by Vicki Peel | Aug 29, 2022 | Lifestyle |
Developing An Attitude of Gratitude
We are living in uncharted times. The stress of not knowing what is going to happen can easily overwhelm us. But really, we never knew what was going to happen when things were “normal”. We went about our day to day activities and planned for our lives as if we had control over them. Our control over our lives boils down to how we deal with life itself.
One thing I believe can help us manage daily stress is to live each day in gratitude. I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal for several years now and I can attest to the power of writing down what you are grateful for.
I started out by writing down five things I’m grateful for every night. I start each sentence with “I am grateful for…”. It is a calming force to realize you have so much to be grateful for every day. And it also prepares you for more restful sleep.
Then I began acknowledging my gratitude during a morning meditation/devotional. I have a favorite book that I read a chapter in daily. When I finish it, I start it over again, because I always see something new in it every time that I read it.
Living in gratitude doesn’t mean we need to focus on elaborate things or say them in eloquent ways. It can start with little things that we start to notice when we realize the bounty in our lives.
Consider these five things that may guide you to develop an attitude of gratitude.
Make a Plan
One of the single best things you can do to maintain positivity during tough times is to make a plan for how to deal with it. Plan ways to be productive and have fun. When you focus on the solution rather than the problem, you will naturally feel more positive. You will feel like you are rising to the challenge.
Reach Out for Support
Support in and support out! Reach out to loved ones and offer your support. Reach out if you need assistance too. When things are dire, it is always reaffirming when people pull together and help each other.
Take a Break
Be careful about thinking about your problems constantly. It is OK to take a break. You can take a break from the news, social media, or other people. It might not be easy but taking a break from external stimuli can help keep you positive.
Focus on Things You Can Control
When your world seems like it is spinning out of control, you may feel helpless. One way to address this and stay more positive is to focus on the things you can control. Instead of fretting about things out of your control, focus on making sure you do your best job on the things you can control.
Think and Write About Things You are Grateful For
Even during great personal turmoil, you still have things you are grateful for. When things get tough, it is vital to remember that there is good in the world, and more importantly, in your life. When you are struggling, take some time to list the things in your life you are grateful for.
Journaling is a powerful tool in so many ways. By simply giving you a place to express your gratitude, a journal helps you maintain positivity outside of its pages.
Perhaps now more than ever an attitude of gratitude is one of the best habits you can nurture. Just realizing that we have more to be thankful for than we have pulling us down will help us to “keep calm and carry on”.
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our July through September focus on LIFESTYLE!
https://HERLifeHacks.com
by Vicki Peel | Aug 25, 2022 | Lifestyle |
Let It Go
So You Can Create Your Future
Resources:
Designing Your New Normal Mindset mini-course. Coupon code NEWNOW for $20 off!!
The Art of Letting Go by Damon Zahariades
My Gratitude Journal
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our July through September focus on LIFESTYLE!
https://HERLifeHacks.com
by Vicki Peel | Aug 20, 2022 | Lifestyle |
How do you respond to life when things don’t go your way?
Whatever your response, it is your choice.
I taught Child Care Services several years to high school students. One of the discussion strategies I used was WHIFs.
In that course, we discussed scenarios that could happen when dealing with preschool children and their behavior. Thinking through something before it happens is a good way to predict how you might handle an unfamiliar situation if it occurs and be prepared to help children learn appropriate behavior.
WHIF stands for WHat IF? It means to consider yourself in a specific scenario that required a response from you.
WHat IF you saw a preschooler biting another child? What do you do? As a caregiver, how would you respond in that teachable moment? Or WHat IF you witnessed a bully on the playground? Examining possible situations such as these were opportunities to help my students be prepared to make appropriate decisions for the safety and welfare of all the children in a class.
I think applying a WHIF to life situations is often an appropriate decision-making process for adults. Stopping to think about the consequences of your actions may help you make the best choice. And those choices either contribute to or detract from your personal happiness.
It is especially helpful in potentially negative situations to ask yourself this question:
WHat IF I choose to _________? (Fill in the blank with a choice you could make
in a specific situation.) Would that choice fulfill my needs or add to my peace and
contentment? Or would it hurt someone else unnecessarily?
Or WHat IF I choose to _________? (Fill in the blank with another choice you could make in the same situation.) What would be the likely outcome of that choice?
Your response to your WHIF has the potential to either add to your happiness and move you toward your goals and dreams in life or move you further away from those goals and dreams. It could also possibly help or hurt the people you love the most.
Do any of the following attributes or feelings apply to you? Do any of them define or contribute to your happiness?
