Loved this article enough to reblog it.. It was written so much better than I could have hoped to express it… Luck takes practice, chances and a lot of hard work… I highly recommend everyone go out and get lucky at least once a month.. Getting “lucky” in life becomes second nature once you make it a habit..good luck with your endeavor…
On good days I accept it as a compliment; a sincere expression of admiration. Other times, though, it’s hard not to take the meaning literally.
“You’re so lucky.”
Lucky. The word hangs in the air like an accusation.
In many ways we are lucky. We’re lucky to have been born to middle class families in the richest country on earth. We’re lucky to have been raised by loving parents; to have received a good education; to have our health and all of our faculties. I’m immensely grateful, every day, for my good fortune.
In short, we’re lucky in the same way that millions of other middle class residents of developed countries are lucky. Everything else took effort, determination, sacrifice and, perhaps most importantly, a strong belief that we are the masters of our fate.
Which brings me to the other thing I hear when someone says “You’re so lucky:” capitulation…
I love lists.. This list was awesome and inspiring. I also love it when I do not have to re-create the wheel… This was done way too well.. How many ways have you checked off your list? Enjoy
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. ~Leo Buscaglia
1. SMILE – it’s the fastest and easiest way to brighten your day!
2. Eat a tasteful breakfast (can’t go wrong with a Toaster Strudel J )
3. Give and receive a meaningful hug
4. Take time to notice some of life’s simple beauties.
5. Say hello to a stranger – that could be the highlight of their day.
6. Do something that makes YOU happy.
7. Take a bubble bath (don’t forget your rubber ducky!)
8. Make time to catch up with an old friend.
9. HAVE dessert, indulge your taste buds.
10. Dance like nobody is watching.
11. Take responsibility for your actions.
12. Color outside the lines.
13. Follow your gut- trust your instincts.
14. Do a random act of kindness
15. Smell some flowers (unless you’re allergic then just look)
16. Wear mismatched socks
17. SING! It doesn’t matter if you’re good or bad! Signing releases endorphins which makes us feel better! SO SING!
18. Tell a joke.
19. LAUGH! It releases tension.
20. Take a power nap.
21. Compliment yourself, tell yourself you look good and then you’ll feel good!
22. Read a book.
23. Paint a picture.
24. Spend time with your pet.
25. Have a picnic.
26. Use your imagination.
27. Build a fort in your living room.
28. Gossip a bit.
29. Call your parents – they probably miss you.
30. Go to the zoo.
31. Set a new achievable goal – with a time frame to complete it!
32. Watch the clouds – make shapes!
33. Kiss your sweet heart ❤ Don’t have one? Kiss somebody who looks like one (;
34. Roast marshmallows over the kitchen stove.
35. Pull a prank.
36. Play a board game.
37. Go swimming.
38. Gaze at the stars – look for the Milky Way, and the big dipper!
39. Jump in a puddle.
40. Blow some kisses.
41. Give out a random compliment
42. Work out (walking to the nearest gas station to purchase a candy bar counts!)
43. Snuggle.
44. Watch the sunrise or set.
45. Get a massage- rid your body of built up tension!
46. Play footsie.
47. Fly a kite.
48. Blow bubbles.
49. Sleep-in!
50. SMILE! SMILE! SMILE!
51. Make a new friend.
52. Start a journal – or write in a previously started one.
53. Take a risk.
54. Think of all the things you love about your life.
55. Recycle.
56. Attempt to make peace with an enemy.
57. Make a promise you intend to keep.
58. Set a present on your garbage can, for the garbage man. (he’ll feel more appreciated than you can imagine)
59. Play Dress up.
60. Write a letter, seal it with a kiss.
61. Walk around barefoot.
62. Make time for yourself. YOU TIME.
63. Step out of your comfort zone.
64. Be flirtatious.
65. Don’t worry about the past. HANUKA MATATA!
66. Watch your favorite movie.
67. Go to your favorite restaurant for dinner.
68. Play your music loud!
69. <<- Spice up your love life (;
