Why I Love MasterChef Junior

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Not often do I find myself completely enamored with a television show, but here I am, writing about how I’ve fallen head over heals for MasterChef Junior.

MasterChef Junior is a reality show where children (ranging in ages from 8-12) cook for world-renown, professional chefs (including celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay). Now, before you roll your eyes at the words “reality show” or say “not another cooking show,” hear me out -- this isn’t another cutthroat competition show where you watch it and feel disgusting after, and it’s not another Saturday morning cooking show where the same dish seems to be made over and over. This is, when it comes down to it, a show about kids with strong character, kindness, heart, positivity, and a lot of determination.

Reasons why I love this show:

• I can watch it and forget completely about the negative news, things on my to-do list, the ice dam on my roof causing my living room carpet to be soggy. I mean everything. I find myself sitting there, rooting for every child to do well, heart swelling for those kids as they triumph over the challenging dishes they’re tasked to make. 
• These kids have such great character! They are encouraging, positive, realistic (with their own cooking triumphs and struggles), and so helpful! They go out of the way to help their competitors, and they do it with such kindness. When their competitors are eliminated, genuine hugs and encouragement are given. I want to live in a world this kind all of the time. 
• Those kids are remarkable! They’re doing amazing things with French or Japanese or other advanced cooking techniques (thinks I’ve never heard of), and they have to use step stools just to see over the counter.
• British accents are wonderful -- Don’t let anyone tell you any different. (This one is definitely a minor detail, but still adds to the enjoyment of the show.) 
• The chef-judges have such high expectations for their young chefs (and the young chefs know it and definitely give their all for them), but they don’t let that get in the way of them making real connections with the kids, being silly, being encouraging, and showing their protégés respect. You can see how proud the judges are of the kids and their accomplishments, and how hard the elimination process is for them.

Watching this show is like getting an hour-long hug. The kids are extraordinary, the judges are firm, but kind and encouraging, and the result is such a positive experience for the audience (and I would imagine everyone involved with the show as well). If you happen to find yourself with an extra hour or just want to bring some positivity into your home, I recommend turning on MasterChef Junior.

(This is just my own personal option regarding this show. We've not been compensated or rewarded in any way for this blog post, other than the warm-fuzzies I get simply by watching this lovely show.)

Stories to Make Your Heart Swell

I can't be the only romantic (though I'm sometimes stubborn about it) whose heart swells when listening to the stories of those who have been in love for such a long time, can I?

These are lovely:

(Disclaimer: I know it's a commercial for life insurance, but it's just so charming. We have no affiliation with this company; I was just drawn in by their effective marketing and lovely interview subjects.)

Because I Can.

Five years ago, the movie The Wizard of Oz celebrated its 70th year of its existence. That year they re-released a special version in theaters for one night and my grad school roommates (including our Lovely Author Meg) and I spent a magical evening with Dorothy and her crew.

A few nights ago my husband and I were watching TV when a commercial touting The Wizard of Oz's 75th anniversary came on. It triggered memories of that 70th anniversary and I filled Sam in on what a fabulous experience it was. As we chatted about what a great experience it was for a few minutes, a thought popped into my head. "Why exactly did I decide to go in the first place, though?" The answer, luckily, popped into my head almost instantly:

Because I could.

I do not have the luxury in my life to do any little passing whim or fancy that enters my head. I do, however, have the luxury of acting on quite a few of them. Why?

Because I can.

Last week I took my eight-month old son to the National Gallery of Art and spent almost the entire time sitting on a couch in one room with him. Why? Because I could.

One night in college, my roommates and I ate dinner while sitting on the floor around our coffee table, in an attempt to recreate a scene from the movie Sabrina. Why? Because we could.

From the ages of 2-3, I have been told that I used to eat finger-fulls of straight butter. Why? This one I don't actually remember too well myself, but I am assuming it was because I was two and I could get away with things like that. In other words, because I could.

I made my own wedding bouquet. Why? Because I could.

For about 3/4 of my life I slept with my head at the foot of my bed (I only stopped when I got married and things would have gotten weird snuggling with my husband's feet). Why? Because I could.

