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10 Things You Could Do With an Extra Hour per Day

By Royale on March 7, 2012 in Happiness, Health, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Productivity

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Have you ever stopped to think about how you could spend an extra hour a day if you had one? I surely have, quite often actually…and here are some of my suggestions.

1. Write the novel you’ve always wanted to write

At the normal average of writing 500 words per hour, you could finish and proof a typical 80,000-word novel in 6 months. See you on the bestseller’s list…

2. Participate in a daily exercise program

Even just walking an hour a day, burning the minimum 300 calories, you could lose 30 pounds in a year. Or not gain 30 pounds…

3. Play with your children

If you spent an average of 60 minutes a day interacting with your children each day, you would add an impressive 365 hours a year to your parenting journey. That’s quality and quantity time…

4. Read that stack of books sitting on your shelf

If you read an hour per day, you could finish nearly 50 books in one year. That’s amazing…

5. Work an extra hour a day

I don’t recommend this, but if you in need extra money or are working toward some large career goal, you could earn an additional $5,000-$15,000 in a year, depending on your hourly rate. That’s not chump change…

6. Learn a new skill

In an hour a day, you could learn to play an instrument, a new sport, or a new hobby in less than a year.

7. Make a Difference

Volunteering in America data shows that the average person who volunteers their time gives around 52 hours a year. Even more interesting, the average value of one volunteer hour to an organization is $21.36. That means that by volunteering an hour per day, you could effectively donate nearly $8,000 worth of volunteer time. That’s really making a difference…

8. Find inner peace

If you used your extra hour to meditate, journal or do yoga, you would be giving yourself the gift of literally 15 days per year dedicated to peace, calm, and inspiration. As an added bonus, lowering stress and cultivating a positive attitude can lengthen your life span as much as 9 years. If that’s not incentive to meditate, I don’t know what is…

9. Laugh and have some fun

Laughter raises serotonin and dopamine levels, which increase happiness, and decreases stress levels. It also makes you more enjoyable to be around, which may improve the relationships in your life. Moreover, if you are going to live longer, you may as well have fun while you’re doing it…

10. Spend time really connecting with the people in your life

Think about all of the relationships you could improve if you invested only an extra hour per day. You could have a more active love life, strengthen your marriage, call your mother, make new friends, or participate in a club or organization that interests you. Aren’t relationships what life is ultimately about anyway?

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What Would You Like Your Life to Say About You

By Royale on March 5, 2012 in Inspiration, Mood

“It is better to allow our lives to speak for us than our words” - Mahatma Gandhi

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Ghandi had once said, “My life is my message.” There is little doubt that he personified that philosophy. When we think of him, the phrase that most often comes to mind is, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” That is precisely what he represented and how he lived his life continuously in thought, word and deed.

I found this quote to be thought-provoking. It’s certainly something worth considering. If your life is speaking for you, what do you want it to say?

Take a few moments of your precious time and think about this:

If your life is your message, what is it currently saying?

This is not the flowery, idealistic version! We’ll get to that, but for now, do a reality check. Take a long, hard look at your life. What is it saying right now?

I’m afraid when I conduct this introspection, that on many days my life message is – I really am a very kind person, but only if you agree with me and I have had my coffee!

Some thoughts others have shared:

It’s really not my fault. I just can’t help it.

I have the best of intentions, but can’t seem to follow through.

I don’t have time for you right now.

I have dreams, but they are unimportant.

I don’t truly matter.

What would you like your life to say?

This is where we can be idealistic. What do you really want your life to say?

I want my life to say – Live kindly, love fully, do your best and then let it go.

Some thoughts others have shared:

You can do anything if you try hard enough.

All that really matter is love.

Do unto others…

Anything is possible.

I always give my best.

I truly care about those people in my life.

I am determined and capable.

What changes do you need to make?

For me this means:

- Think, speak, and act from a place of kindness, not judgment.

- Consider what I can give in my relationships, instead of what I can get.

- Do everything as if it really matters and release expectations for the outcome; if it doesn’t matter don’t waste my time.

