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The Happy Friday Series: Things That Make Me Happy

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kaarina-dillabough-olympics.jpgWhen Jayme started her Happiness series, I started to think about all the really important things in life that make me happy. And I realized they aren’t things: they’re thoughts, family, friends, relationships, paying-it-forward and simply being the best I can be, to best benefit those around me.

But then I did begin to think of the “things” that add to my core happiness. They don’t create my happiness, but they certainly add to it. They enhance, enrich and enlighten me. They bring a smile to my face and lightness to my step.

Things That Make Me Happy

First and foremost…me ?
I’m responsible for my own happiness. It’s not someone else’s responsibility to make me happy. But the following are some things that send my happy-meter soaring.

  • The smell of freshly cut grass
  • Warm Spring rain and jumping in puddles
  • Combing for seashells on the beach
  • Browsing through bookstores, especially second-hand bookstores. Pulling out titles of interest. Glancing through the pages. Observing the font and paper stock. Finding that gem that begs to be bought.
  • Songs like “Dizzy”, “Build me up Buttercup”, “Four Strong Winds”, “Unchained Melody” and of course anything and everything Beatles, Roy Orbison, Burton Cummings and Eva Cassidy. They take me back in time and elicit strong memories.
  • Writing longhand
  • Taking photos
  • Champagne with frozen strawberries
  • Blankets, especially cozy ones. I own too many.
  • Giving gifts. I’m a constant collector of great greeting cards and little “special something” gifts that I tuck away, either with someone specific in mind, or for that occasion when it will be “just perfect” for someone I know.
  • Palm-and-beach-Soulati.jpg

    By Jayme Soulati, Santa Monica

    Rocks. I collect them. Ones that speak to me, and many do. They’re all around my house, inside and out. On my desk. In my gardens.

  • Vintage postcards, chosen for the stamp that’s on them and the beautiful handwriting that is now almost a lost art.
  • Doodling
  • Red wine and aged cheddar
  • My red wellies (to jump in puddles with ?)
  • Antique hunting and auctions
  • Movies like “The Jane Austen Book Club”, “Sliding Doors”, “Rear Window”, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, “Con Air” (does that last one seem out of sync with the rest?)
  • Moon and stars on a crisp, cold night
  • Single malt scotch
  • Writing journals with beautiful covers and pens that feel like they were made for your hand
  • Being barefoot
  • Asparagus
  • Being fully present with whomever I’m with in the moment. Being fully present in each task at hand. Being in the moment.

Yes, these things add to my core happiness. I often say I’m happy even when I’m not.

In workshops, I draw two pictures.

One is of someone with a smile in their heart and on their face.

Another is of someone with a smile in their heart and a frown on their face.

My stance is that, as long as you’re happy in the heart – to your core – you’re always truly happy, even on crappy, crummy days when there might even be a frown on your face. Core happiness is an inside-out job…but “things” can certainly enhance, enrich and enlighten what’s already there. Cheers!

About The Author

kaarina-dillabough.jpgKaarina is a business/life coach living in Ontario, Canada. For over 25 years her high-voltage energy has inspired those she has worked with to reach beyond their grasp, to attain great things in business and in life. A former Olympic sports colour commentator and coach, Kaarina parlayed her coaching skills from the gym floor to the boardroom, working with business owners to improve their profitability and prosperity. Kaarina is known as an inspiring motivational speaker in areas such as branding, marketing, business growth strategies, and personal growth and prosperity. She loves nothing more than helping people achieve their goals in business and in life. She blogs here, and you can find her on Facebook here and Twitter @KDillabough.

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The Happy Friday Series: Taekwondo Humbled

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taekwondo-trophy.jpgTonight was the culmination of seven weeks of training as a white belt in taekwondo, the South Korean martial art consisting of forms, sparring, self-defense and breaking.

During the first week, I fast learned I was not cut out for something so disciplined and exact, for I am an out-of-the-box creative throwing abstract thought into my free-form approach to life.

At the same time I trained in grueling workouts and sprint races competing against my daughter and six-year-old kids, I was publishing my first book, Writing with Verve on the Blogging Journey. I didn’t have time to memorize three forms of 20 moves each, five self-defense moves, and a litany of South Korean vocabulary.