When my sisters and I were younger, we insisted on sleeping outside on our trampoline at least once a week in the summers, even though we would all inevitably roll to the middle and sleep on top of each other and our dad notoriously "forgot" to turn the sprinklers off (set on a timer for some unholy hour of the morning) every single time. Why? Because we could.

This past presidential election, I voted. Why? Because I could.

In grad school I used to time myself running down the stairs from my office on the 7th floor of the library down to the ground floor. Why? Because I could.

The night that my son was born, I refused to put him down for more than seven hours after I finally got to hold him. Why? Because I could.

There is so much in life that we simply cannot do. There isn't enough money, enough time, enough space, enough skill, enough energy, enough anything to do the things that we want. But rather than dwell on the things we can't do, why can we not remember the things we do get to do- the things we get to do just because we can!

GIVEAWAY: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

“It's about living in the moment and appreciating the smallest things. Surrounding yourself with the things that inspire you and letting go of the obsessions that want to take over your mind. It is a daily struggle sometimes and hard work but happiness begins with your own attitude and how you look at the world.” --Gretchen Rubin

The Happiness Project is a memoir of a year in Gretchen Rubin’s life. Gretchen lives with her husband and two daughters in New York City. She loves her family, her job, her life, but she isn’t quite as happy as she should be. She decides to change her attitude by taking steps to help her appreciate life more.

When I finished The Happiness Project I had to resist the urge to buy a plane ticket to New York, locate Gretchen Rubin, and beg her to be my friend. This book changed my life.

It’s not that her book suggests anything earth shattering, but she presents her ideas in such a way that shifted my perspective. I found myself highlighting whole paragraphs, sharing quotes on facebook, calling friends and family to get their take on a philosophy, and giving my own perspective a makeover.  She does insane amounts of research on happiness philosophies, outlines a plan, and sets worthy, reasonable goals that are (mostly) small steps in achieving happiness now.

Along her journey, she discovers her Secrets of Adulthood, many of which I found to be very true, and I try to remember them in my day to day interactions. Here are some that resonated with me:

·         The days are long, but the years are short.

·         It’s okay to ask for help.

·         You can choose what you do; you can’t choose what you LIKE to do.

·         Happiness doesn’t always make you feel happy.

·         What you do EVERY DAY matters more than what you do ONCE IN A WHILE.

·         You don’t have to be good at everything.

·         It’s important to be nice to EVERYONE.

·         You know as much as most people.

·         Eat better, eat less, exercise more.

·         What’s fun for other people may not be fun for you — and vice versa.

·         If you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough.

·         No deposit, no return.

Gretchen is very intelligent, yet so down to earth. She keeps the narrative interesting and is an excellent writer. She is honest about her failures and missteps, yet she never gives up saying, “Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail, but every day is a clean slate and a fresh opportunity.” 

I felt happier reading this book. I appreciated my family more and I was happy to serve them. I took some things more seriously, and some things less seriously. I played more. I worked more. 

The theme of this book is basically being happy no matter what your circumstance is in the moment. It’s about accepting yourself, flaws and all, finding the good within your life, and changing your perspective if you fail to do those things. I loved it so much, I want to give YOU a free copy. Enter the giveaway below and start your own happiness project! What made you happy today?

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Desired Things

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.


Avoid loud and aggressive persons,

they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.


Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.


Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.


Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.


You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.


Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.


With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.


Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952

Talk to the Hand

I think it's fair to say that society has changed a lot in the last hundred years. We have technologies that our ancestors couldn't have been imagined, and the way we dress couldn't be more different. And hey, the word "society" doesn't even mean what it used to. Our language has changed significantly, and our behaviors have changed too. These changes have brought about great things like civil rights, suffrage, and the end of the old rigid class system; but we've lost a lot of good things in the transition as well.

A while ago I read a book called Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door. It's essentially a rant about the loss of manners in the modern world by Lynne Truss, one of my favorite British writers, and I'm going to let her help me explain what I'm talking about.

"The utter bloody rudeness of the world today is about a lot of things... but I think what most dismays many honourable people is the way 'deference' has become a dirty little demeaning word, while its close relative 'respect' has become a cool street-crime buzz-word mainly associated with paying feudal obeisance to those in possession of firearms. Both words have lost their true meaning. Deference is not about lying down and letting someone put their foot on your head. It is not about kow-tow. It is about assessing what is due to other people on all sorts of grounds...