Some thoughts others have shared:

Focus my attention on my priority of the moment.

Be present in my life and enjoy the experiences.

Spend more time listening to my heart than my head.

When in doubt, speak from a place of love.

Follow through on those things that are important to me.

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Things We Need To Do Each Day to Improve our Quality Of Life

By Royale on February 24, 2012 in Habits, Happiness, Health, Personal Growth

Inspired by a post of Gretchen Rubin’s a while back, I’ve been mulling over my own list of things I must do to each day to have the quality of life that I desire. What actions are absolutely crucial for me to experience a sense of well-being, good health, and achieve a balanced life in the midst of a busy day?

I agree with Gretchen that these items should not be goals; they need to be specific actions. Imagine a daily checklist. If you clearly can determine if you’ve done it, then it goes on the list. If it’s vague or subjective, it doesn’t make the cut. We are not talking about ideals or principles, but concrete actions that you could take every day.

I however, do not agree that habits of attitude, gratitude, learning, and such should be automatically eliminated. I also do not believe that something should not be included if it does not apply to others. This is your list, it belongs to you and should be personalized to suit your needs.

Some of my “Must Dos”

Take my vitamins

Move my body in some way

Get outside

Spend time alone

Connect in some way with my loved ones

Write in my gratitude journal

Enjoy a good laugh

Engage my mind – learn something new, read, have an interesting conversation, exercise my brain through word games, puzzles, etc

Tidy my surroundings – make my bed, clean up the kitchen, and such

Consume at least 5 fruits and vegetables

Drink 8 glasses of water

Get sufficient quality and quantity sleep

When I don’t do these things, I feel off-balance, ineffective and grumpy. The quality of my life suffers. As I said before my list is different from Gretchen’s and it will be different from yours.

What would you have on your list?

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3 Simple Steps to Achieve a Higher Quality Life

By Royale on February 20, 2012 in Goals, Happiness, Health, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Questions, Relationships

It may seem fanciful, but it’s not. Studies have shown that people are more likely to be happier and find more personal and profession success as well as experience more life satisfaction, when they have a vision of what they want their future to look like. It’s simple logic really and the process is quite painless.

Make a Wish List – Include both personal and professional wishes in every area of your life, tangible and intangible.

Some examples from my wish list:

I wish I could spend each day doing what I love.

I wish to touch the lives of those around me.

I wish for financial security so that I don’t have to worry about money.

I wish to be healthy in mind and body.

Now, make your own wish list. Maybe you want to express your creativity. Maybe you want your own business or a new car. Perhaps you want a loving relationship or better work-life balance. This list of wishes will help guide you toward what you truly want in life.

Describe Your Ideal Day – Again you may say it’s fanciful; I say it’s crucial to achieving your goals of happiness and success.

What would your ideal day look like?

Where would you be?

Whom would you be with?

What would you be doing?

What would you be feeling?

Your first inclination might be to think of a vacation or life of leisure, but though you might not believe it that would get old eventually. Instead, envision a normal day, the way you’d like it to be.

Think Backwards – It sounds odd, but is actually necessary and practical.

What would have to happen for you to make these wishes and your ideal life a reality?

What habits, behaviors, and beliefs would you need to change?

What actions would you need to take?

What would you need to learn?

Ponder the disparity between where you are and where you want to go. It may look impossible, but it is doable, although you may discover along the way that the answers to these questions changes. I’ll leave that for a future post. Consider what small step you could take to bridge the gap and move forward towards the life you envision.

Share what’s on your wish list?

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Summarize Your Life in 6 Words

By Royale on February 3, 2012 in Inspiration, Personal Growth, Questions

A discussion was recently posted to one of my LinkedIn groups asking us to describe our lives in six words. Inspired by the Six-Word Memoir Project, it created a very fascinating discussion. If you could only use six words to tell your memoir and communicate your life to someone, what would they be?

My response… Work hard! Play often! Love much!

How about you? Can you sum up your life in six words?

