7 Simple Ways to Make Your Life More Positive
Hello friends! We want to introduce you to an amazing soul and beautiful friend, Brittni Soo. We are fortunate enough to have a this positive, inspirational friend in our life. We can call on her for good conversation, nutrition advice, fitness tips, and to overall just bump up your level of happiness. Gems like Brittni need to be shared with the world, so without further adieu, here she is....
PeaceLoveStyle ~
We feel like now more than ever we all need to focus on finding inner happiness and spreading peace in humanity. Brittni, can you tell us some simple things that you practice to maintain a positive attitude and outlook on life?
Brittni ~
Since childhood, I’ve always had a deep longing to be happy. Just like everyone else I had a challenging childhood and for as long as I can remember I would blow out the candles on my birthday cake simply wishing “to be happy.” Unfortunately, I didn’t know what would make me happy… sometimes I thought it would be more friends, expensive material things, money and I was convinced that a good boyfriend would do the trick. Throughout my young adult life, I had all of these things and despite having plenty of reasons to be happy I somehow I always found myself feeling void of a meaningful, fulfilling and happy life. Fortunately, my toxic relationships and loss of (what I thought was) my career lead me on this journey of discovery that I'm excited to share with you. Just like success, happiness leaves clues and I’ve been studying this for the past 10 years. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on seminars, books and life coaches, years of trial and error and have sifted down a list of the most powerful and effective things that have absolutely changed my life.
Personal Development
For most of us, reading and learning takes a screeching halt as soon as we finish school. Why in the world would you waste your time reading when there are so many good TV shows on after work? Studies have proven that people who read are more successful, that’s why. The average CEO reads more than 60 books per year. That’s 5 books a month, therefore more than a book per week! I set a goal of reading 30 minutes per day. I prefer non-fiction books that are relevant to what I'm personally working on in my life. My newfound trick is to download audio books and multi task when I am commuting, hiking, doing laundry etc. Here are some of my favorites:
Reading:
The Four Agreements — Don Miguel RuizThe Five Love Languages — Gary Chapman
Audio:
You are a Badass — Jen SinceroThe Universe has your Back — Gabrielle BernsteinPersonal Development can also be amplified through going to a retreat or seminar. Being with a group of like-minded people and learning from experts on a topic that you’re passionate about can catapult positivity. I legit went to a “Marry Yourself Retreat” just to dive into WTF self-love actually meant and literally created vows to myself that I had to say at an alter in front of a group of women. Although it was one of the more cheesy, embarrassing and downright WEIRD things I have ever done, I will say that I met my husband 2 months later and truly believe that I wouldn’t have even recognized him to be “the one” if it weren’t for this odd experience.
Beauty Sleep
Getting a good night’s rest is much more than just avoiding those dark under eye circles. It improves your mood, ability to focus and creativity. Think about it, when a 2 year old misses his/her afternoon nap they can be unbearable to be around and their mood is just downright grumpy and it's completely understandable. As adults we’ve grown out of the terrible twos and learned to wear a "happy mask" even when we are exhausted and don’t feel good. In fact, most people are so accustomed to being tired that they don’t even recognize it. Take getting ample sleep as seriously as a Momma does her babies naps. Your good vibes will thank you.
Set Intentions
Setting goals is something that gets you into forward thinking mode and it put your intentions out there to the universe which attracts the stuff that you’re seeking. Whether its setting an intention to arrive to work early and maximize the commute with an inspiring podcast or setting an intention to start a business, we must plan and intend what we want out of life. Otherwise we end up on the hamster wheel of random events with an unknown outcome leading to blowing out 65 candles on a birthday cakes still wishing “to be happy.”
