being proud of yourself!

So much of our happiness depends on how we feel about ourselves! I have been making an effort to live cleaner, exercise  more and eat right......I mean really, I ain't getting any younger! Realizing my gluten intolerance was a big kick start!  When I finally began to eat right for my body, I started to feel so much better, I started to sleep better, I had more energy,  I started to notice I was getting a little bit leaner and then it just started to snowball! Eating right made me feel better, I wasn't as tired as I had been, I was more motivated to do healthy things!

All this feeling good made me want to feel better! 

How good could I feel if I put  my mind to it? 

I started to incorporate exercise into my daily life. It started with dog walking every couple days and then I noticed how good I felt on the days when I took the dogs out and got my heart rate up so I started to walk them every day! I actually started to crave my walks and it would always be the first thing I did when I got home from work. Then I started to walk faster each time and for longer; I started to bring my i-pod and would really get into it!  Then I thought,  what else can I do for exercise? I set up a gym area in the basement and started to lift weights along with the Pilates to help tone up.  I still feel like I am just getting going and I feel like I want to do more, I love seeing my body getting toned and strong, and I love the good mood boost I get from a hard workout! 

Just today I was making lunch plans with a girlfriend and out of nowhere I mentioned that we should go for breakfast instead.....and before breakfast we should go do a deep water aerobics class! Years ago, her and I used to go to these classes before work twice a week, but they changed the times,  we both changed our jobs and so it just sort of stopped. Well, she loved the idea and so this is what we are doing! I am very excited about it!  I have been wanting to get back into the pool but just wasn't making it happen! So now I get to catch up with an old friend and an old exercise! This makes me happy! I recently worked at a trade show and normally I hate them and I feel so worn out when I get done, with an aching back and sore feet,  but this year I made an effort to go in with a positive attitude and it totally worked! I know I have my new found healthy life style to thank for that,  I would normally come home and pour a glass of wine, put on my pajamas and reward my grumpy mood with tv and chips - this year I would come home, do a work out, have a hot tub, skip the wine, tv and chips and go to bed early!

I am proud of myself for these changes and I am proud of myself for being open to make these changes and to do them for myself. I still have goals to want to reach - and I will, but for now I am celebrating my small personal success and staying motivated to do more! 

I am responsible for my happiness and I know that the choices we make are a direct reflection of how happy we can be! Allowing myself to feel proud and to know that this is due to decisions I have made has increased my happiness and has made me want to feel more of it! 

Is there something you have done that you are proud of? Are you holding off doing something that will make you happier? Remember.....the first step is trying!

Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

St. Patrick's day was a bit of a big deal at my house growing up, my parents were so good at that stuff!  When I was a kid there was always a bag of foil covered chocolate coins under the table - left by a leprechaun of course, the milk had a green tint and our meals were of an Irish theme! Even today, I know my mom will probably be enjoying some potato pancakes for breakfast and a nice Irish stew for supper! Lucky lady! These days I see some of my friends setting up traps for their kids to try to catch a Leprechaun and one of my girlfriends is putting green dye in the toilet to tell her kids the magical little creature came in for a pee......hee hee.

What are the traditions at your house for this day? 

We will be having green scrambled eggs this morning and I plan to enjoy at least one green beer this afternoon!! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

sharing happiness

Being happy is great all in itself but sharing happiness is a whole different feeling and there are lots of ways to share your happy feelings! 

Dogs have it figured out don't they? They are just happy to be alive. They want everyone around them to be happy.....and not in that annoying over powering way that some people have of shoving it down your throat!  I find that gay men are pretty well always happy too - gay does mean happy after all! I can't remember ever walking away from a conversation with a gay guy feeling down. Seriously. It is hard not to get a boost in your mood when after asking how his day is going I get a "Fabulous!" or a "Sooooooo good!". 

So what is their secret? 

I have no idea. 

I mean, I am sure they have bad days and sometimes feel like answering with a "Not worth a shit" or "well, I can't complain cause no one will listen" but I have never gotten that response. Same with my dogs, I have only ever been greeted with jubilation and big 'ol wagging tails! Granted the dogs have it pretty easy - I mean they have acres of land to run around on, an endless supply of food and dog treats, and lots and lots of cuddles. Even so, they must wake up on the wrong side of the dog bed every now and then, but if they do they don't show it! 

So why not try to be more like that? Why not work harder to be happy? Not like I am not happy but responding with positive words and using the "bright side of things" approach can't hurt!  

My beautiful sister came up with a most brilliant idea a few years ago to start a positive group. There are five of us in the group and we all share our positives each day. This is a great way to share happiness! It gives you a moment to think about and appreciate the positive things that happened to you during the day. It isn't always easy.......five women, 30 days in a month,....PMS is bound to creep in there once in a while! But we have been good at keeping each other positive on the days when it seems easier to concentrate on the negatives.

We added a good deed to our daily positives and I have to say I LOVE the good deed! Another good way to share happiness! Even a gesture as small as holding a door for some one at the store adds to my happiness! I try to be on the look out for an opportunity to do my good deed! Not only do I feel good doing my good deed but so does the person on the other end of said good deed! Some days they are very simple and other days I am in the right place at the right time and I nail it!! Executing a good deed makes me feel happy enough, but the anticipation of sharing my good deed with the positive group only adds to my happiness!It is very easy to be self absorbed and focus on ourselves....because at the end of the day, no one really cares about your happiness as much as you do. So what better way to focus on your own happiness by being conscious of sharing it with others!

    

Being accountable to a group is a great way to stay on track, it is easy to talk the talk but when you are accountable to people each day for your actions you actually do need to walk the walk! 

So THANK YOU, to my sister for the great idea! 

Just one more thing I love about you! XOXO