Friday, July 4, 2014

Pursuit of Happiness


Happy Independence Day!  

The pursuit of happiness is one of the three unalienable rights listed in the Declaration of Independence. That tells me our Founding Fathers considered it pretty important.  Now, notice they didn't say that  happiness was a right, but instead it's the pursuit of happiness.  We are to be afforded the opportunity to pursue our own happiness.  

I think that sometimes we feel that pursuing our own happiness is selfish & self serving.  But if it's a right afforded to us by our Creator, is it selfish?  I don't think so.  Happiness is defined as a state of well being or contentment.  It's only natural that we should want to pursue well being or contentment.   

We are blessed to live in a country that was founded on these principles; Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  The men that signed the Declaration of Independence pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred Honor to secure these rights for us.  That's very humbling when you stop to consider it. 

So enjoy your celebrations today and pledge to exercise your right to pursue Happiness in the year ahead!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Learn to Recognize Your Happiness

Happiness.... it's something that we all want and strive for.  But was is it?  Can it be attained?  Merriam-Webster define happiness as "a state of well-being and contentment :  joy".  Did you notice that it's not defined as a boat load of money?  It's not defined as a big house.  It's not a new car or a nice vacation.  No, it's a state of well-being and contentment.  Now some of these material things may provide for that well-being and contentment but we don't need them for happiness.  

It's important to recognize those moments throughout the day when you feel contented and start to recognize them as happiness.  It may be a fleeting moment but it was happiness.  You attained happiness for that moment.  It feels pretty good doesn't it?  That moment may be time spent snuggling with you spouse, kids, or pets.  It might be time spent relaxing.  It might be enjoying a cup of coffee either by yourself or with a friend.  What makes you feel content?  Learn to recognize that feeling.  That's happiness.  Once you recognize it, you can start to create more of those happy  moments.  You are then starting to create your own happiness.   And as Nataly Kogan says, 
"Life is made of moments. Choose to create and collect the happy ones.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Do you know your neighbors?

I happened to look out one of my windows yesterday just as several cars pulled up to a neighbor's house.  The occupants of the cars were all carrying flower arrangements into the house.  My first thought was they're having a party.  Then as the processional of flowers into the house continued, I realized No, there's been a funeral.  I quickly went online to check what funerals were scheduled for that afternoon and hoped to I find that the funeral had perhaps been for an elderly parent of the couple that lives in the house.  But much to my dismay, no it wasn't an elderly parent.  No, it was my neighbor who had passed away.  She had passed a week earlier at age 51.  51!!  That's my age!  How sad!  How very sad for the family. 

But what has bothered me most since I learned about this is the fact that I didn't know.  This woman has been my neighbor for 22 years.  We smiled & waved; had brief conversations on occasion.  But, I didn't know she was sick.  Now that I think about it.  There were some clues that things were different at their house.  I just hadn't put the pieces together. 

But darn it!  What has happened to our neighborhoods?  Why don't we know our neighbors any more?  I know a few of ours.  And we've been close friends with a few through the years.  Why do the good ones always move away?  But really, I don't know my neighbors and they don't know me.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing? 

Yesterday, it felt like a bad thing.  It felt inhuman.  It felt very isolating.  With social media I know what someone that I went to high school with had for breakfast or where they're vacationing this year even though I haven't seen them in 30+ years.  But I didn't even know that my neighbor was ill and had passed away a week ago.  Really?  This saddens me.  I don't yet know how to fix this, but I'm going to do some things differently going forward.  It might seem old fashioned and it might not be welcomed by everybody, but I'm going to try to get to know my neighbors better than I know them now.  I'm going to start with sharing some of the abundance of lettuce that I have in my garden right now. 

Do you know your neighbors? Would you know before seeing it in the obituaries that one of them passed away? 

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

It's All in How You Ask

Yesterday, I received an email requesting the submission of some information.  This was a request for information that I'm supposed to submit annually.  So there was nothing wrong with the fact that I was being asked but it was the way that I was asked that really irked me.  I've been a member in good standing of this organization for 8 years.  I have always supplied this particular information in a timely manner without being asked. Not to mention, that I have never missed even one weekly reporting submission in the past 8 years.  And yet, I felt like none of that mattered when the email read something like this, "Pursuant to Clause 5e of your agreement with XYZ Corp., date on March 28, 2006, may we please have a statement of blah, blah, blah."  Really?  You felt it necessary to cite chapter and verse to me regarding this?  

Ever since I received this email, I've been thinking about how it's all in how you ask.  In this case, they got their desired result.  I sent the information today with a very curt "see attached" response.  They don't know that I'm irked about the whole thing.  So I guess for them it's all good.  And I can argue that I need to be in control of my thoughts and reactions, so it's my problem, not theirs, that I'm irked.  But, my take away from this is that I need to be conscious of how I ask for things in both my  business life and my personal life.  

