Last night, I forced myself out of bed (yes…I left work around noon because I was still feeling so blah) and rallied out in the rain because….

I was co-hosting a really great event for my dog toy charity!  It was an animal themed art show, dj event, wine tasting, doggie fashion bonanza!  A lady who hosted does a local reality show and filmed a competition at the event.  Three artists competed (they had 30 minutes to complete a work of art and then the audience judged)….. and then we had a dog and human fashion show!

The highlight was the cute pups, of course!

Check out this little one sporting his bow tie

Super cute, right??!

In all, the event was a success.  More than 200 people attended, we raised enough money to give toys to all the pups several more shelters, and we collected a whole box of toys too!  Pretty good for a charity that just started a couple months ago, right?  I am still blown away by how much this has taken off.  I had planned it as just a holiday collection drive, but clearly, there is way more support out there!  So happy, motivated, and grateful!

Keep you guys posted   And I need to share more stories of the puppies getting their toys.  It has been so amazing to watch.  I promise more of that this month.

And in other news…..

I woke up starving after not eating for 4 days (best feeling ever!) and ate a bagel with globs of butter and an egg.  And a gingerale.  And a banana and cantaloupe an hour or so later.  YUMM real food.

You know what I’ve been thinking though?  When I’m sick, I eat things like saltines and bagels and pasta and diet gingerale/7-up.  When I’m healthy….these are the same foods that I usually say make me FEEL sick.  You know?  I mean, soda and bagels usually give me a stomach-ache.  But when I am sick, they’re all I want.  How weird is that?  I won’t overthink it.

And now only a few more hours until the weekend!! A little bittersweet for me because I’m “working” all weekend.  I agreed to help out at this weekend outdoor ed thing with a group of 7th graders teaching them volunteer/service learning values type programs.  The plus side is– a weekend outdoors.  The negative– my weekends are so short to begin with.  Sunday, I have a “real job” work thing at gulp, 7:30am.  Ouch.

But, even though my weekend is so “short,” I’m still making some weekend goals…..

Weekend goals

– Swim laps
– Take Charlie somewhere fun (poor guy has been a little neglected lately)
– Meal prep
– Address wedding invitations (!!)
– Do yoga
– Learn how to use my camera.  As you can see, I’m still using my iPhone.  Need to devote some time to this time.
– Sleeeeppppppp so I don’t reignite my sickness.

And now on with the day!

Okay, how about you–
–Weekend goals?
–Ever been to a dog fashion show?  Ever walked in a human fashion show?
–Do you eat foods when you’re sick that you will never eat when you’re well?

Lately, I’ve found myself in one of those mentalities where I say yes to everything, even the things I don’t want.  Usually, I say yes because I just think I “should” or I’ll be disappointing someone if I don’t.  In turn, it causes a ton of unnecessary stress and anxiety.

“Yes, I’ll help with this”  “Yes, you can come with me”  “Yes, I’ll reschedule my plans so I can do that”  “Yes, I’ll spend money on that for you.”  “Yes, only paying me this tiny amount for this huge project is ok, no prob.”

Sometimes, I forget to do what is best for myself.  Sometimes I say yes because I’m so worried about everyone else.

Without getting into details, I finally reached my “What the heck am I doing???” point this week when I realized I never should have said yes to something and it was causing me a ton of stress just thinking about it!

To make a long story short– I agreed to work on a huge, long volunteer project that would give up an entire weekend and pay nothing.  I already have “real job” work events almost every weekend lately and a ton of other wedding and dog toy charity stuff to do….but I still couldn’t justify to myself why I should say no.  Just not wanting to and wanting to have some ME time didn’t seem like a good enough reason.

I knew it would be giving up my time.  I knew that it wouldn’t benefit me per se.  I knew that I would be full of dread the entire time.  But I still said Yes.  I knew as I was typing out the email saying yes that I didn’t want to do it.  It took me a few tries of “saving the draft” before I actually sent it, mostly because I knew I didn’t want to do it.  “But I have to,” I thought.  “They will be upset if I don’t.”  And besides, I didn’t have anything substantial going on that day as an excuse.  Technically, I could do it. 