In the second week, I was humbled as the entire class of about 30 students with five adults and children waited for me to stumble through the most basic of forms, the lowly Gicho Ilbu. As everyone else held their last move of the form, I struggled with three instructors loudly directing me to move this foot and that hand. I hung my head in shame and tears stung my cheeks. My three partners in crime (adults also crazy enough to try this art form with their kids) patted me on the back. The instructor, a third-degree black belt, said to me, “Miss Jayme, this is not life or death, this is just taekwondo.”

It was then that I knew this was the most humbling adult experience I’ve challenged myself with ever.

Challenge Yourself!

Then I got to thinking…how do we challenge ourselves as adults?

When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone to try something new and experience humility?

Exactly.

In spite of my perfectionist brown-belt daughter (an advanced belt) attempting to teach me overnight how to be exact with my posture and the angles of my blocks and punches, I persevered. In fact, she informed me several times I was not allowed to quit.

This experience no longer had me in the alpha position as a parent and leader to my child, it put me squarely in a place of discomfort unable to learn the forms as quickly as the kids with an inability to devote practice time because there was none.

I could not hide the fact that I truly sucked at taekwondo and wanted desperately to quit.

I didn’t.

Embrace What You Hate

I embraced what I hated and kept on. I owe thanks to my peers for coming early to class to work with me as we all helped each other build confidence.

Tonight, May 30, 2013, I graduated to yellow belt.

I broke a board on the first try with a loud snap using my foot; I sucked at the self-defense; my forms were decent; and, I took a kick on the calf in non-contact sparring. My grade was A-.

What raised my happiness quotient, however, was the very end of testing when the instructor awarded me a huge trophy, the Spirit Award. He shared a story, and it went like this:

“This young lady is an inspiration. She struggled, and she could have quit many times, yet she didn’t.”

And, the tears came with the smiles; the humble mixed with the happy.

My sense of achievement, not accomplishment, launched my very personal journey about challenges as an adult and about the growth of self. It’s really a big deal, and I wanted to share.

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The Happy Friday Series: Being Happy Is A Choice

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heart-candy.jpgWith conviction, courage, and creativity here is my being happy story:

I have learned that being aware in the present moment is the key to being happy!

Bottom line: being happy, healthy, and safe is the only way to live.

Growing up in a family struggling between being happy, being sad, and safe was not comfortable or easy. Growing up was a condition from hell; always living in high gear and on high-alert!

Uncertainty was everywhere. All that mattered was being loved and being safe.

My eye-opener on being happy began and came into my life when I left home to find the meaning and purpose of my life. I also set out to understand who I am.

How I Found Happy

As a child I was deprived of life’s magical moments. Fear (False Expectations Appearing Real) and worry surrounded my being and the living of my life.

After having raised three children and losing my only daughter to cancer, I began writing my book-in-progress, “What Makes Your Heart Sing?” It’s dedicated to my children and to their children.

Each day I learn to let go of my guilt, my pain and my shame.

As a survivor, I recently began to focus, with the help of Byron Katie, on life happening for me rather than to me.

When my focus changed, and I began to find that being happy was the cornerstone of my life, opportunities emerged. The purpose of my life became clearer.

My being happy comes from within. I no longer wait for people to make me happy. I have come to realize being happy is up to me. The choice is mine!

My journey has taken me through many obstacles I have learned to turn into opportunities using the creativity, encouragement, enthusiasm, inspiration, and support I receive from others. For that I am appreciative and grateful.

As a lifelong learner, learning about life’s purpose and who I am before advising, coaching, or educating others has been and is of utmost importance to me.

Being present in the moment I find topics and currently share them off-line. I also share them in the online, viral world throughout a variety of social media platforms.

I write from my heart, and you, Jayme, are among those who are my inspiration.

Thank you Jayme for this opportunity to join, and share with you and your community. Two thumbs up to my collaborators, family, fans, followers, friends, and supporters.

You know who you are! Be sure to look for your names in my book-in-progress, “What Makes Your Heart Sing,” when published.

Now it is your turn to share, and engage with me and others about what makes you happy and what makes your heart sing in the comment section below.

About The Author

rae-baum.jpgRae Baum, PhD is founder and CEO of The Baum Group.  Dr. Rae is a bioenergetic analyst, stress educator and entrepreneur. As an author, consultant, and speaker, Dr. Rae has been changing the world with care by empowering businesses, families, and individuals to live on purpose since 1972 off-line and since 1995 on-line.

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The Happy Friday Series: Alternately Abled, Passionately Happy

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Alternately abled and passionately happy…all words of description. Let me explain a bit.

I consider myself alternately abled instead of disabled.