 I would  have felt and responded completely differently if the email had read something more like, "We haven't received your annual submission of of blah, blah, blah.  Perhaps it's an oversight since we've always received it in past years.  Please submit this at your earliest convenience.  Thank you for being a valuable member of XYZ.I probably would have even been apologetic for being late with the information.

Ok, maybe it's just that I'm from the school of "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar."  But it doesn't cost anything and really doesn't take any more time to be considerate in our communications with vendors, customers, employees and even family.  Why risk upsetting someone or allowing them to read more into a request then you intended? Why not show some courtesy and let them know that you value the relationship?  When asking someone for something, even something that they should have already sent to you, give them credit for what they've done in the past and ask nicely.  

So leave a comment and let me know what you think!  Just kidding!  What I meant to say was, thank you for reading this post.  I really appreciate it and I'd love to know what you think. 





Monday, June 9, 2014

Does Money Create Happiness? (Part 2)

Yesterday, I concluded that money does play a role in my happiness. It allows me to create a state of well being and contentment (the definition of happiness). And having enough money to provide for more than my daily needs gives me the option to pursue other things that contribute to my happiness.

Is there ever a point where more money doesn't equate to more happiness?  Again, I would say, "Yes."  You could end up trading happiness for more money.  I know that was certainly the case when I worked in corporate America.  I had more money, but I wasn't happier than I am now.  And there are things that I have in my life that I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world.  Oddly enough, one of those things is my cat.  He brings me so much happiness.  Money couldn't replace the joy he brings to my life.  So, although money can contribute to my happiness, my happiness isn't all about the money.  Interesting, huh?

My conclusions seem to correlate with the findings in this CNN Money article,  How much do you need to be happy?

Most people know in their heart of hearts that making gobs of money can't guarantee true happiness.

Then again, most would acknowledge that you need to have at least a minimum income for a shot at well-being - if only so you don't have to scrounge for every meal.
In between gobs and a bare minimum, of course, is where most of us live.
And it turns out many Americans don't think they need a CEO paycheck to be happy, or even six figures.
When asked how much would do the trick, just over half of people surveyed in CNNMoney's American Dream poll said it would take less than $100,000.
Nearly a quarter of the people who took the poll, conducted by ORC International, said between $50,000 and $74,999 would work. That calls to mind the results of a Princeton study, which found that emotional well being rose with income, but not much beyond $75,000.
In other words, past a certain income level, your happiness comes from other factors.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Does Money Create Happiness?

Does money create happiness?  Yes, I think to some extent it does.  Or at least the converse is true.  Lack of money can create unhappiness.  But how much money do we need to be happy?  Does more money always make us happy?  Is there a point of diminishing returns, where after a certain amount more money only makes you marginally happier? Or at some point does making more money actually make you unhappy?  Maybe the cost of making or having more money is too great. 

What is happiness?  And what role does money play in it?  Merriam-Webster define happiness as "a state of well-being and contentment :  joy".  For that reason I believe having enough money to provide for my daily needs creates happiness or a state of well-being.  Having more money than I need for just my daily existence also provides happiness.  I'm in a state of well-being when I have enough money to create savings.  Money gives me options & freedom. There is a contentment that comes from having enough to spend on non-essentials.  If I don't have enough money, I can't buy the supplies to create my gardens.  My vegetable, herb and flower gardens create happiness for me.  I also derive a immense amount of happiness from being out West in the mountains.  I love the scenery and having the opportunity to hike in its splendor.  Money makes that happiness possible.  

So, yes I do think that money plays a role in happiness.  I want to explore this further in upcoming posts because I don't think that there's really a simple YES or NO answer.  What are your thoughts?

Saturday, June 7, 2014

5 Simple Ways to Make Someone Happy for FREE

HAPPINESS.... It's something that we all want and work to achieve.  I think sometimes we can have a moment of happiness by making someone else happy.  And it doesn't have to take a lot of time, effort or money.  Here's 5 ways to make someone happy for free:
  1. Smile.  It's as simple as that.  Smile at the people that you walk past.  I run in the mornings in one of our local parks.  I make a point of smiling at everyone that I see and I say, "Good Morning!"  They usually smile and return the greeting.  It's a small thing but for that brief moment they have a smile on their face.  They're happy for that moment.
  2. Hit the 'Like' button on some one's Facebook post.  Be honest.  We all want comments and others to 'Like' our posts.  So make someone happy by "Liking" their post.  It's so simple!  You're on Facebook anyway.  Just hit the "Like" button on a post or two.
  3. Give away some of your harvest.  Are you a gardener?  If so, give away some of your harvest.  You probably have an abundance of whatever crop is in season.  Why not share some of it to make someone happy?  This past week I was able to give away some of my lettuce to two different people.  I saw smiles on their faces when I gave it to them so I know they were happy at that moment.  One of the recipients sent me a text later that said "Your lettuce is soooo good. I wish I lived next door." Again I created a happy moment for them when they ate the lettuce. 
  4. Compliment someone.  Who doesn't like a compliment?  This is a very simple thing to do.  It doesn't even take much effort.  Too often, I'm guilty of  not doing it for some reason.  I've been at a lunch with a friend and spent the whole time admiring her hair or outfit but for some reason I never mention it.  Why?  I don't know!  Maybe the flow of conversation didn't make it easy.  But really, everyone likes a compliment and it's an easy way to put a smile on some one's face.  Just say, "I like your haircut." or "That's a beautiful necklace."  It's even better if you can compliment them on themselves.  "You're so talented!" "You're a great mom!"  Just make them feel good about themselves for a moment.  And think about it.  If someone has given you a compliment, you remember it.  It usually makes you day.
  5. Send a text message.  Send someone a quick text message.  Maybe you just say, "Hi! I was thinking of you.  Hope your day is going well!"  Or if you know they need encouragement in a particular area of their life, send that encouragement.  We all like to know we're thought of.  I think of people all throughout the day, but I'm not very good about letting those folks know I thought of them.  But on those occasions that I have stopped and sent the text, I always receive a positive response.  I'm pretty sure that I created a brief happy moment for them.
While this list is about making others happy, I start to realize doing each of these things makes me happy, too.  Let's work on creating an abundance of happy moments.  What can you add to this list? 