Maybe you’re thinking– well duh, you should have said no in the first place!  Or, “it’s only one project, what’s the big deal?” And you’re right.  But sometimes we forget and sometime event one project is too much at that moment.  I think most women struggle with the guilt of saying no, especially depending on who you have to say no to– it’s harder to say no to some people.  I think sometimes you can get into a “YES” cycle and saying NO feels unnatural and hard.

Anyways– I finally came to my senses and got out of it.  It would have been MUCH better to say no in the first place, but I didn’t.  I had to realize that it’s OK to want to go to yoga and spend time hiking, things for ME, instead of working on it all day.  It was OK to want to say no even without a legitimate excuse or reason. 

Changing my mentality also helped me get rid of some guilt that’s been nagging at me the past few weeks, mostly wedding related like about the people I had to cut from the guest list.  Let it go.  Do what’s best for me and it’s all okay.

I have a friend who is really good at living for herself.  Sometimes it’s to the detriment of other people– i.e. she’ll cancel plans because she needed to do something else and it’s really annoying– but she lets things go, she doesn’t feel guilty about how others might possibly feel, she just lives HER best life.  When you’re with her, you know it’s because she wants to be with you, she’s giving you her full attention, and living in the moment.  It’s a good way to live and important to remember…even if, like most of us, we find a happy balance between doing what we should and want we want.

So this is just a post to say–

It’s OK to say no. 

It’s OK to take time purely for yourself, even if it feels indulgent and guilty.

It’s OK to do what makes you happy even if it might not be what someone else wants.

And it’s never too late to make the right decision.

At the end of the day– at the end of your life– you’ll be happy for the things you did that made YOU happy, not someone else. And yes, it’s great to try new things and get out of your comfort zone with “scary” experiences, but listen to your gut– you know best.

– What’s your experience with this?
– Are you good at saying no?  Were you ever not good?
– Do you tend to be someone who feels guilty about things or lets them go really easily?

When you wake up on Saturday morning feeling full of stress and anxiety (heyyyy….that’s so not supposed to happen on Saturday)

The best thing, the VERY best thing to do

is eat a good breakfast…..

put on clothes as fast as you can, drive across the bridge…..

and go for a hike

Trailhead at Rodeo Beach

preferably along the water

somewhere with amazing views……..

where no matter where you look, you can’t see any houses or cars…

and even though you’re with friends, a fiancé, and a dog,

you still can stay lost in thought
’cause before you know it…..

6 miles later….

you’ll feel soo much better.  And all that anxiety and stress will be left behind

Instead, you’ll be grateful for all the good things— the bright blue skies in January…..the day off work….the puppy kisses….and so much more.

And  that way, you’ll set yourself up for a good weekend.

A really good weekend (oh and by the way, the 49ers won!!!  Yeah!!!)

Yeah, so that was my weekend– feeling totally stressed out for no particular reason– just leftover from a busy week and a big week ahead.  The hike helped, watched the 49er game, taught a class of cute/rowdy 6th graders on Sunday, went to the beach and lunch with my sis, counted dog toys from the event, and caught up on emails…and suddenly, the week is starting all over again…and I still have, among other things, an enormous pile of laundry that hasn’t been done.  Weekends are too short.  Letting go is a good thing.  It will get done eventually.  Life is good. 

– Did you feel stressed or relaxed this weekend?
– What’s one thing you didn’t have time for this weekend?  (my big one was laundry)
– Can you hike in the winter where you live?
 – Did you do anything outdoors this weekend?

I hate to admit this, but no less than one day after Jared proposed my mind went immediately to….”Crap, I need to lose weight for the wedding.”  I’m sure I’m not alone in this mindset.  Everyone wants to look their best on their big day and to be fully honest with myself, I look no where near my best.  I’m about 7 pounds over my “happy weight” and there’s jiggly stuff on every part of my body.

Because I’ve been obsessive and extreme about my weight in the past, I refuse to go down this road or even come close to it.  But I still want to be proud of how I look when I walk down that aisle. Proud meaning I’ve been healthy and “loving my body” the months beforehand.

yay, i get to walk down the aisle to this guy!! i really can’t wait!

