How to Get to Happy

True Joy

By Valorie Burton

Valorie Burton encourages you to discover what lifts your spirit so you can create happiness every day. Find your own motivations for free at happywomantest.com, which lists 13 triggers Burton explores in her book Happy Women Live Better. Here she outlines a few of the big ones:

Anticipation: Every day I make sure I have something to look forward to. Whether having dinner with a friend or curling up with a good novel, we need to be intentional about creating activities we enjoy. This one habit can instantly boost your happiness.

Service: Do at least one thing daily to brighten someone else's day. This requires you to take the focus off yourself and put the spotlight on another. Whether you volunteer for a nonprofit or stop by to visit that friend who's going through a tough time, help somebody.

Financial savvy: It won't happen overnight, but aim to live on 75 percent (or less) of your income. People who live below their means are happier. And buy experiences instead of things—a vacation, a class to learn something new; it will make you happier than another pair of shoes.

Gratitude: At the end of the day, ask, "What were the three best things about today?" Write them down. Studies show that doing so for just three weeks will improve your mood and strengthen your immune system.

Play: Guys are great at playing basketball, golf and video games. We women need to give ourselves permission to play and be silly. Go outside for a game of catch with the kids or have friends over for a night of charades. Play increases creativity and reduces stress.

Relaxation: This trigger tends to be least used by women who have taken my happiness test. Let go of guilt, stop worrying, and give yourself permission to take a catnap, a break, a vacation! Doing nothing rejuvenates the soul.

Movement: Exercise is a happiness trigger. Just 20 minutes of cardio per day can lift your mood for up to 24 hours, according to research. Make it fun. Take a class, go for a walk with your honey, or turn on your favorite music and dance in the living room.

***Originally published at www.essence.com

Holding On To Me: Life, Work, Family, Balance - 5 Tips

A few months ago, I drove to San Diego, CA on a Wednesday morning for my Global Leadership Program quarterly weekend meeting with Lisa Nichols and drove back home to Pasadena, CA on Sunday.   I spent two quality time days on the deck with my son creating memories. Then on Wednesday morning I flew to Dallas, Texas for a five-day business networking conference.

Do you feel like holding on to yourself as you juggle work, profession, life, family is getting harder?  Do you find yourself some days just whispering, “I wish I could just have a little time for myself?”

First, I honor and acknowledge each of you. Whether you’re a entrepreneur, wife, mompreneur, CEO… you rock! I honor the powerful choice that you’ve made.  I recognize that it is what fuels, inspires, and fulfills you.

How is it going for you?  Do you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach when you know you’ll miss the family gathering, parent conference or a planned event with your spouse/partner or a birthday because of work?  How do you quell the voices in your head and the chatter of self-doubt and selfishness?

Let me offer 5 tips that can soothe and honor the all aspects of you.

·       Understand your worth & significance:  At the core of all you do is your feminine energy.  This energy nourishes, creates, sustains, and ultimately is the fuel for everything you do.  When you honor you, you honor and replenish all the aspects of you. Your desires, dreams, and goals matter and are a significant part of your worth and value.  Know your worth is innate and nothing changes the value of what you bring to the table.

·         Expectations: Mine or Yours:  Too often we hear the voice of our mothers, friends and siblings whispering in our ears and allow that to determine what we do.  Whether it’s when you clean your house, how you parent your children, how many hours your work, take the time to get laser clarity on what your expectations are for yourself.

·         Create a “Me” Ritual:  What nourishes your soul and spirit?  Commit to your “me” ritual a minimum of once a week or at least twice a month.  Take a bubble bath. Walk through a museum.  Turn the music up loud and sing off key.  Read a chapter in your favorite novel.  Claim it as your ritual, put it on your schedule and then let others know.

