- When we decide to open our eyes and be fully awake, we realize that much of the suffering is a self-created illusion. If we can trick ourselves into being the victim of our own misery, then surely we can just as easily volunteer for self-determined joy.
5 Lessons for Happiness
Here are a few of the best lessons I can happily share: 1. Life is tough Agreed, life is filled with trials and tribulations. To say one is happy all the time is a lie. To know happiness is available at any time is a truth. Happiness will not wait for us. Happiness will not invite us to the party. We must invite ourselves to say, "yes", diving deeply and happily into life... all of it... the ups, downs, twists and turns of our miraculous journey. Happiness exists in tandem with adversity. Happiness waits in all the nooks and crannies…
Thank You in Any Language is Good for Your Health = Global Gratitude Gathering
Each of us has 86,400 seconds of daily once in a lifetime opportunity to be thankful. Every second is precious and unique. And we only get one shot at that precise moment in time. Why not make them grateful? Gratus is the Latin root word for gratitude; meaning appreciativeness, thankfulness and gratefulness. Gratitude is positive acknowledgment for what we receive; albeit, tangible or intangible. Being gracious with our thankfulness is one way to validate the goodness in our lives. It is a profoundly simple process that allows us perspective in recognizing the source of our goodness is oftentimes derived externally…
In The Underbelly Of Pain, Lick Your Wounds and Thrive
By Lisa Cypers Kamen. I was living the dream. I was floating through my days, moving between the multiple houses and the multiple cars without a care in the world. My husband loved me, my kids thought I was an awesome mom and loved that I could shower them with everything they needed. I had a rockin' wardrobe and one hell of a travel schedule. My body was perfect, my lifestyle was perfect, my family was perfect. My everything was perfect. Until it wasn’t. The marriage dissolved. The cars, houses and flashy clothes were history. I couldn’t provide for my…
3.74 Degrees of Separation – Social Media and the Algorithm of the Human Heart
By Lisa Cypers Kamen. I'm no Kevin Bacon, but I just found a batch of research that says the degrees of separation between me and the rest of the world are decreasing. And it's no surprise that social media has a lot to do with it. Take Facebook, for instance: Mark Zuckerberg and co. say that I’m only 3.74 degrees away from any other user on the social network. That’s less than 4 connections separating me from President Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian, or even you. Small world, huh? And the numbers get even more mind-blowing the more you think about…
Confessions of a Reformed Trophy Wife + 10 Lessons for Moving Forward
By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Once upon a time, in a not so far away land, there lived a wife. A trophy wife to be exact. She was living the "dream," with every single one of her "wants" more than fulfilled. Loving, affluent husband? Check. Two beautiful children? Check. Vacation homes? Double check. Travel, jewelry, fashion sprees? Check, check, check. Busy social calendar? Check to the nth degree. How do I know all this? Because that trophy wife was me, living my personal Disney fantasy. That is, until the music stopped. The façade fell down. My marriage failed. The economic recession…
Sponsored: A Passionista’s Approach to Life
We all want to live a life filled with passion, right? What if YOU could live your passion and prosper within it? Wouldn't that be a wonderful way to live? Just for a moment consider approaching life from a Passionista's Perspective.... "Passion, it lies in all of us, sleeping... waiting... it will stir... and open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us... guides us...passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments." - Joss Whedon Passionistas CHOOSE to discover life and live it filled with their heartfelt…
Trying Helps, But Doing is What Matters + 5 Tips to “Do” Happiness
We've all heard it a million times: "Actions speak louder than words." Action is dynamic. It moves and morphs with life. And yet at times we fall back onto "trying" to make something happen as opposed to proactively doing something about the trying. Have you been using a lot of “couldas”,” wouldas”, “shouldas”, maybes, tries and mights lately? It’s time to ditch the conditional-speak. Thinking in this frame of mind puts us in a bind. Why try when you could simply do? Why would when you can? By allowing our lives to be framed in maybes, we’re giving away all…
Sponsored: Love is a Power Tool + Other Fun Tips for Happier Parenting
Love can single-handedly mend a broken day, establish an exciting new relationship, or reinforce a happy, internal bond with ourselves. Love is an omnipotent tool that has the uncanny ability to improve any sticky situation we find ourselves in. Love is a power tool we should all have in our happiness toolboxes. But just like that power drill or band saw, it also comes with some safety protocol. When you use your love power tool, you take on the responsibility of treating the world with kindness, compassion and respect. Use your love power tool responsibly, forging, fixing and strengthening relationships…
Sponsored: Strategies for the Very Serious Business of Happiness
Often, we think of our professional lives as defining of our success as a human being. This is apparent at any social gathering where what we do as a career becomes the center of conversation. Indeed, what we "do" as a profession is important to our economic sustainability. However, the real question, the one that speaks to the heart of the matter of our sustainable wellbeing is: how happy are we in what we do regardless of what our “business” might be? In my coaching practice, workshops and on Harvesting Happiness Talk Radio, I emphasize the need to show up for…
Sponsored: Inhabiting Life + Tips for A Transformational Experience