70. No love life? Utilize the power of your hand and the internet (;
71. Bake cookies, brownies, a pie, a cake! (Oh you can’t bake? Just go to the nearest bakery! )
72. Hold hands.
73. Have a glass of wine.
74. Start working on your six pack…of ice cold BEER!
75. Drink a smoothie.
76. Parade around your house in your best suit- your BIRTHDAY ONE!
77. Reminisce- look through childhood photos.
78. Go to the beach.
79. Make funny faces in the mirror.
80. Get your hair done differently.
82. Take a picture- to capture a moment in time.
83. Read a motivational quote.
84. Spend time with your kids.
85. Tell somebody something you have wanted to tell them. It’ll feel good to get it off your chest.
86. Eat fresh fruits and veggies.
87. Sing a jingle while you brush your teeth. (floss too)
88. Get your nails done.
89. RELAX.
90. Go for a walk.
91. Renew a friendship that has lost touch (thank you facebook)
92. Give somebody you a love a gift, for no reason.
93. Wear audacious underwear. Nobody has to know. Unless you want them to. (;
94. Stop and listen to a street musician- give them your spare change.
95. Catch a firefly.
96. Get busy! Don’t wait for things to happen. MAKE things happen.
97. Be enthusiastic, it’s contagious.
98. Tell somebody you love them and mean it.
99. Have positive thoughts at night before you sleep.
100. SMILE- putting on your happy face has benefits for both you and the people around you.
At the end of a long week, what do you do to make today a better day?
If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. ~Mary Engelbreit
For those of you who have quiet moments, what do you think about? When you have had the absolutely worst day, week or life you could ever imagine what do you focus on? Where you are? How you got there? Where you wish you were? How bad your life is? How or when will things change for the better? How many mistakes you made and how impossible it will be to get out of whatever it is you got yourself into?
It’s so easy to get into a situation and only focus on the bad or about the worst that might come and then to also couple those thoughts with all of your self-doubt and self-perceived weaknesses and how life is never going to change. It’s called a rut and sometimes the only way to get out of it is to change your location/position or shift the way you are thinking or as I like to call it reversal of thought.
I remember a time long ago when I was struggling with something. I don’t even remember now what it was. I just remember being distraught. I was in great emotional distress and pain. My oldest daughter was very young and I had what I remember to be the weight of the world on my shoulders. One night I called up my older sister and was explaining in details the dramas and traumas of my life. I now know in retrospect that it could not have been that bad because the only thing now I remember about the conversation is that it had been going on for over an hour and then in the end it went something like this:
Me: It’s terrible. I just don’t know what to do. Every night after I put Miranda down to sleep I start a very, very hot bath, I get into the tub and in less than a few minutes I am crying.
Sister: That is terrible. Do you know what I think you should do? Stop taking hot baths.
I know that some might think this a very unsupportive remark, cruel even but the truth is I started laughing. It was exactly the remark I needed to really start thinking about my situation in a different light and it helped me realize that maybe my problem wasn’t that big. That’s where my personal reversal of thinking started for that particular situation.
Different situation. It was brought to my attention by my younger sister that I was, let’s say, living several levels below the poverty line. I really didn’t realize it at the time until one day I get a call from said sister asking me tons of questions like, “How can you possibly be living how you are living with so little?” Well, I never thought much about it at the time as I chose not to think of myself as living in poverty. I chose other words to describe myself like: “minimalist” “gone green””less is more”. Get it, reversal.
One last example about me. After 20 years of minimalism I land a job that .. .. .. paid. This job required me to move to my current location (Venezuela – if you haven’t read any of my last posts or saw my countdown timer on my main page.. I can update you later). I was super excited and started buying all of the things that I didn’t realize people with more means than I already had .. a vacuum cleaner, a blender, professional work clothes, dishes.. etc. All of these new belongings were placed in a container and shipped to Venezuela. Well, 4 months after arriving in Venezuela (remember I’m only here 2 years) the day arrived and I was giddy with excitement. I thought to myself, “This will be like Christmas. I spent so much money.” I get home to receive my container and this is what awaits me.
My worldly goods
Apparently, and no one knows how it happened, everything I owned had been sitting under sea water for about 3.5 months. Everything was pretty much destroyed. Obviously I was a bit upset, but not as much as one would imagine, but still upset. So I call my dad and the conversation goes something like this:
Me: Yeah dad, it’s terrible. EVERYTHING I owned was in that container and it was all destroyed.
Dad: Well, why did you spend so much money to get all that stuff?
Me: Because I didn’t have ANYTHING dad.
Dad: Well, you don’t have anything now either do ya?
I know that some might think this a very unsupportive remark, cruel even but the truth is I started laughing. (Are you seeing a pattern? I have a very demented sense of humor).
When I taught English in Korea one of my favorite assignments was about how changing the way you say something or think of something could change everything. I called it “The reversal” I used this video in my class and sometimes go back to it to remind myself how easy it can be to simply reverse your way of thinking to re-motivate yourself and change your own life and possibly the lives of others. Enjoy
rfljenksy - Practicing Simplicity 