- Your Needs are Met – When a person is happy, their needs are usually being met at the level they want them to be met. It doesn’t mean that someone is not having a hard time, it’s more about how you make what you have fill your needs.
- You Feel Satisfied – When you are happy, you tend to feel simply satisfied with your life. You think about your life and feel good about it.
- You Feel Content – A happy person tends to feel content about their life in general. They are not in a constant state of stress. But remember happy people do have stress, they’re just better at feeling content even when things aren’t perfect.
- You Are at Peace – Peace tends to go with contentment. Happy people tend to know that everything will turn out okay and are good at turning negativity into positivity.
The truth is, happiness is how you define it personally for you. It’s not about getting tons of stuff unless you want that. It’s not about finding a spouse unless you want that. It’s not about having kids unless you want that.
It’s all up to you how you define happiness.
Happiness is not a destination where you arrive one day and stay there. It’s a lifelong journey that will have many ups and downs and struggles. But you get to decide how those ups and downs of life affect you. You have it in your power to be happy where you are in your life right now.
So, the next time you’re faced with a potentially negative situation, apply a WHIF to consider the impact of your actions. While you do have to do more than think positively to really and truly feel happy, it does start with your thoughts. Make your choices manifest happiness through your actions.
Consider how your choices impact your happiness level by applying your own WHIF.
Add comments below about your process for making decisions that impact your happiness.
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our July through September focus on LIFESTYLE!
https://HERLifeHacks.com
by Vicki Peel | Aug 18, 2022 | Lifestyle |
I know – sounds crazy, right? What can a jigsaw puzzle teach anybody? But it did, so stay with me and I’ll share everything.
I love puzzles but haven’t put one together in quite a while. That’s because I know myself, and I know that once I open the box and start spreading out the pieces, I won’t do anything else – no working on my business, no housecleaning, no cooking, nothing! So, I’ve been avoiding the cabinet that houses at least five or six unopened puzzles. (I love Charles Wysocki Americana-style puzzles!)
But one rainy Sunday afternoon, I just couldn’t resist any longer. I opened a 1000-piece puzzle. And then it began to unfold its magic for me.
Lesson #1: Puzzles are therapeutic.
As soon as I opened the box, I started to feel more relaxed. I forgot about everything else that had been on my mind. I just focused on the puzzle and all stress and worries melted away.
Lesson #2: Devising and implementing a system solves many problems.
Spreading out 1000 puzzle pieces is a daunting task. So, I had previously made puzzle boards. You can buy some on Amazon, but I cut large cardboard boxes into manageable sizes (less than 2′ x 3′) and hot-glued felt to them. Voila! I now had room to spread out the puzzle pieces so they would not slip off the surface, and they could be stacked as well for ease in accessing.
The next part of my system was to sort individual pieces by placing them on the puzzle board evenly in rows, while separating the edge pieces. This immediately felt so satisfying, like there was truly order in my life!
The next step was to complete the border of the puzzle, followed by starting on small sections for which the colors were clearly defined and could be easily seen and selected from the puzzle boards. As I began to look for puzzle pieces that fit, I referred often to the picture of the puzzle, always orienting it the same way as the puzzle frame. (I work on all sides of the puzzle, so I can see things from a different, and closer angle.)
Lesson #3: When you are faced with a problem that seemingly has no applicable solution, leave it alone for a while and come back to it later with a fresh view of the situation.
For instance, many times I was sure that a certain puzzle piece would be so easy to find, either by its distinctive color or shape. But having scanned those puzzle boards several times, it still didn’t show up. So – I just moved on to another section of the puzzle and later that specific puzzle piece happened to be right there in front of me! Perhaps, one could call me a procrastinator sometimes, but I prefer to say that I’m “waiting for a vision”!
Lesson #4: When you’ve exhausted all options to solve a problem, regroup.
After about one-third of the way to puzzle completion, I noticed puzzle pieces were getting harder to find. So, I took a few minutes to re-organize each puzzle board. I put like puzzle pieces together – such as dark green leafy pieces, white sand ones, buildings, and animals. Then I could focus on the specific attribute of the puzzle piece for which I was looking. Worked like a charm! I started seeing the pieces easily. Then, I started consolidating the pieces onto fewer boards to make the search easier.
Lesson #5: Finishing a project is a joy in and of itself!
One (among many) of my shortfalls is excitedly starting many things, only to fizzle out before they are finished. But putting that last piece into the puzzle “sparks joy”, as Marie Kondo would say!
