Weekly Positivity!

To start off my return to the blogosphere, I thought it would be nice to add a little bit of happiness to your day.

Mantra of the Moment:

Sometimes we forget that we're capable of doing so much in just one day. Repeating positive things to yourself when you wake up will lead to you being in a better mood, and therefore, you will be more likely to have a better day. And who doesn't want a better day?

Challenge of the Day:

“Try a thing you haven’t done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time, to figure out whether you like it or not.”
— Virgil Garnett Thomson

A Song to Motivate You:
I've recently been listening to this song from High Places called "Jump In". It's simple and cute, but also brings up a good point: "If you never take the first step, you cannot go too far... So get a move on, jump in." 

Learn to Appreciate Life:
“But it’s hard to stay mad when there’s so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing it all at once and it’s too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that’s about to burst. And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can’t feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life.”-- From the movie American Beauty (which I have yet to see!).

Make Everything Okay with the Click of a Button:
This site is pretty darn awesome, and will only take up about two minutes of your life. Two minutes, and look at that! All of your problems are solved. Go on, then. I know I managed to pique your curiosity a bit.

Have a great day, everyone! I'm off to attempt miniature crocheting :)

<3 Linda

Weekly Positivity!

I couldn't post anything on Sunday because I moved into my dorm this weekend... here's to a year of cramped living! Hurray! (It's really not that bad... for now.) Be prepared for a picture spam soon! In the meantime, let's start this year off right with some weekly positivity, because I have some amazing things to share with you all!

First off, GalaDarling created a Radical Self-Love Manifesto that I think everyone needs to read. I changed the hue to blue and put it up on my wall as a picker-upper. You can find the complete printable version here. Here's a bit from the post, since that poster was taking up the whole page...

"Strive to always be thankful & optimistic. Focus your gaze on what is good & positive; never dwell on the negative. Do not allow life to make you cynical or closed off. Remaining open & true to yourself is a life-long adventure, & the only one worth having."

Great, isn't it? I always find her posts to be thoughtful and inspiring.

For those of you who don't follow cracked.com, please start reading! You're missing out on one of the most important pieces of information on the internet. I recommend you start with this post: "5 Bits of Advice that Don't Make Sense Until It's Too Late". Is it a sign of growing up that I finally began to understand these this year? Maybe. I'm not sure if it fits into the category of "positivity", but it's definitely an interesting read.

I also stumbled across this site called Emotional Bag Check. If you have something you need to vent, you can write something and get all that weight off your shoulders. But if you're in a good mood, you can also "take" other people's luggage. It's actually a music referring site, where you can anonymously dedicate the song to the person with the problem, which is a pretty novel idea.

And always remember,

<3 Linda

Weekly Positivity!

Make like Gene Kelly and sing in the rain.

Try new things.

“You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too. No, I think there was too rigid a pattern. You came out of an education and are supposed to know your vocation. Your vocation is fixed, and maybe ten years later you find you are not a teacher anymore or you’re not a painter anymore. It may happen. It has happened. I mean Gauguin decided at a certain point he wasn’t a banker anymore; he was a painter. And so he walked away from banking. I think we have a right to change course. But society is the one that keeps demanding that we fit in and not disturb things. They would like you to fit in right away so that things work now.” - Anais Nin

Or take advice from a comic artist. You will find her featured in the upcoming week's TiLT too. :) Click the pictures to make them larger.

Work a bit of meditation into your routine:

Click through for meditation videos from 4 to 10 minutes long. Put on your earphones and get whisked away in the middle of your busy work day.

And above all remember:

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I've been terribly sick since Thursday, so I'm hoping for a better week this time. In two weeks I will be back in college... scary!

<3 Linda

Weekly Postivity!

Think of the little things.

 

And if you can't come up with anything, go here and be reminded of all of them in a simple picture format. Or...

If you like a blogging format instead of pictures, you can also read about all the little things that happen that you take for granted here. I've read this blog for years, and I really don't realize how amazing some of these things are until I read about them! One of my favorites is a classic, but some of the others are not quite the usual cliches. I mean,  "#815 When you nudge the person snoring next to you and it makes them stop"? Awesome.


Some of my favorite "little things" as of recent?
x Seeing one of your favorite bands on TV after a long time. Or hearing them on the radio. (RHCP, I will always love you.)
x Shaving your legs and reveling in the silky smoothness.
x Sleeping on just-washed sheets and a cold pillow. Oh yeah, two in one!
x Thinking about your best friend and then hearing from them the next day.
x Waking up at an early hour feeling rested, without need of an alarm clock.
x Finding out that someone has landed safely after a long flight.
x Seeing people you haven't seen in ages, and it's as though no time has passed.
x Finding out that a band you really want to see is heading to your city.
x Reading old emails and realizing the amazing leaps your grammar has taken over the years.
x Enjoying gifts that people bring back from their travels. (Has anyone tried Soan Papdi? It is an Indian sweet and it is brilliant.)