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13 Warning Signs That You May Be Burned Out

By Royale on January 30, 2012 in Health, Life Balance, Stress

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Burned out, stressed out people have become so commonplace that we hardly pay attention to the signs anymore. But that is a serious mistake. Burn out has a tremendous impact on both your physical health and mental well-being.

The first step is learning to recognize the signs. We often dismiss them. We are just dedicated to our jobs or honoring our commitments, or even being a good parent, child, or friend. That is merely a lie we tell ourselves so that we can keep doing what we have been doing.

Stop doing that to yourself. Be aware of the signs and take heed.

Some common warning signs, though there are many others:

You don’t take a lunch away from your desk
Either the quantity or quality of your sleep has deteriorated.
You frequently forget where you put things, or what you are supposed to be doing.
You are distracted when involved in a conversation.
You can’t remember the last time you took time for yourself.
You are exhausted all the time or have no energy.
You have become irritable and impatient much of the time.
You experience frequent headaches or stomach upset with no discernible reason.
You work long hours and don’t take time off.
Alternatively, you call in sick or come in late frequently.
You have lost motivation and interest in your job, hobbies or family.
You are always on, afraid to shut off your electronic shackles.
You feel like you are juggling and most of the plates are crashing.

When you see the signs, pay attention. Take a step back and realize that you must make some kind of change. Sometimes it is a small change and sometimes it can be a complete overhaul. If you do not do something, your body will eventually force the issue.

Have you experienced burnout? Have you taken any steps to change your stress levels? Any signs I missed?

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10 Minutes to a Lower Stress Life Series: Reducers to the Rescue

By Royale on January 25, 2012 in Happiness, Health, Life Balance, Personal Growth, Stress

Photo by JFPescatore (CC BY-SA 2.0)

While we have acknowledged that stress cannot be avoided all together, there are some practices we can employ while in the throes of life stress that can bring our stress levels down and minimize both the short and long-term effects of stress on our bodies and minds. Again, these are different for each person; what might be work for one, doesn’t work for another. The key is in knowing what they are so that you can take them out of your little bag of calming tricks when you need them most and get back to a better life balance.

Lower Stress Strategy: Employ your stress reducers.

Stress reducers are practices that we can use in the moment of, or directly after, a stressful situation. These actions that can help to calm and bring your stress back down to a manageable level so that you can get on with the rest of your day and not get stuck in the stress cycle.

Take 10 minutes to list 5-10 strategies (more if you want) that reduce or short-circuit stress.

Some of my stress reducers:

Petting my dogs – The touch and rhythm of the action, coupled with the affection soothe my angry beast.

Listening to music – Surprisingly, the genre doesn’t matter. Classical, rock, blues, it all works for me.

Fresh air – Stepping outside or even opening the window release tension and bring me back down.

Deep breathing – This is talked about all the time, but it really works. A few minutes of deep slow breathes lower my heart rate and blood pressure.

Running – I love walking and yoga, but they do not work for me after stress has occurred. I need to get my blood pumping and burn off the stress.

Looking at pictures of my children and grandson – The smiles and simple enjoyment of life, the reminder of love and the bigger picture help me to put things in perspective.

What are your reducers? Care to share…

In the rest of this series on lowering stress, we look at more strategies to reduce stress and how to avoid it before it starts.

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Create a Life Plan in 30 Minutes or Less…and Why You Need to

By Royale on January 2, 2012 in Happiness, Life Balance, Mood, Personal Growth, Questions, Work

Do you have a life plan? If not, it’s time to think about creating one. We are not talking about some 20 page research paper with charts and graphs and maps. Just a general snapshot of where you are right now in all the areas that matter and where you’d like to go in the future.

This should take no more than 30 minutes. This is your life we’re talking about…you can find 30 minutes. And if you can’t …we need to talk, you and I.

How would you rate your life on a scale of 1 – 10? – Are you satisfied with that rating? What would you be satisfied with?

Write a brief description of the current state of your life. – Health, relationships, work, finances, spiritual or emotional well-being, community, etc. Whatever is going on. Just briefly jot it down.

What makes you happy? – There must be some good things, some things that bring you joy and make you laugh.

