Pursuit of Happiness | Uniquely Yours Craft Journal

Pursuit of Happiness- Health and Fitness

01 Jul 2015 Comments Off on Pursuit of Happiness- Health and Fitness

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Pursuit of Happiness Tags: Health, music, walking

Dear Fellow Journalers,

This is the month of Health and Fitness. Summer is a great month to focus on this topic and begin a daily regimen, even if it is only walking.

“Prevention is better than a cure”

Proverb

If you think of fitness as something only the rich or athletic can indulge in, try thinking of taking that walk (with a hill) for the benefit of your heart and your creative soul. If you look back over my past posts ,you’ll see that a lot of them either feature a picture of nature or mention of it. So, your neighborhood is not “that great”, the fresh air is. Birds still sing and there is always activity around. Take along your music ( in whatever form) or spend time thinking about a prompt and your response. If the neighborhood is not a good place to walk, drive to a park, the beach or a lake. Heck, you can even walk in a shopping mall!

Happy walking,

~Sallie

Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given

To Sallie and uniquelyyourscraftjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

You may reach Sallie at uniquelyyourscraftjournal@outlook.com

Are you happy?

01 Jun 2015 Comments Off on Are you happy?

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Pursuit of Happiness Tags: friends, habits, Happiness, positive mindfulness, Winston Churchill

Are you happy?

Dear Fellow Journalers,

The Pursuit of Happiness this month focuses on Happiness Habits. Please write the following questions/statements on a piece of paper or your journal, think about your answers, and then write them down. The multiple choice answers are the same for questions 1-3, 5-9. The multiple choices are:

Never once/twice a day once/twice month once/twice week, once a day

How often do you share your feelings with friends or relatives?
How often do you do kind things for others?
How often do you (at least 20 minutes) participate in physical exercise?
I know what my strengths and virtues are and I use them creatively to improve the quality of my life. ( The choice answers are:

I don’t know what my strengths and virtues are.
I know what they are, but I don’t know use them.
I sometimes use them.
I use them often

I find a deep sense of fulfilment by using my strengths and skills for a purpose greater than myself.
I engage in activities (sports, writing) that I find challenging.
I have feelings of gratitude towards persons and events from my past.
I am able to focus on the present moment and not get distracted by thoughts of the past or future.
I am optimistic about the future.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

How did your “Quiz” go? Do you feel more optimistic about your life? Are you a happy person?

There are 6 habits of happy people which may help you become happier. They are:

Express your heart. People who have one or more close friendships tend to be happier. I have 2 close friends who literally would “give me the blouse off their back”. They bolster me and lift me up. We’ve solved the world’s problems over lunch!

Relationships

Cultivate Kindness. Caring for someone else lifts you out of depression. Charitable acts such as visiting the sick, collecting food items or just donating time lifts you and someone else to a higher level.

Caring

Exercise Regularly. Working out or playing sports not only improves your mood but your mental health as well. Taking a walk around your yard or working in your garden counts also.

Exercising

Flow. When you are writing in your journal or creating your next masterpiece have you ever been so focused that time got away from you? That’s what flow is. You loose self-consciousness when you are totally immersed in an activity that is challenging and uses your skills and talents.

Flow

Strengths and Virtues. Using your strengths and virtues for the greater good helps you utilize those skills better!

Positive Mindfulness. The glass is 1/2 full. Winston Churchill is quoted as saying “a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimistic sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” If you have ever read or heard his speeches during the Second World War this underlying theme “plays” out in them.

1/2full glass

Be happy!

~Sallie

Month of Family and Friendships

01 May 2015 1 Comment

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Pursuit of Happiness Tags: family, friendships, love, Masks

Dear Fellow Journalers,

May is the month of Family and Friendships. In our family, May is a very busy month! There’s Mothers’ Day, my birthday, our Granddaughter’s Birthday (the day after mine), and Memorial Day . So we celebrate all month the friendships and family relationships that bring us love and joy.

In thinking about this theme, I first concentrated on my family and how we are all connected. Each of us comes to our family with our unique talents, experiences and beliefs. While L. is still a toddler, she too is forming her own set of wants and needs and it will be some time before we see her true self emerge.

In all things you create this month remember what makes you happy. Write each “thing” down in your journal. When darkness falls upon your door, your happiest memories will always be with you.

~Sallie

A month of Optimism

01 Apr 2015 Comments Off on A month of Optimism

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Pursuit of Happiness Tags: April, dream, optimism

Dear Fellow Journalers,

April – a Month of Optimism

Optimism has been defined as ” hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.” Optimists are more confident about outcomes than pessimists. They know bad things will happen, but they also know that the bad things don’t define them.

Martin Seligman is credited with the 3 Step Program to help people become optimistic.

1. Take an optimistic view. Have a positive attitude. (( I can lean how to create a clay figure)).

2. Intentionally block negative thoughts and substitute positive ones. ( ( write down in a journal your most worrisome thoughts and vent.))

3. Fight awfulising. Make the best of the situation. (( I am not doomed to paint spatters on my carpet. I can learn how to create a reasonably looking page.))

Dare to dream and hope for the best, and see the “glass is 1/2 full” after all.

~Sallie

Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given

To Sallie and uniquelyyourscraftjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

You may reach Sallie at uniquelyyourscraftjournal@outlook.com

The Month of Kindness

04 Mar 2015 Comments Off on The Month of Kindness

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Pursuit of Happiness Tags: charities, GFWC, kindness, Pay-it-forward

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Month of Kindness

Whenever I think of the virtue of kindness, I remember a movie called “Pay it forward”. The movie debuted in 2000. It was based on an American novel of the same name. The main character was played by Haley Joel Osmun. The boy in the movie planned a charitable program based on the networking of recipients doing a favor for someone else. This concept was widely copied all over America during Christmas this year. There were stories of people buying coffee for others, large tips for waitresses, and people doing acts of kindness in memory of the 26 Sandy Hook (CT) victims.

Have you ever thought if sending greeting cards to charities, hospitals, homeless shelters? I belong to a Woman’s Club called GFWC which stands for Global Federation of Women’s Club. There are several clubs in every town of the United States and around the world. The sole purpose of the club members is to perform charitable works in their town and cities. We donate handmade cards to the VA Hospital. You never know how much your smile or gesture of kindness helps someone.

~Sallie

Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given

To Sallie and uniquelyyourscraftjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

You may reach Sallie at uniquelyyourscraftjournal@outlook.com