5 Ways to Take Charge of Your Happiness

by | Nov 26, 2017 | Uncategorized

Hey, there!

This post is related to the previous one. If you read it, then you know how important it is as a busy mom to take charge of your happiness. So I made a follow-up video below where I share with you 5 ways you can do so.

Truth be told, I was planning to post this a few days ago, but I didn’t realize how long it would take to edit the video! (Plus recording this video also got delayed.) So I’m just keeping it real.

OK, some funny things happened. Since the video and the editing software had different specs (if that’s what you call it), the top of my head got cut off, haha! And I’m not sure if I could actually adjust it (if you’re an expert video editor, then please educate me!). And I didn’t mute the notifications, so at one point it kept on ringing. 😛 Anyway, I really just wanted to get the message out in spite of all them imperfections.

So please watch this short video I made for you (pretty please???)…I know it will give you a little more perspective on how you can increase your happiness meter.

Plus, a cameo appearance of a superhero comes out at about the 2:49 mark. 😀

[You can also Watch it here.]

To summarize, here are 5 simple ways you can take charge of your happiness that I mention in the video:

  1. Be grateful.
  2. Find ways to help others.
  3. Have some “me time.”
  4. Get creative and have some fun! <– some superhero appears at this point, haha
  5. Laugh. 😀

Also, as I mentioned in the previous post, I will be opening the doors soon to an online coaching program entitled “Get Your Happy: Take charge of your happiness (so you can have less stress, more peace and more fun!).”

If you are interested — even in the slightest degree, like .05% — then let me know if you would like a little taste of it in a free Facebook group that I could set up. Send me an email at hello@citygirlcountryhome.com with a “YES!” in the email, along with your FB name. And if there are a number of you, then it’s a go. 🙂 (I’ll also be giving out some freebies in the group.)

Hope to hear from you!

Blessings,

Mich 🙂

How Important to You Is Your Happiness?

by | Nov 20, 2017 | Uncategorized

Several weeks ago, I attended a homeschool conference. There were plenary talks as well as breakout sessions. One of the breakout sessions was about “Carving Me-Time for Homeschooling Moms.” That piqued my interest, because if you have been reading my emails for some time now, you probably know I do encourage busy moms to be proactive about their happiness.

So off I went to look for the room where the talk would be held. When I entered, lo and behold, only a few of us mommies were there. Meanwhile, we could hear the noise from the chitchat going on in the other rooms, which were filled. Topics in the other breakout sessions were about various ways to teach and engage children; this was the only one about taking care of oneself. When one of the organizers (a man) entered the room to check on us, our speaker/facilitator said something akin to how we, moms, tend to put ourselves last as we serve everybody else.

It was interesting and funny at the same time. But it’s true. It’s natural for us to care for and nurture our loved ones. God wired us that way. But many of us need help on the self-care spectrum. We can easily neglect ourselves, whether incremental or to the extreme, to the point where we can be on the side of all the negatives. And trust me, it can get ugly. The ugly rears its head in many forms —complaining, blaming, comparison, envy, discontent, impatience, self-pity and sadly, even yelling at your kids. And when these are your companions, guess what? You think you’ll be happy? Nope.

How do I know? Well, I’ve been there. One of the major changes in my life caught me off guard. When I relocated several years ago, I was uprooted from all that was close and familiar to me. This uprooting was painful, and I struggled immensely, crying out to God through my tears. Two weeks in, I made a decision that began to help me take charge of my happiness.

I remember it well. I was wearing a bright green sportshirt, with a white collar and thin, white stripes. It was morning, and my husband had gone off to work. I was sitting on the couch, all alone in the living room. And while hearing the whiz of vehicles passing in front of our apartment, I prayed to the Lord and told Him that I would be grateful, that I choose gratitude.

Gratitude was the first decision I made regarding my situation. It was simple yet powerful.

Only later did I realize that this was a step in taking charge of my happiness. Because it made me see what I had instead of what I didn’t have. I came to appreciate the blessings that surrounded me instead of harping about the blessings I wish were mine.

It has been a long process, and I’m still journeying. But I’ve learned so many lessons along the way, and I’d like to share this with you.