What are the drains on your energy and happiness? – What people, situations or behaviors are your kryptonite? We all have these things (or someones) that suck the life out of us like vampires draining our life force.

What isn’t working in your life? - These are the obstacles to living a satisfied life of fulfillment…Do you need to lose weight, be more organized, find a different job, end or change a relationship, manage your stress better or maybe just learn to laugh again.

Now describe your ideal life. - I’m not talking about a commercial for the “Rich and Famous,” some Hollywood fairy tale. I’m talking about what kind of life would truly make you happy to get out of bed in the morning. What would you be doing? Who would you be with? How would you be feeling?

What do you need to do to get that life? – What needs to happen for you to get from point A to point B? Again, not a detailed outline of actions for the next 20 years, just some general goals to work toward, a few habits to adopt or a change in attitude or surroundings to adopt.

Something to think about…Why? Why do you want whatever it is that you want? What do you really want to accomplish in this life? What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to be remembered for?

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Slow Down! You May be Missing Something Important

By Royale on December 16, 2011 in Energy, Happiness, Life Balance, Relationships

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“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” Eddie Cantor

Slow down! You may be missing something important…your life.

This time of year it’s more important than ever to slow down and enjoy your life. Unfortunately for most of us this is also the busiest time of year; shopping, wrapping, socializing and we still have to keep up with our work obligations and family responsibilities. It doesn’t leave much time for holiday cheer, let alone, time to take in the scenery.

Unless we make a conscious decision to do so. You can make excuses all day long. In the end the choice is yours. As a “busyholic in recovery” I can tell you that I get it. I understand the avalanche of tasks, the never-ending demands, and the bottomless inbox. I get it. I really do. But to what end? Where are you going and why?

I can tell you where I am going!

I am going to sit and enjoy one more Christmas concert and actually listen to the children singing and playing their hearts out instead of lamenting over the chores that are waiting for me at home and what I could have gotten done if I didn’t have to attend.

I am going to sit and play Othello and Battleship with my son in front of the fire instead of making one more trip to the mall for that “perfect” present.

I am going to cuddle and rock my smoochable grandbaby instead of trekking back up to my office late at night for one more work session.

I am going to drink coffee with my husband and watch the snowflakes fall instead of checking my email on a Sunday morning.

Where are you going? Can you slow down and enjoy your life more?

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Why Light May be the Key to Happiness

By Royale on December 14, 2011 in Happiness, Health, Mood

Everyone should have one! If only a blindingly bright spray of white artificial light could give us the secret to happiness. That would be wonderful and…well… fanciful. But the truth is, if you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or “winter blues” a White “Happy” light might help.

According to Familydoctor.org

Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is a type of depression that is triggered by the seasons of the year. The most common type of SAD is called winter-onset depression. Symptoms usually begin in late fall or early winter and go away by summer. A much less common type of SAD, known as summer-onset depression, usually begins in the late spring or early summer and goes away by winter. SAD may be related to changes in the amount of daylight during different times of the year.

How common is SAD?

Between 4% and 6% of people in the United States suffer from SAD. Another 10% to 20% may experience a mild form of winter-onset SAD. SAD is more common in women than in men. Although some children and teenagers get SAD, it usually doesn’t start in people younger than 20 years of age. For adults, the risk of SAD decreases as they get older. Winter-onset SAD is more common in northern regions, where the winter season is typically longer and more harsh.

What are the symptoms of SAD?

Although your symptoms are clues to the diagnosis, not everyone who has SAD experiences the same symptoms. Common symptoms of winter-onset SAD include the following:

A change in appetite, especially a craving for sweet or starchy foods

Weight gain

A drop in energy level

Fatigue

A tendency to oversleep

Difficulty concentrating

Irritability and anxiety

Increased sensitivity to social rejection

Avoidance of social situations and a loss of interest in the activities you used to enjoy

If you don’t work near a window or getting outside isn’t possible or practical, it can affect your mood, energy, sleep, appetite and more.

Daylight gently helps the body recalibrate and stabilize, improving focus, concentration and productivity. It also prompts the body’s natural sleep patterns to help with jet lag and shift work.