The crying shame about modern rudeness is that it's such a terrible missed opportunity for a different kind of manners--manners based, for the first time, not on class and snobbery, but on a kind of voluntary charity that dignifies both the giver and the receiver by being a system of mutual respect."

I've often thought that one reason it's so difficult to express your feelings when someone is grieving is that we simply don't use the right kind of language for it anymore. We don't say things like, "my condolences" in everyday speech, and maybe we don't try because we feel pretentious. But how much more simple would it be if people could just express their feelings without worrying about what words are acceptable?

I may have mentioned a book called The Four Agreements on this blog before, and in reference to this issue I've been trying to apply a principle from that book that says, "be impeccable with your word." One of the definitions of this is to "use your energy in the direction of truth and love;" to me, it means a few things:

• that I don't say things I don't mean
• that I am kind and careful with my words, because words have a lot of power and I do not want to use that power to hurt anyone
• and, perhaps most of all, that I am honest about my feelings, and don't worry about what other people will think of them

Sometimes I think I was affected by public school more than I should have been. What I mean is that when I meet someone who is obviously not included in others' social groups, I still feel the temptation to avoid them myself; when I remember someone's birthday or college major or something they once told me about their mom, I want to pretend that I don't because it feels more cool to be aloof. I'm learning to stop this.

The world would be a much lovelier place if people could learn to respect each other and speak with kindness instead of cynicism. Life would be so much more pleasant if we could learn to express ourselves simply and honestly, and remember the manners our mothers taught us.

Allons-y!

Anyone remember back when Megan was watching Doctor Who and loved it so much she found a way to include it in a post? Well, in case you don't remember, check it out here.

The reason I mention this is because Netflix released Doctor Who on instant watch. This just so happened to coincide with an empty Hulu queue for yours truly. And now I'm obsessed. I won't go into detail (and believe me, it's REALLY hard not to do that), but it's pretty much the best show ever created. EVER. Can you tell how much I mean this by my use of capitalization?

But this post isn't to yell at you about how utterly brilliant and fantastic The Doctor is (he really, really is both of those things, fictional or not); it's about things that make you happy.

Sometimes I get stuck in a rut. Sometimes it takes finding something new and awesome that makes me happy to realize that I was in a rut and that, thank goodness, I got out of it before it started causing too much stress. I probably love Doctor Who a little bit more because I think it helped keep me from diving head first into a rut.

Maybe that's confusing. Wouldn't surprise me if it was. The short of it is I lost my job (laid off, yet again). So I'm back (never stopped) looking for a new job. Having something to distract me when I needed a distraction, something to be excited and nerdy about, helped me deal a little better with the news. That and the fact that I wanted to quit that job oh so very much, that helped too. But when I did start to stress, I knew I had something there to cheer me up and get my mind off the stress for a little bit.

Now, I'm not saying you should all go out and watch Doctor Who (seriously though, you should all go out and watch Doctor Who), but we all have things that can help us through the rough bits. Maybe it's a good run or lunch with friends or a fantastic book....it could be anything. But it helps so much to have something to be excited about, something to look forward to and something to just sit back and enjoy for the pure happiness of it.

Harmony

via decor8

Saturday Snapshot: Flowchart

found here

Saturday Snapshot: Happy Girls

(Photo credit)

Sometimes Things are Awesome.

We're back!

Dear lovely readers, we have missed you. The last few weeks have been a little crazy for us, but we are back to normal now and would like to start off by sharing this fabulous website with you. I came across it while browsing Post Secret the other day.

If you are ever having a crappy day and need something to cheer you up, try checking out 1000 Awesome Things. As I read through the first few pages, I thought about how wonderful it is to seek out and dwell on those small things that just make your life better. Here are a couple I especially liked.

#528 When your pet notices you’re in a bad mood and comes to see you.

Everybody hurts, sometimes.

Relationships fritz and fizzle, bad moods steam and sizzle, and we all have moments where all we wanna do is to curl up under a blanket so it all goes away.