I contracted a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy after undergoing chemotherapy for cancer years ago which left me wheelchair bound.

I am also sight impaired due to Retinitis Pigmentosa.

I am blind in my left eye and have less than 5 degrees of vision in my right eye.

I am alternately abled because I can do most of what other people can do with the help of technology.
I admit I am limited in some things like climbing stairs, painting ceilings, or changing light bulbs in the ceiling fixtures.

But, most activities I need to accomplish on a daily basis I can handle by myself.

I am passionate

I consider myself a master at crochet.

I even teach the art to students locally.

I make everything from dishcloths to bedspreads.

I do seed bead weaving. I make jewelry pieces out of beads the size of mustard seeds which are laced on threads that are hand woven or loom woven into original designs.

I use a camera positioned over my work that projects an image onto a monitor to see what I am doing.

And I do paintings in ballpoint pen and colored pencil. Subjects for my paintings are most often flowers, birds and animals. I am fascinated at how I can take a common ballpoint pen and cause it to render beautiful flower petals or bird feathers.

And so you see, had it not been for me becoming “disabled,” I would probably have never taken the time to realize my passion. And now, everyday, I am able to find tremendous joy, happiness and gratitude for the usual and common things in my life. Today, I am still able to do the work I am so passionate about that brings me so much happiness.

About The Author

Brenda Dennis owns with a. She is wheelchair bound and legally blind. She crafts unique handmade jewelry by weaving original seed bead designs. She also stitches crochet pieces from dishcloths to bedspreads and doilies. She has recently begun to “paint” with ballpoint pens and colored pencils. Her artworks are displayed in various venues locally. Connect with her on and on Twitter @SuzyQue19605.

 

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The Happy Friday Series: Running To Happiness

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laura-click-marathon.jpgFor most of my life, I hated running.

Although I played sports growing up, running more than one lap around the track was pure torture to me.

I played volleyball and softball, which only required running in short spurts. And in track, I only sprinted a short distance before leaping into the sandpit for long jump or triple jump or running three-quarters of the way around the track peppered with hurdles.

Running was never my thing. It was purely a means to an end.

But, three years ago, that changed.

In 2010, I realized my metabolism wasn’t what it used to be and I needed to do something drastic to get my body back in shape.

So, I signed up for a half marathon.

A pretty crazy notion for someone who hated running and had never ran more than three miles. But, I joined a training program and was determined to reach this goal and prove to myself I could do it.

But, something happened along the way that I didn’t expect.

I actually started to enjoy running.

Running Improved Business, Health, Happiness

After finishing that first race, I was hooked. So far, I have run five half marathons and one full marathon.

So, why do I like running so much? Here are a few reasons:

It gives me much-needed time to think and de-stress. Spending time away from work, technology and other distractions is so rewarding. Sometimes, I just let my mind wander. And other times, I come up with blog post ideas or solve business issues while on a run. Either way, I enjoy the escape.

It forces me to get outside. As someone who sits in front of a computer all day, I often lament that I don’t get as much time outdoors as I would like. Running gives me the chance to see the beautiful world around me. I’ve witnessed spectacular sunrises, explored new places and have experienced the magic of running in the snow. Being in nature is good for my soul.

I’ve made new friends. I love the camaraderie of training with a running group. During the long runs, you have nothing to do but to talk and get to know the people around you. We talk about books, relationships and business. And, it’s incredibly rewarding to get to know people from different walks of life and work toward a goal together.

Running is Hard, But Rewarding

Before you think that running is all rainbows and unicorns, I’ll be honest. Long-distance running is tough.

Running my fist full marathon last fall was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. There are days I don’t want to get out the door. And, sometimes, there is pain, soreness and injury.

But, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Running has made me a stronger person – both mentally and physically. It’s given me mental toughness and has made me more confident in myself.

Running has also made me a better business owner. It’s no coincidence that I started running the same year I started my marketing company.

But, ultimately, running has made me a happier, healthier person.

Before you think I’m going to tell you to lace up your shoes and start running, I’m not.

But, I encourage you to look for a physical activity to try – not just because it’s good for your health, but also because it’s good for your spirit.

Are you a runner? If not, do you engage in some sort of physical activity or exercise? How does that contribute to your happiness?

About The Author

laura-click.jpgLaura Click is founder & CEO of Blue Kite Marketing, a Nashville-based digital marketing firm that builds and implements marketing strategies to help businesses reach new heights. You can connect with Laura on Twitter (@lauraclick) or by checking out her blog.

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