Affirmwear For Your Life

Lighthearted Happiness

Are you yearning for a greater sense of happiness in your life but feel weighed down by problems? If so, try adopting an attitude of lightheartedness and watch how quickly it can inject an element of fun and whimsy into your life.

Here are three simple ways to do it:

1) Play.

Most of us tend to take life so seriously. Sure, life can definitely be serious at times, and there are certainly things that we should take seriously - but we also dont need to be so serious ALL the time! Instead, try your best to have more fun as often as you can. Either spend time doing things you enjoy, or simply make your regular activities more fun. Not sure that your regular activities can be fun? Nearly any task or chore can be lightened up a bit - even mundane chores around the house. Take, for example, house work or yard work. Who says you have to grudgingly perform those tasks? Why not put on some funky music and dance around while you do them? Why not listen to a stand-up comedy routine on CD and laugh while you do them? All it takes is a shift in perspective to make something fun and lighthearted.

2) Get inspired.

If youre used to directing most of your focus toward lack or negativity, it can be helpful to start lifting your perspective to a higher place. One way to do that is to purposely concentrate on things that inspire you. You can read uplifting books or watch inspirational movies; or even buy a book of motivational quotes and read a few each day. You can also choose to be inspired by the things you see in your daily travels. For example, rather than rushing distractedly to and from appointments, take a few minutes to pause and gaze around. Notice how the sunshine plays on the trees and flowers, making them glow with beauty. Rather than getting annoyed at your children when they play with their dinner, marvel at their creativity and sense of humor. Take a walk during your lunch hour and breathe deeply of the fresh air, smile at strangers and make an effort to remember what a miracle life is. No matter how you do it, let your heart and mind soar to a place of joy and inspiration, and youll automatically feel more lighthearted, and happy!

3) Unload your worries.

Its difficult to feel lighthearted and happy when youre besieged by stress and worry. Rather than carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders (or in your heart), write your problems and worries on a sheet of paper and place it in a box or drawer. Affirm that for the next few hours, youre not going to think about those things. Then shift your attention to things that make you feel better, like spending time with loved ones or engaging in favorite hobbies. When worrisome thoughts pop back into your mind, firmly set them aside again and remind yourself that youre not going to focus on them right now. It may sound overly simple but it really works! With enough practice you eventually reach a point of knowing that worrying and obsessing isnt helping matters, so you decide not to do it for awhile - and you instantly feel more lighthearted and happy.

When it comes right down to it, feeling happy is a choice you make from moment to moment. Happiness wont make all of your challenges vanish, but choosing to focus more on the lighter side of life can definitely make you feel better and who knows, it might even give you the mental and emotional distance you need to come up with creative solutions that you would have missed if youd been too busy worrying!

Happiness in Giving

There are many ways to create a greater sense of happiness in your life, but one of the simplest and most powerful is by giving to others. Why does giving to others make you feel happier?

- You minimize your own troubles.

Focusing on what you can do for people in need is a great way to put your own problems into perspective. By nature we tend to magnify our own problems and think theyre much worse than they really are but encountering someone who is experiencing even greater challenges sure changes that outlook quickly! Its not that your own problems vanish just because you see someone whos worse off than you are, but rather you gain a bit more perspective and realize that your struggles could be much worse than they are.

- You focus more on abundance.

When you give to others, you automatically switch your focus from lack to abundance even if youre not giving financially! Focusing more on your problems and difficulties cant help but result in a keen awareness of lack, but by giving of yourself to those in need you are essentially affirming that you have more than enough which will translate into all areas of your life as a focus on abundance.

- Blessing others just feels good!

It doesnt matter if youre making a financial donation or sharing your time or other resources it just feels good to help others. That feeling also grows when you make giving a regular habit, regardless of the size of the contributions. The more you do for others, the better youll feel about yourself. If you want to enhance that good feeling even further, give anonymously. Youll be blessing others without expecting to receive anything in return; and instead allow giving to be its own reward which makes the reward that much sweeter!

You may feel that you dont have anything to give to others right now and this is especially true if youre experiencing serious financial troubles or other lack. However, giving in ANY way can immediately make you feel happier and more abundant!

Become a mentor for children or young adults. Do you have specialized skills or training? Donate your expertise to a non-profit organization for a few hours a week. Are you good at making others laugh and feel good? Volunteer at a hospital or elderly care facility. There are endless ways to reach out to others, and only a few of them involve money.

If you truly have nothing else to give, become a goodwill ambassador and make it your mission to go around spreading kind words and support to the people you meet each day. When you notice that a public servant is having a bad day, say something to make them smile. Compliment your co-workers. Express your appreciation to a police officer, firefighter or soldier. Tip your waiter, hair stylist and cab driver generously, or leave a handwritten note thanking them for the excellent service.

These are all such small gestures but they have a huge impact, both on the one who receives and the one who gives.

There are many ways to make Christmas merry and memorable! Unfortunately, sometimes it’s difficult nowadays to feel the joy through the cluttered maze that has become of Christmas. Through the years, Christmas has strayed too far from its original purpose and become a highly commercialized event.

When it comes to the holiday season, more people are concerned with buying the “perfect” gift for others and anticipating what they will receive, rather than focusing on the true spirit of the holiday.

It’s time to get back to the basics when it comes to the season of gift giving, love, sharing, and caring. This year, you can make your Christmas a joyous and stress-free holiday by following these 3 easy tips:

1. Give of Yourself. If you enjoy providing gifts to others, that’s a nice gesture. However, you should avoid dwelling on it too much. No matter what you can or cannot afford, there’s always one gift that you can give to others: the gift of your time.

·Christmas is only as commercialized as you allow it to be. Although it costs nothing, your time is the most precious gift of all.

There are many ways that you can give of yourself to others this holiday season:

·Be a friend who listens
·Spend time with a loved one
·Help someone with their household chores
·Babysit for a mother or father who really needs a break
·Let others know that you are available anytime they may need your help

2. Use Your Talents. No matter how nice that watch appears to look in the jewelry case, the homemade pen holder or the homemade blanket that you create for your friend, neighbor, coworker, or family member will be much more appreciated than anything you can buy in a store.

·Ultimately, handmade gifts are priceless, whereas the store bought gift will lose value over time.

Sure, store bought gifts are nice, but people will value your handmade gifts more due to one reason: you put your time, efforts, and love into creating those gifts. When the receiver thinks about your hard work and dedication in creating the gift, it will become more and more cherished.

Here are some ideas of homemade gifts you can make:

·Fresh-baked cookies, pies or jams
·Hand sewn quilts or crocheted scarves
·Framed photo collage
·Personalized scrapbooks
·Custom made jewelry

3. Cherish Your Time Together. In the end, we can’t take back time. Our time is lost in so many ways on a daily basis – especially around the holidays.

·It’s time to place our priorities on our family and friends rather than on the shopping and holiday preparations.

·Why fight the crowds on Black Friday when you could be enjoying your kids’ day off from school together? Wouldn’t you rather create some warm, happy memories?

·If you and your spouse don’t enjoy spending your day standing in long lines at crowded stores, then change it!

·Spending the night baking alone when your elderly mother is in town is such a waste. Plan your baking so you can enjoy each other’s company while things are in the oven.

If you want to make your holiday truly merry, remember to spend the time that you have with your loved ones enjoying each other. Make joyous memories instead of a frenzy of worrying, shopping, cooking, buying gifts and over-stressing.

If you follow the steps listed here, you’re sure to have a merry, memorable Christmas this year and every year!