In tear-stained moments of blackness, when the weight of the world hangs heavy, there’s nothing as sweet as a furry four-footed friend noticing your mood and coming over for a snuggle.

As your dog curls into your lap or your cat stares straight in your eyes you just suddenly sniff back hot salty tears and let a small smile curl onto your face.

AWESOME!

#539 When you open a book to the exact page you were looking for

You cracked the case.

Seriously, when you pop open that textbook, flip open the yellow pages, or split the spine of that beach novel right to the spot you’re looking for it’s a beautiful moment.

Suddenly you transform into a gloomy trenchcoat-wearing detective who solves the case just by glancing at the crime scene. Yes, the street’s been taped off, someone’s crying under a blanket on the curb, and the city police are filling out witness statements on their notepads.

That’s when you peel up in a navy blue squad card, calmly light up a cigarette, and then stare at the surrounding buildings for a few minutes with furrowed eyebrows.

Then you calmly walk back to your cruiser, smile softly, and roll your window down at the local police before screaming away down the wet roads.

“Page 127.”

AWESOME!

#540 The TV Treasure Chest Moment

The TV Treasure Chest Moment occurs when you stumble upon an elusive rerun of your favorite TV show just as it’s about to start.

This champion channel-flip happens in two big ways:

1. The Missing Link. This is when you suddenly realize you haven’t seen this episode before — ever! You love the show, you’re a huge fan, you’ve seen most episodes ten times … but now you landed on the missing link. Maybe you always knew this episode existed but didn’t get to witness it until today. You know you landed on a missing link if you find yourself saying things like “Is this the backwards episode?”, “So that’s when she got braces” or “Ahhhh, now I fully get another joke referenced later in the series. I am at peace.”

2. The Full Fave. Here’s when you find your favorite episode of the series and get giddy with anticipation. Maybe it’s the soup nazi on Seinfeld, the time Carlton gets cut from the frat, or that dark day when Jesse takes too many caffeine pills. Chances are good you’ve seen the end of this one twenty times and that’s exactly what makes the full version such a sweet release.

People, you know it and I know it: The TV Treasure Chest Moment is a great big rush of excitement in the middle of your family room. When it happens you’ve gotta dim those lights, pop that corn, and stare deeply at the glittery gold moment before you.

AWESOME!

So hey, if you're feeling inspired after visiting the website, try making your own list of things that are awesome and share it with us! (After all, part of what makes these things awesome is the fact that other people have had the exact same experience--and there's nothing we human beings love better than shared experience.)

Queen of Your Own Life

On the Today show one morning last week, Kathy Kinney (formerly of the Drew Carey Show) and Cindy Ratzlaff were guests talking about their book, Queen of Your Own Life: A Grown-up Woman's Guide to Claiming Happiness and Getting the Life You Deserve--which is exactly what it sounds like. These women have decided that it's time for them to take control of their own happiness and get out of the negative patterns they've been living for most of their lives.

I thought this was really great. Women, and people in general, have a tendency to look to other people for their happiness--if you aren't getting enough recognition at your job, if you aren't going out on dates, it's easy to let those kinds of things determine your happiness. But these women have decided that they don't want that for themselves anymore.

"We weren't born knowing how to be happy, it's something we have to practice." This was said on the show, and I think it's an excellent point. There's something about the human condition that makes people gravitate toward negativity--complaining about a crappy job can be a bonding thing with your coworkers, or getting together with girlfriends and bashing all the terrible boyfriends you've had. It's true that these kinds of things can help connect people, but they're also bad habits that can really affect the overall quality of your life.

So instead of doing that, one of the ways you can practice being happy is to focus on all the good things about yourself and in your life. We've talked before about the power of affirmations and positive thinking, and the Queen of Your Own Life women are doing the same thing. They have this statement on their website:

Let’s pretend that a reality television crew followed you for 24 hours, recording everything you said, wrote and thought about yourself. Then they transcribed all of your self-descriptive utterances into writing and gave the list back to you to read. What kind of picture would emerge about you?...

Any time you catch yourself casting dispersions on your own beauty, strength, intelligence or abilities, stop. Think of new, positive words to replace the old ones. Here’s an example:

OLD WORDS: “Why can’t I figure out how to upload these photos to the online printer? I’m such a chowderhead!”