·         Daily Spiritual Practice: Tapping Within: The energy you need to sustain your efforts and your spirit is something Bigger than yourself.  Tap into this daily just like plugging a light cord into a socket, plug into your Source, however you define it.  Meditate, pray, inspirational reading or music are just a few options but make it “your” go to practice.  Lastly,

·         Stay Connected:  Other like-minded heart centered women offer you support, resources, validation and laughter.  Making connections is the equivalent of a lifeline to sustain your success and goals. Networking, women’s groups, Meet Ups all prevent you from feeling alone as you achieve your goals.  Commit to twice a month staying connected as part of how you hold on to “you” in the midst of living your life.

In the end, holding on to you requires setting priorities, boundaries and recognizing your value demonstrated by making time to refuel and replenish. When we define our success as wholistic, we understand that we must honor all aspects of ourselves: finance, relationships, spiritual and health as necessary to hold on to ourselves.

Author: Jenenne Macklin, Wholistic Wealth Guide

Women who have woke up in the middle of their life wanting more: meaning & money, solutions & success, health & happy find clarity, courage and confidence in coaching with Jenenne.  Audiences are inspired to take the action to move beyond stuck to stand in their power, be fiscally responsible, and live a wholistic life. Whether its making a money mindset shift, creating success, getting happy first, Jenenne empowers women with tools and techniques and unique strategies to achieve their goals and stay accountable to their dreams. As a catalyst for transformation she empowers people to live their life out loud unapologetically and authentically. Visit her at www.jenennemacklin.com

What's in a Name

I am amazed at the number of people I come across who are unaware of the meaning of their names!  Why would you not want to know what people are calling you every day?  I mean sure, you’ve heard it all of your life, but like any other word that has ever been sent or received, your name is spoken with purpose.  There is so much substance that can be discovered about who you are and what you’ve come here to do, just by knowing your name. 

This afternoon I was at the supermarket, and I started to go to the self -checkout lanes where no one was, but for me that isn’t always such an exciting or advantageous thing.  That’s because I enjoy connecting with people and experiencing their presence, no matter where I am or what I’m doing.  Miracles happen in the moments, and I was led to reroute my direction into the nearest check lane with a live person.  The woman working the register barely looked up to greet me, but I noticed her.  Her aloofness was attractive; people with closed doors inspire me to inquire within, they get me curious. 

My eyes were suddenly drawn to her name tag.  I smiled at our commonality, and said, “That’s my middle name, Nicole.”  She responded, “Yeah, it’s common.”  I proceeded to ask her if she knew what it meant, and that it meant “Victory.”  Suddenly she perked up a bit, seeming a little more interested in what for her was just another mundane moment on the job.  I went on to explain that someone once further edified me that it specifically meant “Victory for the People.”  She said she knew it meant “something” about “the people,” but not the “Victory” part.  I could tell right there that the smiles we wore mirrored a sense of pride.  As I gathered my bags, her demeanor was changed, and as I prepared to continue my day’s journey, she said, “Ok, have a good night and thanks for telling me that!”  Smiling still. 

It’s so exhilarating for me as a Restorative Life Coach to witness people shift into their higher selves.  In that brief but poignant interaction, an exchange was made in our words spoken, and I’m sure that conversation served a purpose.  I marveled at the possibilities catalyzed in the exchange.  Could her knowing inspire her to think differently about herself and her circumstances like it did for me?  Could it have given her greater insight on how she’s being called to serve in the earth?  I mean sure, Nicole is a common name.  She’s right.  But when you think of it, victory is often won with an army, even if that army is of one, the victory comes with a strength beyond your own which some would identify as the Spirit of God.  So though Nicole is a name often heard, it’s power is far from mediocre. 

Coming to truly know my name gave my sense of purpose depth.  Once I found out its meaning, it resonated with me and helps to make sense and give confirmation of what I feel in my belly that I am being called to do.  Even if you have an uncommon name, you can feel out the meaning by trying to find its root, or make up your own meaning by creating an acrostic poem which is when you take the letters of a word and attach your own representation.

