Week #320 – Election Week Repost: Vote “YES” to Happyness!

This Tuesday brings us another Election Day in the United States, so I thought I’d repeat my annual Election Day post! Because while some decisions come around only once every year (or four years) — there are hundreds (if not thousands) of little decisions that shape us each and every day!

All across the country, people will once again cast votes for Governors, Mayors, representatives, propositions, and yes — even a President this year. Perhaps you support some of these candidates, have stood up against the ones you don’t believe in, or spent a lot of time debating the merits of each!

Can you think of any other decisions you’ve given that much time to? That much opinion? That much research? That much passion? How many “votes” have you cast in that time — for or against all kinds of OTHER decisions in your own life?

A quick internet search returns multiple sources quoting that people make up to 35,000 decisions every day…from when exactly to get out of bed to when to call it quits for the day.  Some sources say that we make over 200 decisions about food alone!

Each decision is a silent vote:
– YES – I will get out of bed.
– NO – I will not hit the snooze bar again.
– YES – I will floss.
– NO – I will not pick at that blemish.
– YES – I will weigh myself.
– NO – I will not check Facebook before I shower.

The list goes on…and it’s easy to see how we can amass THOUSANDS of little decisions in a very short period of time.

Some of these decisions are quite easy — because we’ve already made bigger, pre-set decisions about them so they fall neatly in line:
– YES – I will go to work and be on time
(therefore, I will get up and out of bed and hit the shower immediately).
– YES – I will take care of my physical health (therefore, I will floss every day, leave my face alone, and weigh myself daily).

When you “vote” early and often for the things you truly want in life — temptations, like really wanting to stay in bed, become small and insignificant compared to the big goals of providing for your family, succeeding in your career, or living a happy and productive life.

Your Happyness Challenge for the week ahead: Vote “YES” to Happyness!  I know we’ve been PUMMELED with decisions this year. Some will come around once every year (or four years). Others have felt like choosing between life and death or health and safety. And then there are the hundreds (if not thousands) of little decisions that make up EVERY SINGLE DAY of your life.  Add those up — and you have millions of little decisions that shape the course of your year — and your entire lifetime.  So what do you say?  Yay or Nay?

Remember to Vote “YES” to Happyness — one precious decision at a time!

Spread Happyness — and share your thoughts!  How are you saying “YES” to Happyness this year?

10/30/20 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

Week #319 – Procrastinator Alert: Christmas is (still) on December 25th This Year!

Greetings All — and Happy Friday!!!

I’ve been taking the month of October to look ahead.  And as I’ve said before, it may be too far ahead for some — but in this pandemic-year-of-all-years we need all the help we can get to squeeze those lemons of limitation this holiday season! 

For Week # 317, I reminded you to check with your localities and get together with your neighbors to keep the Halloween fun going safely and responsibly for you and your family this year.

Last week I reminded you to take a look ahead to that Thanksgiving 4- or 5-day weekend that’s SURE to look no other — and to test what’s left (if anything) of our resilience this year!

And today…well, we are fast approaching October 25th. And that leaves me no choice but to go where nobody wants me to go:

I’m talking about Christmas!!!

And the reason I’m bringing it up is THREE-fold this year. 1) it’s much easier to talk about the holidays when they are a few months out and nobody really knows what they’re doing; and 2) wouldn’t you like to be the one who knows what you’re doing?!

And 3)…let’s all say it together:

PANDEMIC!

Unspoken expectations are probably the biggest (and quietest) killers of Christmas cheer in a normal year. For those who feel let down because their needs aren’t met…there’s disappointment. But for those who feel they didn’t live up to expectations…well, there’s guilt, shame, anger, self-loathing…just to name a few! 😉

And that’s no way to start a Christmas list!

But this year, all bets seem off because we don’t know WHAT to expect…or HOW to deliver the Christmases we all know and love. (And hey — even the ghosts of Christmases Not-So-Great are looking pretty good this year!)

Which brings me to Christmas Present. VERY Present.

This holiday season is sure to look like no other before — and hopefully, God willing, no other in the future. But that doesn’t mean we need to throw in the towel. This may be the one and only year we get to do some things we never got to do before (like stay home) — and might not get to do again.