NEW WORDS: “Look at me, learning a new skill. Woot! My goodness I’m adventurous. Even though this is hard to learn, once I do learn it—and I will—there’s no stopping me.”

Positive speech is one aspect of their new lifestyle (and can I just say that I love the word chowderhead?), and it can really have a big impact. Like I said, we've talked about it before, but try it out--take some time and pay attention to all the little negative things you say throughout the day, whether you're kidding or not, and then make an effort to replace those comments with positive ones. Be nice to yourself, be nice to your coworkers, try giving people the benefit of the doubt. Focus on good things around you, and take charge of your own happiness.

This Queen of Your Own Life thing is a fun, slightly silly way to approach a serious change in your life. You can even have the official crowning ceremony if you want, like they did--if you're interested in doing that, you can get free certificates from their website, including a crown of arms. So have some fun with it, and whether you do the crowning ceremony or not, be queen of your own life--decide for yourself what your happiness will be, and don't let your circumstances dictate it for you.

Guest Post: Happy Moments

Krissie is yet another former roommate of ours. I have known her since she was a frightened 11 year old moving into a new place and have shared so many happy times with her that I can't remember them all. She and her new husband, Barry, live in Woods Cross, Utah where they work and play and do all those wonderfully sappy things newlyweds do. Krissie sent us this post as a reply to our "Happiness is..." posts and I wanted to share it with the rest of you.

I guess the thing that I will post is what has made me the happiest recently. I can't send in the thousand images that make me smile or feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but I can send the one that makes me the happiest right now.

I remember pieces of wedding planning and things I thought were important. I dreamed of a wedding that was elaborate and beautiful. A church filled with family and friends. I remember sitting in my boyfriend's car one night and asking him what kind of wedding he wished for. All he could manage to say was one that made me his wife.

When our wedding day arrived, I sat on the steps at Temple Square in Salt Lake City with my husband and all my family, new and old, and I felt like I could glow with all the happiness that I felt inside (kind of like Yvaine from Stardust. How interesting would it be if people actually did glow when they were in love? A lot more ladies would be a lot less single, that is for sure). Aside from the happiness I felt in that moment, I remembered all the moments that led up to being there, with him, and how, for the first time, I felt just fine to be me. The girl that loved him.

Obviously, there are many things that make me happy. But I am a believer in moments that culminate to one perfectly happy moment. I know that everyone says that getting married was the best day of their lives. And, you know, that is true for most people. Not necessarily
because they married the man of their dreams (although that is a huge factor), but because for one moment they are sure of themselves and of who they are. And for the rest of your life, you go back to that moment in your head when you knew that you were everything you ever wanted to be and that was, finally, more than enough.

So, these things make me happy. A bright warm afternoon with me looking fantastic and feeling even better. A man who is better then anything I could dream of because he is real and I got to pick him for myself. All of my siblings gathered around me looking like little versions of my parents, laughing and joking and smiling. A life that finally made me feel like I had done everything right. And this moment:

Live In The Now

The weather has been great lately and I realize that it's so much easier to get up and out the door. Everything is better when the sun is out and the day is cool and breezy. So, I was driving to work and heard the lyrics, "It's time I forget the past and just learn to love what I have," and that got me thinking. I've been dwelling a lot lately. Not so much moping about how things are or regretting things I have done or wishing for things to be different, but dwelling on how certain things used to be.

My social situation is not ideal. My work situation is not ideal. My living situation is not ideal. None of those things are what I hoped they would be at this point in my life, but that doesn't mean they are bad. I have a friends, old and new, that I can talk to whenever I need them. I (finally) have a job that is paying me well and that I enjoy going to every day. I live with family and I get cuddles from my nephews anytime I want them. There are things in my life, right now, that are wonderful. Dwelling on the past only makes those things seem less wonderful and puts me in a bad mood.

And, here's the truth of it, I don't want to be back where I was. I've been there. I left those places and situations for a reason. Yes, I loved always having someone to go do something with whenever I felt like it. Yes, I loved the freedom of living on my own. Yes, I miss a lot about those times and people and situations. But why should that mean I am less happy with my current times and people and situations? The past should enhance our present and if it doesn't, then there's no point in dwelling on it.