Trust
We were all born optimistic and somehow the experiences and challenges of life cause us to build layers of protection which leads to pessimism, although it is normal in our society it definitely doesn’t feel good. Something I learned from yogic philosophy is that we are “exactly where we are supposed to be.” It is important to remember that if you have goals and positive intentions then you are attracting people, circumstances and events that are aligned with the energy that you are putting out. Agonizing about the past and projecting the future are a complete waste of time in addition to the fact that those bad vibes make us unhappy. Sometimes the silver lining is crystal clear and other times stuff happens that just downright suck. We have to remember that lives challenges are what give us strength to move confidently in the direction of our dreams. Negativity, pessimism, hatred and envy block the flow of positive energy and circumstances. Even when you don’t understand, trust that everything happens for a reason and keep that positive flow of energy going. The universe has your back, but you have to open yourself up with trust to receive it.
Mindfulness
A new-agey word that is blasted all over muscle tees and coffee mugs. The meaning of mindfulness can seem cryptic and only reserved for hairy armpit, tie-dye wearing hippie types. Let me break it down; mindfulness is spending time with yourself to connect and enjoy being in the present moment. Its like a date with yourself, I call it “me time.” How are we supposed to have clarity and authenticity with ourselves if we don’t take the quality time to reflect and figure out what we need. I get my mindfulness from practicing yoga, meditation and journaling and although I think these are the absolute best (for me) it doesn’t mean that those are the only ways. Any quality time spent alone will work wonders for your sense of well being. Try a solo trip to the beach, hike alone, go surfing, watch the sunset. Schedule dates with yourself like it’s your job, your life depends on it.
Pick your true “Top 8”
Ask yourself; “Am I spending time with the people that lift me up?”Ever since the MySpace days, we have become a society of virtual reality and are more connected to more people than ever. I wouldn’t be able to share this blog post with you if that weren’t the case and I am so grateful for the World Wide Web. Unfortunately, the IG hole that we are all guilty of getting stuck in can be a slippery slope. It is easy to forget to nourish our most important relationships. Time spent with your uplifting gal pals not only keeps you inspired but it has been scientifically proven to balance your hormones. No wonder why the babes on Sex in the City had such mind blowing sex!Let me guess, you’re busy… don’t have time? We make time for the things that are important to us and sometimes we forget what is truly important. I used to be THAT GIRL that spent every waking moment with my boyfriend and only “made” time for my girlfriends when he was busy or out of town. The result…? Lack of confidence, shitty sex drive and ultimately lead me to getting dumped. Remember how I mentioned the silver lining earlier? At the time I was devastated, I mean I did everything for that a-hole and was at his beck and call. He would never find anyone as good as me. As I’m typing this I’m chuckling to myself and how dumb that sounds. Fortunately, I didn’t piss my friends off too much because they were there to scrape me off the floor, tell me “I told you so,” give me a martini and tell me to snap out of it. That experience led me right to the turning point of living a positive life. I committed to never again let co-dependence get the best of me, commit to my personal development and reminded me that true friendships are one of the most important gifts in the world.
Love Yourself
We can be so hard on ourselves. Have you ever thought about what it would sound like if your thoughts about yourself were out loud? “You idiot” “Why can’t you just do it right” “Get your shit together”… sound familiar? In order to authentically give and reveive love and compassion we have to first have it with ourselves. Beyonce said it best “The world will see you the way you see you, and treat you the way your treat yourself.”Whenever I have a nagging opinion about myself that is disempowering I create an affirmation that is the polar opposite and write it on a post-it and put in multiple places in my house, car, purse. Some of my go-to faves:I am StrongI am AmazingI am EnoughToday I make things happenI eat clean food to nourish my body with fuelMy intention for you is to share these little golden nuggets of inspiration that I’ve learned along the way and encourage you to implement at least one new small change today. We all have room to grow and today is the perfect day to take another step towards loving yourself more and living a more positive and inspired life. I love feedback! What are some of your tricks?Feel free to leave your feedback for Brittni here or check out her website at www.brittnisoo.com We look forward to sharing the rest of our girl posse with you in the future, sharing is caring ;)xoxokaty & shawna