Photos of a much younger me.... I'm the last of 6 children born to a "mixed" race (Native) couple, a single blue collar income, living in the "ugliest" (not to me...but, this was said of our) home, hand me downs, used everything, teased/bullied for my culture, religion, weight....but, extremely blessed for and by it! I say all this to say - everyone can be happy!
"Little Miss Sunshine" was what my friend's mom would call me. "You are always so happy" "No matter what, you're always smiling" "Do you always see the silver lining?" "You're such an optimist".....O.K....O.K....
O.K. I guess you get the picture. I'm not saying I didn't and don't have my times of being "blue" - we all do. Life hands us some pretty crappy things at times! I wouldn't have chosen childhood cancer for our daughter as a path for our family to go down, but we did it. Even the most horrific of times, you need to maintain a positive attitude. Overall, on a general day to day basis - I choose happy. Yep, I choose it.
I guess I was thinking about how one could choose happy. So here are my 10 tips on Tuesday - being happy.
1. CHOOSE IT: Get it in your mind..."I'm going to be happy today." It's really a spirit of being thankful..."I'm happy I woke to a nice warm house - many don't"..."I'm happy that I have a van that runs and takes me to work"..."I'm happy my children are .... husband is.... job, parents, grands...." Just wake being thankful. Lay there until you can think of something...to be thankful for, happy about....lay there....come on....that's it! See, happy already.
2. DON'T THINK ABOUT IT: Now this isn't one of those "After all, tomorrow is another day (Scarlet O'Hara)" moments. But, seriously, if something is bothering you, first tackle it. If you've done your part to remedy a situation, relationship or problem - actually have tried - then stop thinking about it. Do you think the other party, or your boss, or whatever is wasting their time on this? Nope, probably not. So, why are you? Don't let "this" live "rent free" - trust me it isn't free - in your mind. Pull up your big girl (boy) panties...move on.
3. SURROUNDINGS: Surround yourself with things and people that make you happy. Things are easier than people. However, limit the time spent with the more challenging people in your life. Learn to accept them for who they are. You can accept yourself as well, after all, you have to live with you. Acceptance of self and others will make you a happier.
4. TIME MANAGEMENT:
5. SLEEP: We all only have 24 hours a day - spend it wisely. Make sure to get enough sleep. If you are tired, it will be harder to deal with every day situations. Your mind and body need to rest. We all have to work, those hours are not your own. Even if you are self-employed, like me, they aren't your own. So, that leaves us with .... around another 8 or more hours. Sure we have other obligations that occupy that time, but take TIME for you. It's not selfish, it's necessary....if you want to be a happier...mama, wife, coworker...you can find at least 15 minutes to do this. Close your eyes, read a book, go in the bathroom and close the door....you need it.
6. SHARE/GIVE: If you are blessed with extras...share them! Of all the other things, this brings me so much joy. This is more than a monetary thing! But, by all means, if you are blessed with that - "give and it shall be given unto you." For me, I share my gifts and talents. If you have lovely flowers in your garden and you enjoy them, I can guarantee a friend would too. If you have extra tomatoes - same thing. If you happen to know how to knit, I can guarantee you, others would love to know how to too. Find that, the thing or things you have or do and give of that.
7. FUEL: I've done many posts on this, but our bodies need fuel to run effectively. This can be mental, physical and spiritual. Think on the old Sunday school song..."read your bible pray every day and you will grow, grow, grow." It's true and the benefits of positive fuel - priceless. Also, eat right. I know, people might look at me and think....the other. However, it's not true. For the most part, I do eat healthy - I just tend to eat too much of it. (smile).
8. EXERCISE: O.k. - this does not make me happy. I HATE it! But, I know that we all know the benefits of it, especially the endorphins - which makes us happy. My activity is more of the carry, lift, shift, haul, shuffle, fork, pitch, dump......kind, but I do move!
9. LAUGH: Laughter also releases endorphins. Laugh at others and yourself. O.k. that didn't sound good, but you know what I mean. Go on YouTube and look at silly cat videos if that makes you happy. Whatever, it is that you enjoy, find time for that each day.
10. SMILE: This is simple for me, but I know hard for others. I smile at everyone! I love it when I can go to the grocery store, see a crabby person and smile at them. I even throw in a "hi, how's it going?" too! It works! Not only that, but smiling, yes, just smiling is known to make you happy. Your mind is already telling your face to be happy....it's silly, but true.
I could have given more tips, but you see where I'm going with this right? Don't waste your time on negativity. Do spend time on yourself and those you love. Don't get caught up in drama or social media issues. Do give of your time and gifts with others. Don't grumble, frown or complain. Do smile and laugh at yourself and others. Don't "let the sun go down on your anger." Do, wake with a thankful heart.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
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