12 Tips For a Happier Life

February 19, 2012 1 Comment

I believe this article came through my work magazine.  I might’ve shared it at one point in time, but since you all are getting to know the branded SlickLaroo, optimism incarnate, I thought it was worth another share. :-)

 

12 Tips For a Happier Life

Happy people tend to pay attention to the things they can control and not worry about the rest.  Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of The How of Happiness, shares the following tips about how to become happier. 

1  Count your blessings.  Be aware of all the good things in your life and express gratitude for what you have.

2  Cultivate optimism.  Make an effort to see the upside of a situation and surround yourself with positive people.

3  Avoid social comparison.  This is a tough one in our aspirational culture, but Lyubomirsky says it’s well worth cutting down on how often you dwell on your problems and compare yourself to others.

4  Practice acts of kindness towards friends and strangers.

5  Nurture your relationships.  Don’t take your friends and family for granted.

6  Do more activities that really engage you.  This increases what psychologists call the “flow” state where you’re totally absorbed in what you’re doing.

7  Savor life’s joys.  Go over them either by writing them down or thinking and talking about them.

8  Commit to your goals.  Pick at least one significant goal and devote time and effort to pursuing it.

9  Develop coping strategies.  Practice ways to get through or get over stress or trauma.

10  Learn to forgive.  Letting go of old hurts and resentments frees your mind and heart.

11  Practice religion or spirituality.  Research shoes people who do so are happier.

12  Take care of your body.  Exercise, mediation and laughing all count.

 

(And ladies, or I guess, guys too, anyone think of that line from Legally Blonde…?   “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.”)

 

So there.  Don’t worry.  Be happy.

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The SlickLaRoo Brand

February 18, 2012 1 Comment

I love my job.  Everyone knows that.  But sometimes I feel like I need to add I love the company I work for.  While I do not see myself in this job forever, my company understands this and is very supportive in building us up to be the best person we can be, professionally and personally.  And while every job has its downside, so do companies.  I am not saying it’s perfect …but I’m thankful to be employed here and to grow here.

Last week at an all staff meeting we spent the entire two hours talking about our personal brands.  If you know anything about the details of my job, you may wonder why they would spend a precious 2 hours of the work day doing this.  Well, honestly, if you don’t know your personal brand, you may not know the best place for you to work.  So we identified our personal brands and I think it helped some of us realize if we were in line with the company mission or if perhaps we would best be suited somewhere else.  If I’m not bought into the mission or believe in what we do, I best be taking my brand elsewhere.  Luckily, that’s not the case for me.

So without further ado, my personal brand:

I am a believer, artist, and information-seeker with expertise in love and teaching others.  My experience includes urban education and community development.  I am unique because I se joy where some cannot and choose optimism when others do not. 

 

Anything related to “brand” lately has been quite buzz worthy, especially around social media networks.  However, call it what you want, it is a great exercise to figure yours out.  I like to think my brand is really “Love God, love others,” but this goes a bit more deep.  It can help identify you personally AND professionally.  And while I want God to bleed into all parts of my life, work included, that’s tricky being the self-declared non-evangelical that I am.  But perhaps others will see Him in my optimism, or at least wonder what makes this girl tick, or march to a different beat.

If you’re itching to brand yourself, feel free to use the outline below that we used to help craft ours.

I am a ______________ with expertise in _________________.

My experience includes _______________.  I am unique because __________________.

Something we are working on in the future is our “one sentence.”  Think about something that would go on your epitaph, or perhaps to not be as morbid, your catch phrase, for lack of a better term.    I think this will always be a work in progress for me but I think I found something for the meantime.

She taught; she learned.  She laughed; she loved.

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Happy anniversary!

January 26, 2012 Leave a comment

Two years ago, my life was forever changed.  I was fired from my job as an elementary school teacher.  But, Slick, how do you remember the exact day?

Well, you must not know me very well then, because I remember everything.  OK, well not everything, but when you’re fired on a Monday morning at 8am after taking a long weekend to celebrate your birthday…you remember.  You remember learning that while enjoying your birthday at your alma mater speaking on education to a classroom full of teachers-to-be, your students whom you loved and worked your arse off for, were getting a demo lesson from a teacher they were interviewing to fill your spot.

You don’t forget those things.  But let’s not dwell on those things which you cannot change.

January 25th won’t always be a day I’ll celebrate.  But for now, the array of emotions I’ve experienced over the last two years are notable.

