My friend Lauren just forwarded me an email titled "A Great Recipe for the New Year" (a little late, Lau!). Basically, it's a list of actions you can take to bring more positivity to your life so I thought I'd share it on Positively Present.
- Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. Smile while you're walking.
- Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes every day.
- Complete the following statements every morning: "Today my purpose is ___________" and "Today I am grateful for ___________"
- Eat more food that grow on (and are not manufactured in) plants.
- Drink green tea and plenty of water.
- Try to make at least 3 people smile every day.
- Don't waste your energy on gossip or negative thoughts.
- Invest your energy in the positive, present moment.
- Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a college kid with a maxed-out credit card.
- Remember: life isn't fair, but it's still good.
- Don't waste time hating other people.
- Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
- Agree to disagree. You don't have to win every argument.
- Don't compare your life to others' lives.
- Make peace with your past so it won't spoil your present.
- Know that no one is in charge of your happiness except YOU.
- Ask yourself in the face of so-called disaster, "Will this matter in 5 years?"
- Forgive everyone for everything.
- Remind yourself that other people's thoughts are not your business.
- Understand that time does really heal all wounds.
- Stay in touch with your friends.
- Don't waste time on envy. You already have what you need.
- Complete the following statements every night: "I am thankful for ________" and "Today I accomplished _______"
- Avoid stress. It's a waste of your time.
- List all of the positive things in your life when you're feeling down.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the forwarded emails, but when I read the words "positive" and "present" side-by-side, I just knew I had to share this list. There is a lot of value in these statements and I wonder what the world would be like if we taught these to children in school. Though I'm aware of these concepts now, I don't know how conscious I was of them when I was younger. I wonder if my life would have been different if I'd embraced these 25 ideas... Well, no time like the present to get started!
This truly is a great recipe for a happier life. Thank you for sharing it here on your blog : )
Karen Chaffee
Posted by: Karen | April 09, 2009 at 12:15 PM
I love this list and actually do need to work on 3 & 4, not bad out of 25. Oh I run not walk for no. 1!
By the way my lisence plate says, Happyy. One y was taken!
Posted by: Tess The Bold Life | April 09, 2009 at 05:03 PM
fantastic list! i think something that is nice about measuring against good lists like this is that we get to do two things: see what we can improve on, and feel good about what we feel we do well.
in my case, i could work on a few of them, and do a better job of remembering some others. but overall i feel like that list is where i try to be.
and i'll even toss out an added thought for No. 11 ("don't waste time hating other people").... i try to avoid using the word "hate" at all, just because i think the negative vibe it carries makes me feel off. i try to use less harsh variations, such as "dislike." to me, anyway, it feels less heavy, less judgmental.
Posted by: adam | iHappy.me | April 09, 2009 at 06:40 PM
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. Smile while you're walking.
I WALK EVERY DAY BUT I NEVER SMILE, I MOPE THAT THE DOG HAS TO HURRY UP AND POOP ALREADY. THANKS FOR THE REMINDER. WHERE I LIVE, THERE IS PLENTY TO SMILE DURING THE WALK. YOU JUST FORGET, DON'T YOU?
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes every day.
OH BOY, THIS STRESSES ME OUT, DO I NEED TO SET THE ALARM EVEN EARLIER? WHERE ELSE WILL I FIND 10 MORE MINUTES?
3. Complete the following statements every morning: "Today my purpose is ___________" and "Today I am grateful for ___________"
I TRY TO DO THE GRATITUDE APP ON MY IPHONE, DOES THAT COUNT?
4. Eat more food that grow on (and are not manufactured in) plants.
FINALLY, THAT I DO! SCORE.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water.
ANOTHER POINT. WELL, HALF POINT FOR THE GREEN TEA, IT'S TOO COLD FOR THE WATER DRINKING, STILL.
6. Try to make at least 3 people smile every day.
YES, I AM REALLY GOOD AT THAT. ASK MY FRIENDS.
7. Don't waste your energy on gossip or negative thoughts.
WORKING ON THAT ONE. REALLY WORKING ON THAT ONE. I AM WEARING THE COMPLAINT FREE WORLD BRACELET.
8. Invest your energy in the positive, present moment.
GOT A MILLION BOOKS ON THIS, BUT PUTTING INTO PRACTICE ISN'T AS EASY. THANKS FOR THE REMINDER. IT'S A NECESSARY INGREDIENT FOR THE HAPPINESS RECIPE!
9. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a college kid with a maxed-out credit card.
YOU MEAN TO TELL ME MACDONALDS FOR DINER EVERY NIGHT? YIPPEE!
PERSONALLY, I GO WITH 5 SMALL MODEST MEALS A DAY, WORKS BETTER FOR ME. IF I DO THE KINGSIZE BREAKFAST, I'LL BE OUT OF CONTROL ALL DAY.
10. Remember: life isn't fair, but it's still good.
LEARNED THAT LESSON ALRIGHT. AND IT'S TRUE: LIFE STILL IS ALL GOOD.
11. Don't waste time hating other people.
IT'S CONSIDERED A BAD WORD AT OUR HOUSE.
12. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
NEED TO STICK THAT ONE ON MY FRIDGE.
13. Agree to disagree. You don't have to win every argument.
CAN YOU CALL MY HUSBAND AND TELL HIM :-) ALSO, MY STEPSON COULD USE A REMINDER.
14. Don't compare your life to others' lives.
OUCH.
15. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil your present.
MY THERAPIST WOULD BE OUT OF BUSINESS.
16. Know that no one is in charge of your happiness except YOU.
SO TRUE ISN'T IT? I USED TO SAY "YOU MAKE ME MAD" UNTIL MY HUSBAND POINTED OUT THAT NOBODY CAN MAKE YOU FEEL ANYTHING.
17. Ask yourself in the face of so-called disaster, "Will this matter in 5 years?"
OR MY PERSONAL FAVORITE IN TIMES LIKE THAT: "WHAT'S THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN NOW?" AND EVEN THE WORST WORST WORST CASE SCENARIO STILL ISN'T THE END OF THE WORLD.
18. Forgive everyone for everything.
EVEN FORMER PRESIDENT BUSH? GIVE ME A LITTLE LONGER...
19. Remind yourself that other people's thoughts are not your business.
HMMM... I DO TEND TO THINK FOR OTHERS. LIKE "SHE PROBABLY THINKS I'M NOT A GOOD MOM" WHEN I PICK MY DAUGHTER UP TOO LATE FROM BALLET :-)
20. Understand that time does really heal all wounds.
IT REALLY DOES, TAKE IT FROM ME.
21. Stay in touch with your friends.
KEY INGREDIENT.
22. Don't waste time on envy. You already have what you need.
PRETTY SIMILAR TO 14 AND AGAIN... OUCH. "NEED" IS NOT THE ISSUE, IT'S THE "WANTING"... I WANT ANOTHER BABY AND IT IS REALLLLLY HARD NOT TO BE ENVIOUS OF MY FRIENDS WHO ARE POPPING OUT ON AFTER THE OTHER. BUT TRUE, NONETHELESS. WORKING ON IT.
23. Complete the following statements every night: "I am thankful for ________" and "Today I accomplished _______"
TODAY I ACCOMPLISHED THIS RECIPE FOR A NEW YEAR.
24. Avoid stress. It's a waste of your time.
IF I AM GRATEFUL FOR ONE THING IN MY LIFE, IT IS MOVING FROM A SUPER STRESSED EXISTENCE IN THE CITY WITH A 60+ HOUR WORKWEEK TO THE SIMPLE LIFE OF A HOME MAKER ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD.
25. List all of the positive things in your life when you're feeling down.
YEAH, I DO THIS TRICK. IT HELPS. ANOTHER ONE IS: STAND UP STRAIGHT, LOOK UP TO THE SKY, STRETCH OUT YOUR ARMS AND MAKE A BIG SMILE ON YOUR FACE. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FEEL DOWN IN THIS POSTURE!
that was fun! thanks for sharing!
Posted by: jessica | April 09, 2009 at 08:24 PM
I love #16 'Know that no one is in charge of your happiness except YOU.' So true.
Thank you,
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Posted by: Giovanna Garcia | April 10, 2009 at 03:48 AM
Wonderful list. Thanks for sharing. I love to go for walks, but why do I always forget to do it? Most of us spend way too much time indoors. I'm trying to change that this year.
Posted by: Christopher Laney | April 10, 2009 at 07:03 AM
Tess - That's an awesome license plate! :) I bet you make people smile when they see it.
Adam - I'm glad you liked the list. It was pretty impressive, considering it came from a forwarded email. I really like your idea about avoiding the word "hate." It's such a negative, strong word and there really isn't a need for it. Great suggestion!
Jessica - I LOVE what you posted. It was fun for me to read it! I wrote out the list but, sadly, didn't give as much thought to it as I could have. What is a gratitude app? I don't have an iPhone, but I want one and I'm so curious about this app...sounds very interesting! Also, I really liked what you added about asking yourself, "What's the worst that could happen?" Really, when you think about things this way, you realize that the worst isn't often all that big of a deal. Thanks so much for your comments! They were inspiring!
Giovanna - Being in charge of your own happiness is KEY. It's hard to remember though, when we live in a world that is constantly telling us that love or other people or money or things will make us happy. Never forget that YOU make you happy. :)
Christopher - I love walks too, but I have a hard time going on them because they don't feel productive enough for me. I need to let go of the idea that everything needs to be productive and just be in the moment.
Posted by: positively present | April 10, 2009 at 09:14 AM
Karen - Thanks for stopping by. I thought it was a pretty awesome recipe so I had to post it on the blog and share it. I'm glad you thought it was great too!
Posted by: positively present | April 10, 2009 at 09:16 AM
Great Post. Especially love #5 as Organic Green Tea has made a huge difference in my life. I love it and I also drink tons of pure water.
Posted by: Raphael Araujo | April 12, 2009 at 11:25 PM
Rafael - Green tea is definitely great. I just started drinking it pretty recently and I have to say that it really has a lot of benefits. Thanks for stopping by PP!
Posted by: positively present | April 13, 2009 at 09:14 AM