Inspiration Archives

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Everyone defines happiness differently. It makes sense, as no two people are alike. The way you define happiness in your life may be likened to a person’s fingerprint – no two are alike. It helps to ask yourself, "Am I looking for the happy moments in my life? Am I defining happiness in a way that brings me to a positive place in my life?" You may even want to ask yourself, "How am I defining happiness?" In previous blogs, I’ve mentioned writing down one thing every day that made you happy or starting a gratitude journal…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Happiness is knowing you've made a difference in someone's life. Watching your child say their first word or take their first step. The first time they say "mama" or "dada" brings an instant smile to your face. Waking up to the sunrise and knowing that today is a new day. Having no physical or emotional pain. Being with the person or people who love you. Letting them know that they are loved and cared about in return. Dancing in the rain….or walking in the rain with someone who loves you. Not caring that you are soaked…

By B. Lynn Goodwin. "You don't lose until you quit trying," my boyfriend, Richard, keeps telling me. It sounds too easy. It seems too simple. The more I see him put it into action, though, the more his words make sense. The first time I heard his claim, I said, "You’d better check with Hillary Clinton. Remember how badly she’d wanted the Democratic nomination in 2008?" "She didn’t quit trying," he said. "Instead, she became Secretary of State." I hadn’t thought of it that way, but he gave me a new perspective. I figured that Hillary Clinton’s defeat was a…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Happiness can be likened to hidden treasure - and just like you would use a map to seek that treasure - you can seek happiness in life. The biggest question you are faced with when seeking happiness is how? How do I find that small nugget of happiness in a chaotic life? Do I even have happiness in my life? Sometimes we can’t even see it. Just like someone looking for gold or some other treasure, you have to dig for it and keep searching until you find it. Put in a simpler way – you…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. With winter and colder temperatures here to stay, you may be feeling what can be termed the winter blues or Seasonal Affective Disorder. However, you can find happiness despite these feelings. How can you beat those winter blues? You might try a brisk walk or you could take up a winter sport. Just remember to adapt your exercise to winter conditions. Exercise releases endorphins, which keep you in a good mood and the effects can last long after your workout is done. Learn something new by taking up a new hobby. This will make you feel…

By Gail Lynne Goodwin. If you've been reading my blog for any period of time, you know that I write about inspiration and how to live a better life. Today, I want to share something personal with you, about health- yours and mine in particular. Never before has our health been as important as it is today. Two-thirds of adults are either overweight or obese. In the past decade alone, the incidence of diabetes has grown a staggering 90%! Today, a growing number of people are becoming aware that lifestyle choices can have a powerful effect on our health. Yet,…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. You might be asking yourself, "How can I find happiness? What can I do right now to get the most happiness out of my life? Am I taking the time to enjoy the little, seemingly small moments in life that can bring me happiness?" We can look at each question and try to answer each one, but remember everyone has different feelings as to what makes them happy. It’s like your unique fingerprint- no two are alike! How can I find happiness? – You have to be open to looking for it in even the small…

Your outlook on life and overall well-being can be linked to your perspective. It goes back to the old question, Is the glass half full or half empty? What lens am I going to look at my life through? Will I choose the lens where I see the positive and cope with the negative to the best of my ability or the lens where I see the negative and can’t find the positive in my life? In his talk The Last Lecture, Professor Randy Pausch talked about perspective and how to look at situations in life by introducing the Tigger…

By Gail Lynne Goodwin. At the end of our path when we look back on life, we won't remember the worry over the bills, the disappointment over not receiving the promotion, or the things that we might have judged as a "failure" in our life. What we will remember, are the moments that we loved, for love is truly the meaning of life. At the core of every religion is one thing- love. When it comes down to it, love is the only thing that really matters. So, if we want to live a life that really matters, the most…