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?
SMART Living 365 Recommends TheMinimalists.com 11/14/11
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.
A Final Case For Simple Living; Or Why Shiny Objects Still Don’t Equal Happiness (Part 3)
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.
Another Case For Simple Living; Is Your Spending An Addiction? (Part 2)
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?
Freecycle.org—The SMART Living 365 Recommended Website for 11/7/11
Happy SMART Day Everyone!
This week is “National Recycling Week” in Australia and in honor of that we thought that it would be great to recommend a website named Freecycle.org. After all, it is good to know that other parts of the planet are encouraging SMART Living just like us, and Freecycle is a excellent way to turn your junk into someone else’s treasure. Instead of throwing it in the trash, Freecycle allows you to post your items, and anyone who wants or needs it can come and pick it up for free. Not only does it keep trash out of our landfills, you get the added benefit of being both giving and generous with your neighbors—and that is very SMART indeed.
A Case For Simple Living; Or Why Shiny Objects Don’t Equal Happiness (Part 1)
I recently read an interview of a man named James Roberts who is the author of a new book entitled, Shiny Objects—Why We Spend Money We Don’t Have In Search Of Happiness We Can’t Buy. It’s a great title and I’m sure there are very few people who would disagree with what it says. But while we may agree with that statement, most people continue to try to buy happiness every single day. Not only do a large number of people spend money trying to buy stuff they don’t need or oftentimes even use, many actually go into debt in the process. Others spend money so indiscriminately they might as well throw it out of a speeding car window. So, what’s the deal with money? And what are we searching for that we think money can buy?
Using Earworms To Create A Happier Life!
Happy SMART Day Everyone!
Earworms? Ewwwww! Just the thought of something creepy crawling around in your ear might send shivers down your spine. But whether you know it or not, there is a good chance that you have a bad case of earworms right now. And the earworms in your head are either creating a living heaven or a living hell on a regular basis. Isn’t it time you learned what they were and how they can help you live SMART 365?
SMART Website for 10/24/11–Be Selfish, Be Generous–See Charity Focus.org
Happy SMART Day Everyone!
This week SMART Living 365 recommends two websites connected to each other. The first is CharityFocus.org—which encourages us to be “selfish” by being generous and kind to one another. The second sister-site is KarmaTube.org, which is a collection of inspiring videos accompanied by simple actions that everyone can take. These two sites run fully by volunteers, each attempt to put the statement made by Gandhi into practice when he said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Seeing the Beauty Around Us
What did you notice when you woke up this morning and started your day? Was it beauty? If you’re anything like me, you might not see much of anything until after a cup of coffee. But once my eyes begin to focus, I attempt to make a regular habit of looking at the beauty I see all around me. Actually, I believe that seeing beauty all around us is a habit we can all develop to create a happier life.
“GOOD”—A SMART Website for the Week for 10/17/11
Happy SMART Day Everyone!
Many years ago when Thom and I first entered the real estate field we discovered a motivational speaker named Zig Ziglar. Old even then, Zig was a guy that bounced around onstage and told stories about one thing or another all designed to get us off our butts and out there living our dreams. Sure, some of it was pretty corny, but that was part of his charm. And yes, some of the stories were good—really good. So much so that even now, many years later, I remember Zig very well AND, I cherish a particular idea that he shared that is sure to be part of my life forever. [Read more…]
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