Happiness Part 7

The title of my art piece is “Energy is Power”

Keeping your hopes up gives you energy which then gives you power to proceed.

This may be a little hard for some of you….and I get that. Different circumstances seem to dictate our lives. They seem to control the level of hope or our hopelessness.

But do they really? Or are we allowing “them” to control us. hmmmm….let’s think about that a little.

According to the various studies and research over many years, the comprehensive conclusion is that the optimists live longer than the pessimists.

Optimist: a person who tends to be hopeful and confident about the future or the success of something Pessimist: a person who habitually sees or anticipates the worst or is disposed to be gloomy.

Pragmatist: a person who is oriented toward the success or failure of a particular line of action, thought, etc.; a practical person.

Take a good look inward and analyze which one are you? Are you an Optimist, Pessimist, or Pragmatist? If you are not sure, or find it uncomfortable to look inward, I’m here to gently guide you and help you find your true self.

Just like in the latest newsletters “Happiness Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6”, which focused on finding joy and fostering friendships, being flexible, practicing forgiveness, gratefulness and investing in experiences…you will never know the joy of keeping your hoops up, until you learn to practice it. Say “yes” to opportunities to see things from a positive perspective.

This week, I challenge you to turn one seemingly hopeless situation into one of hope. Feel free to share it in the comments or send me an email.

Can YOU be the person standing in your own way of enjoying and experiencing happiness through hope?

Food for thought

Move out of your own way, experience joy and happiness

Sign up for a free 15 min. exploratory session and let’s get moving on creating a purposeful life. Let’s explore your gratitude practice technique.

Knowing your purpose and getting it done are two different things. Let’s explore accomplishing our goals and enriching our lives.

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Happiness Part 6

Invest in Experiences

….but experiences just happen, how can I invest in something that just happens?

Well…I have some great news for you….YOU can plan your experiences and enjoy them even more.

Some of us, OK most of us have a savings and or a checking account that we invest in to help us sustain the life comfort level we would like to achieve.

Although money is nice to have, but if your goal in life is ALL about your monetary investments, then you are missing out on living your life through experiences.

Not instead, but in addition to your monetary investments…..

Invest in time with friends. If you don’t have many friends, invest your time in fostering friendships (we talked about that in one of the other blogs, see if you can find it). Invest your time in fostering a pet, going to a park, a reserve, a garden, and experience the surroundings. Invest in going to a concert, to an Opera, a dance recital, poetry reading…..Invest in volunteering, having friends over for dinner….Invest in __________________

Long term happiness is about investing in your daily experiences. Plan them, put them into motion and soon, you will have your bucket of experiences overflowing with an abundance of happiness.

What is your favorite investment in an experience?

Just like in the latest newsletters “Happiness Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5”, which focused on finding joy and fostering friendships, being flexible, practicing forgiveness and gratefulness …you will never know the joy of investing in experiences, until you learn to experience it. Say “yes” to opportunities to experience adventures.

This week, I challenge you to invest in ONE planned experience.

Can YOU be the person standing in your own way of enjoying and experiencing your adventures?

Food for thought

Move out of your own way, experience joy and happiness

Sign up for a free 15 min. exploratory session and let’s get moving on creating a purposeful life. Let’s explore your gratitude practice technique.

Knowing your purpose and getting it done are two different things. Let’s explore accomplishing our goals and enriching our lives.

Click this button to connect with me:

Practice Gratitude

Gratitude leads to lasting feelings of happiness and purpose.

Well, isn’t that what we all want? Yes it is.

I read an article just this morning that the people of Ukraine are rebuilding their towns in the midst of war and shelling. They are cleaning the streets, cleaning out the buildings, bringing in new supplies to the looted stores, opening up coffee shops, planting flowers in the center of town, cutting down lawns in deserted places. They are practicing gratitude for what they still have, and for what they can do to bring life back to some kind of normalcy.

Being grateful for what you have, or what you don’t have, and for what you can do about all of it is the key to happiness.

Why practice gratitude? Without practice, your gratitude will not materialize on its own. Only through conscious practice will gratitude become a habit.

There are many different techniques one can use to practice and establish one’s gratitude awareness. Each of us is different and each of us requires a specific type of gratitude practice in order to make it a habit.

What is your practice technique?

You will never know the joy of daily gratitude until it becomes a habit. Say “yes” to opportunities to be grateful and embrace the learning process of life.

