Choose.

"Feelings are much like waves. We can't keep them from coming, but we can choose which ones to surf."

Truth.

Lately I've been going through an emotional roller-coaster- nothing really bad, mind you, just enough to make me confused about what in the wide world I'm supposed to be feeling. When I found that quote I immediately thought:

YEAH!

It's so true. We are all going to have emotions come to us, crash over us even. Though we may feel out of breath, and sometimes you just want to let it sink you for a bit, we have to choose which ones to let us up to spread out wings.

Don't deliberately sink.

That's dumb.

Choose to let your emotions affect you the way you want them to. It's hard, but you'll swing it eventually. If you are going to let a silly experience hold you down, let one thing hold you back from taking another step, how are you going to make it any further? I can tell you, if you don't take that step not only will you be stuck in a rut, you are going to be one SUPER BORED and BORING person. Take those steps. 

Choose.

Smile.

Love.

That is all for now.

(remember to smile too, it's a good remedy)

-gracie

In the Now

Once upon a time a GracieGirl was looking on her facebook when she sees a post that says the following: "So many people look for things to make them happy. I am going to be happy with what I have."

Interesting, isn't it? I am guilty of it, and I won't say it's bad. We should be looking for things that will truly make us happy. A long-term happiness, if you will. But at the same time we need to remember that if we focus too much on looking for such things we might miss the opportunity to be happy in the now.

Are you living in the "should've, could've, would've's" or are you remembering to find the things you have now that make you happy?

I will try to be better at it.
You should too.
It's important.
-gracie

A Challenge

Sometimes the news is not all that great. Wars. Amber Alerts. Economy Crashes. Gossip. It can be rather depressing.

I don't like it. 

Last night I watched a video of a talk a designer gave (I like watching those considering I want to be like them). And she told of a project that she did with some people involving "GOOD NEWS." 

Once upon a time she decided to design a fake New York Times with all good news. I.E. Iraqi War Over, Economy Sky Rockets, etc. They mass produced it and handed it out to people all around New York City. It was amazing to see the reactions on the people's faces. It was heartwarming.

Thinking about it, yes. There is bad news out there. It is important people know what is going on in the world, yes? But I think it awfully depressing that so much of the media focuses on it. There is so much good to spread, so much good to share and help others to see in the world.

And so the challenge. 

On facebook I tend to see so many depressing status updates. And so to begin something more a little more optimistic I make a goal and a challenge to anyone who happens upon this. 

CHALLENGE: For the next week only post positive posts on facebook/twitter/anything! 

Sure, bad things may happen, but we must stay realistically optimistic. Let's quit the complaining. Let's quit the focus on the negative. Really people.

I'll do.

You should too.

-gracie

Cease Suffering

I am really into Richard Paul Evan's writings, you know? Maybe you don't. If not, I highly suggest it. His stories are easy to read and very inspiring. "Miles to Go," is a wonderful story, the second book a series, about a man who has lost everything and decides to walk as far as he can from where he is in Seattle- which just happens to be Keys West Florida.

Why do I bring this book up again in my blog? Well, because like I said, it's definitely inspiring; and, something said in it really ties in to something that I've been thinking about lately. One quote I'd like to pull out is this:

"Suffering ceases to be suffering when we form a clear picture of it."

These last few days I've had a lot on my mind. Things I didn't want to think about got brought up again and it was just eating away at my happiness. I was frustrated. I wanted to be done with everything and just be rid of all thought. It even went to the extent of me deliberately avoiding things that would make me smile. (Note: this was only over about two or three days time- I'm not chronically depressed or anything no worries.) Then I got to thinking... and I realized that I had been stopping myself from figuring out how to get over it.

I was being dumb.

Sure what was worrying me and frustrating me and scaring me was also to blame, but I was blocking myself from getting to a point where I could just forget about it. And then that quote came to mind.... 

This morning I woke up and I decided full on to be happy, to take a step back and look at everything that was bugging me and face it. It's not like those things are gone now, they're still there as sure as my name is {insert real name here}; but, I have let myself see everything around it so I can be happier. 

Just remember that you can cease suffering, your own suffering, by letting yourself see things. You do have to remember, though, that you won't find all the answers at once. They take time, and they come more easily when you are letting yourself breathe a little.

Pass it on.

Cease your own suffering.

Smile.

Cheers.

-gracie

Someone to Care

Make it a Method.

The whole reason I started this blog was because I loved this quote:

"Happiness isn't a destination, it's a method for life." 

Life is full of things. Good things. Bad things. Silly things. Happy things. Sad things. It's hard to put on the good face all the time. Trust me, I know. Life is like a rollercoaster some say. But I've come to realize that though it is a rollercoaster, we can learn to find reasons to be happy even in the hard times. To really make happiness our method. 

The other day I was in a bit of a bad mood. Tired (probably on account of staying up super late watching Iron Man 2...anyways), hungry, thinking a lot about school, etc. I didn't want to be happy, in a way, I just wanted to be let alone to mope a little before I changed my mood.

I made that decision.

That day me and my friends were going to go out together. I came downstairs, my miserably mopey self to find a look and air of sadness in one of my friends. I don't know exactly what it was, but that moment changed everything about my attitude. I forgot about my own "terrible woes," (which weren't that terrible in hindsight) and all I wanted was to see the smile on my friend's face that I've been seeing so much more often this semester than others. 

Has that ever happened to you? 

