15 Simple ways to be happier in 2010

This article was written by Janice Taylor, a Life and Wellness coach at Intent.com
 

"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." ~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
 
With Marcus Aurelius Antoninus' quote in mind, I invite you to explore these 15 Simple Ways to create happiness in 2010!

1. Be your own BFF (best friend forever). Enjoy your own company. Embrace everything about you! Without a doubt, it's the most important step towards being a happy person.
2. Smile, giggle, snicker, or chuckle! Smiling releases serotonin in the brain, which instantaneously gives your mood a lift.
3. Dream big in every area of life. Set your life in motion and manifest your heart's desire.
4. Shut the doors and the windows tight! And then put on your favorite song and sing out loud. Let it rip!
5. Cook a healthy, delicious meal. Serve it up pretty and savor the flavor, one bite at a time.
6. Expect a miracle. Believe that something wonderful will happen for you today. The universe is waiting to shower happy blessings on you.
7. Meditate, pray and chant. Research shows that people who are spiritual tend to be happier and healthier than those who are not.
8. Pull up your best pair of warm socks. Wiggle your toes and enjoy a cozy kind of bliss.
9. Sleep baby sleep. Seven or eight hours each night should increase your energy and decrease your moodiness.
10. Count your blessings daily. Gratitude, the emotion of thankfulness, is one of the key ingredients for living a happy life. Make gratitude a habit and happiness will be yours.
11. Wake up early! Start the day off on a happy foot, with a happy thought. The morning hours are full of spiritual energy and prana (life force).
12. Let the sun shine in. 20 minutes of sunlight per day improves mood and wards of Seasonal Affection Disorder (SAD).
13. Take a hot bath. Feel the tension melt away as you sink into a pool of happiness.
14. Say "Good Job!" Give yourself permission to pat yourself on the back. Recognize your accomplishments and positive qualities.
15. Happiness is contagious! Surround yourself with happy, positive people who share your values, your goals and dreams.

Happy New Year!

I sincerely hope you all have a wonderful 2010, and that it is a much better year than 2009!

Here's a great website featuring creative women, if you're interested: http://www.wherewomencreate.typepad.com

I've been reading Julia Child's book, My Life in France.  What a delight!  I can really relate to her in so many ways (maybe not quite as enthusiastically about learning to cook French food, but still...)  I loved her thoughts on how living in France expanded her mind and soul.  Moi aussi.  And her initial frustration/embarrassment in learning to speak French, "I loathed my gauche accent, my impoverished phraseology, my inability to communicate in any but the most rudimentary way."  But after living there five years, she became fluent!  Good for her.  I wish I could say I was fluent in French.  At one point in my life, I was fairly fluent, but not good enough, not by a long shot.  And what I knew way back when is now sorely gone or at least very rusty.  I want to get it back, and be even better than before.  Maybe this year?

Julia Child was a California girl (like me) and felt inadequate intellectually.  I remember feeling almost exactly like how she describes herself in France, "I was bothered by my lack of emotional and intellectual development.  I was not as quick and confident and verbally adept as I aspired to be......upon reflection, I decided I had three main weaknesses:  I was confused (evidenced by a lack of facts, an inability to coordinate my thoughts, and an inability to verbalize my ideas); I had a lack of confidence, which caused me to back down from forcefully stated positions, and I was overly emotional at the expense of careful, "scientific" thought.  I was thirty-seven years old and still discovering who I was."

I laughed at Julia's description of her sister, "Dort" driving around the Place de la Concord, chasing an insensitive man who had rammed her back bumper, yelling out, "Ce merde-monsieur a justement crache dans ma derriere!"  (translation: This shit-man just spat out into my butt!)  Its easy to say really stupid things when you're learning a new language!  Funny.