For a while now, my friend Lacy and I have been chatting on the topic of "happiness". What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get more of it? What makes us really happy? What makes one person a "happy person" and another not? The questions are endless, but the research, it turns out, is fun! We have in no way become experts, but have learned one thing: Happiness is, among other things, a practice. So like anything else we want to do better, we must make it a habit.
Lacy has been 'practicing' for a long time now, and I feel she has a lot to share on the topic. So when I decided to start this blog, I asked her if she would do regular guest-posts to talk about it. I plan to make a habit of reading them. xoxo, Leigh

Jump, Leap, Trust.

Hi all! Lacy here!

There’s a story that I sometimes read to my clients about jumping into the void. The message is that we think life is when we’re on solid ground but really, in truth life happens in the moments where we’re in the air leaping between the two places. When we can come to realize the impermanence, the illusions and reality of change then we’re free to experience life in a whole new way. For some it’s just a concept to entertain for others it’s a way of life. You get to choose where you land on the spectrum.

What I know of happiness is that it’s about finding it in all places, especially the places called transition. 

Happiness is a muscle that you exercise and a way of thinking that is not only practiced with diligence but also a healthy sense of humor. Transition is one of those special places that can either be wrought with angst or filled with head shaking, belly busting laughter. When you get to that place in your life remember that you get the choice to plant your feet firmly and not budge or to be flexible… to jump, leap and trust.

Here's to jumping right into the void!

Lacy Young is a professional happy person. You can find out more about her on her blog.

For a while now, my friend Lacy and I have been chatting on the topic of "happiness". What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get more of it? What makes us really happy? What makes one person a "happy person" and another not? The questions are endless, but the research, it turns out, is fun! We have in no way become experts, but have learned one thing: Happiness is, among other things, a practice. So like anything else we want to do better, we must make it a habit.
Lacy has been 'practicing' for a long time now, and I feel she has a lot to share on the topic. So when I decided to start this blog, I asked her if she would do regular guest-posts to talk about it. I plan to make a habit of reading them. xoxo, Leigh

Happy Whirled:

Hi All! Lacy Here!

This summer on Leigh's California adventure I got to spend some time with her and the mister and in the process we discovered a shared love of blended concoctions.  We're talking serious smoothie recipe sharing here people.

In our house we start the day with either green juice or a smoothie. This simple formula will get you blending with endless possibilities:  

LIQUID + FRUIT + SWEET + BOOST = YUM

1. For a belly-loving smoothie you'll need 10 oz of liquid.  
Choose from coconut milk or almond milk (coconut is my favorite for this recipe)

2. Then add two cups of the frozen fruit of your choice.
Try one cup mango and one cup pineapple (you will seriously love this, it's like perpetual summer in the tropics)

We always use frozen fruit and never use ice. If you want to thicken your smoothie use a frozen banana.

3. Add an element of sweet.
We used either a soaked date or a tablespoon or two of raw honey.

A note on:

honey.  Go raw and go local.  It's one of those things you will always find in my kitchen.  Let those happy buzzing bees boost your immune system with their sweet handy work.  Eating local honey can help to reduce allergies and it's a great way to sweeten while avoiding the sugar crash that comes with processed table sugar.

dates.
You can buy dates at the grocery store in the produce section.  They are usually about the size of your thumb, brown and a little sticky.  Once home remove the pits and then place in an airtight container in water and place in the fridge. The dates will soften and blend into your smoothie easily.  You can keep them in the fridge for a couple of weeks (or longer).

4. Give it a little super boost.
If you like you can add a superfood supplement to your smoothie to give it a little kick.
We're all about Maca in our house at the moment. Maca powder increases stamina and helps to combat fatigue. My favorite "boosts" come from Navitas Naturals

If you're just beginning to explore the world of superfoods, start with Cacao Nibs!  They're little pieces of antioxidant rich raw chocolate.  They are perfect in a smoothie and full of nutrient rich iron and minerals.

Here's to your health & happy taste buds!
Love, Lacy

_____________________________________________________________________________

Thriving Through the Holidays : Group Health Coaching Give Away!!

I am embarking on a healthy journey this holiday season and I want you to join me!! I have had the pleasure of having Lacy in my life for a good while now and have gotten to watch her shape her passion for healthy living and happy eating into a genuine mission. This is not a fast or new fancy cleanse. It's not a regimen or even a diet. It is a time that you set aside to dedicate to taking care of yourself and your little ol' body. It is about celebrating food and health and all the amazing ways that they are intertwined. It is a fast track to happy and habits of happiness, and I want you to get to do it.

