evening - or on a week night - because I seem to be unable to put the book down before finishing it. I have this problem with well-written books.  Some day I hope to have the same effect on people ... I suppose I should finish editing a book and actually submit for publication to make that happen.

Which brings me to my tip for the day: Spend 30 minutes on your passion!

Until tomorrow...

Sleep

I've read in several places, and from several different sources, that lack of sleep can lead to weight gain, poor performance, lethargy, etc.  On the other hand, sufficient sleep can lead to weight LOSS and increased happiness.  So, I think my salubrious suggestion for today is: "Get enough sleep."  I'm going to head that way now myself.

On another note, I created the blog post "Present" last night, thought I published it, and then discovered that I had only looked at the preview.  Initially frustrating, but only a slight bump in the road.  I still consider myself as having kept my resolution to write here every day because I did write here yesterday; I just forgot to share. :)

Until tomorrow...

Present

I have challenged myself with choosing a one-word or short-phrase "theme" for the year.  I chose "present."  I want to be present and engaged.

"But I don't think of the future, or the past, I feast on the moment. This is the secret of happiness."

-- Virginia Woolf

"Remember that there is only one important time and it is Now. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. The most important person is always the person with whom you are, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future? The most important pursuit is making that person, the one standing at your side, happy, for that alone is the pursuit of life."

-- Leo Tolstoy

"Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

-- Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech, June 2005

I sometimes forget to remember the days, because they won't last forever.  My children are growing up, and I am growing older.
"It's my life / It's now or never / I ain't gonna live forever / I just want to live while I'm alive."

-- Bon Jovi, "It's My Life"

Sometimes someone else says it better than we can.

Until tomorrow...

Happy New Year!

2013 is here, and I'm going to make it my best year yet!

I love to write.  The act of writing (whether with pen on paper or through typing) is something that I enjoy.  It brings happiness into my life, and I have not been doing a good job of focusing on it for the past several years.  This year is going to be different.

One of my resolutions for this year is to make writing a priority.  I intend to do that through several different means:

1. Write in my The Happiness Project 1-Sentence Journal EVERY day.  I got it last year, and did a pretty good job writing in it until May.  This year, I intend to do better.
2. Write here, on this blog, at least six days per week; I will probably take Sundays off.
3. Edit the book I wrote during NaNoWriMo 2009; the working title is currently "Second Chance", but it may (probably will) change.
4. Write in my own personal journal at least once per week.

Some posts on this blog may be short (I have a collection of quotes that I intend to share here); some will be longer.  They will all be from my heart.  If anybody reads this, I hope they enjoy it as much as I believe I will.

Until tomorrow..