Monday, November 30, 2015

The Secret to Happiness - Revealed

When was the last time you caught yourself in a moment of total happiness?

I can remember many times during my 20s, being on my way out to meet girlfriends, the stereo cranked in my car, that melded feeling of unknowing and endless possibility thumping in my chest. I would catch myself thinking I am so happy right now.

I felt so alive and so free just sitting behind the wheel of my Toyota.

Now, that same feeling creeps up on me when I set out on a hiking trail or spend the morning pulling weeds, listening to my chickens twittering back and forth. It happens when my husband and I try a new wine and watch each other's faces to try to guess what the other thinks. It shows up when I'm sitting around a table with family, listening to my parents tell a story I've never heard about something they did as teenagers.

Happiness pops up when allow myself to settle into the moment. When I'm fully consumed by the present.

According to a TED talk I recently listened to, that lost-in-the-moment feeling may in fact be the key to happiness. According to Matt Killingsworth, even when people are engaged in tedious activities like their morning commutes, they feel happier when they are fully present in traffic or on the train than when they let their minds wander.

It's reassuring that this small, widely and easily accessible step could be the key to maintaining a state of joy.

It means that happiness is right there with you, wherever you are. All you have to do is allow yourself to be in it. 

Check out Matt's talk below learn more about finding happiness. And be sure to stay fully present while you watch....

Monday, November 2, 2015

Start Your 30 Days of Gratitude

Last Christmas, I wrote each person in my immediate family a gratitude letter, telling them all the reasons why I was thankful to have them in my life. I can't lie: It was a time-consuming process. But each letter made me fall in love with its recipient all over again. I felt overwhelmed with joy every time I completed one.

That's the magic of gratitude—even if it's directed at someone else, it elevates you, too. It fills your heart right along with filling theirs. And with so much chaos and suffering in the world, I think we can all stand for a little heart-filling these days.

Being that it's the month of Thanksgiving, now is a perfect time to start practicing gratitude. I'll even give ya a little head start...

Download my 30 Days of Gratitude worksheet, free.

Happy gratituding to you.