I googled “wedding diet” and “lose weight before wedding” and of course, a thousand things come up.  It’s all the same advice you’d give anyone trying to lose weight– cut out sugar, ramp up your exercise, eat more protein, etc.  We all know there’s no magic switch.  It takes really hard work.  And lately, I’ve shyed away from that hard work part a little bit.  When I started blogging a year ago, I thought it would actually make me more committed to a healthy lifestyle.  But over the past 12 months, I hate to admit it, but I think I’ve leaned the other way instead.  Life feels like it’s moving so fast, a constant whirlwind, and I haven’t gotten the balance part in check yet.  Plus those 40 hours of commuting every month where I just sit in my car doing nothing has added so much to my stress levels and inactivity time.

So what to do about it? 

1) Stop Complaining.  I’m so sick of hearing myself complain and make excuses, so enough already.

2) Clean Up My Diet in “small” ways.  Too many restrictions don’t work for me (or anyone) so I’ll just focus on a few things.

eat more of this

1. Gluten free– I’ve *mostly* given up gluten these past few months.  Maybe you’ve noticed, maybe not.  I was getting killer stomach aches regularly for the past few YEARS and had other tummy problems, and on the advice of a gluten-free friend, I gave it up for a month last year.  Then I started eating it again, started getting stomach aches again, and then finally recommitted in October (post my September birthday cake eating).  I still eat it when I’m at someone else’s house or at a party, or if something just looks too good, but I’m about 80-20 right now and I haven’t had a single stomach ache since then.  Wow.  So, I need to recommit though and make it 90-10….aside from stomach aches, the less cookies and pastries in my life, the better.
2. Nuts- I know they’re healthy, but I have an unhealthy relationship with them and can eat like 10 servings at a time.  Goodby nuts and nut butters.  I love you, but this just isn’t working and it’s just not healthy.  I’m sure I’ll still eat them once a week, but by saying no, I’ll save myself those extra handfuls and licks of the pb spoon.
3. Fake sugars– I gave this up years ago and now that Jared and I live together, they’re creeping back into my life.  He always makes crystal light fruit punch or iced tea in a big pitcher and I went from avoiding it completely to drinking one or two glasses every single day.  And I even started drinking diet hansons soda again occasionally.  What the heck?! That is so not good for me.
4. The extras.  I have a sugar and snacking problem pretty often.  Those handfuls of chocolate chips I eat after dinner have to go.  So do the miscellaneous snacks I eat at my parents’ house solely because it’s just something different than the things I buy (aka, a scoop of their ice cream, a handful of raisins, a few bbq chips, etc).  Not to mention, I have a bad habit of stealing Jared’s fries or extra bits of his “boy foods” and that’s just not necessary.  It adds up.

My parents always seem to have ice cream in their fridge….ugh!

3) Exercise–  Yeah, I know I’ve said it often lately, but I need to get more of this into my life.

1. A lot of people talk about their exercise journals.  I think I need one.  That way I can be proud of myself and more motivated.  So….I’ll print out something on excel that I can check off each week.
2. Start saying no more.  Sorry friends, but I’m overcommitted lately and need to start saying no to more things so I can leave enough time to go to the gym daily.  I feel better and happier when I have a schedule that allows this and I need to take care of my mental and physical self now.
3. Take more workday walks.  Sometimes I’m really good at this and leave my desk for 30 minutes to walk a few miles around the neighborhood.  With the constant rain and yucky weather lately, I haven’t been doing this as often.  But this can be part of my checkmarks on my journal too.
4. Wine nights to Walk nights.  When I lived within walking distance of the beach and the golden gate bridge, I’d often meet friends after work for a “long walk and talk.”  Our loop was 5-6 miles, took under 2 hours, and we’d get all our chatting in plus some bonus fresh air.  I don’t live that close anymore, though there are plenty of other loops.  We’ve all gotten into a wine habit and so now I’m insisting we move back to Walk nights.

From a walk night to the bridge oh so long ago

And that’s it for now…..I don’t wan to be too hard on myself or make too many “rules,” especially because if I feel too restricted, I’ll probably have me rebelling into becoming unhealthy.  I also think it’s silly to be hard on myself.  This year was great and crazy and busy and I did my best.  I did well considering.  So it’s not about being angry about the past, it’s just about making the future the healthiest it can be.

