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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…

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Rescue Yourself!

Life's a bumpy road; we can all agree on that. You're not going to avoid it. Stuff just happens. The trick is to avoid falling into the ten foot holes. Chances are, no one will be there with an eleven foot ladder to help you out. What I mean is don’t walk around with the expectation that someone else is going to rescue you, fix it for you, or bail you out. This message is especially aimed at young women. Someone may have taught you that having a man in your life will ‘fix everything’. That a man will take…

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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…

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Under Construction: The Sign I Wear Mentally !

A famous psychologist (his first name is Phil) talks about the fact that we all have pivotal points in our lives; crossroads, if you will, where we can turn down a path of self-pity, victimism, feeling anger at the world and an urge to 'give up'. Or turning the other way and seeking empowerment, happiness, and a full life. In August of 2006, I experienced a harsh, heartbreaking pivotal point in my life when my husband of thirty years died suddenly. He took his own life. Sure, I knew he was going through some kind of mid-life crisis or other.…

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Overpower the past… Empower the Present!

I was the baby in the family, born 11 and 8 years, respectively, after my siblings. Not until just a few years ago did I hear that my mother "farmed out" my sister and brother to strangers. The term usually referred to children who were sent to a relative back in the day, but in my siblings' case it was an indenture. My brother and sister had to work for their keep,  ages six and 11. They told me these stories as part of my research while writing Wild Violets, a romanticized version of my Mother as a flapper and entrepreneur in the 1920's in…

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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…

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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…

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Do You Doubt Yourself? Life Lessons from Great Authors

I ran across a description of one of my enemies... DOUBT! Author Jacqueline Winspear wrote: "Doubt. Was it an emotion? A sense? Or was it just a short stubby word to describe a response that could diminish a person in a finger snap?" And while I most times write my blog and how it relates to the art of writing, I had a thought.  THIS COULD APPLY TO LIFE [AND HOW WE LIVE IT]  AS WELL! I've written before about my being in good company.  Regardless of whether we writers are obscure or famous, we all doubt ourselves and our work.  What if Henry Charles…

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Home Alone For The Holidays – Finding Joy

This time of year so often seems to fly by for most of us, but perhaps not so fast for Baby Boomers who are alone. The many office and neighborhood parties, family visits, shopping, and tree lighting ceremonies can be difficult for someone who is alone for the first time in years. Many of our Baby Boomer friends and family members are struggling to keep the joy of the holiday season while their minds are full of thoughts and memories of a loved one who has recently passed on. It’s very difficult to keep a smile on your face when…

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Harvesting Happiness: Keeping Resolutions Part 2

With the new year just beginning, here are some tips to keeping the resolution you made for the New Year and how to be happy. Be specific. Instead of saying that you will “make friends” resolve to remember friends’ birthdays and anniversaries or friends’ kid’s birthdays. It will make things a lot easier for you. Write it down. Make sure it is somewhere where you will see it often – this will remind you of the resolution you’ve made. To go along with this… Review your resolution constantly. If your resolution is buzzing through your head, it’s easier to stick…

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How Do You See the World?

By Gail Lynne Goodwin. What if the world showed up for us in exactly the same way as we showed up to the world? In other words, what if we start our day with thoughts of gratitude and only expected good things to happen. What if we see only the good in every person, and in every experience of the day? What if we see only the blessing in every situation? How differently do you think the world would show up for us? I've been experimenting with this concept and I'm convinced that the world will show up to match…

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Harvesting Happiness: Can a Person Be Happy All the Time?

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Does a person have to be happy all the time? Can you expect there to be no negative experiences in your life? There will inevitably be negative events and experiences in life. It’s just the way things are - and things can happen in life that we never expected. The loss of a loved one, the end of a marriage, a move to anew cityor country… the list of possibilities is endless. One person’s negative experience could be someone else’s positive. It also depends on how situations are dealt with. Optimism contributes to a healthier, happier…

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Harvesting Happiness: Can You Create Happiness by Doing Nothing?

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. How many decisions do you make in a day? From fast food, to text meetings to tweets that blow up our phone we are inundated with media. Compounding that, we live in a world full of choices – more so than any other time in history. From our hairspray to our hamburgers, it seems that the more we seek the more choices we have. Choices can empower us and choices can overwhelm us. In our instant gratification society, where the choices come fast and furious, where do we begin in making the choices that impact our daily…

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Harvesting Happiness: Does Achievement Guarantee Happiness?

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Are high-achievers happier than the rest of the population? Is there a relationship between goal achievement and happiness? Curiously, there are people who have achieved great things in life but aren’t necessarily happy. Conversely, there are those who have achieved very little by today’s standards yet seem to be quite content. This is a question worthy of contemplation. An ever broader question pertains to the concept of one’s purpose beyond the concept of goal achievement. If we feel we have a purpose in life, are we happier? If our existence serves others, do we experience a…

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Harvesting Happiness: Getting Yourself Unstuck to Find Your Happiness

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Are you stuck? Are you waiting for the right things to happen so that you can finally be happy? For many people, happiness is an enigma. Happy comes and goes, yet it is not something that is a constant in life. Yet it is possible for happiness to be one of the most dependable elements of your life. When we get trapped in the little boxes we create for ourselves, we find ourselves feeling miserable, lost and alone. Maybe we think we need a new job. Maybe we think we need a new partner or more…

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Harvesting Happiness: Focusing On Now

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Focusing on now means that you focus on what is happening in the present. You can't change what happened yesterday and you don't know what tomorrow will bring so focus on what is happening right now. Focusing on now means that you focus on what is happening in the present. You can’t change what happened yesterday and you don’t know what tomorrow will bring so focus on what is happening right now. Remember too that you can’t fix what happened yesterday and you can’t fix anything that may happen tomorrow. It’s all about now- you can…

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Harvesting Happiness: Making Wishes Come True

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Before you think of Cinderella and the three fairy godmothers, I want you to think about how many times you think about what you want or what you wish for. I want, I wish, and only if are some of the phrases we use to describe an ambiguous point in our future when we will have what we think we need to be happy. In the present moment, we are left feeling unfulfilled. We are living with a sense of longing for a brighter future. We are hoping to change our current situation so that we can finally,…

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Harvesting Happiness: Secrets to a Happy Life

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Here are a couple of self-reflection questions and secrets to a happy life. Ask: If I had one day left, would I forgive the person who hurt me most? Could I do so without demanding any form of punishment? Who are the people in your life who deserve your forgiveness? You will be surprised how wonderful you feel when you forgive – you may feel free. Miracles happen every day, when we least expect them. Have the belief that they can happen for you. Your value isn’t determined by the amount of money you make or the…

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Harvesting Happiness: Choosing to Be Happy Despite External Circumstances

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. 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…

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Harvesting Happiness: Can We Create a Happy Life for Ourselves?

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Can we create a happy life for ourselves? The key word here is “create.”  Do we cultivate a happy life when we choose to live a life of creativity and passion? Does the secret to our ultimate happiness lie in the mere choosing of it? You see, everyone is creative.  When we expand our definition of creativity to include far more than the fine arts, we come to realize that all life is art, and we can apply our unlimited creativity and individual expression in any direction we choose. At this particular point in history, we…

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Harvesting Happiness: What is Your Happiness?

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Happiness starts with you. It is all about your attitude toward life and the situations you face in daily living. You have to look at what you have accomplished in a day, a week, a month, etc. - not what you haven’t accomplished. If you are having trouble finding happiness in your day and it seems like your attitude is shifting to negative things, here are a few tips for you: Try to change the way you look at things by looking at the bright side. Focus on solutions, not the problems. Listen to music that…

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