SMART Living 365

Ideas to create a more happy, peaceful and rewarding life--365!

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Why Rightsizing Is More Important Now Than Ever

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Rightsized


During the next two month Thom and I are renting a home in the mountains high above our desert valley home.  We have been fortunate to do that for a month or more for over 20+ years.  How?  The best explanation is because we rightsized our lives.  As some of you know, rightsizing is the conscious choice to design a life that focuses on what really matters to you and then work to eliminate the rest.  So instead of merely downsizing (often seen as a sacrifice) rightsizing is moving toward what is more fulfilling and beneficial.  Naturally people are different and we all face different circumstances, but when we take the time to be conscious about what really matters to us and our families, and then follow those directives, we can call our lives rightsized.  This week while taking a walk in nature, Thom and I began talking about how rightsizing really is more important now than ever before.  The more uncertainty with our health, our economy or even our social structures, the more important it is to clarify our individual requirements.  None of us can control all of the circumstances in our lives, but we can work to create a life that fits our needs and current times in any given period.  If you would like a bit more information about how we’ve done it, and hopefully get some ideas about how it could work for you, please visit the linked vlog.  Afterwards, we would love to hear your thoughts, comments or even how you’ve managed to rightsize your life in these times.

 

 

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10 Ways To Stay Sane, Healthy And SMART During The Next 4 Months of Politics

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

SMART Living 365.comAs many of you know, I am active on Facebook—most of the time. I enjoy it and not only does it help to spread the word about my blog and my books, I also find it fun to connect with people, stay up-to-date with family and friends, and to learn about things around the world. Even more importantly, I have a mission to share positive and inspiring news with others to remind us all that there is always more good in the world than not. But lately it’s been hard. About half of all Facebook posts these days are about politics. And while I do not tolerate hateful or violent remarks, I still find the tone of many to be fearful, angry and defensive.

So what does a SMART girl do? Some people just swear off of Facebook altogether, which is certainly one alternative. Instead, what I did was sit down and come up with ten things I believe can help me, and anyone who is interested, get through the next four months and stay sane. While they are not excuses to put our head in the sand and resort to “magical thinking,” they do help to keep us focused on those things we believe deep in our soul, rather than anything or fear and fight. [Read more…]

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Enjoying the Good Things In Life—For Free!

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful

The best things in life are free!

The best things in life are free!

Yesterday evening Carlsbad, California began its Annual Music Festival with a free Village Music Walk. Similar to free art walks held regularly in cities around the county, the music walk was an introduction to the music to be performed at different venues over the weekend—and just like most art walks—it was absolutely free. Now, most of us know deep down that the best things in life aren’t “things.” But until we stop, think about it and then start enjoying the many free experiences that bring us joy, we might be missing out on the good right in front of us.

[Read more…]

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Nature Does More Than Heal—It Actually Makes People More Kind

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Sustainable

“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”  ~E.B. White

A few weeks ago I posted about how it was “SMART to Spend Time in Nature.”  That’s because there are dozens of scientific studies that now prove that not only is it healing for the body, it is also extremely good for our mental health to experience time in the great outdoors.  Since writing that blog, I have since discovered that not only is it good for us physically and mentally—spending time in nature also makes us nicer and more generous people.

[Read more…]

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The Simple Benefits of Spending Time In Nature

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Sustainable, Thankful

“Research has shown that people with a greater sense of vitality don’t just have more energy for things they want to do, they are also more resilient to physical illnesses. One of the pathways to health may be to spend more time in natural settings,”  Richard Ryan.

Trees are alive too!

 

As some of our friends and family know, Thom and I have been renting a house for a month every summer up in Idyllwild for around 17 years. Idyllwild is a very small mountain town, (less than 2,000 permanent residents) about an hour from our home in the desert. Back in 1993 we did it for the first time because, quite frankly, we couldn’t afford any other type of vacation. It seemed like a good way to escape the desert heat and was a great bargain as well. Little did we know back then that the experience would be so rewarding, that we would still be doing it 17 years later. Now, not only do we consider it still an amazing vacation value, we are living examples of the restorative power of spending time in nature. [Read more…]

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About

Kathy Gottberg is an author with seven published books and hundreds of articles covering dozens of topics in the last 35 years. Along with her books, her passion today is SMART Living 365 where she explores ideas and experiences that help to create a meaningful, sustainable, compassionate and rewarding life for herself and others. Beyond that, she lives with Thom, her best friend and soul mate in Tucson, AZ.

To contact Kathy: click here

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