Day 4: Great Thought!

This ALWAYS makes me smile. Good day, bad day, and especially on a great day. 

On a bad day, this thought is a nice reassurance. Like a good hug. 

On a good day this thought is like a high five! Heck yeah. 

On a great day, this thought is like a caffeine boost! 

What a great thought!! Because it's TRUE! Some of our best days are waiting up ahead of us. Winning!!!! 

Day 3: Time is a Crazy Thing

I'm not even sure how to express this thought! Ha! Time is such an interesting element in life. I'm sure you've experienced this before where you think about something, often, and you hope it will someday happen, but it hasn't happened yet and you don't see a path to how it could actually unfold in your reality and then..... It happens. And it's UNREAL that it is actually happening. Like, OMG. I've thought about this and imagined it and NOW it is happening!! And then that moment passes too. And now you are left with a memory of a thought that you hoped would one day happen. HAHAHAH :D  And often it feels like a dream. Like, did that actually happen?? Did I dream that? I've thought about it so long and now it feels like it was just a dream. And you can't go back and relive that time where the reality of the thought was actually happening. It's passed. And now you get to look forward to the next manifestation of a new thought that keeps replaying itself in your head....  But Time. What a crazy thing. For when that thought becomes reality, it also feels like no time has actually passed, because you are actually experiencing it!

Very much a jumbled and rambling thought today but I can't come up with a better, more eloquent, way of expressing this.... so this will just have to do.  :)

Day 2: Thoughts

So one of my new favorite things to do is to notice when I am having a thought that doesn't make me feel good. Circumstances in life happen and we can't control them... But we can control our thoughts. In each moment we get to pick what we think. So when I notice that I am feeling grumpy, I like going 'Oh!! Hello grumpy thought. I'd rather think something that makes me feel better... So I'm going to do just that!' 

And in that moment I think of something that makes me smile. Like.... I love sunny days. I have amazing friends and family. I have so much to be happy about why would I continue to think grumpy thoughts when there are so many positive things I could be thinking. And a smile spreads across my face and I feel better. Some days it just takes that one little shift. And other days, like today, I get to practice more often.  =}

Oh hello grumpy thought. I'm off to think something happy again. I love that I have control over my thoughts and I get to choose how I feel.  <3

Day 1 of Daily Insights

Well, I feel completely humbled and honored. I've had people come to me over the past month (via Facebook messenger and in person) and share with me that they missed reading my 100 Days of Happiness and really wanted me to start writing here again. (I'm beaming from ear to ear as I type that! =D ) I'm just amazed that it was requested... And excited to be put in a place of commitment again to finding happiness and appreciation and insightful things from my day to share! 

I am so thankful that people actually shared their thoughts with me. It made every cell in my body feel happy. I think we should all do that more often. . . Let others know how we feel instead of keeping it to ourselves. "Hey, have I told you lately that I really like who you are." Gosh, saying that line to someone would totally light up their day! 

So here we go, friends. Get ready to board to Appreciation Train as we embark on another journey together. 

<3~In extreme humbled and honored happiness~ <3

I Love You This Mush!

Appreciation of the Day! :)

This is a project my mom has put her heart and soul into and I am incredibly proud of her for being brave enough to launch this! Her project was launched into existence by a dear friend of hers who committed suicide 6 months ago. He had had a very intense childhood that included a lot of sexual abuse and it followed him up to his last day here on earth. My mom was deeply affected by the loss of her friend and was immensely inspired to make a difference. 

It is a very vulnerable place to share our hurts and sorrow with others and I am amazed at her ability to transform her pain into something so beautiful and into something that will help so many other children. 

Any donation to get her project funded will create a momentum that will have long lasting effects on so many souls. I hope you feel inspired to take a look, and donate or share the link or even just feel appreciation for the amount of love that is here.   =}

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/a-children-s-book-series-i-love-you-this-mush

Little Moments

Heading to my super awesome friend's crazy cool kiddo's soccer game tonight turned into a spontaneous camera shoot that then turned into full belly laughs and tears streaming down my cheeks!

Look for the moments of your day that brought you smiles. . . There you will find Life.  =}

This shot turned into.....

Great Weekend!

