Many people have the goal of saving enough money so that they can enjoy themselves when they retire. This is certainly a worthy goal to have, but it also means that there are a lot of people who are missing out on the joys of life in the here and now.
People often spend their whole lives pinching pennies and saving for the future when that future may not look all that bright. A growing number of people are now realizing that while saving for the future is a good idea, it is certainly just as important to enjoy yourself now while you can. Some are now looking at financial products such as the savings at MoneySupermarket to help them plan those shorter-term goals that make them happy.
Planning a vacation is a great way for someone to spend enjoyable hours thinking about the upcoming getaway. Going on a holiday allows you to break the monotony of everyday life and come back relaxed and rejuvenated.
Regular vacations add interest and enjoyment to life. It is possible to experience other parts of the world and enjoy the diverse cultures that make up this planet, but what makes one person happy is different from what makes another person happy.
Saving money for goals is all about aiming for something that will bring you joy. There is no point in saving for something that someone else may want for you when you think it’s a waste of money. In order to get value from saving for something, it must truly be something you want. Saving for a new car is great for someone who loves driving and will truly benefit from this, but not so great for someone who only gets a new car to impress his friends.
Enjoyable goals that are worth saving for bring a bounce to the step and a smile to the face. If you do not have a good idea what makes you happy, just think of things you have done in the past that you have really enjoyed. It may be fun to do this again or buy items that allow you to experience the happy experience again.
A good goal is going to be something that you look forward to when it happens and makes you feel excited and alive. Saving for this kind of goal is easy because it involves the pleasure principle. It is far easier to save for something that brings true pleasure than something that is not what you really want.
If the title made you think post is more exciting than most…you’re right. Because a song and dance is always exciting.
In one of my my girls’ dance classes, they are rehearsing some of the numbers form Annie, the musical. The other day, one of them was playing some of the music, and I heard for the first time one of the songs they are NOT dancing to: You’re never fully dressed without a smile!
Who cares what they’re wearing
On Main Street,
Or Saville Row,
It’s what you wear from ear to ear
And not from head to toe
(That matters)
So, Senator,
So, Janitor,
So long for a while
Remember,
You’re never fully dressed
Without a smile!
Annie is a pretty popular musical, so I know many of our readers will be familiar with this one, but it is a wonderfully upbeat song to enjoy one more time. And if you are like me and have never seen Annie, I hope you will enjoy this for the first time.
OK, maybe not quite. But when I read this little item in the New York Times, I couldn’t resist having a little fun with the images.
“The United States Postal Service…announced Monday that it was tossing out its rule that its stamps honor only dead individuals and will be opening up this postage-stamp-size billboard space to the living, as well.”
And why not you? I’m a star. You’re a star. We are all wonderful miracles that defy the norms of the universe.
Once upon a time, partner dance was the way couples found each other. Whole courtships occurred in plain view on the dance floor. In European countries, happy matches were made when a hand was placed atop a wrist and the couple walked out onto the floor and began to move together, often with little actual physical contact. Some countries in Africa used, and to some extent still use, dance to attract the attention of a potential husband or wife, the quality of the movement and the ability to move together signifying the potential for a lasting relationship.
Much of the idea of courtship dance has disappeared over the years, but we still have a fascination with the idea of forming a partnership with someone who can both move us physically and emotionally. This is a large part of the popularity of romantic dance romances films like “Strictly Ballroom”, the “Step Up” franchise, and “Shall We Dance”. These films are not totally fiction, however. People who engage in partner dance, are, for the most part, happier than people who do not.
Partner dance is any dance that is characterized by moving in time with someone else. The most popular partner dances are Salsa and Swing, but there are host of other styles, including Argentine Tango, Zouk/Lambada, Caribbean Zouk, Bachata, Samba de Gafieira, Kizomba, Chacarera, Lindy Hop, and West Coast Swing, to name a few. The world of ballroom dance, which encompasses waltz, foxtrot, quick step, jive, and various Latin styles in both American and International categories, is wholly separate from the world of social partner dance, and offers a partner dance outlet for those that are more competitive.
Social partner dance occurs at clubs, in churches, outdoors, and in classrooms all around the world, every day of the week. The quiet man who works in accounting may be the king of Cuban Salsa in your town and the mousy librarian at your local branch may have two or three amateur Swing dance trophies at home. Partner dance is for everyone and is danced by a wide range of people. The only requirements to begin partner dancing are a willingness to learn, patience with both oneself and one’s various partners, and commitment to practice.