Lacy has partnered with Lisa from: With Style and Grace and the together they have created something really special for you. They have generously offered me two prizes to award my fabulous readers! One reader will win a free spot in the "Thriving Through the Holidays" Group Health Coaching Session (Nov. 22nd - Jan 31) and a second reader will win $100 off!!

A little bit more about the course:

 Who is this for?

• Those wanting a different relationship with food: stop counting calories, understand your body, gain confidence in food choices, experience overall happiness in your life, set and accomplish goals, understand and reduce cravings, explore new foods.
• Women of all ages committed to their health and well-being.
• Women who are new or curious about exploring the naturally gluten-free lifestyle and those who want more energy by eliminating gluten from their diet.

Sessions are held via phone, once every two weeks for an hour.

What's the benefit?

• Open up the possibilities for a new way of life and a new relationship with food.
• Sense of community to help support your goals and hold you accountable.
• Learn health benefits and how to prepare new foods.

For just $299, you get . . .

• Three months of consultancy and advocacy to help you achieve your goals.
• Healthy, easy and creative ways to make recipes.
• Gift box full of healthy swag, clever reminders in support of your path.

You can get all the info you want: here. You can also sign up for the session here and here.

To enter the give-away:

Go to Lacy's Facebook Page and click "like" maybe even post a little hello there. Then leave a comment on this post telling me why you want to be part of this and what you hope to get out of it!

Act quickly, winners will be chosen on Wednesday November16th at 5pm EST.

Yay! I am so excited for this! Thanks Lacy for putting this out into the world!

For a while now, my friend Lacy and I have been chatting on the topic of "happiness". What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get more of it? What makes us really happy? What makes one person a "happy person" and another not? The questions are endless, but the research, it turns out, is fun! We have in no way become experts, but have learned one thing: Happiness is, among other things, a practice. So like anything else we want to do better, we must make it a habit.
Lacy has been 'practicing' for a long time now, and I feel she has a lot to share on the topic. So when I decided to start this blog, I asked her if she would do regular guest-posts to talk about it. I plan to make a habit of reading them. xoxo, Leigh

Food Rx:

Hi All! Lacy Here!

If there's one thing I've learned from my college days of baking and eating funfetti cake (no disrespect to Ms. Betty Crocker) for breakfast, lunch and dinner it is that food has tremendous power.  If ever there was a Rx for happy it's through amazing life giving foods.  
I'm delighted to bring you a few tips that you can take right to your lips.

1. Are you sitting down?  Ready?!  Fat is your friend.  Omega-3 fats are household names now-a-days but are you getting enough of them?  They are essential to brain health and have been linked to improve depression! Flaxseeds, salmon and walnuts are your friends!   

2. Eat at regular intervals to keep your blood sugar level.  Level blood sugar means you stay perky and those you love get to keep their heads.

3. Get complicated... go for complex carbs like grains and veggies.  Complex carbohydrates provide a consistent mental state and keeps you happily fuller longer.  Spoonful of nut butter anyone?

There you go, three little tips to keep you in the land of bliss and healthy benefits!

Here's to your health!
 

Lacy Young is a professional happy person. You can find out more about her on her blog.

For a while now, my friend Lacy and I have been chatting on the topic of "happiness". What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get more of it? What makes us really happy? What makes one person a "happy person" and another not? The questions are endless, but the research, it turns out, is fun! We have in no way become experts, but have learned one thing: Happiness is, among other things, a practice. So like anything else we want to do better, we must make it a habit.
Lacy has been 'practicing' for a long time now, and I feel she has a lot to share on the topic. So when I decided to start this blog, I asked her if she would do regular guest-posts to talk about it. I plan to make a habit of reading them. xoxo, Leigh

P.S. The image above is by Ezra Caldwell of Fast Boy Cycles. I stumbled on his blog recently and have been following his journey (whether he knows it or not!). I have not been so moved by someone's resolve and general spirit like this in awhile. He is a lucky and brave soul. Check him out here.

Shout your dreams

I read somewhere recently that children don't whisper their dreams and it made me pause.  I love the idea of a whisper.  I say it all the time... that I am whispering out this or that into the universe on the behalf of someone I love.  It comes from the place of pure sincerity in me.  I love to whisper BUT when it comes to dreaming I'm in absolute agreement... it's time we shout!  It's true that children shout their dreams out at you and any one who will listen.  Children say their dreams as is if it's so because all they know is infinite possibility.   And who am I to say that you can't grown up to have a unicorn farm and rainbow snow cone stand?!

