Baby Feet

Toe jam and all, aren't these the best?!

"Add More ~ing To Your Life"

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A few weeks ago, I finished reading motivational speaker and author Gabrielle Bernstein's book, Add More ~ing To Your Life - A Hip Guide To Happiness. At its core, Gabrielle's book is about tapping into your inner guidance - "~ing" - as she puts it. It's about getting in touch with this inner knowing, so even when you are triggered with fears, you can still choose to respond to yourself and others with love.

Of course, this doesn't always happen perfectly since we're all pretty imperfect (though some might argue this for all you lovely people). She openly discusses her own struggles, and suggests that we, "Embrace the attitude of progress, not perfection." One of my favorite quotes in the book, which you'll probably see me cite just about anywhere possible.

I love that Gabrielle puts herself in the book and doesn't pretend that it's easy to live this way...at first. She suggests that tapping into your inner guide, or ~ing, is like developing any muscle - the more you do it, the easier it gets. And, you'll feel happier as you strengthen your knowing, or trust, in yourself. With any of life's circumstances, you will trust that you will be guided.

One of the most surprising things for me has been to begin meditating. While I've tried this a few times in the past, I couldn't really be convinced to meditate regularly. But in Add More ~ing To Your Life, Gabrielle guides you through various meditations, helping to make it a lot less daunting to try. It's been a couple weeks now for me, and while I haven't changed in my core, how I have been responding to life has.

From March 4th - 8th, 2010, Gabrielle will be on a San Francisco lecture circuit for her new book. If you're also interested in hearing her speak, please check out her event listings for a city near you.

Growing Up On Oprah

Courtesy of Alan Light on FlickrAs most of you probably know by now, Oprah announced that she will end The Oprah Winfrey Show in September 2011, at the close of her 25th season. I’m so unbelievably sad that she’ll be ending her show as we know it. But I’m also excited to see what she cooks up on her new network, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.

I can't express my profound gratitude in just one blog post or letter, but I need to start somewhere. The Oprah Winfrey Show has been my life too for more than 10 years now. I grew up on her show and grew up because of her  show.

Saying goodbye to her show is like giving up the food that emotionally feeds me each day. I watch her show religiously. Actually, Ted calls her “my religion.” I anxiously await new shows during her winter and summer breaks.

My 20s were a tumultuous time for me, as I’m sure many of you can relate. I was awakened in my 20s to the idea of consciousness and to the search of who I truly am, to my purpose of being.

As children, I think we live with a deeper sense of knowing. How I spend my time now looks very similar to how I spent my time in childhood. I knew what I liked, what I didn’t and what I wanted to be when I grew up.

However, as I got older I began to internalize the voices all around me - parents, teachers, friends, other parents, television, etc. - that told me how I should behave and who I should be. Even if the messages weren’t direct, I heard too frequently what others thought was right or wrong, good or bad, wise or foolish.

It was clear to me what I needed to do to fit in. From my culture, my family, my society and my community, I took on what a “good girl and daughter” should do and be. It was in my 20s, with the immense help of the Oprah Show, that I began and continue to sift through the junk that piled up, hiding my true being.

The Oprah Winfrey Show gave and continues to give me the tools and insights to dig deeper and reflect. It gives me real-life examples so I no longer feel alone - that “crazy” feeling we all get when we think we’re the only ones who know what this feels like. Her show makes me more compassionate, of myself and of others. I see myself through others experiences and pain. 

Ultimately, her show makes me feel seen and heard and whole. It allows me feel okay to be me, to be human and to live with my imperfections. A million thank yous to Oprah and her show for being an amazing inspiration in my life each and every day.

What Are You Thankful For?

According to a study at the University of California at Davis, researchers found that "people who wrote down five things for which they were grateful in weekly or daily journals were not only more joyful, they were healthier, less stressed, more optimistic and more likely to help others." (Get A Life That Doesn't Suck.)

Courtesy of Fern R on Flickr

An easy way to share what you're grateful for each day is through this cool new site I found, Thankful For. Jot down anything that comes to mind and share it with your friends through the site, which can also be synced up with your Twitter account.

Today, I'm grateful for...

1. Last night's Ladies Night that my friend planned and hosted. What an amazing and super fun group of women! I had a blast!
2. Project Runway - my new (old) favorite TV show. I love what the designers come up with and am always inspired to do the best of what I do.
3. Everyone who has taken time out of their busy days to read My Happimess - that's YOU.

You can read all this and more by following My Happimess on Thankful For, which is also connected to the My Happimess Twitter account

What are YOU Thankful For today? I'd love to know!

“YOU-Q:” How Do You See Your Inner & Outer Beauty?

I came across a fun quiz in the November 2008 issue of O Magazine, The YOU-Q Test. The quiz measures the gap between the “Current YOU - the person you are right now” from the “Potential YOU - the person you’d like to be.” It suggests that the more these two YOUs are aligned (the smaller the gap), the “closer you are to finding in yourself authentic beauty.” (See You: Being Beautiful.)

Sounds a lot like Get A Life That Doesn’t Suck? The YOU-Q Test examines how you view your inner and outer beauty. Whereas, Get A Life That Doesn’t Suck measures the gap between what you think and what you actually do. 

Specifically, the YOU-Q Test looks at four major areas. The results of your quiz will identify areas you can focus on to bring the two “YOU’s” into greater alignment.

• Looking Beautiful - how you look
• Feeling Beautiful - how you feel
• Being Beautiful - how satisfied you are
• Understanding You - how you see/perceive yourself

What I really liked about the quiz is that it helped me see that I’m not very far off from where I’d like to be relative to how I look, feel and see myself. I can be so hard on myself about certain things sometimes. So it was a great reminder that I genuinely like several of my personality traits and also how I see myself. It was nice to give myself the gift of a quick ego boost!

Background

If you’ve watched Oprah in the last few years, you’ve heard of Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen. These guys write the You Books. Check out their site Real Age: Live Life To The Youngest.