Thursday, June 5, 2014

God's Direction

I've written several posts about my favorite bible verse:
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.   Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV
This morning during my devotional time, I read this verse:
 In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.  Proverbs 16:9  NIV
The King James Version is
A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.  Proverbs 16:9 KJV
Again  I was reminded that God will direct my path.  Yet, I have a role to play.  We're not just puppets or robots with no control over our lives.  We can't just be passive and wait for God to lead us down the path.  No, we need to plan our course according to our heart's desire.  Then we need to trust and let God work out the details.  Sometimes we don't always realize that we've had His direction at the time but when we look back it can be pretty evident that He truly did direct our steps.


Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Happiness is my Current Theme



Sometimes it feels like my life has themes.  And during a particular theme, I'm bombarded with messages relating to that theme.  I believe that these themes are something that I'm supposed to learn about at that particular time in my life.  A few years ago, the theme was TRUST.   Everything I saw or read seemed to be about trust.  I really worked at learning to "Trust in the Lord with all my heart." 

Most recently the theme is HAPPINESS. During this theme I discovered Nataly Kogan's website, Happier, which I've written about in earlier posts.  Since that time, I've really tried to focus on Nataly's advice to create and collect happy moments.  This has made me more conscious of those moments and consequently more aware of what makes me happy.  Sometimes it's just that fleeting moment that I look over at my sleeping cat and realize that I'm smiling and feeling the love that I have for him.  That's a happy moment!    What are your happy moments?

Monday, June 2, 2014

Rejoice

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 
Philipians 4:4 NIV


This verse has been in my head all morning.  Rejoice!  What a wonderful and uplifting word.  I don't think that you can say it with a frown on your face.  Just saying it is uplifting.  Miriam-Webster defines rejoice as "to feel or show that you are very happy about something". Are you happy in the Lord?  Do you show it? 
 
We have so much to rejoice about!  If you're reading this, you're alive.  Rejoice!  If you're reading this, you have your sight.  Rejoice!  Our blessings are abundant and come from God, the creator.  Rejoice!  It's easy to get mired in the details of everyday life.  It's easy to let frustrations get the best of us.  But God wants us to be joyful & happy.  Let's make an effort to Rejoice!  Again Rejoice!


Friday, May 30, 2014

I love my cat

Tomas is one of the best things to have ever come into my life.  Tomas is our cat.  He's about 7 years old now.  He showed up in our neighborhood and hung around until he finally convinced us that he was meant to live with us.  We even thought that we'd found a home for him a couple of times but somehow they didn't end up working out.  Now I'm convinced that he was meant for us.  He has become a part of our family.  Actually since it is just me and my husband, I often say that he made us a family.  

I didn't have pets growing up and I don't have children, so I didn't understand this type of love until I had Tomas.  When I'd hear others talk about their pets, I think "they're just a dog"  or "it's just a cat.  What's the big deal?"  I was so wrong!  I really didn't know.  I hadn't discovered that part of my heart.  The pure love that I feel for Tomas is the most amazing feeling.  I had no idea that I could ever love a 4-legged, furry critter so much.  He has brought so much joy to my life.  I thank God daily for Tomas.  He's made me a better, more caring person.  Maybe that's why God gave us pets.

May God bless you!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Challenged

Reading James Altucher's book Choose Yourself  may end up being life changing for me. I don't know what the results will be, if any.  But I know that his ideas and philosophies have challenged me like few other.  I've read lots of books that I've thought were excellent & thought provoking. 

Napolean Hill's Keys to Success which I've read 3 times taught me that I was in control of my thoughts.  It has been a book that I've turned to when I needed help focusing on the positive especially from a business standpoint.  But I don't remember having a book influence my behavior as Choose Yourself has.  This blog is a result of it.  I don't know the purpose of this for sure, but I feel strongly that I was supposed to create it and write postings regularly.  My hope is that I'm able to encourage someone, somehow. 