So in response consider that today is the day...
Today is the day to explore your infinite possibilities!
Today is the day to know your dreams can be.  
Today is the day for less stress, more energy and an abundance of happy.   
Today is the day to play.
Today is the day to hoola hoop, to run and jump and be outside.  
Today is the day to create.
Today is the day for focus.
Today is the day for calm.
Today is the day to believe in yourself.
Today is the day to become the person you always believed you could be.
Today is the day to open your mind and your heart.
Today is the day to let go of your limitations.
Today is the day to write down all your ideas for happiness!  
 

I hope this finds you inspired.  I hope this finds your dreams very much alive!
Sending shouts, not whispers of love to you today.

Lacy Young is a professional happy person. You can find out more about her on her blog.

For a while now, my friend Lacy and I have been chatting on the topic of "happiness". What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get more of it? What makes us really happy? What makes one person a "happy person" and another not? The questions are endless, but the research, it turns out, is fun! We have in no way become experts, but have learned one thing: Happiness is, among other things, a practice. So like anything else we want to do better, we must make it a habit.
Lacy has been 'practicing' for a long time now, and I feel she has a lot to share on the topic. So when I decided to start this blog, I asked her if she would do regular guest-posts to talk about it. I plan to make a habit of reading them. xoxo, Leigh

Sit with it.  On Meditation.

Lacy here. I've just emerged from 4 days in bed with the flu. It was the rotten kind. After days of fever and sore throat I was finally starting to feel like myself again. I got in bed on Thursday and on Easter Sunday about 5:00 I decided it was time to get up and venture downstairs to sit in the sunlight on the patio while the getting was good. I got to thinking that 4 days spent any other way would have been a luxury and I realized that for the last 4 days I didn't think about much. I spent my days focused inward on the sensations swirling or pounding inside my body, on the fever that was fighting for me and on my breath. When I couldn't breathe I stacked up all my pillows, covered my eyes with a damp cloth, closed my eyes and focused inward on that spot between my eyebrows, often called the third eye. Each time the fever would spike again I'd do the same. 10 minutes would turn to 50 and before I knew it I had been meditating for over an hour.  

Meditation has become a way of life for me and a key ingredient to my habits of happiness (even through sickness). In the last few weeks I've even gone so far as to buy myself a fancy meditation cushion.    

Mediation reduces blood pressure, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It reduces stress levels by creating a safe quiet space for you to go to and hit your internal reset button. Once you cultivate that sense of calm within you will be able to more easily access it anytime you need. Meditation won't suck the stress out of your life but it WILL give you the tools you need to better handle and therefore reduce the stress in your life.  For me less stress has always equaled more happiness.

Are you giving yourself deliberate moments on quiet each day?  
Would you be willing to?  

Start small, find 5 minutes at the same time everyday that you can carve out to sit, close your eyes and just breathe.  Set your phone to vibrate 5 minutes later so you know when you're done.  Once you master 5 up it to 7 and so on.  Before you know it time will pass in a blink and you will feel refreshed and grounded.  

Here's to the best 5 to 20 minutes in your day!

Lacy Young is a professional happy person. You can find out more about her on her blog.

For a while now, my friend Lacy and I have been chatting on the topic of "happiness". What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get more of it? What makes us really happy? What makes one person a "happy person" and another not? The questions are endless, but the research, it turns out, is fun! We have in no way become experts, but have learned one thing: Happiness is, among other things, a practice. So like anything else we want to do better, we must make it a habit.
Lacy has been 'practicing' for a long time now, and I feel she has a lot to share on the topic. So when I decided to start this blog, I asked her if she would do regular guest-posts to talk about it. I plan to make a habit of reading them. xoxo, Leigh

Let's Be Neighborly

Some time ago I saw an Oprah episode on happiness.  Naturally Goldie Hawn was her guest, love her!  They talked about San Luis Obispo, California.  It's considered the happiest place to live in America.  It's on the coast, the sun shines abundantly, they were the first to ban smoking in restaurants, they widened sidewalks so bicycling is a major mode of transportation, they do not allow fast food chains in their town.  That's right folks, there's not a single drive through!  It's a place of mom and pop shops where people know their neighbors!  It's in every sense a community.

Now I am not packing my bags and heading south to San Luis (that's what we call it here) and I suspect you are not either so how do we create a that happiest place feel without ever leaving home?  Easy, walk next door and meet your neighbor!  Go to a girls night and invest in friendships and laughter.  A sure-fire way to create a life in a place is to develop relationships that leave you feeling like someone cares that you live there.  