Someone asked me today if I cried.  I’ve yet to shed a tear about losing my job.  One emotion I’ve not felt is sadness.  I get sad when I think about my students; I miss them.  But when it comes to the feelings I’ve felt about being fired, sad is not one of them.  I’ve felt disbelief, excitement, relief, joy.  At times I’ve felt lost, not sure of what I would do with the rest of my life.  But even since becoming gainfully employed again, that feeling of being lost still lingers.  Except…I think I was most lost when I was teaching.

There are times when I can say I truly loved being a teacher.  I loved seeing those light bulb moments with my kids, planning messy science lessons and reading Roald Dahl books aloud to my class.  But now, after two years, I can fully admit that being a teacher wasn’t for me.  There was a lot of pride I had to work through to get to say that.  No one wants to be fired.  That’s a failure.  But I wasn’t fired because I was a bad teacher.  I don’t want to go on why I was fired…the stated reason was Twitter (long story), but at a charter school you’re at will…they don’t need a reason.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying I wasn’t at fault.  I clearly was not in love with my job, but I did do what was asked of me and I think I did it well.

I say all this not to get pity, but to express my gratitude for the experience.  From early on, I always said it would take me being fired to leave that school.  Those kids needed a teacher who loved them and fought for them.  I did that.  But I wouldn’t have abandoned them.  If there is one regret I have, it would be being the coward that didn’t leave on her own agenda.  I didn’t know what I would do if I left teaching. couldn’t fathom a life not teaching.

But since I’ve tasted freedom,  I love it.  I am still not sure what the rest of my life holds, personally or professionally, but I can find peace in the unknown now. I do know I am meant to help people.  Maybe that means in a teaching capacity again someday; for now, it means helping students go to college.

Life goes on beyond “termination.”  And it goes on quite nicely.  :)   The biggest lesson I could learn…jump off the deep end (or get pushed, like me).  You may belly flop, but you’ll get to the ladder eventually, get out, and do it all over again. :)

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“You’re funny.”

January 24, 2012 Leave a comment

“You’re funny.”

If you spend any time on the internet, you’re surely aware that LOL generally no longer means “laughing out loud.” LOL has now become the filler response.

Awkward comment? LOL
I’m not really listening to you. LOL
I want to avoid what you’re really asking/saying. LOL

The LOL problem has been around awhile, mostly through electronic communications; brief email threads, IMs, text messages. However, lately, I’ve seen it infiltrate into oral communication.

This first came to my attention back in September. I was dating this guy. He was…well…let’s just say there were a lot of comments he made I did not know how to respond to (and honestly, I’m just glad to live to tell this tale…this whole experience is a blog post in and of itself).
So we were driving somewhere sometime. He said something rude/offensive/obscure and I just brushed it off with a “you’re funny.”

His response? “You say that a lot.”

Oops.

So I guess I do. Since then I’ve been hyper sensitive to the filler responses in communication. Hopefully I’ve improved, but sometimes there just isn’t anything else to say besides “you’re funny.”
I think since then I’ve pointed it out to a few friends who are repeat offenders. I don’t do it to stir the pot (generally), but sometimes I know what I’ve said wasn’t all that funny. Please save the “you’re funny” for when I’ve actually tickled you. I mean, I am not the world’s funniest person, but I’ve been know to make ‘em laugh. When I’ve said something, they usually just laugh it off and we move on.

It’s got me thinking. This could mean 2 things.
A. We aren’t listening as closely as we should.
B. We don’t have the balls to react honestly in some conversations.

It’s almost as annoying as an offense as always telling people “I’m fine.”

Ooooomphm. But then we’re walking the fine line of divulging too much to complete strangers.

Anyway. I digress. Circling back…

Think back to recent conversations, electronic or oral. Are you LOL-ing a bit too much? Perhaps you’re telling someone they’re funny after they’ve put them self out in the proverbial “there.”

Just something to chew on. :)

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Thirty by Thirty

January 19, 2012 1 Comment

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I have always liked to sleep...

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This is painful to look at.

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Oh the bangs! Oh the braces! Oh the humanity!

Well, I can’t be this adorable forever.  Time to grow up.

