And it got me thinking...
How am I THIS happy all the time? Ok, MOST of the time ;-)
What am I doing DAILY thats making a difference in my life overall?
What's so different about where I was before: depressed, overweight, anxious, secretly pissed off at the world...
To where I am now? Living in the moment, excited for the future, passionate about my purpose and pretty much in the best shape of my life.
And that's where the 'AHA' light bulb moment clicked for me years ago ... its not what you do ONCE in a while that shapes your life... its what you do almost DAILY that has a compounding cause and effect on your life.
*Note: I prefer to use FULFILLMEMT vs. HAPPY -- simply because fulfillment is a state of being, whereas happy is an emotion... and if theres one thing I've learned about emotions is that they are consistently inconsistent! However these are more quick 'pick me ups' to get you to snap into the present moment!
And I don't write this blog to brag about how amazing my life is. In fact I still have days like I use to have before...
I'll get cut off at a stop sign and then get hit.
or I wasn't looking and accidentally fender bendered someone...
Or the dogs ran away and I lost my credit card
OR I had a huge falling out with a friend or family member...
OR the IRS wants me to pay over 10k in taxes...
OR signing divorce papers at 23...
YEAH... I still have THOSE kinds of days.. except now they are few and far between and instead of just reacting in an instant, I've learned a few healthy happy habits that have aided me into less stress and more blessed.
So here are SOME of MY healthy happy habits...
1. Wake up GRATEFUL... & write it down
I think we all have some serious first world problems, especially if you're an American or Canadian. We think when our shit hits the fan, the world is doomed and over. How silly right? There are people out there who DREAM of the problems we have. Like running out of toilet paper while mid-doing-the-job ... some people would LOVE to have TP to use.
One of THEE most important healthy habits you can start doing (like yesterday) NOW is to write down 1-3 things you are TRULY genuinely grateful for each day and WHY.
Once you realized day in and day out how much you have to be grateful for, even if you aren't living in the mansion on top of the hill... you will start to create a more ABUNDANT mind set.
& with THAT mind set you will start to grow as a person, when you're already happy with what you have, the comparison game melts away. And we've all heard it: Comparison is the THEIF of JOY.
2. Get Movin' & Groovin'
One of the best, easiest and cheapest ways to get happy and FAST is to put your favorite music station (whether thats spotify, pandora, sound cloud, etc) and dance to your hearts content for a few minutes each day or a full blown sweat sesh in your living room...
I have a dance party with me, myself and I (and sometimes the dogs and boyfriend) at least 4x a week. Dancing however I want to dance without judgement, one of THEE best forms of self expression out there!
Sometimes I shuffle, sometimes I moon walk (or try to), Ill bust out the robot, or break it down like Shakira... whether I'm shaking my badonkadonk like Beyonce or dancing like inner Diva B-Spears to "I'm a Slave For You" >> It's making my big heart happy and releasing endorphins (happy hormones) into my body.
5 minutes of grooving and boogey down time is the perfect pick me up. When you can get your body involved, your mind WILL catch up!
3. Try YOGA
For all of you rolling your eyes thinking yoga is silly... well you're just too close minded to understand and that is why you should try it even more than the rest of us. Yoga is a strong mind/body connection... its something that will challenge you from the inside out... to controlling your breath, to calming your mind, to stabilizing your body, to pushing your limits and testing your strength.
I do yoga about 2-3x a week (if I can make it to a live class at the gym and if not, I will do it on my own), but that doesn't mean I'm perfect. I still cant do a hand stand... I'm challenging myself to try it every few times so I can overcome the fear of falling on my head.
Every time I try or conquer a new yoga move or inversion, I feel that much more confident about myself. And I'm that much more happy I'm willing to step out side my comfort zone and do something new.
4. Be Your Own BEST FRIEND
I know it can be hard to find self love at times, we're all pretty good at ripping ourselves a new asshole when we don't size up to what we imagined in our heads. If you struggle with confidence and knowing how to truly love yourself, let me just say there is no better time than NOW to learn how to love YOU. WHY? Because your life truly depends on it. Your relationships depend on it, your bank account, your future lovers, your children, your career, just about everything you hold near and dear is BEGGING you to love yourself! If you need help with this area... read THIS book.
5. Pretty Inside... Pretty Outside
This tip is two fold:
ONE) Alright, I love yoga pants as much as the girl reading this... and as much as the guy enjoys seeing our booties on the stair master. But lets get real here. As a life coach (mostly geared towards health and fitness) that works from home its REALLY easy for me to let my appearance slide... I don't really NEED to put on makeup that much, or do my hair all that often, or do my nails.
But just because I don't NEED those things to feel beautiful on the inside, doesn't mean I don't want to look like a fucking 10 on the outside. I want to look and feel sexy, excited, mysterious, welcoming...
And that means doing my hair, curling it, straightening it, or trying a new Carli Bybel hair and makeup tutorial. That means every few months, tossing out old makeup and trying new stuff.
That means shaving my legs, throwing out old baggy clothes and donating to those less fortunate.
It's ok to wear as much or as little makeup as you want. Its your pretty face. Own you.
TWO) If you're gana make yourself all pretty on the outside, best check to make sure your inside personality matches! Ya know those things that have a cover, a back, and pages in the middle. They're called books. And they're actually quite awesome. Lots of knowledge... wisdom passed on from ages ago that hold the laws of this Universe and how to work within them to have a rockin' life.
Check out my book list for all my favorites .. and if you have a hard time reading... guess what? There's free audiobooks on Youtube! Amazing. Welcome to 2015 y'all. Books changed my life. They've changed millions of lives... dare I say billions. Success leaves clues... HINT HINT!
6. Preach it to Me Baby!
I don't know about you all... but I like a little tough love. I like to be inspired by great leaders, speakers and people who are going full throttle with their lives. I like being 'boot camped' into having a stronger mindset.
So I've created a playlist on my Youtube Channel for collecting motivational speeches and compilations. I LOVE the nuggets of wisdom I pick up each time I listen to a new one, or re-listen to an old favorite.
Every time I listen to them while I walk the dogs, do the laundry, or anytime I can squeeze it in... I fell like an instant bad ass ready to take on the day, and be the best Abby out there.
Check out this one for example:
7. When all else fails... SWEAT.... then sweat some more.
I know that this is a real OBVIOUS one, but so many people see fitness as an external factor... when REALLY its something that will challenge you more mentally than anything. Our bodies will do just about anything we train it to... but its more about getting our minds to catch up with our bodies thats the HARDEST part.
When you make fitness and health a priority in your life, you are taking care of yourself like no one else will. Because no one else CAN take care of you like that. You have one body, you need to make it a priority to take care of it. It will be a fortress of self love. Trust me. And all that outside goodness will infect the inside too... you are sculpting yourself inside AND out!
8. BONUS: Eat peanut butter!
So what are some of YOUR fulfillment happy habits?
XO,
Abby Marie
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