When my mom was pregnant with my little brother she met a gal in her Lamaze class and they've been friends ever since.  That was nearly 20 years ago.  At 32 I can now easily measure my friends by decade and life chapter.  It's one of my favorite parts about flipping the calendar pages.  And lately my favorite little event is a monthly craft night lovingly called the Stitch & Bitch.  We get together and work on little sewing projects and when needed bitch though, I have to say we are a pretty positive bunch.  Love those girls.

So how about you?  Are you living in your version of the happiest place?  What's your fave part about where you live?

Here's to happiness and knowing your neighbors!

Lacy Young is a professional happy person. You can find out more about her on her blog.

For a while now, my friend Lacy and I have been chatting on the topic of "happiness". What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get more of it? What makes us really happy? What makes one person a "happy person" and another not? The questions are endless, but the research, it turns out, is fun! We have in no way become experts, but have learned one thing: Happiness is, among other things, a practice. So like anything else we want to do better, we must make it a habit.
Lacy has been 'practicing' for a long time now, and I feel she has a lot to share on the topic. So when I decided to start this blog, I asked her if she would do regular guest-posts to talk about it. I plan to make a habit of reading them. xoxo, Leigh

Hand Me Up!!

There's something so wonderful about giving and receiving. I pride myself on being a giver. I just love to give for the sake of making someone's day sparkle a little brighter.  Some of my fave things lately are hand me ups.  Ok so yes- I know they are traditionally called 'hand me downs' but as a glass half full kind of girl I am deeming them 'hand me ups'!  My iphone was a hand me up from a girlfriend who upgraded and didn't want to let her old one just lay around. It is now of course, appropriately dressed in a fancy Curly Girl Skin!  You never know when something that is seemingly out of date or used up to you can bring joy to someone else. I mean seriously that phone is never far from me and because I had my own I didn't have to get a contract for my service, double score!    

A few rules of thumb for maximum hand me up happiness:

1.  Don't pass it off as new. There's just no need. The days of secret re-gifting are long gone. Saying --hey I am not using this anymore and thought you might like it is plenty nice enough.

2. Send the good stuff. Your gently-worn-just-not-quite-right-on-you sweater may become your gal pal's all time favorite sweater!

3. Box it up. The potential for a party in a box is huge with hand me ups! And let's face it anything in the mail that is not a bill is a total delight!  Old clothes but new tissue, make a joy to unwrap and discover!  

4. Always include a little handwritten love note. Ahem... on a Curly Girl card of course.

5.Pass it on. If you receive something that isn't quite right for you pass it on to another friend, give it to a homeless person or send it along in your next donation box.

Lacy Young is a professional happy person. You can find out more about her on her blog.

  For a while now, my friend Lacy and I have been chatting on the topic of "happiness". What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get more of it? What makes us really happy? What makes one person a "happy person" and another not? The questions are endless, but the research, it turns out, is fun! We have in no way become experts, but have learned one thing: Happiness is, among other things, a practice. So like anything else we want to do better, we must make it a habit.
Lacy has been 'practicing' for a long time now, and I feel she has a lot to share on the topic. So when I decided to start this blog, I asked her if she would do regular guest-posts to talk about it. I plan to make a habit of reading them. xoxo, Leigh

Lighten up to Brighten up!

It's as involuntary as breathing in and out... you read one of her cards and say to yourself Y-E-S!  Sometimes it's a small little soft yes that says that her words touched your heart in such a tender way and sometimes is a gigantic billboard sized YES to symbolize that OMG DUH- how does she always said it just right?!  I call it her YES factor, Leigh has it in bucket loads and every time I read one of her cards it's there again.  When I read "Just wait until you see what is possible when you shine your little light on the world" it got me thinking... In order to truly shine we have to recharge.

Each year I choose a word and with it comes a list of goals.  This year my word is lighten and one of my goals is a Sunday Unplug to Recharge.  It's a time where I pry my phone and computer from my hands and turn everything OFF. I completed my first successful Silent Sunday last week and I gotta say it was HARD for me to do but totally worth it.  I saw my phone sitting on the table all day and resisted the urge to pick it up like a 100 times.  I went into my studio, cleaned, puttered and had an entire day technology free and this brilliant thing happened.  I found myself completely transformed.  The day-to-day stress of endless to do list's was replaced with conversations with myself and singing show tunes.

The next day I woke up ridiculously happy so much so that my husband said ---yeah so Silent Sunday is my favorite thing ever.

