Jul
2012
More Smiles in July
Lately, I’ve been stuck in a “glass half empty” mentality. And by lately, I mean the last couple years! It’s not that I’m not happy, feeling super lucky, having fun or really loving life….cause I am….I just have noticed that I tend to be caught up in the challenges of situations or let a mean comment or a mistake I made really affect me. The negatives seem to carry more weight than the positive things.
For example, I let the fact that I waited 45 minutes for a table at a restaurant even though I had a reservation put a big damper on my night instead of just relaxing, enjoying a glass of wine at the bar and getting over it. Or when thinking about change, I keep concentrating on the “what ifs” of it going wrong (what if I move and I don’t like my new place and it doesn’t work out? etc etc). Debby Downer in my head!! Life’s too short and I need to look on the bright side more often.
I’m lucky, I’m happy, things are great, and I recognize that. But I do think that I can bring some more optimism and appreciation for the simple things into my life. This glass half empty thing has become a bad habit and like any habit, I’m ready to change it.
Which brings me to my More Smiles in July challenge!
This month, I’m going to really focus on the GOOD THINGS, the things I’m insanely grateful for, the small things that I may take for granted but really do matter, and all the little bits of luck that happen each day.
Every day this month, along with my regular posts, I’ll post something that I’m grateful for or something simple that made me smile. I’m hoping this will help me seek the happy things of everyday, look for them, and let them be my focus.
The happier I am, the healthier I am. The happier and more positive I am, the more it breathes into all aspects life. You get what you give and so I’m planning to give more gratefulness. Afterall, these little moments in every day make up our life…..and I want them to be positive and overwhelmingly optimisitc.
To kick it off, here’s something small that made me smile today. Free samples when you don’t expect them! Yum, thank you Starbucks 
So that’s my July challenge.
And—-
– Do you tend to be a glass half-empty or glass half-full type person?
– Do you think positive/negative outlooks on life are part of our personality that we were born with or a choice/habit that we can control?
– What little simple thing made you smile this weekend?
12 Comments on More Smiles in July
5Pingbacks & Trackbacks on More Smiles in July
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[...] things first. This month, I am making an effort to appreciate the simple things in life and show my gratitude. Today, I am thankful for the public library. Last week, I went online, reserved 4 books I was [...]
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[...] This month, I’m making a special effort to bring extra smiles and extra appreciation into my d… And today (this was written Tuesday), what made me happy was “holiday light” traffic! I zipped to work in 40 minutes instead of an hour plus. Nothing like actually doing 65mph instead of 20 to make me happy! It’s the small things that matter. [...]
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[...] for my daily “happy thing” from this month’s [...]
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[...] month (July), my focus was on appreciating the small things and finding extra things to smile about. Yes, I did this all month! I ended up not posting something every day because you know what I [...]
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[...] I’ve said it before on the blog, but I often need to be reminded to appreciate the simple things. [...]
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Alex @ therunwithin
July 2, 2012 at 7:12 am (326 days ago)I love this idea, a lot! I kind of think I need to do something like this because my mentality has been the same.
sprint2thetable
July 2, 2012 at 8:17 am (325 days ago)I need to join you in this! I struggle to remember to be a half-full girl… it’s hard when you get so busy!
Brittany
July 2, 2012 at 8:34 am (325 days ago)Such a good challenge! I tend to think pessimistically more often than not and definitely need to kick myself out of it.
healthcraved
July 2, 2012 at 8:55 am (325 days ago)oooh this is a great challenge! I love it! I tend to be an optimist–to the extreme. Sometimes it means I get disappointed or hurt, but I can’t help myself. I like to see the best in people and believe that the future always holds something better. don’t get me wrong–I have my little funks where stress and fear get me feeling “glass half empty” but I tend to bounce back quickly
Rebecca
July 2, 2012 at 10:22 am (325 days ago)ooh, I’m jealous! You have a great mentality and sounds like it comes really natural!
Stacie @ Snaps and Bits
July 2, 2012 at 10:03 am (325 days ago)I am usually half full but occasionally slip into the other things. This week I’ve been smiling a lot since I’m back in CA for a visit!
Rebecca
July 2, 2012 at 10:22 am (325 days ago)vacations always make me much more positive!
Kelly
July 2, 2012 at 11:53 am (325 days ago)Great post! Sometimes it can be really hard to see outside our little box. This is something I am working on constantly.
Kate
July 2, 2012 at 1:09 pm (325 days ago)I can definitely be a pessimist sometimes, but someone told me once that even if the worst happens, worrying/stressing doesn’t make you any more prepared. It just makes you more worried/stressed, so I try and remember that and tell myself I’ll face whatever happens, when it happens.
Sara @my less serious life
July 2, 2012 at 5:47 pm (325 days ago)i love this. i get on kicks where i (unintentionally) begin having this negative attitude. and before you know it, it becomes habit. thanks for the reminder to be grateful!
Jess
July 2, 2012 at 10:44 pm (325 days ago)This is such a good reminder! I tend to be a half full person, sometimes to my detriment. But I also can slip into a negative funk. Important not to sweat the small stuff!
lntu
July 3, 2012 at 2:31 pm (324 days ago)Great idea!! It’s so easy to be pessimistic when all you do is focus on the little things
what made me smile today: waking up and actually being able to talk to my roommate in the morning! (we usually don’t wake up around the same time)…what a good start to the day!
http://freetoeatandbe.blogspot.com/