5 Small Things I'm doing to be happy

I’m usually a pretty positive person, however over the last year I lost a spark inside that used to simmer away under the surface...it took me what felt like forever to regain that spark again but because I've had to work to regain it, I've become a better more motivated individual. I've always enjoyed the small things, the every day moments that make you smile but I didn't do that last year and it took it's toll on me so I'm making it a priority this year. I'm making it a priority to acknowledge that my happiness is just as important as everyone else's. When you don't put your happiness first, it won't just take a toll on your life, it'll take a toll on the lives of the people around you as well. Happiness is a contagious thing - if you're not happy, the people that love you and are around you everyday won't be happy either. I had to have someone be straight with me and tell me to smarten up to realized that I projected my misery on to them which made their lives sad and depressing as well. 

Below are a couple of things that have and are giving me the happiness I need to to be able to go about my everyday live and enjoy the many small moments of joy around us that we need to be a little more mindful of. 

"5 SMALL THINGS"

Early Mornings

I really struggle with sleep, I can't remember a time when I haven't. It's not the struggle that you're thinking about - it's the one where if I could, I would sleep for the rest of my life - 24/7. I struggle with mornings to a point where I was waking up at 12 to 1 PM in the afternoons when I didn't have work. On weekdays, I have 3 to 4 alarms going off and I still struggle to get up...Alarms should not come with the snooze button - SERIOUSLY! 

Lately however I have been making myself  / forcing myself to get up earlier. The more I do it, the more natural it's becoming and I love how I've been feeling.  I'm more energized, more calm and more happy. On the weekends, I naturally wake up at 8:00 AM  which before, I was never able to do.  Now I know that 8:00 AM isn't early for a lot of you but for me, it is - especially on the weekends. It also helps that I get out of bed as soon as I wake up so that I don't fall asleep again. I don't let the laziness get in. I love waking up and having time in the mornings to just sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee before I start the day. It's becoming my new morning routine - half hour to myself to just be. 

I've made a promise to myself to enjoy the mornings more and raising early is becoming a big motivator to get my day going be being more productive. 

Life Organization

After feeling more motivated and productive during my day from waking up early, I felt that it was necessary to get my life organized as well. 

Normally, I'll have many good intentions to do a lot of tasks / projects through out my day, however I either forget about it after a couple of hours or I procrastinate and it doesn't get done until long after it should have been completed.  I have tried using note pads on my phone, however I'm not an electronic person - I'm more of a pen and paper type of person so I've decided to go out and get myself a planner / journal.  Now I know that a pen and paper isn't the most environmentally friendly essential to have as my go to way to getting myself organized however it works for me. There's something very satisfying about using a journal/ note book / planner to it's full potential. 

Everyday, I'll start my day off by writing what day it was and jotting down all the tasks that I plan to do for that day - including what time I wake up and go to bed. It's been a very useful motivation tool for my workouts as well. If I don't complete a task, then I put a big X besides it. Since I don't like failure, I make sure that I get as much tasks completed as possible. Of course, certain tasks can't be completed due to circumstances, and when that happens, I rewrite it on my next days task list. Having my days planned right down to the time I have to get up to the time I go to bed - there's something quite definitive about it, a satisfaction from checking things off my list knowing that I completed them. 

It's a promise to myself to be a better more productive me.

Reading More

I've always loved reading but I tend to let my everyday life and laziness take over. I'm sure this has happened to a lot of you too, probably just not as often as it's happened to me...Reading sometimes tend to get to the end of the list of things that I want to do and well by the end of the day, I'm just so tired to do it. I sometimes even fall asleep after reading 1 to 2 pages...which tends to turn me off from it all together. I'm not proud of the number of books that I've read over the years so this year, I've made it my mission to read minimum 5 books. Now I know that it's not a lot but well after my previous years, this is a good start.  

A couple of books that I already have lined up include: 

• Pour your heart into it: How Starbucks build a company one cup at a time (Currently halfway through this) 
• I miss you when I blink - Mary Laura Philpott
• The Sweet Spot - how to accomplish more by doing less - Christine Carter P.D.

If you guys have any recommendations please let me know! 

Also, what's the most number of books you've read in a year?

Alone time

I've always enjoyed my alone time but the last two years, I've noticed that my alone time was getting less and less. My days were consisted of work and spending time with my partner, family and friends - I was forgetting about ME and putting everyone else's needs first. I truly believe that everyone should have some alone time. We need to take care of ourselves otherwise we won't be able to be there for others. Studies have shown that alone time leads to increase happiness, improved self management, less anxiety and depression, and better life satisfaction. 

I feel that disconnection from life is needed in order to better manage our lives and be more productive. In this day and age where everyone's life is accessible to the world through social media, solitude has gained a bad rap, however I truly believe that it's essential to one's health and well being. 

One of my alone time consists of cozy nights by the fireplace curled up on the couch with a blanket and a nice glass of whiskey watching a movie or listening to classic music. 

What does your alone time consist of? 

Do you even have one? 

Energizing Beauty

Our power to energize is from God and constantly sustained by God. 

I never used to care about my beauty and health, however that was because I wasn't educated on the topic. I thought that if I continued the way I was going about my everyday life, everything will will work itself out. When I started wearing makeup, I learned the hard way that I have very sensitive skin - this forced me to become educated. 

I love wearing makeup and experimenting with it to create different looks, however before I'm able to do that, I always have to do my research on the products. Being able to wear products that bring out the natural glow from my skin not only feels good for my skin, it increases my energy levels as I'm able to portray my inner beauty outwardly. 

In recent years, skin care has become very important to me and I truly feel that more people need to be educated about it. There's a lot of information out there, all you have to do is search for it. It really is the little things that put a smile / glow on your face! 

WHAT ARE YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS TO ENSURE PRO ACTIVITY, PRODUCTIVITY AND MOTIVATION ARE OPERATING AT OPTIMUM EFFICIENCY?