We’re 95% certain the wedding is Memorial Day Weekend (we’ll be 100% once we officially sign the venue contact) so I have 5 full months of body clean-up ahead of me.  I have to admit that I feel weird posting this, like I’m destined to fail or something, which is a silly way to think, I know.  But I’m going to do my best and make ME and my healthy a top priority again.

– Do you steal bites from your friends, family, SO, etc?
– Are you at your happy weight?
– What am I missing from this equation?
– How much weight did you lose, if any, before your wedding?
– How long was your engagement?

Thanks for listening to me whine yesterday. All your comments were so sweet! I’m much better today. I started yesterday with an extra boost of antioxidents (fruit + this poweder that Jared uses) and whether that helped or it was just all the extra sleep I’ve gotten the past few days, I feel almost totally normal today. Yay. Just in time for the weekend.

Besides, how could I not feel good– the Giants have won two world series games so far!

This morning, I was a nice sister and took my sister to the airport at 5:30am. Coffee….lots of it….was in order. Okay, now on to other things….

I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to Nicole of Apples and Arteries. She knows I love magazines and was so sweet to me a package of some of her just-read ones! Annoyingly enough, the post office somehow lost it in the mail BUT I still think it was such a nice thought and appreciate it a ton! Who knows, maybe they’ll arrive eventually, but wanted to publicly tell her thank you anyways. Nicole, you’re awesome.

Jared wanted me to share his “amazing” dessert from Applebees yesterday (he stopped after an out-of-town work mtg… aside from the time this summer when it was the only option, i don’t like to go there…), but for $2, he got (what looks like…) a glass of oreos topped with chocolate mousse, whipped cream, and more oreos. He really wanted me to put it on the blog so he even took a sneaky photo of it during a work meeting…..cute.

Next….Last week, I went (through work) to a Health & Wellness Festival hosted at LinkedIn’s Silicon Valley Office. My nonprofit had a booth and while we’re not health & wellness related, I promoted volunteer opportunities to the employees (volunteering is good for your health after all!).

I wouldn’t necessarily blog about this except that I think it was so terrific that a big company took the time to organize something for the health of their employees.

There were booths from sustainable food company, a mini farmer’s market, gyms offering passes and exercises, massages, and at least a dozen free foodtrucks.

a couple nonprofits had booths(this is not mine)….and the food trucks looked great

This was the best food truck– Karaoke Ice Cream!

You could literally do karaoke before or after getting some ice cream.

LinkedIn has a whole bunch of bikes that their employees can use if they need to get to another part of campus or just want to cruise around town on their lunch hour.

i took advantage of the free coffee too

I don’t actually know much about LinkedIn’s employee programs or other health amenities, but I do see that more and more companies are making an effort to prioritize health and wellness as part of their company values. I work for a very small office (4 people) and while we’re all active, there’s no company-wide mantra (which isn’t really appropriate in a small company)…but it makes me extra interested in what larger companies do.

So tell me–
– Does your work (or school) prioritize personal health and wellness?
– What sort of health and wellness extra would you most like from work? I’d LOVE a free gym in the building…and free kombucha and fruit in the kitchen.
– How far do you live from the closest airport? I’m about 25 minutes, but public transportation isn’t that accessible, so I usually end up finding someone to give me a ride.

Hey! Tuesday, already? Yikes. Welcome to the start of my busiest three weeks of work out of the entire year. And news– I’m moving apartments at the end of the month too…..I’m not really sure why i planned to do it in combo with all my work stuff going on, but oh well…just absolutely dreading the packing process, I’m a pretty awful packer and end up making my boxes either way too heavy or very messy…already thinking I need to add “vacation” to my August list after getting through July. This was quite a rambling paragraph, can you tell I’ve been over-caffinated today?

Anyway, on to more interesting things—

Swanson Naturals was so nice to offer me a gift certificate to try some of their products! I had never been to their site before and was totally blown away- WOW- they have so many products and all at super low prices. I had so much fun trying to pick out what I wanted.

In the end, here’s what I got:

Coconut oil, hemp seed oil, tea tree facial scrub, and doggie vitamins for Charlie.

