SMART Living 365.com--Ideas to create a more happy, peaceful and rewarding life--365!

Five Reasons Why Home Exchanging Can Be A SMART Way To Travel

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

Thom and I in front of the main square and Parroquia Church in San Miguel de Allende

During the last couple of weeks my husband Thom and I visited San Miguel de Allende, MX. This location captured our interest several years ago, especially after learning that this small beautiful city boasts a nearly perfect year-round temperature, warmly welcomes American visitors, and offers flights at very low costs. As with most trips, we prefer to stay in apartments or homes in order to more fully experience any location. This year we tried something completely new—a home exchange. In other words, we offered our home here in southern California in exchange to stay in another owner’s home in San Miguel de Allende. Two weeks later, we are back to share what we learned from it and why we believe home exchanging is a SMART way to travel. [Read more…]

Rightsizing Your Brain Clutter

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

Thom and I are still away enjoying some “rightsized” travel. This week I invited another blogger friend named Nora Hall to share some of her SMART ideas on rightsizing and retirement. Nora lives on the east coast and regularly writes about relationships and retirement with warm-hearted humor and encouragement. Please enjoy Nora’s thoughts on rightsizing our brain clutter.

I first “met” Kathy Gottberg in 2015 when I read her blog, “Letting Go of the Clutter in Your Mind.” I found it here and continued reading about Rightsizing on her blog. I was hooked! Her comments made tremendous sense to me and for my audience. I found her wisdom to be especially true when it comes to Rightsizing Your Brain Clutter.

Although Kathy’s thoughts on Rightsizing apply to people of all ages, I focus on individuals who are, or will soon be, retired. That said, letting go of the clutter in our minds apply for all of us regardless of our age. [Read more…]

This is Why Goal Setting Really Matters

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

Thom and I are traveling this week so I invited one of my blogger friends named Susan Mary Malone to share some of her SMART ideas with all of us. Susan lives near Fort Worth, TX and since I found her blog a couple of years ago I am one of her biggest fans. Not only are her ideas practical and relevant, they are also thought-provoking. Please enjoy Susan’s thoughts on goal setting and why they matter.

I’m starting to hear from a lot of folks who made New Year’s Resolutions, and how they have already gone by the wayside.

Don’t you just hate when that happens?

I’m not into the usual sorts of resolutions. Chiefly because, well, they don’t work. Statistics show that 45% of Americans usually make New Year’s Resolutions. And only 8% are successful in achieving them.

Have you noticed that too? Most of us learned this for ourselves a good while back. I’m thinking the 45% of folks still making them are young. [Read more…]

25 Quotes That Help Me Remember The Wisdom That Less Is Always More

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Sustainable

Several weeks ago my husband Thom began reading a blog post offered to him from LinkedIn. It started out with a catchy title but quickly slipped into a bad rerun of something from the Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous. You may remember that TV show from the 1990s when everyone was hell-bent on buying big expensive everythings no matter what the cost. Even worse than the implication that you should own extravagant and expensive cars, the author suggests that you lease rather than buy. After all, when leasing you can start driving a more expensive car than you can actually afford. Perhaps even worse, in true 1990s speak he then started selling us all on attending his seminar and paying the large entrance fee where he would share his “wealth secrets” with all of us. [Read more…]

Why We Should All Care If Our Doctors Practice Mindfulness

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, SMART Book Reviews

A couple of months ago I scheduled a routine medical checkup with my primary physician. While never a chatty or warm-hearted person, this time my doctor of nearly fifteen years barely looked at me as she sat typing and staring at the computer screen near the windowless wall of the room. After a scant ten minutes of questions and answers, she glanced up, sort of nodded in my direction, and left the room. I doubt I need to tell anyone that this happens daily in doctor’s offices all over our country. Fortunately, my routine visit presented no life-threatening issues. But what if it had? Is it possible that something like mindfulness could benefit both those of us who visit doctors and the doctors themselves? Research now says yes. [Read more…]

Going Beyond Trauma And Pain To Reveal Post Traumatic Growth (PTG)

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

Most of us are familiar with the idea that trauma, especially extreme trauma like war, rape or life-threatening illness, can lead to a condition called PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome.) But what many might not realize is that many people who have experienced those extreme tragedies not only learn to cope and adapt but actually manage to thrive. Called Post Traumatic Growth (PTG) these resilient people appear to be both “antifragile” and “stress inoculated.” Best of all, this mindset allows them to do better than “bounce back” from whatever trauma they have experienced, but rather to “bounce forward” in strong and meaningful ways.

It occurred to me the other day that many people I know are experiencing a certain degree of PTSD during the last several months. Perhaps the SMARTest thing any of us can do would be to cultivate the possibility of PTG into our everyday lives so that we adjust, learn and create something new and better in the days ahead. [Read more…]

Why Happy Marriages And Relationships Are Key To Healthy And Positive Aging

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

During January Thom and I decided to experiment with our diet. We had attended a lecture in December that warned us about how eating wheat and sugar was detrimental to a healthy and aging brain. That caught our attention. So during the month we avoided bread, pasta or anything containing wheat. We also eliminated desserts, juice or any beverage with added sugars. While it wasn’t without challenges, it wasn’t that difficult either—mostly because we were doing it together. Perhaps with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s SMART to remember that some of the greatest gifts of long and happy relationships are our collective health, happiness, and well-being. [Read more…]

Why Rightsizing Works For Anyone At Any Age And Any Location

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Rightsized, Sustainable

This last week Thom and I led a discussion group about Rightsizing. It is something we’ve wanted to do ever since writing about it here on the blog during the last four or five years, and then after publishing the book, Rightsizing—A SMART Living 365 guide to Reinventing Retirement last year. Because we are so passionate about the topic, it was great to gather with others who are either curious or equally excited about the benefits. And as we suspected, the topic is so rich that no matter where any of us are on the path, each of us can learn something from every other person’s example. It boils down to the simple fact that quality always tops quantity. [Read more…]

7 Reasons Why Ayurveda Might Be Your Path To A Healthy And Happy Life

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, SMART Book Reviews

I first heard about the practice of Ayurveda from Deepak Chopra back in the early 90s. Just as Chopra’s work became internationally recognized, we attended a three-day workshop and then read many of his books. But even though much of his spiritual and practical insights came from that five-thousand-year-old system of health and healing, I never really understood much about it. So when offered a review copy of a new book written by Acharya Shunya titled, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom I was intrigued. I was especially attracted by the subtitle of, “A Complete Prescription to Optimize Your Health, Prevent Disease, and Live with Vitality and Joy. Clearly, Ayurveda sounded a lot like living SMART 365. [Read more…]

Resisting the Temptation To Stay Comfortably Numb And Conform In Mid-Life

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful

Lately, I’ve noticed how tempting it is to conform. When young and I had nothing to lose, it’s seemed easier to jump into new ideas feet first without thinking. Then supposedly, at the other end of life when our days are numbered, some people find the courage to live as outrageously as they’ve always wanted. But there, wedged in the middle, the unconscious agreement is often the willingness to stay stuck in a space you could call “comfortably numb.” There, cautiously hesitant to rock the boat for fear of uncertainty, many of us merely maintain the status quo. But is that living? Is living comfortably numb the best payoff for the gift of your life? While we obviously can’t return to our youth, we can and maybe should, seek ways to free our inner nonconformist in the days that lie ahead. [Read more…]