New Weekly Mantra - We think too much about what goes wrong..

I realized that I've been acting ungrateful lately. I'm quick to point out all of the things that aren't right, from the littlest things, to the larger life items. It is always when I read international news, or look up for a second from my own world, that I realize that I have much, much, much more than I'll ever need; even if everything is not quite where I want it to be.

This week's mantra relates. Enjoy! x

"We think too much about what goes wrong and not enough about what goes right in our lives. Of course, sometimes it makes sense to analyze bad events so that we can learn from them and avoid them in the future. However, people tend to spend more time thinking about what is bad in life than is helpful. Worse, this focus on negative events sets us up for anxiety and depression. One way to keep this from happening is to get better at thinking about and savouring what went well." - Dr. Martin Seligman via Brain Pickings 

Weekly Mantra - Get a life

This week's mantra comes from author Anna Quindlen and her book, A Short Guide to a Happy Life. I found this quote on one of my favourite sites, Brain Pickings, and it has inspired me to pick up a copy of my own.

I won't go into too much detail because Quindlen summarizes her thoughts so well. It's a long one this week. Enjoy!

"So I suppose the best piece of advice I could give anyone is pretty simple: get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house. Do you think you’d care so very much about those things if you developed an aneurysm one afternoon, or found a lump in your breast while in the shower?

Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze over the dunes, a life in which you stop and watch how a red-tailed hawk circles over a pond and a stand of pines. Get a life in which you pay attention to the baby as she scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a Cheerio with her thumb and first finger.

Turn off your cell phone. Turn off your regular phone, for that matter. Keep still. Be present.

Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work." 
- Anna Quindlen via Brain Pickings

Weekly Mantra - Your assumptions...

This week's mantra comes from one of my favourite sites, Brain Pickings. The quote below was pulled from an anonymous advice column called Dear Sugar. The column was later published into a book. Interesting fact: the anonymous author is actually Cheryl Strayed of the bestselling novel Wild.

Below is a snippet I found rather interesting. For the full advice, click here.

"Your assumptions about the lives of others are in direct relation to your naïve pomposity. Many people you believe to be rich are not rich. Many people you think have it easy worked hard for what they got. Many people who seem to be gliding right along have suffered and are suffering. Many people who appear to you to be old and stupidly saddled down with kids and cars and houses were once every bit as hip and pompous as you." - Cheryl Strayed via Brain Pickings