Ever had someone say something to you that felt like a punch in your gut? Even worse, ever have someone you care about do something that felt like a sharp knife in your heart? Fortunately, as I’ve gotten older, my extreme reactions are now further and further apart. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that every now and then I still react in ways that are viscerally painful. Then this last week I was listening to a podcast interview of author Brene Brown and she shared something I found brilliant—as well as a perfect exercise to counteract those painful moments that catch us by surprise. And that practice is to remind myself not to believe my “shitty first draft.”
What Are You Nexting? The Power of Positive Anticipation
One of the best words I came across this last year during my reading was the word “nexting.” Used by author and research scientist Shane Lopez in his book Making Hope Happen, it describes the act of planning things in the future to look forward to, in a positive way. I’ve also been doing a lot of listening to Abraham-Hicks and the Law of Attraction where I’ve been continually reminded that what we think about and focus on is “attracted” automatically into our lives. In addition, as a long-time student of New Thought, I know that what I dwell upon often becomes my day-to-day reality. So with summer upon us, I think it might be SMART for each of us to spend some time nexting the positive events we hope to experience during the coming months. [Read more…]
Halloween—A Fun Way to Meet Your Shadow Side
Where I live Halloween is a big deal for both children and adults. Not only does Halloween mark the biggest candy holiday of the year, according to the Christian Science Monitor, this year Americans will spend close to $80 per person to celebrate. Favorite costumes for adults are witches, vampires and pirates. Children prefer princesses, Batman and Spiderman. Yet it doesn’t stop there. Pets (mostly dogs) will go as pumpkins, devils and sandwiches. What we usually ignore is that all these costumes and masks are an opportunity for different parts of our personality to come-out-of-the-closet if only for the night. So maybe it is SMART to take the time to look more closely at those energies within us, and perhaps learn to channel them to help create a more happy and fulfilled life. [Read more…]
How Healthy is Your Curiosity?
Happy SMART Day Everyone!
The other day I got curious about curiosity. Surprisingly, it’s curious that there is actually only a little amount of information available. In fact, even scientists consider curiosity a bit of a mystery—with some believing curiosity is a character trait, and others believing it relates to emotions. They also aren’t sure whether it is completely inherent (meaning generated within us), or if it is stimulated and grown from outside us. Whatever curiosity is, I believe that a healthy and active sense of curiosity is an essential element for a SMART and happy life. [Read more…]
SMART Living 365 Recommends TheMinimalists.com 11/14/11
This week SMART Living 365 recommends a website suggested by Thom. He began reading the blog called “The Minimalists” a few months ago and finds that it is one of his favorites. Why? From my perspective, “The Minimalists” is a “sister” website because many of their posts and much of their perspective is devoted to living a less cluttered and more important lifestyle. And because SMART Living is all about sharing and appreciating all the good around us, we can certainly appreciate the gift that TheMinimalists.com bring to the universal table.