I wasn't having such a great day yesterday, but thinking about this makes today feel a little brighter. Make your own lists, and link it to me in the comments if you do!
<3 Linda

Weekly Positivity!

Take a breather and enjoy some positivity.

If you haven't watched these three related videos by Rick Mereki yet, you're missing out! I personally enjoyed "Learn" (shown above) best, but the other two are beautiful as well. It reminds us that there's so much of the world we haven't even explored yet.

For those of you who also are a part of the Tumblr community, my new favorite Tumblr blog has popped up! It's called The Rules to Be Happy, and after each simple photo set against a white backdrop is a paragraph filled with positive and fulfilling words. Just reading those captions makes me feel happier, I kid you not!

Photo: Jim Richardson 

Don't be too quick to judge others.
From the photographer: "Hardly had a chance to pop my head over the camera to see if what I was seeing in the viewfinder was, in fact, real when he pulled out a loaf of white bread and started feeding Rusty and Tufty, who seemed to be well acquainted with the drill. Recovering swiftly (I try to do that when good fortune rescues me from my general incompetence), I hit the motor drive and let it run."

Have a laugh about a not-so-funny situation. Or just listen to some of your favorite comedians. I love Demetri Martin's break up lines, and here are some of my favorites from that routine:
"Hey baby, are you being followed?…Because I’ve been seeing people behind your back."
"Is it hot in here, or are you just suffocating me in this relationship?"
"Hey I was just wondering. Are you doing push ups with your knees down? Because I’m not sure if this is working out."

And now, I will leave you with a lengthy but insightful quote from Milan Kundera's book, The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

We all need someone to look at us. We can be divided into four categories according to the kind of look we wish to live under. The first category longs for the look of an infinite number of anonymous eyes, in other words, for the look of the public. The second category is made up of people who have a vital need to be looked at by many known eyes. They are the tireless hosts of cocktail parties and dinners. They are happier than the people in the first category, who, when they lose their public, have the feeling that the lights have gone out in the room of their lives. This happens to nearly all of them sooner or later. People in the second category, on the other hand, can always come up with the eyes they need. Then there is the third category, the category of people who need to be constantly before the eyes of the person they love. Their situation is as dangerous as the situation of people in the first category. One day the eyes of their beloved will close, and the room will go dark. And finally there is the fourth category, the rarest, the category of people who live in the imaginary eyes of those who are not present. They are the dreamers.”

Hope this starts off your week well!
<3 Linda

Weekly Positivity!

Five ways to feel a little happier this week:

1. Write some poetry.

“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, “O me! O life!… of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless… of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?” Answer: that you are here; that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”

                    — Dead Poets Society. Such a good movie. If you want to feel inspired, watch it!

2. Pay yourself a compliment.

Source

How can you feel bad about yourself if you look in the mirror and tell yourself this everyday?!

3. Make like Zoolander and get an orange mocha frappuccino!

Source

I had to go there, you guys. I just had to. :)

4. Listen to an empowering song.

When I used to feel down, I would listen to "Blue Skies" by Noah and the Whale, which is a sad but comforting song. That whole album was pretty good for any "I can be happy" feelings. Find your song, and sing it out loud, cry to it, whatever makes you feel better! Sometimes we find it tough to get through hard times, but music always finds a way to soothe the soul.

5. Spread the love by backing a charity that's close to your heart.

Here are two that I would fully support, since I've always felt passionate about animal issues:
1. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Organization. Help out by fostering an orphaned baby elephant?
2. The Snuggles Project. I love it because it combines two of my favorite things: Animals and crafting. It's hands-on: You create blankets for animals in shelters, and you can donate them directly to your local shelter (if it is Snuggles eligible-- Go to the website for more details).

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend! Keep posted tomorrow for an update on the Little Willow Shop grand opening!
<3 Linda

Weekly Positivity!

B+ stands for Be Positive. With all the stress of worldly and personal problems, it sometimes gets hard to be positive. So each week, I'm going to put together some things to make you (and myself) feel happy and inspired!

Source: Leilockhart

This quote by Jackie (played by Mila Kunis)  from That 70s Show made me laugh. It's so typical of her character. Does anyone watch that show?

“Okay, look. I had to ask myself a really hard question. Who do I love most? And the answer was so obvious. It was staring me in the face the whole time. The person I love most is me. I love me most. Look, if I could run across the beach into my own arms, I would.”

How sweet is this drawing?

Source: Mischief Champion

Lastly, Gala, one of my favorite bloggers, is doing a Radical Self-Love Bootcamp, for anyone who's interested! Here's a link to a little excerpt she posted up. I love the idea of a little more positivity being added to the world. I might go see her speak later on in October when she goes to Santa Monica, if I can afford the tickets!

Tomorrow, I'm doing a massive JoAnn run to get some last-minute supplies. If I have extra time in the day and my battery doesn't act up again, I might put up my first DIY! If not, you'll see it in the upcoming weeks :)

<3 Linda