I’d like to help you break out of just going with the flow of your circumstances to being intentional and taking charge of your happiness.

I know, I know, there’s that mommy guilt. You feel you might be selfish. Or maybe you think you’re not worth it. Or that you’re too busy so there is absolutely no time to spend on yourself. Or it seems there is no way you can do that, above all your commitments and responsibilities. You might even describe your life now as “toxic” or you keep telling others, “I’m swamped.”

But has it ever occurred to you…

  • To actually commit to yourself?
  • To recognize that your happiness is important?
  • To become a better version of yourself?

Why, you ask? When you are a happier you, and a better version of yourself, then you will be able to serve others in a better way and fulfill, in a better way, the responsibilities God has entrusted you with in this season of your life.f

So here’s an invitation…

I am looking to welcome, serve and journey with 10 moms in a 4-week online group coaching program. The program is entitled —

Get Your Happy!

Take charge of your happiness

(so you can have less stress, more peace and more fun!)

This program will be in beta version, and if you choose to enroll, you will be one of the founding members. Your input will also be invaluable for the next version.

OK, now you might be thinking…

  • Whaaat? 4 Weeks?! I can’t even get a few minutes for myself. Are you kidding me?
  • This is one of the busiest seasons of the year. I am waaayyy too busy, and putting this in my to-do list will just add to more overwhelm.
  • Why should I even spend for a program when I can spend it on more important things…like Christmas gifts?

Let me help you dispel these concerns:

  • The time frame for the program is 4 weeks, but the training will come in bite-sized portions, and will only require several minutes each day. They will be delivered via email and a private Facebook group. (If you are used to scrolling through Facebook, Instagram or other social media platforms each day, then no need to worry — you will have time for this.)
  • I think we’re all in the same boat of busy. Which is why this program is designed for busy moms like you. Instead of adding to the overwhelm, it will actually help you stop and give you room to breathe. It will help clear your mind. And oh, just to put it out there — when you join, you’ll also get my “Stress-free Christmas mini-course” for free!
  • About spending on more important things…what about considering yourself as important? How about giving yourself a Christmas gift? Maybe it’s time to invest in yourself…the ROI being a less stressed, a more joyful, peaceful and fun you…a HAPPY YOU! [Not to mention happier loved ones because things are happier when you’re around. ;)] <– This matters, right?

I will be posting more details in the coming days. In the meantime, ask yourself this question:

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, where are you now when it comes to taking charge of your happiness?

 

From the Archives: Adjusting to Change — Lots of It!

by | Oct 26, 2017 | Uncategorized

(This post was originally published on October 27, 2012 right here.)

Have you ever found yourself out of your comfort zone? Or perhaps you were in that zone, but just the thought of an inch outside of it made you cringe, get all clammy and migraine-prone?

I get you.

So here were the initial and major changes I had to contend with:

  1. From single life to married life
  2. From city life to provincial life
  3. From working in an office to working at home
  4. From being with family and friends all throughout the week to having no family and friends (except my loving and patient husband, of course)

I had two choices:

  1. Resist the changes, remain in rigidity…and be miserable; in one word, MISERY; or
  2. Accept the changes, adjust accordingly…and be happy; in one word, HAPPINESS

    Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Anyone in her right mind would choose happiness. Guess what? I found misery quite quickly. OK, so I wasn’t in my right mind then. I was in my left (sorry, couldn’t resist!).

This reminds me of a Bible passage in Deuteronomy 30:19 (NRSV) that says, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.” No-brainer. But for some weird reason, we humans tend to choose the harder route…learning the hard way in the process. At least we learn.

For the record, I was glad to be married. That was a change I readily welcomed. For the rest, I struggled.

I resisted, I accepted, I resisted, I accepted, I resisted, I accepted, I resisted…I.GOT.TIRED. I learned. I accepted, I adjusted, I became happy. Whew!

A guy named Jimmy Dean said, “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” But Jesus, my Savior, said it best: “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8, NRSV).

I wanted to follow the wind of the Spirit. So I had to make choices deliberately. It took time. I had to learn to adjust every day. Every moment even. And each step of acceptance and adjustment brought me deeper into a place called peace.