10 Tips for Happiness

My mother and I have a tendency of sending one another links to all sorts of Internet articles we find online; some are scholarly, some are funny, some are frightening, some are cute, and some are just plain silly. Yesterday, my mother shared this article with me, and reading it put a big smile on my face and a sense of inspiration in my soul.

As y'all likely have noticed, the idea of happiness is something that I think about a lot. Honestly, it fascinates me because everyone has their own idea of what happiness is and what it feels like to truly be happy. Not only that, but I truly believe that happiness is a choice - if you can align your mind so that you are open to happiness, you will be happy. I'm not going to lie, aligning my mind to be open to happiness is something that I struggle with sometimes, but it's something that I'm working on.

Reading the Pope's ten tips for happiness has as a wonderful reminder to invite happiness into my life by aligning my mind in the proper way, and has also inspired me to compile my own list of ten tips for happiness:

1. Learn to understand and accept that you absolutely cannot control everything in your life. We can micromanage and plan our lives to a tee, but there will always be a chance that something will happen at the last second and completely shatter our plans. We can't predict and plan for everything - that's life.
2. Take what happens in stride, and use it to your advantage. Sometimes, things are going to go wrong. But, spoiler alert: the world keeps turning, the wind keeps blowing, and life goes on. No matter what happens, it will not signal the end of the world. It will be okay in the end - but, it is up to you to decide how quickly "the end" will come.
3. Learn to enjoy the journey, not the destination. Our lives are all one big "journey" - learn to enjoy it right now, instead of staying so focused on the destination that you don't notice what you're passing by. For more, read this post.
4. Take some "me" time. Our friends and family are wonderful people who were put into our lives for a reason, but if we spend every waking moment in the presence of someone else, we'll never get to truly understand ourselves. I am a firm believer in devoting some time in the day to "me" time; get to know - and love yourself.
5. Find at least one thing you like about yourself. We're all horribly self-critical, and our self-esteems can leave a lot to be desired, but I bet that there is at least one tiny little thing you don't absolutely loathe about yourself. Find it, embrace it, and flaunt it.
6. Find at least one reason to smile every single day. I don't care if you're having the worst day of your life - if you are still breathing, you have at least one reason to smile.
7. Find your "happy music" and blast it. Seriously, just try being unhappy when your favorite song is playing, happy words washing over you.
8. Surround yourself with people that bring you up and make you happy. If there is someone in your life right now that is bringing you down, they're not worthy of your time, so don't give it to them. Simple as that.
9. Open your eyes. Take a minute to look around you in all directions - left, right, up, down, sideways, and inside out. The world is a beautiful place filled with happiness in all forms - and a lot of it is highly infectious, if you can only find it.
10. Get out and move. Take a walk, ride your bike, go for a jog, get together with friends to toss the frisbee around, dance around your room in your underwear, singing into a hairbrush microphone... Just get out there and move. It's hard to be unhappy when you've got endorphins pumping through your bloodstream from the simple act of movement.

I'm a bit obsessed with the song "Boys Chase Girls" by Ingrid Michaelson right now, so just remember her wise words: "I've got two hands, one beating heart/I'm gonna be all right."

You're gonna be all right, kid. Be happy!

xx

ola

Don't be afraid to date yourself

This past Friday, I took myself out on a date.

I pulled on my favorite comfy sweater, wrapped a warm scarf around my neck, packed my wallet, phone, keys, and camera into my bag, and drove to the Kimbell Art Museum. I was a lady and paid for my own ticket and viewed the beautiful works displayed within the museum with admiration and thoughtfulness. I revisited some of my favorite pieces, and rediscovered some new ones that were part of a limited-time exhibit.

I explored the museum thoughtfully, and took my time examining any and everything that caught my eye. I took - and saw - photographs, and I remembered why I love my camera so much. I stepped outside into the sculpture garden to have a private moment, and I let my mind run free. After I had finished my journey through the museum's invigorating exhibits, I stepped into the gift shop, but found nothing that I really wanted to treat myself with (though rest assured, I would have because I deserve it).

