Masterful Mindsets

“Happiness is a habit. Cultivate it.” ~ Elbert Hubbard

Last week I shared with you that happiness is a choice and I challenged you to be the sunshine for yourself and others. This week I want to share a few simple ideas with you on how to cultivate more happiness in your life on a regular basis so you can in fact choose happiness and be the sunshine! Let’s go…

Guard Your Energy – Being around negative people who are unhappy with their current circumstances and unwilling to empower themselves with hope and hard work to create a better future, can be a real energy suck and emotional drain. Guarding yourself from that negative energy will help you keep your soul fire burning. Ever heard someone called a “wet blanket” it’s a term used to describe someone who spoils other people’s fun. So, you can see how they’d easily put out your fire. And how can you be the light that shines for others if you’re around people who are always putting out your fire?

Generate Joy – Just as negative en...

“When you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine.”

A dear friend of mine recently posted a picture of her home with bright rays of sunshine beaming down. Her caption read,

“In these hard times, don’t forget to shine your light friends.” 

It reminded me of a post I did years ago, which still rings true today. So, I thought I’d pull one from the archives and share it with you this week. Enjoy… and most importantly, be the sunshine!  

Read On: 

Life isn’t always full of sunshine, there are cloudy gloomy days. We all have heartbreaks and sorrows in our lives at times. We all have struggles. Maybe you or someone you know is struggling right now. But know this, happiness is a choice. If you are finding that there hasn’t been a lot of sunshine in your life recently or maybe you know someone that has been struggling and hasn’t had a lot of sunshine in their life lately, then this week’s challenge is for you. 

My challenge to you this week is simple… just be the sunshine! Make happi...

“Through discipline comes freedom.”  ~ Aristotle

Summertime is the perfect time for taking vacations. And having free time is important to your overall well-being and happiness. I take a lot of time off in the summer with my family. But the one thing I know is that if I’m not disciplined enough to get my work done, it’s not only hard to get away but also hard to enjoy my time off, knowing that I have pressing projects or to-do’s hanging over my head. Not to mention the fact that if I don’t have discipline in getting things done, I will never achieve or be successful with anything. As Jim Rohn says, “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”

That’s why this week’s quote, although so simple, is so very profound. It has been a complete game changer for me. Although, I will admit that when I first heard the concept that discipline equals freedom, I had a twinge of dislike because the stigma of the word discipline caught my attention first. Discipline in general tend...

“Begin each day with a little courage, a little curiosity and a little spring in your step.”  ~ Doe Zantamata

What excites you and gives you a little spring in your step? Are you doing these things regularly? If not, then what are you waiting for?

It’s so easy to go through life on auto pilot. Following a mundane routine, day in and day out. But what if you had the opportunity to make life a little more exciting? What would make you happy and put a little spring in your step today or this week?

If you find yourself living by the “When-Then Principle” as I like to call it, then I want to invite you to reevaluate what’s really important to you and make a plan to change the way you are living.

So, you ask… what is the “When-Then Principle”? Well, it’s that rule of life that you follow when you find yourself always saying, “When I __________ then I’ll __________” You can fill in the blanks any way you like. When I make more money then I’ll be happy. When I finish this project then ...

“Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create.” ~Jana Kingsford

I had an opportunity recently to sit in on a group coaching call that one of my colleagues was hosting. He was teaching a segment on the concept of balance. Which happens to be a subject I love discussing because I’ve discovered in my years of coaching that most people struggle with balance more than they realize and it is often because they don’t understand it for themselves. Balance is so needed in our busy lives and yet so misunderstood.

It was interesting to hear his take on the concept. As he talked about defining balance and customizing our routines to fit, I couldn’t have agreed more!

If you’ve ever heard me speak on the topic of creating your ideal life, you know I think words like balance, success and even happiness must be defined by each of us for ourselves. When you base them on someone else’s ideals, you usually end up feeling discontent. Yes, you can have it all, but you must know what...

"I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for - perfection is God's business."   ~ Michael J. Fox

I have a confession to make… (although if you've been in my community for any length of time, you probably already know this about me) I am a recovering perfectionist. Yep, I have been trapped in the claws of perfectionism a lot throughout my lifetime. I don’t really remember exactly when or how it started. But I certainly can remember many occasions when it held me back from peace, happiness, and even success in my life.

So, it’s not only easy for me to spot a fellow perfectionist, but when I do meet someone who is suffering with this debilitating issue, it breaks my heart. Because I know all too well the pain that perfectionism can cause.

What about you? Do you suffer from perfectionism? Is being a perfectionist keeping you from fulfilling your true potential and living your best life? If your answer is even a tiny bit of a yes, then I have g...

“It’s your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.” ~ Rumi

Have you ever found yourself enviously comparing yourself to others or wishing you had someone else’s life instead of focusing on your own life’s path? When you try to follow someone else’s path, it can be uncomfortable and frustrating. Why? Because you are your own person. Every experience you have is uniquely yours because you are unique. Sure, you can model after how others do things, you certainly don’t have to reinvent the wheel but trying to fit a square peg in a round hole will surely only end in disappointment for you. True happiness comes when you free yourself to be yourself. And you find your true power when you start taking actions to move yourself along your own path.

So, do what fits you… do things your way, with your own twist. March to the beat of your own drum, listen to the rhythm of your own heart and know what you desire most - then start walking your road to...

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” ~Maya Angelou

By now most schools are back in session and autumn is starting to whisper, “I’m on my way…” So as the smell of sunscreen is being overtaken by the scent of pumpkin spice, so too are our carefree feelings being overtaken by a sense of overwhelming tension.

This year being an election year there is a special weight coming with the changing of the seasons. I don’t think I need to tell you that the weight of all the “heaviness” our world and nation has faced over the last nearly 10 years, it can be a lot for many people to manage on their own.  

Combine all these emotions with the usual feelings that most people face as the last quarter of the year comes tumbling in and it’s no surprise that so many people are feeling a crushing sense of exhaustion, hopelessness, and negativity. I mean, aren’t we supposed to be starting new and fres...

“Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.”  ~John C. Maxwell

Have you seen those quick quizzes on social media? (If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen them on my story periodically.) They list a bunch of things and then ask you if you’d choose this or that. It’s usually something fun and cute like “Coffee or Tea”, “Mountains or Beach” – but what if there was a this or that quiz that required you to dig a little deeper for the answers?

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been asking you to choose between Courage or Comfort, Hope or Fear, and Stuck or Striving. How’s that for a this or that quiz? When you really think about the choices you are making in your life, do you like what you are choosing? I get it, it’s not as fun as choosing “Cake or Pie” but its choices like these that can truly transform your life.

So, let me ask you, what choices have you been making lately that are dictating the outcomes of your life? And maybe more importantly, are ...

“The secret of happiness is freedom... The secret of freedom is courage.” - Thucydides

Independence Day is one of the greatest American holidays, both for what we celebrate and how we celebrate it. I mean, who doesn't love a good barbecue, a festive parade and spectacular fireworks? But as our whole world knows, freedom is not something to be taken for granted. A few years ago COVID quickly taught us that lesson. And yet, I still encounter people who readily give their freedom away by being trapped within the walls of their own beliefs and fears.

What about you? Are you trapped by your own fears and limiting beliefs, or do you feel truly free to live your best life? I know one thing; our forefathers certainly didn't fight for our freedom so that we could be imprisoned by our own limitations. So do you have the courage to set yourself free?

Take some time this week and into the coming holiday weekend to reflect on why we celebrate. There are some in this world who only wish they ...