good habits – Saturday Soul with Sandy Hibbard

Self Help List

Sandy Hibbard — Thu, 01 Sep 2016 13:33:49 +0000

Thank you Leo Babauta for this much needed list, and for being so right on!

zen habits: Self-Help List

Say thank you to everything and everyone, even to your grief and those who frustrate you.
Ask how you want to use this gift of a day.
See this moment as the most important moment in the world, and don’t wait to be happy.
Do every task out of love for someone else, and yourself.
To make better habits, put everything you have into small steps. And ask for help.
Travel lighter, pack fewer fears.
Overcome procrastination by sitting with one task, not letting yourself run from discomfort.
One thing at a time.
See discomfort as no big deal.
Ask yourself how you want to spend your one wild and precious life.

30 Habits To Support Your Life and Happiness

Sandy Hibbard — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 18:00:55 +0000

Artwork by Valentina De Felice – De Happy Drawings on Facebook and Tumblr.

30 Habits To Support Your Life and Happiness

Life has enough obstacles and challenges by itself that we don’t have to make it harder by adding a bad attitude or a stupid decision (ok, I know that SOMETIMES we are going to do that just because we’re human!) BUT, I believe we really can make it easier on ourselves.

We can prepare ourselves for a successful day, a wonderful life, by setting up patterns and habits that support the life we want.

It can be as simple as changing some of the basic decisions we make and actions we do everyday. Getting out of our own head helps too. Get rid of the drama and strife – in all forms – past and future – and focus on embracing each moment (a lifelong challenge and journey for me indeed!)

I’m sharing 30 suggestions to help you keep the anxiety and complexity OUT and the simplicity and peace IN your life. Don’t laugh, some of these are simple, but trust me, they carry amazing value!

1. Drink more water
2. Take deeper breaths
3. Respect your feelings, assess what you are truly feeling and why, then respond accordingly
4. Let go of the past
5. Stop spending so much money in hopes that it will bring more happiness
6. Depend upon yourself to discover happiness, not others
7. Move your body – walk, run, take a zumba class – move your most precious gift – a healthy body
8. Involve yourself in relationships that are uplifting, healthy and respectful
9. Stop the competition mindset and instead focus on discovering and embracing YOUR strengths
10. Give yourself at least 30 minutes a day to just be by yourself
11. Care about someone or something (pet, charity, etc) as much as you care about your own life
12. Clean up after yourself – as you go
13. Never go to bed mad, especially at a loved one
14. Read more
15. Cook more meals at home
16. Let go of jealousy and instead recognize and foster your own gifts
17. Say less, listen more
18. Stop being involved in gossip – whether sharing or receiving
19. Change your oil every 3 months and rotate your tires
20. Keep your standards high instead of lowering them to be accepted
21. Never leave a dirty kitchen, clean it up after each use
22. Tell the truth – good heavens just be honest!
23. Send thank you cards
24. Be true to your word
25. Don’t take things personal, everyone comes from their own perspective, their own dream of their life, it has nothing to do with you
26. Limit your alcohol
27. Let go of perfection, and instead simply DO YOUR BEST
28. Take responsibility for yourself – stop blaming others
29. Don’t assume anything, if you don’t know, ASK!
30. Accept that you will have to work hard to attain what you desire and then get busy

I know there are many other habits that you could come up with that have helped you to overcome and secure more happiness and an inner joy and peace, so why don’t you share them with us!!

The Contentment Habit

Sandy Hibbard — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 19:32:19 +0000

Another great blog post by Leo Babauta at Zen Habits, there is truly a beautiful universe in each moment we become aware of! Enjoy!

The Contentment Habit
By Leo Babauta
I’ll admit I do it as much as anyone else: see the cool things that others are doing and wish I were doing something cool like that too.
You see great travel photos on Instagram and other social media — people living amazing lives, creating cool things, going on adventures. And instantly, there’s the thought that you should be living a better life.
But this is the wrong habit. It leads to a feeling that your life isn’t good enough, that you aren’t good enough. And the habit doesn’t end: if you pursue a better life, you will always feel that you should be doing more, partying more, creating more, learning more, reading more, traveling more. You can’t possibly do it all, but you’ll always wish you were.
So what’s a better habit? The contentment habit.
What I’ve been learning is that happiness and contentment and greatness isn’t out there. It’s not where everyone else is, even if it seems like it. You can spend your whole life chasing this happiness, contentment, dreams, greatness, coolness, and never reach it. That’s because it’s right where you are now.
Before we talk about that, let’s look at the habits that most of us do.
The Discontentment Habits
Tell me if these habits sound familiar:
>> You see people doing great things, traveling, having fun, and wish you were doing something like that too. This never ends, because no matter how much you do, there will always be other people doing still more things that sound really cool. So you’ll never reach the pinnacle of fun and cool and achievement.
>> You look at yourself and think that you can improve — get fitter, leaner, more learned, calmer, happier, more productive. This too never ends, because even if you do amazingly at improving yourself, you will never be perfect, and there will always be more to improve. So you’ll never be content, and then you die.
>> You feel you could be doing more. You’re rushing around, doing a lot, but there’s always a feeling that you could be doing more. This never ends, because there is always more you could be doing. You can never do everything, so there’s always more that you’re not doing than there is that you are doing.
>> You criticize others for what they’re not doing. Your kids, your spouse, your family, your friends … they’re all doing something you think they shouldn’t, or maybe not doing something you think they should. There isn’t happiness in criticizing others, because you’re dissatisfied with life when you’re dissatisfied with other people.
If you find yourself doing any of these things — and I’d bet $1,000 that you do them more than you realize — then it’s a good time to think about whether that habit will ever end, and if it will bring you happiness.
The answer to both questions is no — those habits don’t have an end, and they don’t bring happiness or contentment.
The Contentment Habit
When you catch yourself doing those discontentment habits, by being mindful of your feelings and thoughts during the day … try this instead:
>> Stop looking elsewhere for happiness — in what others are doing, in what you should be doing, in what others should be doing but aren’t, in the things you should improve. Happiness and contentment aren’t out there.
Instead, turn to where you are right at this moment. Pause and feel your body, your breath, and all the sensations surrounding you right now. See how this moment contains so much that you don’t normally notice, if you start paying attention.
>> Realize that this moment is enough. All around you, right now, is a moment that is as high quality as any of the possibilities that often enter your mind of what you should be doing or where you should be. Those ideal experiences aren’t of any higher quality than the experience you’re having right now.
>> See the wonder in this moment. Right where you are, right now. Notice the amazing things around you, and in you, as if you’re seeing it for the first time ever. Notice the miracle of your body, your mind, your surroundings. How did all this come to be? The building you’re in, or the nature you’re in, didn’t just magically appear — it’s almost as if the world conspired to make this moment happen, and you get to be here to witness it. Awesome!
That’s the contentment habit, and you can do it anytime, anyplace, no matter what you’re doing or who you’re with. It is free, always available, always miraculous. And it never ends.