So – the final lesson to my puzzle story is this: when you find yourself stressed out and unable to see the next steps you need to take, stop and complete a jigsaw puzzle. It will make everything clearer!
By the way, the total of unopened puzzles is up to 1 dozen – yep – 12 unopened puzzles just calling to me!!
This post was originally published September 28, 2019.
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our July through September focus on LIFESTYLE!
https://HERLifeHacks.com
by Vicki Peel | Jul 29, 2022 | Lifestyle |
Are you living by design or default?
Because it is one or the other.
And it’s your decision. Even if you’re going with the flow and dealing with whatever comes along, that is a decision. You cannot NOT make a decision.
The last three years have taken their toll on the world. No one has escaped from the impact of a global pandemic. Some have managed to do well, but everyone has felt the impact of a changing world at a speed we would have never thought possible.
And the future may seem scary. Our country is in turmoil. And how do you make decisions for a future that is so unpredictable?
I understand.
As I neared my retirement, I felt uneasy, like there was more that I should be doing with my life. It seemed as though I was not reaching the level of my potential to help people.
So, in the fall of my 49th birthday, I went back to college to work on a doctorate. I knew I would never recoup the money it would take to get me there. But I also knew I had the potential and a deep yearning to pursue it.
As I neared completion of my course work, the amount of time I needed to complete my dissertation made it difficult for me to work at my job as Career and Technical Education Director for my county and write. How was I going to manage?
Before I could retire with full benefits, I retired anyway. That left my husband and me living off of his income only.
But I graduated that fall with an Ed.D in Educational Leadership! It had only taken me 36 years to FINISH school!!
And I had no job. But I was blessed with the opportunity to take care of my two wonderful grandchildren for a year. They were ages 2 and 9 months!
Then my dream job was offered to me! I finished my educational career as a Regional Coordinator for Career and Technical Education with the state of North Carolina. I supervised 22 counties in the state’s northeast region with an office in my hometown.
I completed 34 years in education and retired with nothing to do.
I didn’t take it well. I sat around and played sudoku and games on my iPad.
Then I started thinking about creating a blog and products online that would use my home economics and educational leadership background to help busy families. That evolved into HER Life Hacks and Simple Systems for Life websites and blog.
Why do I tell you all of this?
Because I had to make major shifts in my thinking at each crossroads of my life. I had to change my mindset. Even though it was scary, I made that shift.
You can too.I created a 4-module online course, “Designing Your New Normal Mindset” to help individuals who have been reeling from the impact of a global pandemic.
The world has changed, whether we like it or not. Are you going to thrive or just survive? It’s a decision.
Where are you now?
Do any of these feelings apply to you?
- Angry about the political scene and seeming restrictions placed on personal freedoms
- Afraid for the lives of children, grandchildren, family members and yourself as you go to public places, like schools, churches, shopping centers
- Feelings of helplessness and sometimes hopelessness
- Feeling unable to get what you want and deserve out of life
- Anxiety about making life-altering decisions and being able to follow through
- Lacking the confidence to try new things
- Feeling cheated by the current conditions you find yourself in
- Worrying about the future
- Putting yourself and everyone else down
If you have experienced any of these feelings, I urge you to take a look at my course, “Designing Your New Normal Mindset”.
Here’s what it can do for you
- Lead you through a process to reflect on and evaluate how your current level of thinking is impacting your lifestyle
- Assist you in creating a new mindset map to adopt
- Strengthen your response to personal challenges
Here’s what you get:
- A 4-module course that takes you from:
- An introduction to the concept of mindset
- Through evaluating your current mindset (with accompanying workbook and basic mindset test)
- To a process to design the mindset that you want and need to guide your life (using information you learned about yourself and a personal lifestyles reflection worksheet)
- A tips report on 10 Things to Make Your Life Better
- A 7-minute guided meditation, “Calm the Raging River”
- Bonus downloadable copy of “The Serenity Prayer,” suitable for framing.
- Access to me for questions, clarifications, and comments
Here’s how to get it:
- Go HERE to purchase
- Enter your email address, so I’ll know where to send your purchase.
- Use the coupon code NEWNOW to receive a $20 discount, making your investment only $17!
- Click CONTINUE to complete the purchase.
If you have any questions about the course and whether it can help you, reply to this email. I’ll be glad to answer emails or jump on Zoom call with you (with or without video). Click on the Contact Me page and send me your message. I will respond within 2 business days. Just let me know how I can help.
What is your current mindset costing you? Why don’t you take the first step to moving forward and taking action? Click here to take that step.
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our July through September focus on LIFESTYLE!
https://HERLifeHacks.com