An invitation:

If you’re interested in finding out what THIS Christmas can hold for you and your family — join me and about 500 other people from all across the country for Year #2 of the Christmas Project Planner. I served on the manuscript development team for this book, the launch team last year, and I’m helping facilitate the group this year on Facebook. (You can learn more about the book here…and the Facebook group here.) If you’d like to join in the fun…click “join” and tell them Grace from SpreadHappyness sent you! I get nothing out of it other than the joy of seeing you there!

We will start working through the 21 projects in that book starting November 4th — with one project a day M-F (weekends off) through December 4th. You do not need the book to join…but it’s a beautiful planner to record and reuse year after year (and I spiral bound mine to make it more user-friendly)!

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking for every advantage I can get this holiday season to rest, relax, and restore a little faith in the holiday magic of 2020. And for those of you who prefer to keep Christmas in December…I get it! I envy your ability to get it all done in four weeks — in a good year. This year, I’m not leaving anything to chance!

Are you with me?!

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Christmas is (still) on December 25th this year! That’s right…not even Covid can cancel Christmas! Are you ready to plan? Have you already started? Or do you prefer to wait until after Thanksgiving? Whatever your preference, get out your calendar and walk yourself through December…especially the holiday weeks. Are there travel arrangements to adjust or cancel, time to request off, difficult conversations to have, lists to start building, or limits that would be better set now? Even if you don’t take action on them…get them down on paper and revisit them when you’re ready. Your December self might just thank you!

And if you want to…join me in the Christmas Project Planner Facebook Group to squeeze every last drop out of the lemon that is 2020!

Spread Happyness — it’s just about two months to Christmas!!! Start planning now!!! 🙂

10/23/20 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

Week #318 – Procrastinator Alert: It’s Mid-October (Do you know where your Thanksgiving is…or will be?)

Greetings All — and Happy Friday!!!

I’m taking this month of October to look ahead.  Maybe too far ahead for some — but as I said last week, in this pandemic-year-of-all-years we need all the help we can get to set ourselves up for some kind of enjoyment!

Last week I reminded you to think ahead to Halloween so that you’re ready to squeeze the most fun out of this year’s limitations.

This week, I want to look ahead to that Thanksgiving 4-day (sometimes 5-day) weekend. Because what is normally a cozy, pre-craziness, together time for families might feel VERY different this year for many reasons:

First of all, you may have lost a member of your family this year. On top of everything else we’ve been through collectively, individual grieving in the middle of pandemic isolation and shut down has it’s very own set of challenges. If this is your situation, my heart goes out to you. Take it slow and easy on yourself — and others.

Second, you may have lost a job or income — or have taken on added financial obligations to care for someone else. This could put its own pressure on a LONG weekend normally spent shopping, eating, or traveling. All the more reason to plan ahead and establish boundaries early. If travel is out of the question, let people know quickly. If large gatherings are not in the budget, reconsider your hosting arrangement (maybe a potluck?) or pass the baton to someone else happy to receive it. And if Covid restrictions have you and your immediates holed-up at home, now is a great time to plan your menus and figure out “what’s for dinner” while you still have a moment to think for yourself! 🙂 (Otherwise, maybe assign a night to each member of your family to make something — or make other arrangements!)

Third, maybe you just miss your family and the way things used to be. The Pandemic Blues are a real thing…most of us accepted stay-at-home orders, we adapted to masks, we learned to recoil from hugs and handshakes. One LONG weekend may be more than we can shoulder alone at this point. If this is you, reach out to friends who may be in the same situation. Make plans to take walks, host a happy hour (outside, of course), or gather in whatever socially distant way feels comfortable and safe for you. But don’t go it alone!

Fourth, maybe you’ve just had A LOT of together time already and are looking to get away or get a change of scenery. You won’t be alone in that, for sure! Now is the time to think about where you want to go, where you could go, how you would get there, and what you need to do to make that happen. Who knows? Maybe this Thanksgiving turns out to be the best one yet!

Sorry if it bums you out talking about Thanksgiving already…but this year-of-all-years, it will be necessary to plan ahead, so that we can anticipate and enjoy the season that much more. 

I’m willing to give it a try…are you?

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Plan your Thanksgiving 4- or 5-day weekend now! Walk yourself through each day, maybe even in reverse, and think through (or discuss) how you want to spend them. This year promises to look very different than any other. Now is the time to seek out that which is important (or familiar) to you and your family — and put a plan in place to make sure you get more of THAT to start this holiday season!

Spread Happyness — tell me, how do you plan to spend this year’s Thanksgiving Weekend?

10/16/20 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

Week #317 – Procrastinator Alert: Plan Your Halloween NOW!