This week, I challenge you tp find your grateful practice technique. Then be accountable to yourself and practice it. Test it and see if being grateful is all that it’s cracked up to be. :-)

Can YOU be the person standing in your own way of experiencing gratefulness?

Move out of your own way, be grateful for one thing per day.

Sign up for a free 15 min. exploratory session wit me and let’s get moving on creating a purposeful life. Let’s explore your gratitude practice technique.

Practice Forgiveness

According to Douglas A. Smith, the happiness instructor at DePauw University in Indiana, the best way to go about practicing forgiveness is to discuss the issue with the person involved and express your feelings within a 48 hr window, then let it go. 

It’s healthier to forgive and let it go than to harbor those feelings and keep it inside, letting those feelings dictate your emotions and your reactions. 

But….

Does forgiving mean forgetting? If you don’t forget it, does that mean you are continuing to harbor resentments towards that person and therefore unable to forgive?

Well….

You can forgive AND not forget, that IS possible to do. When you forgive and do not forget, you are letting go of the hurt you felt or the hardship you’ve gone through, AND you are remembering not to allow that hurt to happen again, because you now know what to do. 

So….

Forgiving is healthier for your mind, body, and spirit.

You will never know the joy of forgiveness until you do it. Say “yes” to opportunities to forgive and embrace the learning process of life. 

This week, I challenge you to talk to someone that might have hurt you. Work on resolving the issues, then forgive and learn from the process.

Can YOU be the person standing in your own way of forgiveness?

Move out of your own way, forgive, and learn. 

Sign up for a free 15 min. exploratory session and let’s get moving on creating a purposeful life.

Knowing your purpose and getting it done are two different things. Let’s explore accomplishing our goals and enriching our lives. 

Connect with me by clicking here:

Be Flexible

Happiness Part 3 © 2022 Nada Marriott

“You are so stubborn.” 

“You just can’t see it from any other perspective but yours.”

I’m sure you have heard these exact or similar statements at one time or another. I know I have (the stubborn part).

You may have held to your opinion, your thought, your way of doing things and held on to it to the end, regardless of the outcome. Sometimes, it turned out OK and other times maybe not so much.

Ask yourself, “What was the point of not being flexible and sticking to my point of view regardless of the outcome?” Was it because you are trying to prove that you have worth, that you are smarter than “they” give you credit, that you believe you know better and there’s no better way?? Do you push your way to the point of loosing friends and acquaintances? 

When the light turns red and you are in a hurry, or when another driver cuts you off: be flexible. Look at it from a different perspective to help you be flexible. The red light is not going to make a difference in your life, it will only hold you up for about 30 seconds or so. Be flexible, let little things go… You will be much happier. That’s the 3rd point of the 7 Principles of Long Term Happiness. 

How about this….

When things are not going exactly as you would like, explore different options, different prospects, different possibilities. Allow yourself to see things from a different perspective. Look for that different way of doing things, for another way to make your point, the venue for your lunch changed at the last minute…be flexible, the change may turn out amazing. The green light turned red, be flexible, it could have stopped you from getting into an accident down the road.

You will never know how flexible you can be until you do it. Say “yes” to opportunities to be flexible and alter your thinking and see where that takes you. Embrace your flexibility. 

This week, I challenge you to look for ways to be flexible and how that flexibility made you feel. How does adaptability feel? What impact does flexibility and adaptability have on you? Test it out, I promise… you will be pleasantly surprised. 

Can YOU be the person standing in your own way of being flexible?

Move out of your own way and broaden your perspective by being flexible. 

Foster Friendships

From the very start of our existence, we create and grow friendships. We made sure our children had playtime with other children in the neighborhood or from their school, church, or synagogue. We want them to have a community of their own and learn how to grow their support system. 

The friendship fostering continues through elementary, middle school, high school, and college. By the time we get to college, we have learned the values and the pitfalls of friendships…how to start, keep it going, and when to end them. 

After the college years and through our adulthood we create our community by fostering friendships and building our support system. 

Then…….sometimes our life changes, takes a different turn and we find ourselves in a situation where we need to leave our fostered community and plunge into an unknown environment. In this new environment, almost everyone already knows everyone with an established community of their own. This is where you feel out of place, the newbie, the strange one, the one that is trying to infiltrate into this new place, new groups of people. This could be a church, a club, a new job, etcetera. 

Sometimes, we lose our circle of friends or that one best friend, and we feel lost. How do we build a new community and new friendships in the later years of our lives?

You will never know if a new group or person will be a good one to get to know until you give it a try. Say “yes” to opportunities to join a group or ask someone out for coffee.