I've also taken James' suggestion to write down 10 ideas everyday.  I'm trying to become an idea machine.  Again, I don't know why, but I feel like it has a purpose.  I think that actively engaging that portion of my brain might be a good thing.  It's also interesting to just write down an idea without judging its merit.  I have to tell myself, "It's an idea.  At this point it doesn't matter if it's a good idea or not."  The success is just in the creation of the idea. 

But for some reason, one of the biggest realizations that I've had through this process, is that I have let my circle become very small.  I tend to keep to myself.  But, I'm beginning to realize that I need to share myself more.  Putting myself out there on social media and risking that someone might think that I was stupid or might disagree with me just hasn't been worth it.  But now for some reason, I feel like I'm supposed to be more open, share what I know and most importantly that I'm supposed to reach out and encourage others.  I need to be more engaged.  It may seem like a small thing to you, but for me it's a shift.  I know something's changing in my life. 

I came across this verse from 2 Corinthians.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV
I'm realizing that I need to share myself more generously if I want to experience abundance in all things.  I need to plant the seeds - seeds of friendship; seeds of encouragement; seeds of knowledge.  They may not all sprout.  But they have no chance of sprouting if they're not sown. 

Go sow some seeds so you too can have a abundant harvest!


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Following the Path

Isn't it wonderful when a bible verse that you've known for years suddenly speaks to you in a new way?  That happened to me this morning. I've written a few posts recently about my favorite bible verse:
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.   Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV
 I've known this verse for  years and have relied on it for encouragement countless times.  Yet this morning it spoke to me in a new way.  I was asking God to direct my path today, when I realized that I need only to be on God's path.  I don't need to know the destination.  I too often want to know where this path is going.  What is the destination?  Or more often,  I want to choose my destination and let God create my path.  But today I realized I need to just be on God's path, seek his guidance and trust in the destination.   I just need to take one step at a time on His path.  I'm sure the destination will be better and more abundant than I could ever imagine.


Monday, May 26, 2014

The Greatest Spectacle in Racing

Yesterday I attended the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 aka The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.  I attended my first 500 in 1992 and I've been to almost every one since that time.  It's an amazing event and I'd like for everyone to be able to experience it at least once.  The racing is fantastic!  There's the roar of the engines, the breath taking passes, cars going over 200 mph into a turn, the heartbreaking crashes.  Everything culminate to a spectacular photo finish with one driver making his way to Victory Lane for the traditional drink of milk. 

While all of that is truly spectacular and an amazing experience to be a part of, it's the pre-race ceremonies that make this event something that I'd like everyone to experience.  First of all you have to realize that there are an estimated 300,000 people at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race day.  Yes, 300,000 people gathered for one sporting event!  The Speedway is massive!  You could fit Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Roman Colosseum and Vatican City all can fit inside the 253 acre IMS oval.  Now picture 300,000 race fans (some of them pretty rowdy) silent.  Silent and respectful for the pre-race ceremonies that include the singing of God Bless America.  Silent as the Invocation is given.  You could hear a pin drop when Taps is played by one lone bugler.  I'm moved to tears every year as these traditional pre-race ceremonies are performed.  I don't think that I'm alone.

We live in a day and age where it seems that all we hear about is Political Correctness.  We've removed God from so many places "so as not to offend" anyone.  Yet, He is very much a part of the race day tradition of the Indianapolis 500.  It's wonderful to be in a crowd of 300,00 people for the singing of God Bless America and the Invocation where God's sovereignty is acknowledged and His protection for all participants sought.  During these moments before each Indianapolis 500 I'm always go grateful to be an American.

God Bless you and this great nation!

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Lesson in Trust

Several years ago I left my job in Corporate America to work with my husband in our fledgling company.  During the entire process of searching for the right business for us, we sought God's guidance.  And there was more than one instance where we felt that we were given pretty specific direction.  Sometimes that direction steered us away from something that we were considering.  And other times it affirmed a direction that we were headed.  The timing of my departure from my corporate job was certainly a "God Thing".

During a bike ride this morning, I was reflecting on this for some reason.  I was thinking that "without a doubt, God led me to leave when I did."  And then BAM!!  My next thought was, "then why have you questioned whether or not you did the right thing all of these years?"  WOW!!!  Talk about being convicted!  On the one hand I trusted God's guidance and followed it.  Then on the other hand for years I've analyzed,  wondered even doubted whether I had made the right decision.  Geez!  At that moment this morning, I felt like a hypocrite.

So my resolve going forward is to continue to trust in God's guidance and to make a very conscious effort to remove all thoughts of doubt about this decision from my life.  When those thoughts creep into my mind, I will counter them with assurance and trust that God's guidance is good and perfect. 

It really goes back to my favorite Bible verse that I wrote about in an earlier post:

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.   Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV

 I trusted in Him.  Now I need to stop trying to "understand" whether I made the right decision.  For one, it wasn't my decision. If I really believ and trust that God led me to do what I did, I followed, I didn't decide.  From now on,  I just need to acknowledge Him and continue to follow His path. 