Greetings Tribe — and Happy Friday!

Halloween may seem like a month away…but this year-of-all-years it’s going to be more important than ever to plan ahead!

Do you have a plan?

Normally, I’d be asking you if you have your costume picked out yet…but THIS year I’m asking if you even have a plan? Because with different states/localities in various stages of shut-down…we can’t rely on our regular norms and traditions.

This year, we may need to get REALLY creative. (And in a pandemic…creative isn’t always easy!)

First, find out what your locality is doing.

Some neighborhoods are allowing trick-or-treating and others are not. Some have banned activities that draw crowds in close quarters while others are encouraging anything that keeps people outside and at a distance. Before you get caught by surprise by what’s allowed/not allowed to happen…find out ahead of time what you can do to observe and participate in the holiday safely. Then come up with a plan that works for YOU.

Second, get busy celebrating!

Whatever you decide to do…run with it! Do you normally decorate your house? Maybe this is the year you go ALL OUT. Do you normally provide snacks/beverages for passers-by? Maybe this is the year you up your investment with individually packaged items. Are there other parents in your neighborhood asking the same questions? Maybe this is an opportunity to get together and come up with a group plan that satisfies the collective itch while keeping everyone safe in their bubble.

Third, be open to new traditions.

This year-of-all-years promises to be VERY different from anything we’ve ever seen before. I know it’s hard to accept. It’s tremendously sad to see the simplest of pleasures become the most questionable of activities. I’m with you. But keep courage, my friends…and press on. Heed the NO-s…but seek out and amplify the YES-es!

Turns out, staying positive may be the oldest “trick” in the book!

Your Happyness Challenge for the week ahead: Plan Your Halloween NOW! Saturday, October 31st is going to come around one way or another. I know it’s tempting to stick our heads in the sand and “wait to see” what happens. Don’t do that to yourself (or your kids). Come up with a game plan…even if it’s a Plan A, B, and Z. In this real-life fun-house-of-horrors…this is the year to be ready for whatever surprises are lurking around the next corner!

Spread Happyness — share your Halloween plans in the comments!

10/9/20 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

Week #316 – Q4 is Underway! (What do you want to show for it?)

Greetings Tribe — and Happy Friday!

It’s the first Friday in October. The fourth quarter of the fiscal year. Thirteen weeks remaining in this crazy year called 2020.

As I’ve written before, the turn into October is usually a white-flag moment for me: the last lap.  A time to stop, take stock, and set a course for Q4 — the finish line of the calendar year.

But this year, it feels like we’re barely out of the starting gate!

Like you, we’ve been dealing with lockdowns and layoffs. And, as many of you know, in addition to all the other craziness that 2020 has handed us — Jim lost his father just two weeks ago. Not to Covid — but in a bizarre pedestrian accident that took his life in a split second.

The year just doesn’t make sense.

And yet, I know that Q4 is special because it brings the calendar year to a distinct close and gives us a unique opportunity to reflect and celebrate all that we’ve accomplished, completed, achieved, experienced, loved AND lost in the year that has passed.

Which brings me to my question: What sense can we make of it?

Because no matter what happens, this year will pass. And it will be remembered…for Covid, for the election, for people we loved and lost, for jobs changed and wisdom gained.

For what we decided to do with it…not just what it did with us!

So whether you’ve been keeping up with your dreams and goals this year…or whether life has thrown you curveball after cutter after slider, now is a good time to take stock and think about how this last quarter can bring you some healing, some closure, or at least a chance to regain your footing.

Sure there are problems — but remember to keep track of the good stuff too. Covid has taken a lot from us this year. Don’t let it steal your joy, too.

Your Happyness Challenge for the week ahead: Q4 is underway! What do you want to show for it?  Is there something you still need to do that is nagging at you?  Something you want to leave in 2020? If so…you’ve got thirteen full weeks to get it done!  Don’t take unfinished business into the new year ahead.  Break it down into steps…share it with a friend…find yourself a buddy…get to work…and get it DONE!

Most important…keep collecting the good stuff!  Keep on keeping track of those things that bring you hope, happiness, and satisfaction!  Because we need more of that, especially now.  More focus on the wins.  More focus on what’s right.  More focus on loving our lives and the people in it — so that we can live our lives more fully.

To Life! To Love!! To Happyness!!!

Spread Happyness — share your thoughts and plans for Q4 in the comments!

10/2/20 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com