It was incredibly rejuvenating.

I believe that having a few lonely moments in public is truly underrated. When was the last time you went out to a restaurant alone and treated yourself to a tasty meal? When was the last time you went to the movie theatre alone and enjoyed a quality film? When was the last time you walked through a park alone, appreciating the natural beauty surrounding you? I'll bet that the answer to all of the following questions is probably a resounding never.

And that's okay.

It's simply a product of our innate human desires. Psychologists have agreed for years that part of fundamental human psychology is our deep-rooted desire to belong. We are all social animals - even those of us who are incredibly introverted. We need companionship and we need others to like us. We thrive off of human interaction and ostracism can have incredibly detrimental effects on our mental well-being.

That being said...

We don't need companionship all the time. Sometimes, we just need to be alone.

Sometimes, we need a moment - or a few - to ourselves. We need to sit back, we need to breathe, and we need to let our minds wander. We need to enjoy our own company and remember who we are - not who we are around others.

Honestly, I find that the best moments of insight I have into myself - who I am, what I believe, what I stand for, what I hope for - occur when I am alone. The ability to let my mind run free in simple peace and quiet allows me to take a mental breather and reacquaint myself with the person that I have known, loved, hated, cried with, and laughed with the longest of anyone else - myself. You are the most important person in your life, and you're stuck with you forever.

So I challenge you - take yourself out on a date. Wine and dine yourself. Learn about your hopes, your dreams, and your fears. Reacquaint yourself with you.

And, most importantly, learn to love yourself (more).

xx
ola

A little inspiration for the week ahead...

A little inspiration for your week. Watch it, get chills, and remember to love.

xx
ola

Happiness is relative

When I tell people I'm a marketing and management double major, their eyes widen and they look a little shocked. They usually make an impressed noise and tell me that I'm ambitious, or they wrinkle their nose and ask, "Why?" Honestly, as a freshman coming into college, I didn't really even know myself. I just figured I'd get a business degree because it was "practical" and then I could find a way to do photography for the rest of my life later.

Surprisingly, I've found that my business classes align with my personality, drive, and dreams quite well.. Especially this semester. The sense of utter fascination and immersion that I get when I listen to my professors lecture makes me so excited about the future - and it's a refreshing feeling, especially after having to sit through hours and hours of pointless lessons that I didn't care about just to get "required" credit hours.

My favorite class this semester is called "Entrepreneurial Opportunity Recognition." I know, I know. It sounds stuffy and boring, and who the hell would care about recognizing entrepreneurial opportunities? It's all about money, right? Wrong.

I've only attended this class a grand total of three times this semester, and I have already gained so much insight into myself and into my drive and ambitions. The class focuses on teaching you about yourself - your strengths, your virtues, and the best possible way for you to succeed. I know it sounds very new age-y and much like something your weird aunt who's into crystals might subscribe to, but I think it's brilliant.

We recently read a book, The Monk and The Riddle, by Randy Komisar, and it was an invigorating read that truly inspired me. The premise of the book is rather simple - do what you want with your life and follow your passions instead of putting them on the back burner in the hopes that you can one day afford to do them. Komisar posits that in modern society, the desire for success and wealth overshadows our passions - we want to be rich and successful in the fastest way possible, and then once we've got that base, we feel that we can finally sit back and follow our passions because we are now "comfortable" and "safe."

Komisar also talks about general happiness and how being passionate about your work can make you an all-around happier person. His overall message resonates deeply with me, as I constantly strive to be a positive, happy person.

I've found that practice makes perfect, and the longer you practice, the more seasoned you get. I smile at the little things daily, like the feeling of the wind against my face as I bike to class, or the beautiful colors that whiz by me as I ride through the neighborhoods that lead right up to my incredible campus. I get excited for each day, because each day will bring with it a new sense of wonder, a new interaction with a friend (both old and new), and perhaps a little surprise here and there.

Life is beautiful, y'all. Take the time to stop every once in a while and appreciate all the amazing things around you. If you do it right, you may very well be surprised at just how many there are. :)

xx
ola