Appreciation Train!! This weekend was spectacular! Got some amazing sunny days. Camping. Great conversations!! Hikes. And lots of happy memories. 

Beautiful drive to Valdez

One of my sleep spots 

Morning view 

Breakfast time 

Morning convos 

Crazy friends 

Beautiful hike

Moss love

Interpretive tree pose

Happiness 

One Little Word

Whew! This is such a good one! What if every day we trained ourselves to think like this...?! And not just for acting gigs but in all moments! Every time we walk through a door for any reason, we are there on purpose and we are the answer that anyone is seeking. What confidence we would have! I think we'd all walk around feeling a lot better about ourselves. Gosh, even just 'feeling' that way I think would change the entire day. If you can think the thought, "I hope they like me" why not think the thought "I know they'll like me".... Change one little word and the whole meaning changes. Simple as that.    = }

Appreciation Quest Begins

I am on a quest to seek out copious amounts of moments to feel appreciation. This will be different than my 100 days of Happiness. . . I am training myself to seek out thoughts that accompany good feelings. 

Today was exceptionally easy to feel appreciation. A friend asked me to go for a walk with her and although all I wanted to do was take a nap, I remembered that it's summer time in Alaska and we don't sleep til winter here. So I rallied and met up with her and her kiddo. 

As we started off the walk, I was given a flower from this cutie. Talk about makin a gal feel special. What a sweetheart. 

We then got to throw rocks in the lake. 

He was pretty awesome at rock throwing. 

I got to be Darth Vadar and play with light sabers! 

I kept asking if we could just hug it out... Silly Sky Lukewalker (as Blake worded it) wanted nothing to do with hugs. 

Easy enough to appreciate that view!

And I am a wildlife lover! We got visited by an adorable musk rat. Soooooo cute!

I had major full belly laughs when Blake kept doing this pose!!! =D

"This is what girls do." 

There is so much joy in our days. It's a matter of seeking to find it. Why go to sleep when you can run and laugh and play? Why feel bad when you can feel good? Why think crummy thoughts when you can think thoughts of appreciation? 

:)

Super Powers

I've decided to start saying yes to random offers that are presented to me. It's definitely led me down paths I didn't expect to go down. One of those paths included another hash run, with costumes and all... Through waist high creeks and knee high mud puddles and patches of thorny raspberries bushes.

It also led me to moments of courageous conversations. Isn't it amazing how hard it can be to honestly and authentically express ourselves?? Wowza! Such raw vulnerability as we begin to open and share our true feelings with no knowledge of how another will respond to us. 

I think I may wear the Superman costume more often... It definitely made me feel super! 

(That's my 'welp, here goes nothin' face)

Day 100: 100/100 !! =D

Wow! Today completes 100 posts of Happiness. All those months ago when I decided to begin this 'journey' I really had no idea what I was doing or even why I was doing it. It was just something I decided to do. For a couple days I thought about it and one of my thoughts was, I'm pretty miserable these days, maybe I'll wait til I'm in a better place and happier before I start it.

And like the quote below says, there is never a time in life when we will be ready. Life is lived in the now and moments show up and it's important to just say yes. Ready or not. Because life has a magical way of always working out. 

And well, I want to add my own little spin to this. . . Maybe when we say yes, in that moment we move into the place of Ready. For standing at the starting line, wondering if we can do it, is hesitation. But saying yes and beginning instantly gets you closer to being ready than hesitation does. Making the choice is sometimes the hardest step. Make it anyways. That's the only way you'll actually know. Standing there wondering if you're ready is a great way to have stuff pass you by. 

I am so happy I didn't wait until I was ready to start writing about Happy moments in my day. I choose to begin the Happiness Challenge from a place where I didn't feel ready... And now I'm at day 100 and I am so damn happy I made the decision to just start noticing Happiness.  