Fostering friendships takes time, effort, and persistence. It takes you to make that first move. Friendships give us a sense of belonging, a sense of togetherness, serotonin, love, and acceptance.. Fostering friendships is work, but it’s work that can pay off. 

This week, I challenge you to make a coffee/tea “date” with someone that you may know but not that well, or with a long-lost friend. Take the time to learn more about them and keep your mind open to a new or rekindled friendship possibility. 

Can YOU be the person standing in your own way of fostering friendships?

Move out of your own way and let the friendships in.

Happiness

Happiness comes in many forms. We just need to look for it!

Sometimes it’s hard to find happiness. Some days are just too difficult to look for, find, or even see happiness that may be right in front of us. 

Happiness is around you, everywhere, every day. Yes, even when stuff is falling apart. Happiness comes in short bursts called joys or as Long Term Happiness. 

One of the things that I teach is the 7 Principles to Long-term Happiness.

Let’s start with the first one: Engage in activities that you love and that give you joy.

Everyone of us is different. We have our own activities that we find that are pleasing to us and that bring us joy. 

But…….

Sometimes, we are too afraid to try new things for fear of __________ (you fill in the blank).

You will never know if an activity will give you joy and bring you happiness if you don’t give it a try. Say “yes” to various opportunities for joys and happiness. 

This week, I challenge you to look for those little glimpses of happiness. If you see a bird fly in front of you, follow it with your gaze, look for the beauty in it’s flight and take it in. Own the feeling. If you pass a child that smiles at you and waves, wave back and make a sweet comment, look at the child with love. If a stranger needs assistance, help them out. Smile at your barista, pay for someone’s food behind you, join a sports group, a music group, a book club, a knitting or quilting group. Say “yes!”

Can YOU be the person standing in your own way of achieving happiness?

Move out of your own way and let the happiness in. 

I have worked with clients who have had issues of subconsciously not allowing themselves to find happiness. Clients who see almost everything from a negative side of things. They see barriers even when someone is offering help or assistance or showing gratitude. 

Here’s what one of my clients shared with me recently: 

“Working with you has helped me see that I was afraid of happiness. I was under the impression that if I was happy then I was not being sensitive to people who are having a hard time in life. I was living to please them and not me. I realized that they were the ones who didn’t know how to find happiness and that my happiness is for my own good. If I was happy, I could help others even more. Thank you, Nada.”

You too can reach this kind of happiness. You too can overcome what’s stopping you from finding and enjoying your own happiness. You are a unique individual with your unique needs and experiences. Your happiness and joys are different from the next person. Let’s find yours!

Sign up for a free 15 min. exploratory session and let’s get moving on creating a purposeful life.

Knowing your purpose and getting it done are two different things. Let’s explore accomplishing our goals and enriching our lives.

Perspective

Accountability is more than making your bed in the morning, taking the kids to school, getting to work on time, or organizing your paperwork.

Accountability is being responsible for making your life the best life possible.

But how do we make that happen? You do that by:

• making good choices

• being proactive

• allowing yourself some self-care time

• getting enough sleep to wake up on time to avoid the rush

• being mindful about our triggers so we can ensure our success in following through with our fitness goals instead of putting them off or giving up

Most of look at life from our limited perspective. From our front room. Our own path, experiences, religious backgrounds, or our perceptions of status. And this baggage fuels decision-making in our lives and the way we perceive those around us.

Have you looked at your life from a different perspective?

Some of us will put off doing things just because we don’t want to do that thing at the moment. Sometimes, however, those moments turn into months or years.

Putting things off until tomorrow is the opposite of accountability. The opposite of living your best life. The opposite of being responsible for making our lives the best lives possible.

Hummingbird

The other day I had to be very quiet and patient using my zoom lens to capture this tiny little hummingbird. She was playing with me by darting from place to place over and over again. The experience of trying to photograph her was comical for sure.

I’m grateful that the final photograph wasn’t the only gift. In the moment, I wasn’t thinking about how the exercise of taking her photo mirrored accountability and life! The hummingbird is the perfect metaphor for the world, as life darts around us with all of the external pressures outside of our control, whether it’s our children, work, spouses, clients, or the pressure we put on ourselves to climb the corporate ladder or have the perfect job.

Instead of focusing on the things we can’t control, like the hummingbird, we can endeavor to focus on ourselves and what we can do to enjoy life.

“Accountability breeds RESPONSE-ability.”

— Stephen Covey