People partner dance for many different reasons. Some enjoy the social aspect of meeting new people each night and traveling from dance venue to dance venue. Some people like moving with another person and the physical conversation that can occur when a partner dance is going well. Some people like the exercise aspect, and use partner dance to break up the monotony of sitting in front of a computer all day. Whatever their reason for starting, people who engage in partner dance on a regular basis, are generally less stressed, more productive, and happier in their daily lives.
If you are new in town and are looking for a way to meet people, partner dance is a great option. Do an online search for studios in your area. Most partner dance studios allow you to try the classes before enrolling in a particular course, so experiment and see which type of dance grabs you. For people who are a little shy, partner dance is great, because the conversation is done via dance instead of vocally. If you are interested in using partner dance for exercise, try one of the more energetic styles like Salsa, Lindy Hop, or Samba de Gafieira.
No matter what style you ultimately decide upon, partner dance will improve your outlook on life, your sense of self, and your energy levels. Though dancing with someone nowadays may not lead directly to marriage, it does aid in the formation of lasting friendships, and it is certain to help you maintain a happy, positive outlook.
Article written by S. Black, a passionate dancer and freelance writer. She frequently writes on the arts and about interior design on behalf of a major sectionals retailer.
I was listening to Hay House Radio yesterday, and the host was talking about how our happiness levels could be measured by averaging the happiness levels of our top few friends. I found this so interesting and also very eye opening.
It’s so important to surround ourselves with positive, emotionally healthy, and happy people. Because emotions and feelings are contagious (here is my previous post about this), it’s especially important and crucial for our own well being that we are cognizant of who we choose to be close to.
And I know that this isn’t always the easiest decision to make. Sometimes you’ll find that you’ve been friends with someone for years – you have a history that you would feel bad letting go of. And yet… every time you are with this friend you find that you start off in a happy mood (your mood), and you leave in a negative, sad mood (their mood). It’s crucial to your own happiness to carefully choose who you spend time with. If someone doesn’t help elevate your mood or make you feel great – it may be best to spend less time with them in the future.
And I’m not talking about a dear friend who has had a bad day and needs to vent (we’ve all been there). I’m talking about the person who continuously sees life through a darkened lens – who sees each experience through their negative filter. And while you may love them and want the best for them, you can also love yourself and want the best for your own well being and happiness.
On the positive side – think about your friends who radiate happiness. Think about how wonderful you feel after you spend time with them. Filling your life with people like this will actually help increase your own happiness!
And it doesn’t just have to be your friends – you can read positive books and blogs (like this one!), listen to inspirational podcasts, watch television shows that are happy and fun – anything you can think of to raise your own happiness level.
And in doing so, everyone who comes in contact with you will also have their own happiness levels raised.
It’s definitely worth thinking about. Your happiness is that important.
Jodi Chapman writes Soul Speak – a daily blog focusing on going within, being grateful, and living positively. She is the bestselling author of the Soulful Journals series – writing-prompt journals that help you go within and get to know yourself better. She is also the author of the upcoming book, Go For It: Get Out There and Start Living! She believes that our thoughts become our reality, and our actions lead us to our dreams. She is happily married to her best friend and co-writer, Dan Teck. They live in southern Oregon with their fuzzy kids. www.soulspeakbyjodi.com
There is nothing better than the first really warm day of the year that ushers in the presence of summer. Summer is the season that most everyone looks forward to all year long and it sometimes feels like it takes forever to arrive, but once it’s here, you never want it to go.
There is just something about summer that makes it the sweetest time of the year. From the warm heat to the fresh produce to the laid back feel in the air, summer is arguably the best time of the year.
One of the best advantages of this particular season is the incredible free time that comes along with it. The kids are out of school and the sun lingers around for longer to be enjoyed by all. There is so much happiness to be had in the simple pleasure of seeing kids out riding their bikes, playing at the pool or beach and enjoying popsicles.
Even if you’re not a kid, it is so important to get out there and be a kid again! It will boost your mood and is likely to throw a positive spin on your life outlook.
The warmer weather is an incredible mood-lifter and a fantastic excuse to get outside and enjoy life! The activities in summer are endless. From water sports to bike rides to hikes to lazy days at the pool, summer is a fantastic bounty of fun. In places that typically experience a harsh, dreary winter, summer represents an eagerly-anticipated freedom to get outside and enjoy life.
Summer’s amazing weather finally lets people get outside and enjoy the warmth of our precious sun and enjoy activities that the heat makes possible. Use a Sports Authority Promo Code to save on all of your summer outdoor equipment.
Winter and fall can be so melancholy because of the looming gray skies and torrential downpour, so when summer comes, even the way we cook changes. We throw more barbeques, more parties, and thus, our social lives improve. We are spending more time with people enjoying a fun activity, which leads to a greater satisfaction in life.