Day 99: Total Goof

I was having WAY tooooo much fun with my shadow and the sunshine today!  Two Kung fu classes, yoga in the sun, and ample amounts of laughter. Not gonna lie, I think the sun makes EVERYTHING in life better!! Maybe it's the Vitamin D or the endorphins from exercise but I am radiating happiness from my core! I hope you're feeling it too! =}

Day 98: Take It All In

Walking around Bell's Nursery, surrounded by gorgeous plants, the air smelling of flowers and humid air, and being completely caught up in the moment. I was standing there like a silly fool with a big grin on my face just gazing at a plant when I came back to reality. I laughed at myself and how silly I must have looked and then I continued my slow stroll through the aisles. I stopped caring how silly I looked and floated amongst the beauty, breathing deeply, and taking it all in. Cause isn't that what life is about anyways? Taking in all the beauty around is. It's always there. We just have to choose to see it!  =}

And on a side note... It was sunny again today!! And just like plants, I thrive in the sunshine. 

Day 97: Hasher's

I woke up this morning bummed out that it was a 'rest day' because I really wanted to be active. I only had one massage scheduled and the rest of my day was vacant. I wasn't very thrilled with this because I didn't want to get bored and have my brain take over with its ramblings but, alas, I embarked on my day. My client was a first time client and a fairly new friend of mine and as soon as the appointment came to an end, there was a surprise appearance from the chiropractor! I've never seen him in on a Saturday! He was seeing someone with a horrible week-long headache and asked if maybe I had time to give a massage. Well, I sure do! The massage went great and the client left headache free!! =D  That right there left my day feeling successful and synchronistic. Two of my favorite things.

Immediately following that massage my fairly new friend texted and invited me to a hash run. I'm not much of a drinker and decided to pass but when I learned that it was more of an outdoorsy run and not a pub crawl, I decided to give it a go. I did want to be outside and active with people and well, I was invited to do just that, so why would I say no?

It turned out to be absolutely friggin amazing! A two mile run/scramble/trek through Alaskan forest with new friends and sunshine! I couldn't have asked for more. I was so amazed at how my day had turned out! I woke up wishing for a fun filled day, with friends, and exercise and I, literally, had that day, completely by surprise!!!

At the end of the run, I got invited to the after party and was super happy about that too! I climbed into my car and as I was pulling out of the parking lot, this happened. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it was one of the brightest and closest rainbows I've ever seen!!

Today was an epic surprise and I am about to drift off to sleep with a smile on my face. :)

My 100 days of happiness is nearly over... But I think I'm going to start a 100 Days of Appreciation and see where that leads me... Because not only do I feel all kinds of happy right now ... I want to start focusing on all the times in my day where I feel appreciation. 

Day 96: Be Deliberate

Being deliberate. That has been my new focus these days, which I plan on continuing it being my focus. Every journey begins with the first few steps and this deliberately focusing journey really launched off last week. I've been toying with this concept for about a solid year now, I guess, and something clicked in me last week that got me choosing to cast this as my main focus. By deliberately choosing my thoughts, I get to be in control of my emotions and how I feel throughout my day. If I start to feel crummy about something, I immediately try to catch myself feeling crummy and then I deliberately choose a new thought. A new thought that causes me to feel good when I think it. For why would I choose to think a thought that makes me feel bad when I can choose a thought that makes me feel good? 

It really is that simple. If I think something like, "oh man, I'm never going to be able to do that. Things like that don't happen in real life. In all my past experiences, it just didn't work out." ... Well gee, that feels crummy. DING! Time for a new thought. "Imagine how great it would feel to be able to do that! Life would be amazing if that worked out! I am looking forward to that happening!" ZING! And just like that. Everything shifted. And all it took was choosing a different thought. 

So by being deliberate every day, this practice will become easier and easier and easier... And all that really boils down to is my days will be more joyful because my thoughts will create feelings of ZINGS! And the thought that each coming day is going to be full of happy thoughts, is a thought that makes me feel happy. HA! It's already working... :D

Day 95: For the Love of Sun

SUNSHINE!!

Waking up to a day that is glowing with sun makes my heart so very happy! Anchorage can be pretty cloudy and I think it makes me appreciate the sun even more than I already did. It amazes me how that glowing orb in the sky can impact our moods so effectively! It's hard to be bummed when the sun is beaming down, warming our skin, and causing all kinds of cones in our eyes to register the release of hormones. Ha!

There is so much in this life I don't understand. The inner workings of our brains and bodies and how cell phones even work... But without understanding it, I know that the sunshine makes me feel great, on a deep internal level. It feels like something in my soul relaxes and lets go in a way that only the glorious sun can create. 

May your day be filled with sunshine and working cell phones. ;)