What a blessed revelation this was!

Wishing you an abundance of blessings!

Friday, May 23, 2014

The Art of Relaxing

I'm beginning to think there must be an art to relaxing and that I'm not too good at it and probably need to practice.  This morning I was at a Bed & Breakfast that didn't serve breakfast until 8:30.  Yesterday, when I heard 8:30 I was surprised!  What?!?  I'm going to have to wait until 8:30 to eat breakfast?  Are you kidding me?  I'm used to eating breakfast as soon as I'm up.  It also meant that it would be after 9:00 before we're on the road.  Hmm... I had to tell myself there was nothing that I could do about it and that I just needed to go with the flow.  Maybe I could sleep in.  I could turn off my alarm.  Just chill....  that would be nice, huh?

Well this morning I was awake by 6:00.  So much for sleeping in!  Now it was going to be two and a half hours until breakfast.  Are you kidding me?  What am I going to do with all of that time?  I had to make a conscious effort to just relax and just stay in bed and read for awhile.  For once, it was okay to linger in bed.  How many times have I wished that I didn't have to get up right away?  Well, today was my opportunity.  Just relax....  enjoy the extra time, the lack of a rush. 

I started to realize that this relaxing thing was almost stressful for me.  Why is that? Am I so driven that I don't like to relax?  Or was it that I wasn't in control?  Maybe it's a bit of both.  I mean it is my preference to eat breakfast as soon as I get up.  But, I survived this morning.  I didn't starve.  I used the time to read, shower and take a lovely "relaxing" walk.  My takeaway from this experience was that occasionally, I need to be taken out of my routine.  I need to give up control, relax and stop and smell the roses (actually I did stop and smell the peonies on my walk) along the way. 

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Family Time

Today is going to be a very out of the ordinary day.  My husband and I will  be traveling with my aunt and uncle on what my aunt calls "a grateful dead" tour.  My uncle has studied our family's genealogy and he wants to go visit some of the places that our ancestors lived.  Until  yesterday, I hadn't seem my aunt and uncle for 14 years.  Where does the time go?  How could that possibly be?  

Today I will learn about people that I never met and who were long gone before I showed up on this earth.  But they're my relatives, my ancestors.  Some of who I am, what I look like came from them.  It'll be about my history.  I don't expect that anything about today will be life changing, but it'll be interesting.  And better yet, it will be time spent with my family.  I've always thought the world of my Uncle Don and Aunt Sandy.  They are very special people.  I feel honored to to get to spend time with them this week. 

As I've anticipated this visit, I started recalling early memories of time spent with them.  In fact, I still have a toy that Don gave me as a small child.  It is a Remco Science Kit that taught you about the physics of gears, pulleys, ratchets, etc.  I loved that thing!!  I loved the fact that Don spent time teaching me about those things when I was little.   Now, I wonder if somehow he was the one that instilled my interest in engineering.  Did I always have that aptitude and he saw it and fostered it?  Or did he plant the seeds?  Who knows?  I showed Don the Science Kit yesterday.  He had no recollection of it. I have realized from this that sometimes we influence others lives and make an impact without ever knowing it.  That's kind of a sobering thought. 

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Trust in the Lord - follow up

Shortly after finishing yesterday's post titled Trust in the Lord, a friend posted this on Facebook.  What a perfect way to sum it up!  TRUST GOD -- it should be so simple but for some reason it can be the hardest thing in the world to do.  It's hard to give up control. But who better to give control to than the One who controls the universe?  He's proven Himself to me time and time again.  He loves me and knows what's best for me.  For that reason, I choose to TRUST GOD.  I hope that you do do.

Wishing you abundant blessings!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Trust in the Lord

One of my favorite bible verses is:


Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.   Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV

Even though I'd known this verse and used it many,many times, it wasnt't until recently I stopped rushing past the first phrase - Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.  One day it just struck me,   first and foremost I have to Trust.  Trust in what/whom?  Trust in the Lord  Well, I knew that I trusted in God.  I think that's why I never gave that phrase much thought.  That's a given.  I trust God.  

Now what?  Well, the rest of that phrase is with all thine heart.  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.  Uh, oh?  Now that's a little more challenging.  I not only need to trust in God but I need to do it with ALL my heart, not just some of it.  Not with a part of it but with ALL of it.  I'm not supposed to mostly trust but have my own backup plan if things don't work out.  No, I need to Trust in the Lord with ALL my heart.  When I started to really focus on that, it challenged me.  It made realize that I was holding a part of my heart back.  You know, "I'll trust in you God but just in case it doesn't work out I'll take care of it".  That probably comes from the way that I deal with people in my life.  I trust them to a point, but there's always that possibility that they'll let me down.  So I don't "trust them with ALL of my heart".  I reserve that little bit, so that I'm either not disappointed or surprised if they let me down in some way.  Well, I need to realize that God is not going to let me down.  I can trust in Him and that I need to do it with all of my heart.  I encourage you to learn to
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, too.