The more we can decrease our stress, invest in meaningful relationships and nourish our whole person, the healthier we will be, and summer is most definitely the best time for that!
Makayla loves to write and can be found writing about therapeutic boarding schools and distance learning universities, among other topics. When she is not writing, she is out running with her husband and two Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies.
This was passed on to me by my sister-in-law. So much of it is just so true, great life lessons even for those of us who remember our school days as ancient history.
Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about eleven (11) things they did not and will not learn in school.
Rule 1 : Life is not fair – get used to it!
Rule 2 : The world doesn’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss
Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: They called it opportunity.
Rule 6 : If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were
So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room..
Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. *This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. *Do that on your own time.
Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one..
“Every man’s work, whether it be literature or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself.”
Samuel Butler one-ups the you-are-what-you-eat crowd, with his you-are-what-you-do idea. Or at least, our portraits are what we do. But are these our most accurate portraits? Or are there other things, besides work, that better define us? That draw sharper lines? That paint clearer colors?
Feeling frugal? Wondering how to save some money and time, while still eating healthy and helping the environment? Here are five animals showing us ways to eat less wastefully, saving time and money, while helping our health and the environment.
The Fox Saves: money, environment, health Lesson: Buy direct from the source
By the time you buy a dozen eggs at the grocery store, they have been through several hands…and at least two weeks of handling, often three. By the time you finish that last egg, it might already be four weeks old. Not very fresh.
The fox goes straight to the source – the henhouse. No middlemen adding extra prices. No back-and-forth-between-between-companies transportation adding extra pollution. No warehouse lay-overs reducing freshness. In many cases, no (or less) chemicals and hormones polluting your meal.
Pretty foxy strategy.
The Giraffe Saves: money Lesson: Check for cheaper items
Stores always place in front of your face the items that yield the biggest profits. These are the very things that a frugal-minded person least wants to be coaxed into buying.
The giraffe looks for less-obvious alternatives. His long neck reaches for higher leaves and items tucked out of sight on the top shelves.
Always stretch your neck a little to see if you can find a less-costly option.
The Bear Saves: money, time, environment Lesson: Buy in bulk
Many people buy the same items week after week. This makes sense for milk and eggs; they would spoil if you buy them months in advance. But for many things, it makes no sense to make hundreds of trips to buy the same thing.
The bear shops bulk. He doesn’t flit from flower to flower to collect honey; he waits for the bees to gather the nectar and churn out huge quantity of honey. This way, the bear needs go only once to collect a huge amount of honey all at once. When we do this, the item usually costs less, and we save time, money and pollution by reducing transportation.
Yeah – let someone else do the work.
The Spider Saves: money, time, environment, health Lesson: Eat in
People seem to be eating out more and more. But restaurant food is usually much more fat-laden, sugar-stuffed and salt-infused than food made at home. It also costs much more. And it often takes longer to eat, when you consider transportation time, preparation and the inevitable waiting-for-the-bill ritual.
The spider never eats out. He waits for food to come to him, prepares it and devours it on the spot. He saves time, money and the risk of getting squished by a boot.
Eat in and enjoy the privacy and the savings.
The Squirrel Saves: money, time Lesson:Buy when there’s a surplus
We buy things all year ’round, even things that could last quite a while. Apples and squashes are plentiful and cheap in the Fall, but keep well in a cool corner of the basement or garage for months. Some items are overstocked after Christmas. These are the times to buy.
The squirrel does most of his shopping when the nuts are plentiful, then stores them away to eat over the course of the winter. This saves a lot of time that otherwise would be spent running around looking for food.
Why run from store to store, when the store can be right at home?
When I was in consumer advocacy, essentially a combination lobbyiist and public relations function, I used to say that “thank you” is the most important thing you can say to influence people. Everybody, from the President to the guy whose boot is stuck in the mus a few feet below the oil slick in the Gulf, appreciates being appreciated.
This is the thank you card my younger daughter prepared for her teachers this year…
THEHAPPYGUY.COM: ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PERSONAL GROWTH WEBSITES ON THE INTERNET SELF-HELP HAPPINESS: ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PERSONAL GROWTH BLOGS ON THE INTERNET
By the time you buy a dozen eggs at the grocery store, they have been through several hands…and at least two weeks of handling, often three. By the time you finish that last egg, it might already be four weeks old. Not very fresh.
Many people buy the same items week after week. This makes sense for milk and eggs; they would spoil if you buy them months in advance. But for many things, it makes no sense to make hundreds of trips to buy the same thing.
We buy things all year ’round, even things that could last quite a while. Apples and squashes are plentiful and cheap in the Fall, but keep well in a cool corner of the basement or garage for months. Some items are overstocked after Christmas. These are the times to buy.