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about this quote from poet Christian Wilman: "Let us remember... that in the end, we go to poetry for one reason, so that we might more fully inhabit our lives and the world in which we live them, and that if we more fully inhabit these things, we might be less apt to destroy both." Christian isn’t just talking about poems and prose here. What he’s trying to say is that art, creativity and things that inspire thought help us engage with our lives so that we treat our existence with more care, respect…
Harvesting Happiness: 7 Keys to Happiness
Here are seven keys to happiness that you can do right now to get yourself on the road to happiness, with some inspirational quotes to help! 1. You make the choice. "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." ~ Abraham Lincoln 2. Focus on today, not yesterday or what is to come. "When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.” ~ Helen Keller 3. Be grateful for what you have. “We tend to…
Harvesting Happiness: Bringing Relief to the Insurmountable
Every day when we turn on the news, we see a world that seems filled with sadness, poverty, loss and grief. We ask ourselves, over and over again, how can we live amidst such difficulty and pain? The task of bringing relief to the suffering often seems insurmountable. The truth is that our hearts ache for those who suffer no matter where in the world they are or for what reason the suffering exists. Yet, as much as we want to offer support and assistance, there doesn’t seem to be enough that we can do to create change. However, we…
Harvesting Happiness: 6 Tips To Volunteering
Volunteering can give you an opportunity to recenter and reconnect with your own happiness while at the same making the world a better place. Do you want to help others by giving back? You may be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" Here are some tips to get you started on finding a volunteer opportunity. Research the issue or cause that is most important to you and find a group that works with those issues. Look at the skills you could offer and use them to find the opportunity that suits you. If you enjoy being around children or want…
Harvesting Happiness: Small Steps to Happiness Even When You’re Anxious
Here is a truth: you can be happy, even if you feel sadness, anger or suffer from anxiety. Happiness is an inner state of being that does not get lost. It stays with you even in dark times. How can you achieve an inner state of happiness? It starts with small steps. Gratitude. Many of us on Inspire Me Today have talked in the past about gratitude journals. Just look for a few things in each day that you are thankful for. It isn’t as hard as it seems. You can be grateful for so many things. Just the fact…
Harvesting Happiness: Taking In Every Moment
Are you trying to take in every moment, however how big or small, every day? Are you finding happiness in those moments? Here are some things you may find joy in: Take and make time every day to play with your kids. Give some extra love and attention to your pet, if you have one or more. Find at least one thing that was wonderful about your day. Take in the sunset and enjoy its beauty. Savor the loving glances from your spouse, whenever they happen. Enjoy the simple things your kids say and do. Sit on your patio or…
Harvesting Happiness: Happiness and Beauty Start With You!
By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Accept yourself for who you are! In a world where value is placed on how you look and what you wear, it can be difficult to try and “fit in”. Here’s something to think about and seriously ask yourself, did you know that your beauty and happiness start with you? Think about nature and all the varieties of plants and trees as well as flowers. They come in colors, shapes and sizes. It is the same with humans. So ask yourself, How could we judge nature and say that one flower looks more beautiful than another?…
Harvesting Happiness: Two Quick Tips to Happiness
By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Choose A State of Happiness. Remember that happiness is mostly dependent on our state of mind, not on our social standing as a member of society or how much money we make or have. As long as we have the basic necessities in life, things are pretty good. It also depends on what are focus in life happens to be. Is the glass half-full or half-empty? We need to get back to living in the moment and experiencing everything, just like we did when we were young. Make time to treat yourself like you would a…
Harvesting Happiness: Will Beauty Make You Happy?
By Lisa Cypers Kamen. The simple, honest answer is no. You may experience a sense of happiness or temporary happiness but it won’t last. Connected closely with beauty are five things that you think will make you happy, but in the end really won’t. In no particular order, they are: Fame. Studies show nothing is more stressful for a human than when their goals are tied to the approval of others. Particularly when those "others" are an enormous crowd of fickle strangers holding you up to an unrealistic ideal built by publicists, thick makeup and heavily Photoshopped magazine covers. Wealth.…
Harvesting Happiness: 6 Keys to Love
By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Here are six keys to achieving more love and happiness in your life. Know the phrase "If you can't say anything nice, don’t say anything at all"? Compliment people on their strengths and where they are succeeding in life. There are plenty of people who are telling someone that they have faults, but how many people are telling them something positive? Be optimistic. The realistic 0optimist is the person who knows that there will be trials to face, but that in the end we will somehow make it through. Remember how to be funny, even silly.…
Harvesting Happiness: Letting Go
By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Let go of what? You need to let go of old baggage - that is, the emotional things we carry around with us for days, weeks, months or even years. Has a co-worker said something in the last day or two that upset you? Did your parents say something five years ago that you can’t seem to let go of? Did your best friend say something last week that you can’t seem to forget? Most stuff we carry with us is negative and has to do with the pain another person caused us, but sometimes it…