Wishing blessings in abundance for you!

Monday, May 19, 2014

It's All About Priorities

Boy, it's tempting to skip this blog post today.  I've got so much to do in the next few days that it would be easy to say, "I don't have time to blog today or this week."  But considering what I wrote in my post titled, Time, I find myself weighing the fact that it's not a matter of whether or not I have time, but whether this is a priority or not.  And for now, I want this blog to be a priority for me.  It doesn't take much time, hence the title 10 Minute Abundance.  I try to limit myself in how much time I spend on each post.  I don't always get it done in 10 minutes but I'm conscious of the time while I work on it.  And the fact that I've given myself "permission" to just spend 10 minutes on it often helps me get started.

I'm really trying to eliminate the phrase, "I don't have time" from my life, because it's not accurate and it makes an easy excuse for not doing things.  When you tell somebody, "I don't have time for (fill in the blank)" you'll rarely be challenged.  It's accepted in our culture.  We're all busy!  But again, I contend it's a matter of priorities and we use our time on our top priorities.  There's no right or wrong to how we prioritize and my priorities will be different than yours.  My priorities will be different from day to day.  For example, exercise is a popular one for the "I don't have time" phrase.  Well some days, "I don't have time" because other activities are a higher priority.  But if I determine whether or not I'm going to exercise on a given day based on whether it's a priority or not, I'm in control of the decision.  I'm choosing.  If I say, "I don't have time" and leave it at that, I've taken the decision out of it.  I'm the victim of my schedule.  So choose your priorities!  Take control of your day!

Blessings!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

The sun is coming out

Yay!  After several cloudy, gloomy, rainy, cold days it looks like the sun is starting to shine.  I don't know about you, but I love sunshine.  It changes my whole outlook and motivation level.  This week we've had an abundance of rain.  The positive take on that is -- I haven't had to water my garden.  And my rain barrel is full.  I've got more than 110 gallons of watered stored up for watering. 

There's not much rain in the 10 day forecast so the stored water in the rain barrel will be a blessing as I use it to water the thirsty plants in the days ahead.  Maybe the lesson in this is that we need to fill our minds with the positive things in our lives - good memories, love, positive feelings, happy moments - so that they're there to help us get through the dry spells.  This is what the Happier app that I wrote about here is trying to help us with.  You don't need an app to do this but you do need to make a conscious effort to capture the blessings in your life.  It will help you get through the gloomy days until the sun comes out again. 

Friday, May 16, 2014

Becoming Positive

I just saw this on Facebook.  Someone shared if from Zig Ziglar's page.  It sure goes along with the "Focusing on the Positive" theme that I've been on.  It really wasn't until I read Napolean Hill's Keys to Success that I really learned that I could control my thinking. I wish that I'd learned that earlier in life, but I  guess better late than never. 

It's not an easy thing to do.  And it takes continuous diligence, but when you refuse to dwell on the negative things in your life and instead you focus on the positive things, on the abundance in your life, on the things that make you happy, your whole outlook changes.  We all have so much.  The fact that we're even alive is miraculous in and of itself!! 

Today, be aware of the negative thoughts that you have and make a conscious effort to replace those thoughts with a positive thought.  It may feel strange or corny at first but just try it and see how it feels.  Feel free to leave a comment about your experience.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Happier - follow up

Yesterday, I wrote about Nataly Kogan and her Happier app (see post here).  Well, I just have to do a quick follow-up to the post today.  I'm beginning to realize that when you become focused on something it just seems to pop up everywhere.  I'm not sure why.  It could definitely be a God thing.  He is reinforcing His message to me.  It maybe that I'm just hyper-aware of things that have to do with what I'm focused on.  Some might say it has to do with the whole Universe thing.  I don't know but I think it's a lot more than just coincidence and it's something that I need to pay attention to. 

For the past several weeks, since I started reading James Altucher's book, Choose Yourself, I've been focusing on having a positive mindset and being grateful for the abundance in my life.  I wrote about it briefly in my post titled Abundance.  Then , I discovered Nataly Kogan's Happier App.  What a perfect fit!   And I was encouraged  again to find someone who has recognized that achieving the "American Dream" is not necessarily going to make you happy. 

Nataly talks about how science has proven that focusing on small positive moments in our lives on a consistent basis has numerous benefits.  It can even make us healthier.  Pretty cool, huh?  Who couldn't be happy about that?  That scientific evidence seemed reason enough to continue down this path.

