5 Things That Make Me Happy!

What makes you happy?! How do you get the most out of your life!?

I made my list and these are 5 simple things that I am already doing that make me the most happy in my day-to-day living (and thankfully, I didn't have to do too much adjusting):

1. Get Outdoors

• Enjoy a sunset, plant a garden, sit on a patio..... Taking even 15 minutes to step out, get some fresh air and soak in the sun can refresh and re-energize you like few other things can. Rather than having dinner indoors, why not take it out to the deck/patio? Instead of watching that tv show, why not go for a walk and re-discover your neighbourhood?

2. Spend Time with Gal Pals..and Guy Pals

• Whether it's catching up at a local coffee shop over a latte, a brainstorming session in our comfies with yummy treats in someones living room, walking along the beach at the cottage or on my back deck having brunch, I cherish the time I have with my gal pals. I have been quite lucky to have had many amazing women come into my life and allow me to build a wonderful network of support, caring and life long friendships. 
• I also have some key men in my life and I can't imagine life without them. I find these friendships very grounding, very real and a lot of fun! Sushi and beers with the guys is always guaranteed to be a great night!

3. Get Active

• I like to mix this with being outdoors as often as possible. Whether it's hitting the slopes, taking to the trails for a hike, walking Charlie or hitting the links for a round of golf, I really enjoy being active. Being active is also another way to spend time with friends. We have an annual Ski Bunny Weekend that lets us get together, get caught up and get active all in one weekend. Getting more active is something I do need to adjust....I need to add more activity into my life. I'm going to be starting a new exercise class (that I can't wait to try) and I have been walking in the evenings with the goal of walking 5km per day as often as possible (with the end goal of jogging 5km at least 3 times per week by my birthday).

4. Try Something New

• Whether it's a new restaurant, a new exercise class or a new recipe, I truly believe that being open to trying new things really does allow for ever evolving happiness. It's so easy to get stuck in a rut so when you find yourself feeling like that, why not grab a gal pal and try that new resto in town (like I did by heading to the Bread Bar in Guelph) or challenge yourself with a different workout. I appreciate that change can be difficult, but think of these things as new experiences, new adventures and you just never know what new activity, food, person etc you may fall in love with!

5. Always Have Fresh Flowers In Your Home

• Something as simple as fresh flowers (whether it be the $10 grocery store bouquet or a $60 bunch from a local flower shop) always brings a smile to my face as I walk in the door after a days work or when I wake up to them in the morning. It's a simple and relatively inexpensive way (ie. $10/wk) to bring colour and cheer into your home.

These are all things that bring happiness to my life, but as we all know, sometimes life gets away from us and these things somehow get moved down on the priorities list (which in turn can have unhappy consequences). In order to ensure what makes you happy is ever present in your life, this is one of my favourite things to do to always keep reminding myself of this:

• Put it in your calendar!! Yes, schedule those weekend plans with friends well in advance. This gives you something to look forward to and ensures it happens. The same goes for things like workouts/physical activity. It's so easy to come home at the end of the day, plop on the couch and call it a night. If I have something written in my calendar, it holds me accountable to it and I'm MUCH more likely to get my butt off the couch and go for that walk. 

I recommend making this list of 5 'things' (or 10 things) for all aspects of your life (ie. your career, your family, life in general etc) and see how these lists either flow together or compliment each other. Being happy doesn't have to take a lot of money or be difficult. It just takes time to let yourself realize what these 'things' are that get you to your happy place and sustaining them so you maintain that level of happiness you deserve!

RR

It's OK!!

It's that time of year that 'To-Do' Lists grow to epic proportions; our calendars overflow with parties, events and get together's; budgets get thrown out the window and literally every waking hour is filled with some sort of holiday preparation.

Just writing this is making me nervous in anticipation of the upcoming Holiday Season. I have lists upon lists, shopping to do, wreaths to create, gifts to wrap, cookies to bake, a house to decorate, gifts to make, cards to write and mail, parties to attend, workouts to fit in, a 9-5 job to focus on......I`m sure this list of tasks is similar to yours and as overwhelming as it can be, I enjoy every second of these activities. But....in reality.....can I really do this all on my own? ...And even more so.....Is there a reason why I need to try to do this all on my own?

A gal pal and I were out for dinner the other night and got talking about the pressures that come along this year. We came to the realization that a lot of these pressures are purely self inflicted....We can be so hard on ourselves during the holiday season and this must stop!

We feel that everything must be perfect (we see everyone's "perfect" lives on social media and forget that no one's life is really THAT perfect), that we must do/create everything ourselves (heaven forbid you ask for help) and that it all must be done in a way that looks effortless (if only we had staff to help us)!

WE MUST STOP THIS!

IT'S OK to not be everything, to everyone, at all times! Especially this time of year.

This is a time of year that flies by in a blur, when we really should be spending time enjoying it with family and friends, immersing ourselves in the beauty and magic of the season. How many of us can actually say that we've really been able to do this in the last decade?

When you're making your list for all of your Holiday Tasks....why not make 2 columns? One for "Made by Me" and the second being "Made by Others". This is the time of year to prioritize, prioritize, prioritize and be sure to truly put value in your personal time as every minute counts.

Ask yourself, what are the Top 6 Holiday Tasks that I would "like to create myself" but that you know wholeheartedly that someone else could do for you. For instance, something like Holiday Baking...sure, you can head to the grocery store, buy all the supplies you need, get home, do all the prep, bake, cool and package the cookies, cupcakes, tarts, squares......I'm exhausted just thinking about all of this. Even though it's something you enjoy doing, maybe this year it's time to contact a wonderful local bakery and ask them to do your baking for you. Sure, on paper the direct monetary cost may seem to be a bit more (or it may not be), but remember what your time is worth. Your baking marathon may take an entire weekend, whereas you can pick up a phone and place an order for Christmas Goodies in less than 10 minutes. When you pick up the Goodies (or maybe they even deliver), you can still package them up in your own unique way, or maybe the bakery could even do that for you too. 

Take those 6 Tasks and put 3 into the "Made by Me" column and 3 into the "Made by Others"column.

Believe me....I understand how difficult it is to 'give up' part of your Holiday Ritual(s) that you enjoy doing, but what you gain back in time and decreased stress levels lets you truly focus on those 3 tasks you're going to do yourself. It also gives you the opportunity to find or return to great local resources to use again in the future, let alone how important it is to support local small businesses!

Remember, IT'S OK to prioritize to allow you more time for you and your loved ones this Holiday Season. No one will remember whether or not you baked them a cookie, but they will remember the afternoon on the outdoor rink, with huge fluffy snowflakes falling that you were able to spend with them because you weren't holed up in your kitchen all day.........

RR