I'm Contagious

Nothing kills the mood faster than a "Debbie-downer"; someone who has nothing but negative things to say. Negativity can be contagious. All it takes is one person complaining about one thing and then others will soon chime in with their similar complaints and whines on the subject, and before you know it the whole room is in a sombre bitter mood. Thankfully, I've found that as quick as negativity can be contagious, so can positivity be! In the same way, all it takes is one person to change the subject, clear the air, and lighten the mood. One happy person in a social circle has the power to influence the whole group with their happiness. I have come up with 3 easy ways you can be contagiously happy and positive. I urge you to give these a try!

Break the chain: Gossip is often prevalent in any social group. Get two or more people together and it's only a matter of time before they start to swap stories of what he-said and she-said. When you walk into one of these social settings, make it your duty to break the chain!! If they are talking about how Suzy is wearing an awful outfit, be the first to say something positive about poor Suzy there! Be the first to point out that she has beautiful eyes, or is such a hard worker and a great friend. Break the chain and point out the positive in everyone, everything.

Smile: This one seems so simple, but yet so many times we pass plenty of people throughout our day without so much as acknowledging them, let alone smiling at them. It takes no time and barely any effort at all, but it may very well change someone's mood or get their minds of something negative, even for that brief moment. I was eating in a food court recently by myself, and an older gentleman sat at a table directly across from me. I made eye contact with him and gave him a sincere smile, and he smiled back. After he finished eating, he came up and told me to have a great evening and that was the first time he smiled in a long time. Who knows what he could have been going through, but just the fact that someone acknowledged him, and gave him a smile was enough to encourage him to smile again. It's so simple and it can do wonders for people in ways you may never know.

Dance! Wherever there is music, the opportunity is there! I've danced in the grocery store aisle pushing my cart buying a frozen pizza, I've danced in my car at a red light much to the delight (or confusion) of other drivers around me, and you better believe I'm always on that dance floor if there is one available to me! Dancing is KEY to creating a happy positive environment that is contagious to everyone in the room. Take for example weddings: the funnest and most memorable part of the evening is the dance portion! You don't have to be any good at it, actually it's probably better if you don't have formal training because then you can really let your hair down and give 'er without any reservations or proper technique. Don't worry about what others are thinking, don't worry about how you look, just please take a tip from Lady Gaga and just DANCE. It's simple, it's effective, and it will encourage others to do the same.

You have the power to make someone's day, to change someone's mood, or to be a moment of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy day. Be contagiously happy. Choose to break the chain, smile, and of course... DANCE. :)

"Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead."
1 Peter 1:6



Happiness has been delayed; arrival TBA

No matter what stage of life we are in, there always seems to be something that we feel we need to accomplish and/or attain before we can feel fully happy and content. Have you ever found yourself saying things like - I'll be happy when I find a new boyfriend; I'll be happy when I start making more money; I'll be happy when I'm finished my degree; I'll be happy when I lose weight; I'll be happy when I find a job I like, etc. It's almost as if happiness and contentment will be available to us once we reach a certain destination, and only then will life be good again. I can understand how these thoughts start innocently enough, because it's important to set goals for yourself and aim high and not settle, but it's even more important not to miss out on what's happening in your life right NOW... 

When you find yourself pre-occupied and focused on some future event, it's called postponing your life. You're postponing your life and your ability to be truly happy to a future date when then, oh then, you will finally get what you want and life will be good. It's a certain lack of acceptance of what "is". Right now you don't have what you want. You are somewhere in the middle. You feel you need and deserve something else. Maybe you see your friends get the things you want, so that contributes to your feelings of need even further. You may feel lonely, unfulfilled, empty, confused, frustrated, bored, and you are assuming and absolutely counting on the fact that when you get a boyfriend, move, have money, lose weight, etc you will no longer feel that way.

In Geneen Roth's book "Women Food and God" she explains that this idea of reaching a desired event and then counting on it bringing you happiness, you are living in a fantasy. She says these desired events are "fantasies in your mind and they are in the future, a future that never comes. Because when your goals are reached, they will be reached the "right now". And in the "right now" you will still be you, doing the same things you do now. You will stand up. Walk around. Get root canals. Open the refrigerator door. Sleep. Feel happy. Feel devastated. Feel lonely. Feel loved. Get old. Die."

It is simple: We are where we should be, doing what we should be doing. Otherwise we would be somewhere else, doing something different.  When you miss the present moment, you miss life. When you miss those moments because you'd rather be somewhere else doing something different, you are missing your own life.

It always comes back to this core truth: That no person, place, or thing can provide you lasting fulfillment and happiness. No one is charge of your happiness but yourself. Once you realize this, you learn to to put your energy into securing your happiness right here right now. You must CHOOSE to be be happy, content, and fulfilled right here and right now, regardless of your circumstances or current life situation.

God willing, you will get to that much desired next step, and you will get there on His terms and in His timing. You'll find that new boyfriend, you'll get a new job, you'll graduate from university - but if you can get to that destination feeling happy and fulfilled every step of the way, that truly is a beautiful life. Choose to live that way. :)