Sustainable Archives — Page 13 of 15

The Best Gift For Any Holiday—Isn’t the “Self-Gift”

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Meaningful, Rightsized, Sustainable

Happy SMART Day Everyone!

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this year about the best and SMARTest way to celebrate the holiday season. While I’m no expert, Thom and I have tried several different ways throughout the years—everything from the traditional family in “It’s A Wonderful Life” to a vacation in Hawaii ala “Christmas with the Kranks.” While some experiences were more meaningful than others, I’m pretty certain I’ve discovered what it’s NOT. And even though I’m okay with buying myself something I want or need when necessary, I think it’s best to NOT end up making our Christmas or any holiday “present” about “self-gifting.” I mean really!?! Before that idea gains any more acceptable traction, let’s remember that the true meaning of a gift is something that we give—not something we receive. [Read more…]

If You’re Going to Give—Give SMART—SMART Living Recommends Three Such Sites 12/12/11

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Rightsized, Sustainable

Happy SMART Day Everyone!

Our last SMART Living 365 blog post suggested that we all reconsider or “rethink” the Christmas gifting process in a way that enriches both the giver and the receiver. When any of us routinely buys gifts without having a clue what the other needs or wants, we are like sheep falling over a cliff just because those in front of us fall first. If we want our gift to truly enrich someone we care for and love, it is SMART of us to stay awake, aware and conscious to their needs and motivations before making a purchase. But what about a gift or donation to a charity? What about if we want to donate money to a worthy cause in someone’s name? How do we know what is “worthy” and where do we go to find out? There are at least three websites that you might want to consider before making your decision. They are:

Five Ways To Rethink Christmas Gifts—Without Being A Scrooge!

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Sustainable

Let’s admit it—all of us love to get and give gifts. Just the idea of unwrapping a brightly adorned present stimulates the possibility of finding our dreams fulfilled. Giving can be equally rewarding—with a sweet anticipation of connection and recognized love and appreciation from the receiver. Unfortunately, much of the time the gifts we are given fall far short of our expected dreams. At the same time, those we lavish gifts upon, often seem less than appreciative and oblivious to our hoped-for connections. But when you think about it, maybe the fault isn’t in the desire to give and receive. Instead, chances are it’s our routine and unconscious expectations of the season—and/or the less-than-altruistic manipulations of retailers. That’s why it might be time to start rethinking all gift-giving in a brand new SMART way—and start enjoying Christmas even more.

[Read more…]

Do Know Your Well-Being Score? It’s Our Recommended Site for 12/5/11

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Meaningful, Rightsized, Sustainable

Happy SMART Day Everyone!

Photo by Robo Android

An enormous part of the SMART Living lifestyle is the daily awareness of our overall well-being. Do you know how you rate? Conveniently you can now go to a website named “Twitter Well-Being Tracker” and take a short and simple online test that will give you a score. Why is it called the “Twitter Well-Being Tracker”? Probably because you have the option of posting your score on the Twitter website or not. (Not sure why anyone would want to—but that is your choice.) A big reason that we think this website deserves attention is that as the busy holiday season kicks in during the next few weeks, it will benefit everyone to stay mindful and aware about what truly makes us happy and content—and the Well-Being Tracker is great for just that! [Read more…]

The Power of Positive Thinking

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Meaningful, Sustainable

Mom & Dad March ’02

This last week the CBS Sunday Morning Show featured a segment titled, “Just how powerful IS positive thinking?” According to the report, experts cannot agree whether positive thinking helps or hinders people recovering from illness. Some of those interviewed said no—and that it creates unnecessary guilt and frustration when a person continues to be ill. But others who had recovered from a life-threatening disease said it is vitally important. Doctors also seem split on the choice. But what caught my attention, and still has me thinking, is whether we are asking the wrong question? Instead of asking, “Is positive thinking powerful enough cure my cancer? Maybe we should be asking, “Can learning to think more positively make my life better (happier, more fulfilling, less painful) no matter what I’m going through?”

[Read more…]

SMART Living 365 Recommends Your Local Public Library—For Free!

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Meaningful, Sustainable, Thankful

Happy SMART Day Everyone!

During the last couple of months SMART Living 365 has made it a habit to recommend a website or resource that brings richness to our lives. Most of our recommendations have been online businesses or charities—but today’s recommendation is something many people (at least those that live in the US) take for granted. And while some of our readers are international, and not every US citizen lives in an area with a large library system, we still want to point out the amazing benefits many of us can regularly use to increase the quality of our lives—and it’s mostly free! That resource is your local public library.

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Who/What Are You Listening To Today?

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Sustainable, Thankful

How many times have you seen a movie or listened to a story where a person has an angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other? This example is classic because it’s universal to us all. At any given time, on any given day, we have either the voice of our higher more compassionate self who is whispering in our ear—or we have that part of us that is most selfish, small-minded and paranoid sitting on the other. The image of two little selves fighting for our attention is one that is graphically easy to remember. Which do you listen to the most?

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SMART Living 365 Recommends TheMinimalists.com 11/14/11

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Meaningful, Sustainable

This week SMART Living 365 recommends a website suggested by Thom. He began reading the blog called “The Minimalists” a few months ago and finds that it is one of his favorites. Why? From my perspective, “The Minimalists” is a “sister” website because many of their posts and much of their perspective is devoted to living a less cluttered and more important lifestyle. And because SMART Living is all about sharing and appreciating all the good around us, we can certainly appreciate the gift that TheMinimalists.com bring to the universal table.

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A Final Case For Simple Living; Or Why Shiny Objects Still Don’t Equal Happiness (Part 3)

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Rightsized, Sustainable

Now that I’ve written a couple of posts about why people try to buy happiness—even knowing it doesn’t work—I decided it was time to tell a personal story. Although I now understand that true happiness comes from doing what I love with people that I love on a regular basis—and attempting to live SMART 365, I certainly used to act otherwise. In fact, at one time in our lives Thom and I could both be accused of trying to buy happiness just like most people in our country. But fortunately that changed for us at one point—and perhaps in our story is a lesson that others might find useful.

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Another Case For Simple Living; Is Your Spending An Addiction? (Part 2)

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Rightsized, Sustainable

Happy SMART Day Everyone!

After I completed my first article about why people continue to try to buy happiness—even when knowing it won’t work—I realized there was plenty more to say. As I mentioned in the part one post, author James Roberts says that most of us have “short-term amnesia as consumers and could use a lot more self-control.” What he avoided saying was that many of us have what could be considered an all-out addiction to spending. Is that why we continue to spend even though it is but a short-term high? What does such an addiction look like? And if people are addicted to consumption, what can be done about it?

[Read more…]