I guess the point of this ramble of a blog post is that we should look around and enjoy what we have right now. Love the place where you live and the people that are around you. You never know when things will change and regret is one of the most unlovely things in this world. You don't want to get so caught up thinking about how things used to be that you forget to see how things are.

Saturday Snapshot: Anybody Else Have a Blogging Partner?

Sometimes I blog with a partner. He may not write so good (or, you know, at all) but he sure is cute.

More Happiness Is...

I loved Miri's post yesterday. I had also seen the Lays ad on Hulu and thought this was a great idea.

I would like to take it one step further, though, and suggest that if you would like to submit a photo here to the blog, please do! Email us your photos of whatever makes you happy and lovely (beinglovelyblog @ gmail . com). We will compile them into a post and share them with your fellow Lovely Readers. Also, if you follow us on Facebook, feel free to post those happy photos (with captions) on our Fan Page! I, for one, would love to see your beautiful faces!

Make sure to include a caption with the picture. What is happiness to you?


There are many, many things and people that make my life happy, but today it's this girl:

I love my family. During my roughest moments, without even knowing it, my nephews and my niece remind me to be happy and remind me that I am loved, no matter what.

Happiness Is...

Check out The Happiness Exhibit, sponsored by Lays. People send in photos of what happiness is to them, and they're posted on the website. I love the idea of a national happiness exhibit, even if it is sponsored by potato chips! I just saw the ad on Hulu and a Lovely Blog light bulb went off in my head.

To me, happiness is family and friends and seeing yourself become the person you want to be. It's hugs and smiles from babies, seeing children reading a book instead of watching TV, making or accomplishing something that was hard for you, eating a big dinner with all your family talking and laughing over each other, finding out that someone thought something nice about you, knowing that you've made someone's day a little better, feeling loved and supported when you're having a hard time.


We can't post pictures in the comments here, so just give us a verbal submission (or as many as you want!) instead.

What is happiness to you?

Put on a Happy Face

I came across this article while I was browsing blogs (A Cup of Jo, specifically) and thought I would share. Many of the "steps to simple happiness" are NYC-centric, but there are quite a few that are universal. Here are some of my favorites:

16. "Eat one ounce of dark chocolate a day. It's the new superfood."

18. “Don’t be afraid to change up your style. Your hair is your best accessory. Besides, what are you afraid of? It will always grow back."

21.“Forget the brown-rice sushi. The Japanese are some of the most long-lived people on the planet, and they only eat white rice.”

31.“Collect visual memories of moments when you were incredibly happy, and close your eyes and picture them when you need a boost. The mind needs images to access feelings.”

32. “Carry yourself more erect. Poor posture is a self-fulfilling prophecy of gloom. You can improve your outlook and confidence simply by improving your posture.”

33.“Start an old-fashioned correspondence with a friend. Handwriting a letter forces you to express yourself in a totally different way.”

34. “Diversify your cognitive portfolio: Museum Mondays, Tennis Tuesdays, Writing Wednesdays, Tango Thursdays, Learn-to-Frittata Fridays, Socializing Saturdays, Socrates Sundays. We need to rotate activities weekly to fire up different brain regions.”

44. “Think like a shark, act like a 5-year-old. Our bodies are meant to be in motion. Don’t stay in the same position for more than 30 minutes at a time.”

48. “Surround yourself with things that smell like green apple or cucumber, two scents that have been proved to reduce anxiety and boost mood. Candles, shampoo, lotion—anything.”


Not that I really needed someone to encourage me to eat MORE dark chocolate, but it sure is nice to have a good, solid reason for doing so. Like when I recite "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands." Again, I don't have a husband to shoot should I be unhappy, but this little gem of a quote keeps me moving when all I want to do is go procure more dark chocolate. Maybe now I will also remind myself to be more shark-like and zig-zag a little while I jog.

The point is, whatever works for you. Throw caution to the wind and eat white rice. Try a new hair style. Go buy some delicious smelling cucumber something or other. Most importantly, be happy.


Read more: 50 Steps to Simple Happiness -- New York Magazine http://nymag.com/health/features/63043/index2.html#ixzz0gK5JWjxh