Coconut Oil: Well, this was my bad…I meant to order coconut butter…and realized my mistake when it arrived. But aside from that, it’s great and the tub is huge so I don’t expect to run out anytime in the next 125 years.

Hemp Seed Oil: I’ve been wanting to buy this for a while, so this was a perfect excuse. The Swanson brand is inexpensive, cold-pressed, and really tasty. I like the nutty taste and have been adding it to my salads for extra omegas.

Tea Tree Oil Face Scrub: I’m OBSESSED. Love this. It’s much less harsh than the Apricot Scrub I used to use, but I still feel so clean afterwards. I am going to buy this again…though it’s big too and I don’t think I’ll run out soon at all.

And dog “Daily Greens” Vitamins: Lately, Charlie has been eating grass at the park regularly. I give him kale occasionally (he likes it, surprisingly!) and his dog food (I give him Wellness) supposedly has veggies in it, but when I saw the Swanson dog vitamins, I thought it would be perfect for him to get some extra nutrients. Read more below the pic…

And verdict? I like the vitamins. They smell DISGUSTING though and stunk up the room even when I opened them for only a second. Charlie, however, loved the smell and sat patiently “asking” for “whatever was on the counter that smelled so good” for a while. When I fed it to him, he gobbled it right up (and he’s picky for a dog). BUT- I’ve only given him one. My mom made a good point that I really shouldn’t give him anything without talking to my vet first…..and I haven’t gotten around to that yet (on this week’s to-do list). If my vet approves though, I’ll keep giving it to him. The other possible negative to mention was that after I gave him the vitamin he was incredibly thirsty for the rest of the night. He’s been thirsty in general (this was last week when it was hot out, not this week when it’s freezing), so I don’t actually know if the vitamin is related or not.

But regardless of my product choices, Swanson was great, there’s a huge variety of products, and ordering/delivery was and my products came in only 3 days. I dont usually buy that stuff online, but was impressed with how easy it was. Check out them and I think you’ll like what you find.

And for my daily “happy thing” from this month’s challenge……

Today’s is: Every single time I get those email notifications saying “someone new subscribed to your blog!” Seeing them each time makes me smile….it never gets old…..so thanks guys! I mean it!

Ok, so I’ll go back into work chaos mode, but tell me—

– Do you give your dog veggies or vitamins or anything like that? I sometimes mix spinach into his food, but otherwise, I pretty much stick to protein and dry food…and I do give him a tiny bit of fruit or something if I’m eating it too sometimes

– Now that I have all this coconut oil, what should I do with it? What’s it really good for? Suggestions?

Yesterday, was a good day. It was easy to focus on the small, simple happy things. Ahhh, holidays! Here are three from my day:

1) Sleeping late on a weekday! And by late, I mean 7am, but hey, I’ll take it. I laid in bed sipping coffee and reading blogs for another thirty minutes and it was so nice not to have to jump up for work.

2) Living near beautiful hiking trails….and having a dog who likes to hike. We hiked up Mt Tam in Marin yesterday afternoon and it was beautiful. Charlie is so funny on a hike- he jumps in creeks, rolls in the dirt, and has a big smile on his face the whole time. Def a simple thing that makes me so happy.

Afterwards, we met friends for dinner and then, of course..

3) Fireworks at a roof party…and a clear enough night in SF to actually see them! Sometimes the fog rolls in heavily and you can’t see them, but this year we got lucky

It was a really nice 4th. Not into going back to work today

Oh and so, those were the good things from yesterday…here are two not-so-good things (that actually make me laugh) from the day:
1) Realizing my leggings had a big hole in the butt AFTER I got home from an hour long morning dog walk. How the heck did that happen?! Lol I must have been half asleep! Embarrassed, but over it.
2) The enormous blister on my heel from new hiking shoes that made me limp for the last mile. Ouch.

Oh well!

Hope you had a nice 4th!

-Anyone have Thurs and Fri off work? Some of my friends’ offices closed for the week as an extra thing for their employees. Nice! Not mine though, I’m here…and haven’t quite woken up yet.
-What the last embarrassing thing (like my pants’ hole) to happen to you?
- Best thing you ate on the 4th? Mine was some amazingly-best-I’ve-had-all-summer cherries. Yum.

