With just over a week to go until Christmas and Hanukkah, you may be starting to feel your stress level rise. Do yourself a favour! Pause, take a deep breath, and make a conscious choice to prioritize your wellbeing this holiday season. Setting aside time for you is an investment that will pay great dividends by reducing your stress and helping you be more present. … Continue reading Prioritize Your Wellbeing This Holiday Season
Yesterday on my personal blog, I wrote about why I decided to try Action for Happiness’ Optimistic October challenge. Today, I continue that thread with a look at the benefits of an optimistic outlook, and ways to be more optimistic every day, even during difficult times. The Benefits of an Optimistic Outlook As an optimistic person, I always wonder what goes on in the brains … Continue reading Approaching Each Day With Optimism
On the occasion of the opening of the 2024 Summer Olympics, I would like to share with you the interest I have always had in how some high-level athletes keep themselves motivated when it takes months to achieve a better result. I read their books, listened to podcasts, and watched video interviews. Initially, I was impressed by their strength, ability to perform so well, and … Continue reading Trusting the Process Over Results, A Universal Lesson for the 2024 Summer Olympics
A couple of weeks ago, I read two posts providing very distinct insights on generational differences. This led me to consider how the assumptions we make can get in the way of the intergenerational cooperation that could benefit us all. The first post was from Pete Springer who shared a story of a lovely friendship with an older lady he met while volunteering in a … Continue reading Fostering Intergenerational Cooperation
For many reasons, I’ve been thinking a lot about values lately. More and more, it feels like my personal values are in conflict with characteristics society looks up to. I suppose I’ve been thinking about this because the world keeps putting reminders in front of me. It started earlier this month during a weekend retreat. My reflections after returning home prompted me to write … Continue reading Are You Feeding the Right Wolf?
Why are many humans on an endless quest for greener grass? Rather than enjoying the here and now, we convince ourselves that retirement, a different job, a bigger house, or a new relationship, will be the key to our happiness. But is the grass really greener? And even if it is, will the sight of that lush green grass satisfy us, or will we continue … Continue reading The Endless Quest for Greener Grass
Last week, at a meeting about a writing project I’m involved in, someone said, “Only people with a growth mindset will want to read this.” This made me think about how a growth mindset is a key determinant of success in life. Read on to learn how someone with a fixed mindset can take steps toward adopting a growth mindset. The Difference Between a Fixed … Continue reading How to Develop a Growth Mindset
Do you consider yourself a minimalist? My focus on decluttering and sustainability might lead some to call me a minimalist. I’m not a fan of labels, but I prefer the term essentialist. If you’re not familiar with essentialism, read on to learn about its core principles, and how they can help you get more out of life. I heard the term essentialism for the first … Continue reading How Essentialism Can Help You Get More Out of Life
Joy. It’s a simple word, and one we hear often. But what does it really mean to be joyful? Is joy the same as happiness? And how do we bring more joy into our lives? Many people spend their lives on a continuous quest for happiness, but is that the right goal? In their book Love People, Use Things, The Minimalists Joshua Fields Millburn and … Continue reading Choosing Joy Over Happiness
Climate anxiety is real. Dire environmental news is everywhere, and it’s easy to think individual actions don’t matter. But they do! Adopting a positive mindset and some new habits can make a big difference. Today’s post has 7 steps you can take today to live more sustainably. Continue reading 7 Steps You Can Take Today to Live More Sustainably
Life is far from simple. It’s easy to feel burdened by the complex challenges our world is facing. Over time, I’ve learned the best thing to do is take a deep breath, shut out all the noise, and embrace the peace that comes from simple living in a complex world. Will you join me? Continue reading Simple Living in a Complex World
When we speak about creativity, most people think mainly of fine arts, and artistic creations, whose role is mainly aesthetic. But creativity is not only that. So, what is creativity? Creativity is defined as the ability to make or otherwise bring into existence something new, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic object or form. If … Continue reading What Is Creativity?
If there is anything that we seem to fear most in this world, it is uncertainty. The great unknown, the darkness that lies in the abyss. Uncertainty about how the future will unfold is the source of many of our anxieties. This is because we desperately crave certainty. We dream of secure and orderly lives where everything goes according to the plan – the script … Continue reading How to Manage Uncertainty: Lessons from Philosophy
In aviation we have a term called AOG that means Aircraft on Ground. It refers to a plane that can’t fly because of a technical issue. We might also say a pilot is grounded because of a disciplinary issue, or that passengers are grounded because of weather. In all cases, the term indicates an inability to fly. We might also use examples in real life. … Continue reading Grounded
We’ve lived in this house for eight years. We’ve watched its carpets collect happy dirt. We’ve watched its windows slowly adapt to each passing season. We’ve remodeled; hosted parties; built a container garden on the deck. We’ve relocated litter boxes; hung up photos of our families and bizarre expressionist paintings; we’ve scattered scented candles. We’ve repurposed a guest room to a nursery, delightfully filling every … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On The Painted Wall.
Take this moment. Just for you. Your body. Your mind. Your purpose. Breathe it in. Then let it out. You are beautiful. . . . SnapDragon is a writer, artist, and donut enthusiast. Follow Snippets of SnapDragon for all kinds of goodness, yo. Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On Pausing.
Inside this chest pounds a heart so steady. Inside this head lives a brain so alive. And somewhere in between rests a spirit so gentle, even the tiniest of scratches leaves a scar. . . . How would you describe your spirit, Dear Reader? What inspires you? What shakes you to your core? (Such easy questions to answer, I know!) 🙈 We’re in this thing … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On The Gentle Spirit.
Proposed by SnapDragon X. What would you do if you were no longer afraid? Oh, the possibilities! . . . SnapDragon is a writer, artist, and sucker for M&M McFlurries. Follow her Two-Bit Musings and more on Snippets of SnapDragon. Continue reading Question of the Day: No. 521.
I fondly remember the days of grammar-school playgrounds; of brown-bagged lunches; of field trips to museums, caverns, and coal mines. I remember the sense of belonging within those classroom walls. There was a constance amongst us kids: a comradery that strengthened with each lesson, each game, each talent show. The questions we asked were not stupid, but welcomed. We were family. And as the decades … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On The Same Side.
There are many things I do not know. Like what it takes to make a light switch work; or how many species of bird reside in my home state. I do not know advanced mathematic formulas; I do not know why the daffodils come back each spring. I’m just one person, with a single, yet unbelievable brain. Yet there is limited capacity. And I mess … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On Knowing.