A bit ago I finished "Miles to Go," a book by Richard Paul Evans (which I highly suggest!!) and there was a part in it where a lady says "I'm happiest when I'm taking care of someone." I kinda brushed that off, though it was a nice thought. But it's true. I've found personally- just in that experience with my friend- that when there is someone to care about you can find greater happiness. 

Everyone needs care, everybody needs a friend.

If we choose to be there for others, we can be happier. 

Let's care, why don't we?

Make it a method.

-gracie

You Can Do It

So this morning I briefly came to consciousness when tigger started singing to me (he's my alarm...don't judge). I realized that I really didn't want to go running when it was that dark outside still, so I laid back down for a few minutes. I then proceeded to get up and read my scriptures. I was feeling alright, but then.....

BANG.

"No," my body says. "You shall not go to school or work today. You shall stay in bed."

Being sick isn't that great. What were kids thinking? You always here of those stories of kids pretending to be sick so they didn't have to go to school. I'm telling you I much rather be in school right now.

But something came to mind, so I decided to blog about it.

My roommate is trying to find a job. It's really difficult in the small college town that we live in. I think it a bit ridiculous that a lot of the companies aren't giving her a chance just because she doesn't have work experience. (How are you supposed to get work experience if nobody is going to give it to you because you haven't had a chance to even work? Psh.) Anyways, she just came up to our room and I kinda half woke up deliriously from a nap and she was saying that she is trying to build up courage to call or e-mail on a job opportunity. She kept saying "I can't do it!!"

Here's a message Jane: I know you can do it!

I felt like I couldn't survive today. I have felt like death... well I think it feels like death. We all think that there are so many insurmountable mountains. But guess what, everest was supposed to be insurmountable. Wasn't it?  It's been climbed.

We may or may not have to actually climb everest. But we do have our own set of mountains to climb. And we all can do it. We can all get over the mountain and find the next step in our lives to get to where we need to be to be happy.

I know for a fact that I'll get over this sick day.
I know you can find a job.

It may be hard, but in life we have to stop saying "I Can't" and start finding what we CAN do. We are our own biggest obstacle. If we can let ourselves stop saying the word "can't" and start saying "can" I know we all can find a way to be happy. To get what we need.

Stop saying can't.
And smile!
Have a nice day.
Love you Jane :)
-gracie

Twist and Shout!

Sometimes.
Just sometimes.
I wake up and realize I am not in the greatest of moods. Not necessarily in a horrible mood. Just down a bit.

Sometimes.
Just sometimes.
I get to work after getting ready in the morning and I talk to my boss about assignments. Then I plug into my little world with my pandora station and my designing tools.

Bliss I tell you.

Sometimes even when we wake up in a off mood, you can change it. You can! I was worried that waking up in that mood would affect the way my whole day would turn out. And don't get me wrong, it might end up having some bumps- it's only 11:15 in the morning. But I figured out a pick me up.

Sometimes you just need to twist and shout!
Just let yourself dance in your chair at work to your music, just find something that makes you smile- somethings as small as a cute song or a picture of a puppy (who knows?)!

Just allow yourself some wiggle room to twist and shout in your day and it will most definitely help you find even the smallest reason to smile.

And who knows.
You might be able to help someone else twist and shout in the process.
How great would that be?
-gracie

Even if Armageddon Is Knocking

Once upon a time I saw a sign that someone put on their front door:

The Storm Ends Here

Then I forgot about it. It's probably been two or three years since that time that I saw it. Why did I bring it up today? Well I was listening to my Pandora this morning at work, when suddenly a line popped out at me: 

"Armageddon could be knocking at my door, but I ain't gonna answer that's for sure."

 

Connection made? 

I thought it easy enough.

I think that a lot of the time I find myself letting Armageddon weasel it's way into my life. Let's face it, we all just let it in half the time. We can choose what to let into our lives by what attitude we adopt, and what we DECIDE to allow into our days. I want to be happy, don't you?

Is it easy?

Of course not.

But I think that if we decide the storm ends before it hits us, and that we don't open the door to the horrible horrible things out there in life, we will find ourselves happier, if only slightly. We don't ignore the nastiness caking the world, but we learn how to work through it. We have to be "optimistic realists" as my boyfriend puts it.

I know there are those who have clinical depression, who can't completely control the creeping sadness, but that is why we need to be there for them and help protect them from the storm that is beating down their doors.

Can we do that?

I want to.

Time to get to work. 

That barricade against that ooey gooey nastiness won't build itself!

 -gracie

Keepin' Busy

It's been quite a while since I've written in here. That is going to change. I am making a point of it to keep up on this. I love blogging. I don't know why I've let myself stop, even though I think about it often enough.

Anyways, I have been super duper busy working on school this semester. I can hardly believe that it's already five weeks into the semester. Doesn't seem real. I've been on the run, doing this for that class, and doing that for this class. Sometimes I hardly know what I am doing because I am constantly changing gears and working on something different.

But no matter how busy it gets I love it.

Being busy keeps you from doing stupid things, or at least a lot of stupid things anyway. We all make mistakes of course, but by keeping yourself from sitting idly around you find yourself doing more good than bad.

This semester has opened my eyes to that. Not that I had been into mischief or anything before, but with how busy I've been this semester it's helped me stay focused on what I want to do and leave out the ridiculous time wasters (to a point, anyways). I don't know about you, but I am much happier when I feel like I'm doing something productive. I much rather feel accomplished than guilty of doing nothing important and nothing really that cool.

I challenge you- whoever you might be- to find a bit more happiness in life by finding something to keep you productive.
I know it's helping me.
Maybe it'll help you.
Go find something to make you happy, won't you?
-gracie