For example, it was hard for me to find the meaning of Jonae, but I did find that its root is “John” which means “one especially loved by God.”  …I’ll take it!  J  I also did an acrostic poem for “Jonae”:

J-  Joyful

O- Overcomer

N- Negating the impossible

A-     All together

E- Excellent!

See?  Even if you can’t find or don’t like the meaning of your name, you have the power to give it meaning! 

Don’t stop there!  This can be a really empowering and fun exercise.  Make it speak to your spirit and embody who you already know who you are at your core.  I invite you to journey into your last name as well.  This is where you may really discover some interesting things, like your ancestry.  I don’t know the ancestral roots of the “Potter’s,” but I know that God is beheld as “The Potter.”  So, for that I envisioned and embodied me being shaped and molded into a beautiful vessel by the God of my understanding.  Now when I researched “Gill,” a surname inherited from my father who’s Trinidadian, that’s where it got really interesting for me because I for a long time didn’t know my family from his side.  I found that the “Gill’s” were an ancient Indian Jaat Punjabi tribe of warriors in India, somewhere I’m longing to go for some reason I’ve yet to discover.  But knowing my name, I mean really knowing, has helped me to take back my power and walk with a stride of strength in knowing because I made myself aware on divine Purpose!

Still don’t buy it?  Well what is the purpose of a fish “gill?” The gills of a fish allow it to breath, or experience respiratory exchange, under water…that’s what I do!  My chief calling is to breathe into spirits under water in need of life giving oxygen exchange so that together we can work to catalyze the manifestation of your optimal potential! 

Remember, I am here to serve you with triumphant encouragement so that you too may experience “VICTORY” in your life!

Author: Jonae N. Potter-Gill is a Restorative Life Coach and prolific Inspirational Communicator.   In addition to her profession as a nurse, she works with individuals as a spiritual midwife, nurturing them through the process of giving birth to their personal healing and transformation using a holistic touch and approach.  She is passionate about helping women and communities as a whole become empowered and achieve overall wellness through vision, creativity, and love! You can visit her blog at www.victoriousexhortations.wordpress.com to experience more of her messages of inspiration and encouragement.

6 Things You Should Do at the Start of Each Day

The first few hours of your day can have a significant effect on your level of productivity- so maybe you won't be wearing sequins to breakfast, however it's crucial that your morning routine...sets you up for success.

ME-time.
It may be difficult for those of us with children or for whom getting up with more than 45 minutes to spare is a challenge. But starting your day with some quiet mind settling time to yourself can make a world of difference. Breathe! Slow down before you launch into any projects and make it a routine.

Arrive on time.
Whether you work from home or travel to an office. Arrive in a timely fashion which will help you feel more in control of your day.  Some items from your to-do list the previous day may be on the agenda for this morning yet each day is a fresh one, so why it wasn't accomplished doesn't matter, hit the ground running now.

Prioritize your day.
Now, ideally your first task during the "first hour" of the day is to assess priorities and to focus on what you absolutely need to accomplish. Set your task list before you check email so you don't get caught up in what other people want or need from you.  This one may be difficult but it's crucial for a successful day. Do not check your email first thing in the morning wait until you've gotten yourself focused. Once you dig into email prioritize those as well by responding to urgent emails first and then do the same with voice-mails and calls.

Acknowledge your team.
In other words be present, physically and mentally. If you're a boss with a staff or managing a team at work, you'll need to communicate effectively with them. So be fully present and take the time to connect with your team and this will allow you to set the tone for the day. (Works wonders with children too.)

Organize Your Space
Is your desk clear? Are your tools on hand? A clear and neat workspace sets a tone for the rest of the day. Hopefully, you were able to accomplish this the day before so you can have a clean slate in the morning however; it doesn't always work that way. Take the time to set your space a right.

RESET!
Plan a mid-morning or afternoon break. You'll need to check what you've accomplished thus far and take a deep breath so you can finish as strong as you started