At the root of happiness is an undeniable light.  How you cultivate your light to completely up to you.  It doesn't have to be Silent Sunday in your house but I strongly suggest you find something that will recharge you and then make a standing appointment with yourself and defend it with wild enthusiasm.    

Here's to shining brightly together!
Lacy

Lacy Young is a professional happy person. You can find out more about her on her blog.

For a while now, my friend Lacy and I have been chatting on the topic of "happiness". What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get more of it? What makes us really happy? What makes one person a "happy person" and another not? The questions are endless, but the research, it turns out, is fun! We have in no way become experts, but have learned one thing: Happiness is, among other things, a practice. So like anything else we want to do better, we must make it a habit.
Lacy has been 'practicing' for a long time now, and I feel she has a lot to share on the topic. So when I decided to start this blog, I asked her if she would do regular guest-posts to talk about it. I plan to make a habit of reading them. xoxo, Leigh

Hi All! I know it’s the exact wrong time of year to be bad seeing as Santa is making his list and checking it twice but I’ve been playing with the idea anyway.  I love the freedom in it.  That rush you feel when you know you should be doing something responsible like chores or sitting in a conference call but instead you curl up on the couch, glass of wine (or hot cocoa or hot tea…) in hand and dark chocolate on the most beautiful teensy tiny little plate just winking at you from afar and you watch or read something that will perfectly suit your mood.     

The idea of creating space for yourself that would have otherwise been consumed by dutiful work is paramount for happiness in my mind.  There’s plenty of time for rushing around, stressing out and giving to everyone else.  What’s a stolen hour here and there to invest in nurturing the most important thing going… Y O U!

It challenges the idea of rules. Being bad is actually not bad at all… it’s brand new perspective to re write the rules so you can take care of yourself.  I’ve found that I was the one self-imposing rules all along and I get just as much done in a day when I take time out for myself. Time for self, breeds productivity and that is doubly happy in my mind.


Go ahead, be bad!
Santa is sure to celebrate when he sees that you've left out some cupcakes and champagne, as Curly Girl would!

Lacy Young is a professional happy person. You can find out more about her on her blog.

For awhile now, my friend Lacy and I have been chatting on the topic of "happiness". What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get more of it? What makes us really happy? What makes one person a "happy person" and another not? The questions are endless, but the research, it turns out, is fun! We have in no way become experts, but have learned one thing: Happiness is, among other things, a practice. So like anything else we want to do better, we must make it a habit.
Lacy has been 'practicing' for a long time now, and I feel she has alot to share on the topic. So when I decided to start this blog, I asked her if she would do regular guest-posts to talk about it. I plan to make a habit of reading them. xoxo, Leigh

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Hello!  It’s Lacy with Habits of Happiness.  The spirit of Leigh’s work is to live imperfectly with great delight.  I’ve always loved that the words ‘living imperfectly’ sums it up so perfectly.  That’s part of her magic, that uncanny ability to capture our internal knowing and put words to things we previously only felt.  Happiness has a big beautiful chapter in the living imperfectly with great delight manual.  Through this series we will explore all things happiness… how we find it, get it, keep it, and nurture it.     

Happiness is defined as a state of well-being and contentment.  Like most things that are worth having in life it’s less about arriving and more about a daily practice to be nurtured over time.  I assure you this is by no means some esoteric exploration into the psyche though I hope you’ll be changed in the best of ways by reading and exploring with me.  Sometimes it will be as easy as: 1. What makes you happy?  2. Do more of that! 

This time of year for me is always about organizing and decluttering.  It’s getting colder, we are spending more time indoors and that always takes me right to my drawers, closets and the nooks and crannies that piled up over summer.  Cleaning out can add to your happiness in many ways…1.  The practice of simplifying is always a boost.  2. Donating things you no longer need provides a sense of satisfaction that you’ve helped someone else. 3. Getting things out of the way literally can clear the much needed mental space to be able to sit, relax, meditate and enjoy life!

This week I consolidated all the bobbles and embellishments from ALL over my studio into two small printer trays!  I went from 4 locations and just over 20 containers to two trays, stacked in one location!  That folks makes me very happy.     

Happiness is an outlook on life.  It is absolutely in the details, it’s the cream filling, the good stuff!  Start small this week.  Pick one drawer or one stack of paper and conquer it! 

Here’s to forming some lovely Habits of Happiness together. Go declutter, donate and organize something!

What are your HOH? We would love to hear!

Lacy Young is a professional happy person. You can find out more about her on her blog.