But..... this morning I got the ultimate confirmation that I'm focusing on the right stuff. A friend posted this verse on Facebook: 
"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22 NIV
 So, I'm going to continue to work on seeing the abundance in my life.  I'm going to create and collect the happy moments in my life.  I hope that you will too.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Happier

Last night I read this interview with Nataly Kogan, Meet an Optimist: Nataly Kogan is on a mission to make people Happier.  I was intrigued, so I watched her TEDx Talk, Sharer of Joy: Nataly Kogan at TEDxBoston.  I love this woman!!  She was a teenager when her family fled Russia and eventually made it to to the United States. She spent decades chasing the American Dream and by most standards she was successful at attaining it, but she wasn't happy.  So she turned to science to see if she could find what is proven to make us happy.  Her findings pointed to gratitude and led her to create Happier.  Her website, www.happier.com says, "Happier was inspired by research that shows focusing on the positive and sharing good things with people you care about makes you happier, healthier and more productive." 

Happier is a mobile app, that unfortunately for me is only available on iPhone right now.  The Android version is being developed.  Here's what Nataly says about the app in the interview,
 "We’re inspired by a lot of the science that’s come from positive psychology and neuroscience and sociology about things that make us happier. And one of the most powerful but very simple things -- more than 11,000 different studies have shown -- that has the most impact on our world is gratitude.  Developing a more grateful mindset where you find and create tiny moments in your everyday life to appreciate.  It’s not about chasing some big happiness goal. It’s about developing a mindset that you’re appreciating things that are in your life. However tiny they are.  So we built the Happier app based on that. We think of it as a social gratitude journal.  We just launched Happier Courses, which is a big piece of the platform for us.  They’re interactive, they’re on mobile and they’ll be on web. They’re bite-sized, they’re really fun.  The whole purpose of those courses is to teach you new ways to create those tiny, positive moments."

I love this idea of creating a more grateful mindset.  It dovetails perfectly with what I've been working on in my life -- not only being grateful but also focusing on the abundance in my life.  I encourage you to check out the interview, the TEDx Talk, and the Happier website.  If you have an iPhone get the app.  Try it out. Let me know what you think.  

"Life is made of moments. Choose to create and collect the happy ones."  - Nataly Kogan

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Time

Time... it's an interesting thing.  We all get the same amount each day, week, month and year. Yet we never feel like we have enough of it.  We are all  guilty of saying, "I don't have time for that."  or "I haven't had time to get such and such done."  But what are we really saying?  Because we have a finite amount of time, we have to prioritize how we use it.  So I think that when we say we don't have time to go to lunch with a friend, we've really said, "It's not a priority to have lunch with that friend."  It sure changes the message, doesn't it?  Saying I don't have time sounds benign.  Nobody will fault you for that.  But boy, say, "You're not a priority" and see what reaction you get.

I'm not suggesting that you actually say those words; they could damage the friendship & you might not have to worry about having time to go to lunch with them again.  No, what I'm suggesting is that when you say or think, "I don't have time for XYZ", think to yourself , "XYZ isn't a priority."  See if that changes your decision, or causes you to re-prioritize.  It won't always, but I think occasionally it will. 

Monday, May 12, 2014

Optimism

This weekend, as I put my 6' tomato towers around my tomato plants that are no more than 1' tall, I decided that gardeners are optimists.  I guess we have to be.  Only an optimist would believe that you can place a small seed in some planting material and several months later you'll have a large plant that bears delicious fruit.  Maybe for some gardeners, the whole process is the reward, but for me the motivation, the reason that I garden is the promise of the harvest.  Nothing is better than eating that big, juicy, flavorful red tomato in August.  That's why I plant that small seed in early April.  That's why I so carefully tend the small seedlings and harden them off in preparation for planting them into the garden.  That's why I water them, check for disease & pests.  It's the optimism, "the belief that what you hope for will happen" as  Miriam-Webster defines it.  Here's hoping for an abundance of delicious tomatoes in August!  I'm optimistic!


Sunday, May 11, 2014

The Hardening Off Process

Yesterday as I was transplanting my tomato and pepper seedlings into my garden I was thinking about the hardening off process and how it relates to life.  The hardening off process for seedlings is the process of getting these small plants ready to be planted outside in a much harsher environment than the indoors that they've been growing in.  You begin by setting the plants out for an hour one day and gradually increase the time that they are outside each day over a period of a week or so.  This process strengthens the plants and prevents the sudden shock that they would experience if they were just suddenly transplanted outside in the direct sunlight and wind.  Some plants might probably survive but they'd suffer in the process. 

This made me think of all the people who say, "I could never do that!" I hear this statement most often when I talk about running or cycling some distance.  I hate to disagree with people, but I think they're wrong.  Now if the person were to say "I can't do that!", they're probably right at this point in time.  Maybe they can't run 2 miles, 5 miles, a half marathon (13.1 miles) or ride a century ride (100 miles) today.  But they probably could do it with a hardening off process more commonly known as training.   Last year when I started to train for a half marathon, I really didn't know if I could do it or not.  I'd only been running semi-consistenly for a year.  My longest run ever was 5 miles.  There were only 15 weeks until the Highway Half Marathon, a one-time only event in my home town.  But the one thing that I did know was that if I didn't start training right away there was no way that I'd be able to run the 13.1 miles.  So I began training.  My mileage increased a little bit each week for 15 weeks.  I suffered through some tough, hot training runs.  I got stronger and on Oct. 12th I completed the Highway Half Marathon.  Fifteen weeks earlier I couldn't do that but with a good hardening off process I reaped the fruits of my labor. 