A lot of people have bucket lists, or at least talk about the idea of a bucket list.  I never wanted to subscribe to this school of thought.  However, lately I’ve felt the urge to really live up the last year of my 20s.  I’m not dreading 30 next year.  Maybe I will when it gets closer, but at the end of the day, age is just a number and I am not going to let a pseudo-milestone get me down.  BUT,  I will let the pseudo-milestone run my blog and get me to crank out a 30×30 list.  I do think it would be fun to live outside of my neat little box from time to time.  To learn something new, think about something in a new way, et cetera.

So without further ado, in honor of me turning the big 2-9 today, here is my 30×30 list.  Of course, since I only have a year to complete this, I had to be somewhat realistic to make sure it was attainable (you know, affordable and not too time-consuming…).

  1.  Cook 7 days worth of new dinner recipes in a row straight.  (I know this doesn’t seem like too much of a task, but trust me…this will be a feat for a busy girl like me!)
  2. Save $1000…and don’t blow it.  Like, actually keep it in the bank for emergencies.  (Mexico is NOT an emergency…)
  3. Drop 50lbs.  Self explanatory.
  4. Tour a brewery.  I’m thinking Bells in Michigan.
  5. Attempt to waterski.  I’ve always been a chicken.  THIS YEAR BABY!
  6. Order a steak rare in a restaurant.  I hear it’s the best.
  7. Watch the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  I’m bored just thinking about this but I’ve promised this to many, so I will finally do it.
  8. Learn all the words to Shake That by Eminem and Nate Dogg…and then dazzle the people at karaoke with it.  J
  9. Finally learn to Soulja Boy, er I mean, Dougie.  Or maybe the Thriller dance.
  10. Learn how to butcher a whole chicken.  This seems like a great thing to know.
  11. Watch the entire series of M*A*S*H.  Don’t ask.
  12. Read a “classic” novel.  To be determined.  Any suggestions?
  13. Visit a haunted house.  With Jenny…that’s the rule.  Probably gotta acquire adult diapers before then…
  14. Try yoga.
  15. Write a children’s book about Evan.  You know, Evan.  My nephew.  MAYBE you’ve heard me talk about him?
  16. Ask a guy out.   Yeah I know.  Terrifying.  This one can only happen IF I meet someone worthy of asking out.  That doesn’t happen too often.
  17. Do 10 “regular” push ups.  Lame?  Maybe.  But I can barely do 10 girl push ups.  Hopefully when I drop some of those lbs…
  18. Play with fireworks.  I’ve only ever played with sparklers and the pop thingys.  I wanna light some fiiiiiiiiiiiiire!
  19. Tailgate.  It’s a travesty I’ve never done this.
  20. Play blackjack in a casino.  This will require leaving the state, as I am not about to play “video” blackjack.  I’m thinking Greektown in Detroit…
  21. Participate in a flash mob.
  22. Run a 5k.  If you know ANYthing about me, you know this is a long shot…but it’s almost like conquering a fear.
  23. Eat at Fogo de Chao.  I’ve never been.  Yet another travesty of my life.
  24. Grow and eat my own vegetables.
  25. Stay up all night to see the sun rise.  (Well, maybe if that date with the dude I ask out goes well….)
  26. Be on TV.  (Go ahead.   Laugh.)
  27. Go to a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening.
  28. Take a road trip by myself.
  29. Perfect scrambled eggs.  Again, maybe another small feat.  But I think this will take me far in life…
  30. Play flag football.

So there’s my list.  Help keep me accountable…please? J

Perhaps I’ll post a blog of some of the rejects I thought or found via the internet (had to get inspired somewhere!)  For example…how laughable is this:  Kiss someone at midnight on New Year’s Eve.  Um, I’ve been working on that for 29 years.  How will that change by 30?  HA!

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2011: a year in review

December 29, 2011 Leave a comment

I’m not wishing 2011 disappear, but it was such an awesome year that I look forward to what 2012 has to offer. I’ll keep it brief…but allow me to reminisce. :)

A few of my favorite things from 2011…

-watching my nephew grow into a toddler. Being an aunt is by far the coolest thing.

-getting a new job! The identity crisis that came with leaving teaching (abruptly, too) has finally taken me down an amazing professional path. I love my job. It’s exciting to say this and mean it. I’ve also made an awesome lifelong friend from my training class.

-Mexico. Good memories made with seriously awesome people. That is all. :)

-new people. I have met a collection of awesome new friends–at church, work, via Twitter. My cup runneth over.

The best part of 2011? It’s the same as every year. Grace and love.

Looking forward to living out that grace and love as best as humanly possible in 2012.

Happy new year, friends. :)

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