Someone I'm friends with on Facebook recently posted a link to this article
and it was too good not to share. I tend to ignore my FB feed, but for
some reason this stood out as something I just had to read. It really
spoke to me and I kept nodding and saying YES! out loud when I was
reading some of these items. Your happiness is up to you and you alone
-- and yes, you can change it! I was going to pick a few of my favorites
to share but the entire list just is that good. These 21 things are
listed here with my thoughts on each one. Click the link above to read
the original article.
1. Appreciate Life
This
is so easy to forget. We're so lucky to be alive and well. So many
people don't get that opportunity to wake up and seize the day. As my
dad often says, "at least I'm not pushing daises!" Don't take your life
(or anyone) for granted!
2. Choose Friends Wisely
Do
you have positive, supportive, amazing friends in your life? Well,
awesome! If not? It's time to take a good look around and re-evaluate
who you're putting time and energy into. Friends should make you feel
good about yourself and should be there for you when you need them.
Don't ever forget that.
3. Be Considerate
Love
one another. I say this phrase a lot these days. Everyone is different.
They think different, act different, look different and do things
differently. Love them anyways and accept this. Try to give off positive
vibes to everyone you encounter, you never know what they might be
going through.
4. Learn Continuously
Always
keep pushing to learn and do more. Never become comfortable with where
you are at. If I never tried new things or pushed myself, I wouldn't be
where I am today. Is it scary? Absolutely! But the risk is far worth the
reward.
5. Creative Problem Solving
Experiencing
some kind of lull or set back in your life? Instead of complaining and
not do anything about it, see it as an awesome challenge to overcome.
It's not going to fix itself, only you have the power to change things
in your life. No one can change that but you.
6. Do What They Love
Most
people absolutely hate what they do. Why? They feel pressure or just
really need the paycheck. Hate it that bad that you can't change your
attitude about it? It's not worth it. Life is far too short to be that
miserable all the time. Trust me, the people around you will thank me
for this tip of advice.
7. Enjoy Life
See
the beauty in the little things. Life is an amazing gift that often
gets cut way too short. Enjoy your days while you can becuase you never
know what tomorrow brings. Stop and smell the roses once in a while :)
8. Laugh
Laughing
cures everything. Honestly. If I'm having a bad day all I need to do is
listen to Jay's fabulous impressions to cheer me up. You might be
stubborn and try not to laugh, but honestly it feels so good to just
give in and laugh. The full belly kind that make you ache when you're
done. Try to take life less seriously and I promise you, you'll be a lot
happier.
9. Forgive
Holding a grudge
will only hurt yourself. That person you're mad at? They probably don't
know or don't care very much. Let. It. Go. So not worth your time. Focus
your energy on other things like the great people in your life and your
goals and passions. You'll get a lot farther and you'll eventually
forget about that jerk.
10. Gratitude
Count
your blessings. You're very lucky. Yes, you. You have things that
people only dream about. Be thankful for these things, even the little
things in you life. They could be gone in an instant. Make sure to take
the time to tell the loved ones in your life how much they mean to you
-- that never gets old.
11. Invest in Relationships
What
you put into your relationships is what you will get out of them. Time
is a precious thing that we all wished we had more of. Some of my
biggest regrets have been not making the time for someone or something.
Be there for your friends and family, you'd be lost without them.
12. Keep Their Word
Always
be honest. Honesty is not always the easiest thing, but in the long run
will keep you out of a lot of trouble. You may not realize it, but
everyone can spot a phony a mile away. Be honest with yourself and
others. You'll sleep much better at night.
13. Meditate
Take
some time out of the day to be alone with your thoughts. Some people
like to read, do yoga, stretch, go on a walk, take a bath or long
shower, etc. I find that calming myself down and focusing on grounding
myself is one of the best things I can do for myself and the people that
I encounter every day. If I let the stress build up and couldn't find
some sort of outlet I'd feel really bad for my husband, friends and
family. Who wants to be around that?
14. Mind Their Own Business
Ah,
yes. I've noticed the importance of this one more and more as I get
older. When I was in high school it was easy to get swept up in the
drama. Now? I just want to live my life the way I want it and don't care
if people don't like it. Concentrate on YOU and YOUR life. Don’t worry
about what other people are doing or saying. Don’t get caught up in the
gossip. Don’t judge. Everyone has a right to live their own life the way
they want to – including you.
15. Optimism
Life
gets hard. No doubt. Instead of folding up into a ball and burring your
head in the sand, try to find the positive in every situation. It's
hard, but I promise it's there. Usually it's a life lesson (a hard one)
but I bet you'll never make that mistake again. Every situation can be
turned into a learning experience. Like that time I let a "friend"
borrow my car and they drove it into an industrial sized mailbox. The
positive in that situation? Thank god no one got hurt (well just my
wallet).
16. Love Unconditionally
Accept
everyone. Your friends and family may not always do things that you
agree with, but love them anyways. We're all different and we all
deserved to be loved and supported. It's just that simple.
17. Persistence
Life
gets hard sometimes (okay maybe a lot ... and usually a lot of hard
things happen around the same time) but the only thing that keeps you
down is you. If you quit or never try? You lose. Don't give up on the
things that matter most to you. You can't ever succeed if you don't try.
18. Be Proactive
You can't change
everything -- and you have to accept that. Don't waste your time or
energy on things outside of your control. Worrying about stuff will only
make you crazy and take years off of your life. Embrace it, it's okay
to let go.
19. Self Care
You can't take
care of others if you're not taking care of yourself. You need to make
your health a priority in your life in order to be the best person you
can. I always feel 100% better when I'm eating right, working out,
getting enough sleep and water. It's crazy how quickly my mood can
change when one of those things is off.
20. Self Confidence
No
one can like you if you don't even like yourself. Practice a little
self love and I promise your attitude about other things will change
too. I used to care a lot about what other people thought until I
realized that changing myself for others only led to me being more
miserable instead of happy. Do things for yourself and yourself alone.
21. Take Responsibility
You
are responsible for your moods, attitude, thoughts, feelings, actions
and words. Mess up? Apologize and move on. Take responsibility for your
life and your actions.
Be happy :)