So don't let the fact that you can't do something today, keep you from trying.  Start your hardening off process and see what you're able to accomplish. 

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Gardening & Faith



I'm excited!  Today is the day that I'm going to transplant all of my seedlings in to my garden.  These seedlings were started from seeds in late March and early April.  I've been nurturing and watching them grow.  I've transplanted them to larger containers.  I've been setting them outside everyday for the past week and a half for an increasing number of hours each day - known as the hardening off process.  And today is the BIG day!  They're going to be planted in the garden. 



I find parallels in gardening to life and faith.  I struggle sometimes with knowing how much to "let God" and how much to do on my own.  Gardening helps me with that.  Watching seeds become plants that produce wonderful tomatoes, zucchini, lettuce, etc is nothing short of miraculous.  I see God's hand in all of it.  He created it!  Yet, I wouldn't have this bounty of food to enjoy if I didn't first plant the seeds and then nurture and tend to them.  If I don't keep the garden watered, weeded, free of plant destroying pests (bugs, bunnies, squirrels, etc) I won't enjoy the fruits of my labor. 

For me, in my life this translates to the fact that I need to do create the opportunities - plant the seeds.   I need to do the necessary work - tend and nurture the seedlings.  I need to keep the negative, life destroying forces away - do the weeding.  And I need to let God take care of the transformation. 

Friday, May 9, 2014

Just 2 miles?

I only ran 2 miles this morning.  Just 2 miles?  Like that's no big deal.  Probably not even worth mentioning.  And it got me to thinking how easily we discount our accomplishments.  And how quickly we adjust what we consider an accomplishment.  I remember when I was amazed that I had run 2 miles, when I was excited about that accomplishment.  It hadn't come easily.  I had worked quite awhile building up my distance to be able to run 2 miles.  Now, it's only 2 miles, no big deal.  Why is that?  I guess it's because I've continued to run and continued to increase my distance so now 2 miles is no big deal.  And yet, it's the same 2 miles.  It was an accomplishment today.  I can be pleased that I made the effort to go out and get some exercise.  I can be grateful for the time that I was able to spend outside.  I can be grateful for the health that I enjoy which allows me to go out and run 2 miles (and more). 

So what's my point?  I think that what I'm trying to get at is that instead of discounting our efforts and accomplishments when perhaps we could've done more for whatever reason we need to still recognize the accomplishment and be grateful for the ability and the experience.  2 miles is still an accomplishment!!!  Yes, 5 miles tomorrow will be a bigger accomplishment!

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Abundance

Ever since I started reading James Altucher's book, Choose Yourself I've been thinking about abundance.  It's so easy to get hung up on the things that we don't have enough of, but when you start to focus on what you have an abundance of your whole mindset changes.  Miriam-Webster defines abundance as a large amount of something; an ample quantity; profusion.  

What do you have an ample quantity of?  Last evening, I kind of chuckled to myself when I noticed the several pair of shoes on the bedroom floor.  I have a habit of just leaving them where I take them off.  Why put them back in the closet when I know I'll put them on again?  Well sometimes several pair pile up in the same spot.  Last night I recognized them as abundance.  Think about it.  How many people in this world don't even have one pair of shoes?  And I've got several pairs cluttering up my bedroom floor and more in the closet.  That's abundance! 

Recognizing the abundance in your life may take a little practice but once you start recognizing it, it will change your outlook.  Try it!  Let me know about the abundance that you have. 

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The Journey Starts Here

I'm reading James Altucher's book Choose Yourself and it has given me so much to think about.  As a part of this, I've felt like I need to start a blog.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe some of it is to get my thoughts and ideas out of my head.  But a journal would do that.  It's more like I feel like I need to put myself out there.  Maybe I'll make some connections. Maybe I just need to share myself and my knowledge.  I don't know, but I'm going to go with it and see where it goes.  Starting a blog may not be a big deal to most and may be very natural to many.  For myself, it's not.  I'm not a writer.  In fact, I don't really like to write.  I'm a numbers gal. 

As this idea of a blog kept rattling around in my head, one of my thoughts was that I don't have time to write a blog.  I'm already about as busy as I care to be.  So I decided that I would limit myself to spending just 10 minutes on each post.  I have time for that.  Ten minutes isn't a daunting amount of time.  Like so many tasks that seem daunting to me, if I set a small amount of time aside for them it helps me get started on them.  Whereas, if I look at the whole task, it's too daunting and I never get started.  Cleaning the house, for example.  That's way too big of a job to want to even get started on. But if I tell myself, I'll clean for 30 minutes, that's manageable.  I get started and I can feel like I've accomplished something when I stop after 30 minutes.  Or if I'm in a groove I can keep going and then I've exceeded my goal. 

So that's my 10 minutes for today!  I don't know where this journey is taking me but I feel like I'm on the path to something new.