Life Is Better When You’re Smiling
My greatest asset has always been my mouth. Back in high school I won state championships on the debate team and as an adult I have used it as a tool for spreading a message of empowerment and sacred succulence for women.
My mouth, has also gotten me into a bit of trouble on occasion and I have been dealing with more than one blow when I spoke before I really considered what was about to come out of my mouth and the effect that it would have. I have had to learn to roll with the punches and not see every dip (or complete plummet) as a sign that life was over.
With a mouth that can cut diamonds, a busy home-based business, 2 kids, a husband, a house and a great deal more where those come from I have to be very careful with how spend my time and in what ways I invest my energy. Things can fall apart real quick if I am not on my A-game.
I have learned some very valuable tips and tools for keeping life not just in order but happy! Because let’s be honest: anything is better when it can be done with a smile!
1. DON’T STOP MAKING TIME FOR FRIENDS.
When I am crazy busy it’s hard to carve out time for a quick phone call much less dinner with my girlfriends BUT it’s such a necessary effort to keeping some balance. Our friendships are such supportive wellsprings of camaraderie and good times. You get the chance to talk about anything and everything, to vent and get things off your chest, to laugh until tears are rolling down your face and just enjoy a moment where there is nothing in the world but you and your friends.
2. DO KNOW YOUR EXPERIENCE IS YOUR EXPERIENCE.
There are days when I do not deliver the best readings or have the most ground breaking questions to pose in a coaching session. I may feel that perhaps work has become so busy that my kids are wondering where their mom went.
It can be hard when you feel that you are not delivering your best but sometimes it’s important to remember that we are our own worst critics. Our experience is just that – OUR experience. My kids may be quite happy to see their mother working on what gives her passion while they create art work at her feet. My clients may appreciate that I take a more passive role, allowing them to take the lead and dig deep. Don’t assume that every time you feel ho-hum that those around you feel the same. We are always hardest on ourselves.
3. DON’T BE AFRAID TO USE YOUR VOICE!
This is a big one for me, as you might expect given my mouthy nature! Whether its having the confidence to saunter into work and ask for a raise or being clear with your partner about what you need you must master the art of using your voice.
Do not become a wallflower and imagine that life is going to just fall in your lap. Those who have what they want have it because they were unafraid to have the confidence to speak up and ask for it!
4. DO OPEN UP TO RELATIONSHIPS.
But not too far. Sometimes, especially my Goddesses out there, we enter a relationship and begin to devote so much time to them that we end up forsaking and neglecting other areas of life. A happy life is a fulfilling life and while you may think your relationship is all that and a bag of chips now, eventually you will get bored and want more than conversation with your partner. Explore your passions and have a life outside of your relationship.
5. DON’T GIVE UP.
Didn’t have your manuscript accepted this round? Keep trying! Those who get what they want do so because they are not willing to accept NO as an answer. They keep trying, modifying their methods and retooling their tactics. They never see it as an issue of IF it will happen but WHEN!
Life has an ebb and flow and learning to adjust to that is imperative. This doesn’t mean, however, that we have to take the down times as a sign that life is falling apart. When we welcome life’s ups and downs and have tools to help us navigate them, anything can be seen as merely a part of your happy life and not as something that is jeopardizing it!
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