Be Happy

I start each day eating breakfast and reading the newspaper. I really enjoy reading the newspaper. I read every comic and every advice column. I read a lot of the news, too, but I don't miss the comics and columns. When I go on a vacation, I have all my newspapers saved up so I can keep up with the comics and columns.

There is one advice column that offers very practical information. The writer is Richard Carlson. He wrote the book, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff. This past week, there was a particularly good column about happiness. I couldn't find a link to the entire article, so I will summarize it here.

The point I liked is that he says we get in our own way of being happy. This happens when we let our thoughts "override our happiness." He classifies those thoughts as "self-defeating, negative, angry, jealous and frustrated thoughts."

He says that it is important to be aware of the thoughts, but not as important as people think. He believes people can acknowledge the thoughts and then drop them.

I believe this is true too. It takes practice, but once you realize that the thoughts are just bringing you down and are not productive in any way and you practice "dropping them" out of your life, you will be much happier.

Fall is pretty

I really like the fall colors. Outside. As a designer, I am sensitive to color. I think nature creates an awesome display in the fall. I don't especially like nature so much in winter. Dirty snow and all.

Funny thing though, my personal coloring is cool. I have almost white hair and blue eyes. The typical winter coloring. So I wear black and jewel tones. I look awful in fall colors. Maybe that is why I like to see the fall scenery so much, I can't wear it.

It is interesting to learn what colors look best on you. When I met my husband, I thought he liked brown. So I started wearing brown. I couldn't understand why I didn't "feel" good in my new clothes. Then when I read a book called, Color Me Beautiful, I realized that brown is not a flattering color on me.

Color Me Beautiful
Written by Carole Jackson
Category: Health & Fitness - Beauty & Grooming; Health & Fitness - Healthy Living; Art - Fashion
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Format: Trade Paperback, 176 pages
Pub Date: April 1987
Price: $16.95

Think You Can

I had the pleasure of spending a leisurely afternoon with my grandson. He is 10 months old. He likes it when I read story books to him. I picked up one of my favorites, The Little Blue Engine that Could. It was actually the very same copy of the book that I read to my son many years ago.

The story follows a train that needs an engine to pull it. When the Little Blue Engine shows up, she isn't sure she can pull the train but she does it! She says the whole time, "I think I can."

My son knew the words to the story by heart. Many children end up memorizing their favorite story books after hearing their parents read the stories over and over. My son is a positive-thinker. As I was reading the book to my grandson, it occurred to me that perhaps the message had something to do with my son's outlook. I do believe in the power of positive thinking. I will read and re-read the story of the Little Blue Engine to my grandson. The message is very powerful and is one that I want to pass along to him.

I know that if you don't as least THINK YOU CAN, you won't. Thinking you can do something is the first step to doing it.