I love the 4th of July! A day that involves summer, watermelon, outside, friends, and family makes me happy. I’m off for a hike, lunch outside with friends, and then dinner/fireworks with other friends. Just fingers crossed that SF fog will stay away long enough to actually SEE the fireworks

This month, I’m making a special effort to bring extra smiles and extra appreciation into my day. Everyday, I’m posting something simple that made me smile or something I’m grateful for. 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.

And now for the July 4th WIAW (thanks, Jenn!)

These are my eats from Friday. I wasn’t as hungry as usual, which isn’t like me…but I’m on antibiotics that make me a little nauseous so I think they are the culprit. Anyways….

Breakfast was in parts. First, a banana.

Then coffee plus a little mini frappachino sample (yum!)

Then, an unpictured hunk of bread with earth balance.

Lunch was eaten outside at the park! Love those days. Chobani mixed with almond butter, carrots, and cherries.

I ate them on a bench in the park.

Later, more cherries at my desk.

And when I got home, leftover pesto pasta salad with a side of broccoli. I ate a second helping of pasta plus some carrots and celery that were eaten before I remembered to take a photo.

Healthy-wise, this day was a bit carb heavy and didn’t include enough greens. But for a Friday, the day I’m usually exhausted and wanting chocolate….it could have been worse!

Happy Independence Day!

– What are your plans?
– Do you ever eat lunch outside?
– What’s something simple that you’re grateful for or made you smile today?

First 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 dying to read….and voila! They were already ready for pick-up today! It’s so nice….free….and easy. Thank goodness for libraries….and for summer reading too! (btw I just read sweet valley confidential- it’s sweet valley high ten yrs later, lol. random but I used to love those books! Ha)

And now onto A MINI SUMMER VACATION MEANS……

This past weekend, Jared and I took a mini-vacation. The thought behind this weekend was that it would be for pure-fun…no weddings, no races, no friends….just us and summertime. We also only wanted to be gone one night, so had to pick a place that was only a couple hours away. SOOOO….we spent the weekend in Santa Cruz!

It’s about an hour and a half from San Francisco. There’s a beach, there’s mountains, there’s sunshine, and there’s a really fun beach boardwalk. Even though I came home exhausted (was a go-go-go type weekend still…we forgot to relax), it still felt so much like summer….and I must say, I think I finally have a tan.

To me, summer vacation weekends means…..

1) The beach
Ah yes, we got plenty of beach time in this weekend. It was 83 degrees, which was perfect.

Beach boardwalk=summer

;

2) Eating meals outside…and drinks too

This doesn’t look very appetizing, but it was AMAZING! Tofu with peanut sauce, spinach, and broccoli. I’m def making this at home.

;

Look at that huge pour!

3) Ice cream on the beach

;

4) Rollercoasters and carnival games!
a kid at heart…

Log ride= soaking wet

Roallercoaster

;

Post roller coaster….check out my huge eyes!

My prize….souvenir for Charlie

5) Hotel breakfasts

I’m really weird (admittedly) in that I absolutely love the crappy free breakfasts at little hotels. Jared and my parents think I’m crazy and would much rather go out for a nice brunch (think belgian waffles and omelets), but I have a weird thing for hotel breakfasts. Can’t explain it. Don’t judge.

6) Going somewhere new and touristy

We went to Roaring Camp Railroads, which is an old 1880s style town with trains that take you through the redwoods. I grew up in Cali so am used to the redwoods, but it’s a really nice thing to do especially if you’re not from here.

This dog loved the train rid

;

Uh oh, what’s going on here?

Our train got held up by some wild west bandits!

There was even a shoot out…..

and a few dead guys…

But pretty soon, we were back on our way

hiking in the woods

and eating bbq

Anyways, we spent two full days on our summer mini-wknd and got home sunburned/tan, tired, and happily exhausted. My weekend didn’t include working out, sleeping in, or eating enough veggies…..oops.

—What things do you like to include in summer vacation weekends?
— Do you use the library? Or prefer to buy books?
–Any weekend trips coming up?

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?