Mindful Monday: Happy vs Joyful

Have you ever thought about the difference between being happy and being joyful? 

Being happy is a temporary emotion​. It comes and goes. It’s often dependent upon ​external factors. ​Whereas, being joyful is more of an internal state of being often derived from an attitude of gratitude. 

They say that ​"it’s not joy that makes us grateful​, but that it’s gratitude that makes us joyful.​" I think there’s a lot of truth to that statement. Taking the time to be grateful for what we do have​, being grateful for both the ​big and the little things in our life ​leads to a joyful heart​. 

​Just like in our classroom​s, we get more of what we pay attention to. Life works the same way. What we focus on​, we manifest​. The more good you notice, the more good you see. The more we are grateful for, the more we have to be grateful for. 

​During this Thanksgiving season I wish for you a joyful ​heart. I wish for you the attitude of gratitude which lea​d​s you to a joyful life​. By choos​ing to be grateful​, you are choosing joy for yourself. 

Mindful Monday: Be the Light

When things are hard, it's easy to look externally to find fault and point blame as to why things are bad or not going your way. 

The thing is, most of what we blame or find fault with we have absolutely no control over. And while easier said than done and somewhat simplistic, I have found the statement, "don't worry about things you can't control," incredibly freeing. 

Often we waste too much of our time and energy on things we simply cannot control. So today, I come to you imploring you to focus on the light. Focus on the good. And focus on what you can control. 

Amanda Gorman wrote a poem titled, The Hill We Climb. And while the message of her poem is about democracy, I can't help but think that her poem has an even broader message. She ends her poem with the line, "For there is always light. If only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it."

When times are hard, we must choose to look for the light. When times are difficult, we must choose to focus on the good. When times are dark, we can choose to be our own light and even a light for others. 

As we inch closer to ending another calendar year, I challenge you to focus on what you can control - the light you emanate. 

Mindful Monday: Zoom Out

The calendar now says November, and if we weren't before, we are absolutely in the thick of the end of year/holiday season craziness. 

Often, when we're in the middle of something, ie: something big or something stressful, it feels all consuming. However, if there is anything I can confidently say, it is that life is always changing! The moments in our life are fleeting. Our kids are little for such a short time, hard times don't in fact last forever, and unfortunately, neither do the good times. 

Here is a concise and well said post from The New Happy. 

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Most of the time, we go through our lives with a zoomed-in lens, one that focuses our attention on the present moment. Our life shrinks down to this year, this month, this season.

That's what makes good times so good and hard times so hard. They can be all-encompassing.

Learning how to zoom out, to put this moment into a greater perspective, is an essential skill. It helps you to increase your joy and to increase your resilience.

In good times, remember: this will change. So savor it.

In hard times, remember: this will change. So hold on.

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For those of you with children, when you are in the middle of a phase whether it be diaper changing, tantrums, or eye-rolls, it seems like those days will never end. And then, one day you wake up and find yourself on the other side. I can vividly recall thinking we would be paying daycare bills forever. And now, somehow I have two children of my own in elementary school.  On average, children will lose 20 baby teeth - that's only 20 visits from the tooth fairy, they will only have 13 first days of school (K-12), they will only wake up to see what Santa has brought them approx 8-10 times before they stop believing, you will likely have them home for only 18 summers. I don't bring any of this to your attention to upset you. However, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day things. It's easy to live "zoomed-in" on life. 

When we take the time to zoom out and gain some perspective, it's eye opening how fast time flies and how fleeting these moments can be. Whether times are good for you right now or you find yourself in the middle of a struggle, know that change is coming. Hang in there until it gets better, and when it does, be grateful for the good times.