50 Things to Love about Life That Are Free

by Amy Matthews | Aug 7, 2017 | 0 comments

50 Things to Love about Life That Are Free

By Lori Deschene

“If we look at the world with a love of life, the world will reveal its beauty to us.” ~Daisaku Ikeda

If you asked an 8-year old version of me to list all the things I loved, it might have looked something like this:

Ice cream
Swings
Snow days
Beach days
More ice cream
Saturday morning cartoons

In fact, I’m sure I could have created an inventory longer than my usual Christmas list, including a ton of things that either tasted, felt, or looked good.

It didn’t occur to me until later in life that some of the best things are intangible; and that I could experience them at any time if I just opened my heart and mind to let them in.

I think most of us know this intellectually—that pride in our work can be more valuable than what it buys, for example. But sometimes we get so caught up in securing the trappings of the good life—the house, the car, the furnishings, the clothes—we’re too distracted to notice and appreciate the intangibles.

That’s not to say there’s something wrong with enjoying material things. I’m still a huge fan of my TV (flatter and larger), ice cream (OK, frozen yogurt now) and days off (though I can’t seem to negotiate any snow days into my adult California lifestyle). It’s just that there’s so much more to love about life that doesn’t cost a dime.

With this in mind, I asked Tiny Buddha’s Facebook followers, “What do you love about life?” Some of my favorite responses include:

1. Love. (Hansoul Kim)

2. Family. (Jo Alunan Taguinod)

3. Just being able to wake up to the sun shining in the morning. (Norma Lewis)

4. The ability to overcome hardships and appreciate what I already have instead of wishing I had more. (Ivy Lokojarvi)

Read the Full Article: 50 Things to Love about Life That Are Free

50 Ways to Find Inspiration

by Amy Matthews | Aug 1, 2017 | 0 comments

50 Ways to Find Inspiration

I have always loved that scene in American Beauty when Ricky Fitts shows his video of a plastic bag blowing in the wind.

He’s the complete opposite of his neighbor Lester Burnham, who seems to have decided long ago to live life in a comatose state of submission, completely disconnected from authentic joy.

Ricky seems inspired by everything that most people simply overlook. He explains of his bag video:

“It was one of those days when it’s a minute away from snowing and there’s this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. And this bag was, like, dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes.

“And that’s the day I knew there was this entire life behind things, and… this incredibly benevolent force, that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video’s a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember—and I need to remember. Sometimes there’s so much beauty in the world I feel like I can’t take it, like my heart’s going to cave in.”

Though it can look different for all of us, I suspect this is the feeling we wait for in life: a sense that there’s boundless beauty out there, and we have the capacity to feel, channel, explore, and express it.

We all want to feel moved, and then to use that to create love, joy, passion, and purpose.

If you’ve been feeling stuck or uninspired, these ideas may help you find inspiration:

Find Inspiration in Nature

1. Go for a walk in nature, practice mindfulness, and lose track of time for a while.

2. Meditate or practice yoga in a nearby park.

3. Watch children playing at the park then make a point to carry their spirit with you throughout the day.

4. Watch your cat or dog in nature and try to emulate your pet’s mindfulness and playfulness.

5. Take a camera outside and photograph everything that looks beautiful to you.

6. Practice deep breathing while listening to nature sounds.

7. Draw or paint a scene outside your window.

8. Watch Planet Earth DVDs to experience beauty of the oceans, forests, jungles, Great Plains, and caves.

9. Get lost in nature photos online.

10. Spend some time contemplating nature-based art.

Read the Full Article: 50 Ways to Find Inspiration

6 Ways to Have More Fun In Your Long-Term Relationship

by Angelica Galland | Jun 29, 2016 | 0 comments

6 Ways to Have More Fun In Your Long-Term Relationship

Sometimes life is just about getting through it. But sometimes life is also about fun.

Ruts happen. Sometimes you find yourself in a boring, but very adult pattern of working, doing chores, and then working some more. Sometimes life is just about getting through it. But sometimes life is also about fun. In fact, USA Today reported that having fun in your relationship isn’t just… well, fun. It’s actually essential. A study from researchers at the University of Denver found that couples who didn’t make time for fun weren’t as happy and didn’t stay together as long. That’s likely because having fun together is related to related to being friends and being friends leads to a happier union.

If you’re in one of those ruts, adding fun to your relationship doesn’t have to be some big overwhelming deal. You don’t have to reschedule your life or spend a lot of money. Simple tasks like leaving little notes and making time to laugh can bring more joy to your days. If you want to make a drastic change, there’s always fun stuff like vacations and adventures, but most of the work will be done in your daily interactions and with some easy tweaks to your free time. Here are six easy ways to have more fun in your long-term relationship.

1. Play

This seems super obvious and also super vague, but play is a vital part of a happy life. Even animals stop to play, according to Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. of Psych Central, who equates fun to oxygen. Try taking queues from children to get more playful in your relationship. Be uninhibited. Laugh. Joke. Tease each other (in good fun) and talk about happy, exciting things.

Read the Full Article: 6 Ways to Have More Fun In Your Long-Term Relationship

10 Ways to Have More Fun in Your Virtual Office

by Amy Matthews | Jun 2, 2016 | 0 comments

10 Ways to Have More Fun in Your Virtual Office

In today’s world of a million “internet science” articles and google searches, it seems like everything has been broken down into digestible easy steps. “How to Make Your Co-Workers Like You”, “How to Be Confident”, “How to Have Fun”. But the thing is, not everything in life can be broken down into a few easy steps. Fun is one of those things. It’s mysterious. It’s intangible. It’s also insanely important.
So, we aren’t going to tell you “how to have fun in your virtual office” as if you were a robot, but we will give you some pretty great suggestions for how to encourage play and connection. Being that a virtual office is not the most organic context, it’s important to think outside the box when dreaming up new possibilities for company-wide play.

Here are some favorites:

1) Virtual Dance Parties

Organize dance parties! Not only is this a great way to improve your job performance, but it will up the fun factor in your workspace. The best part is that you can act like you’re dancing with nobody watching! You can take your space and pretend like you’re the only person in the room.

Bonus points if your team makes a dance party playlist together. If you feel like you’re a bad dancer, no worries. The internet is to the rescue! This time they’re breaking down the components that “women want on the dance floor” for you to read up on, and then watch an avatar demonstrate it all for you.

Watching that avatar proves that some things really should be left mysterious and not explained by internet science.

2) Designate a Water Cooler Space

The water cooler is the space where the mysterious fun happens. You’re just talking to Rob from Accounting when suddenly.. BAM! A smile spreads across his face. You both chuckle at your joke and return to your desk ENLIGHTENED by that brief interaction. THIS IS WHAT FUN LOOKS LIKE.

In your virtual office, it’s difficult for this kind of spontaneity to occur, but when you create a special space where people can convene, leaving work behind, even virtually, you are definitely more apt to get the SMILEZ. Sococo plans to let you design your own virtual workspace in the future, so get creative! Maybe there’s a bean bag chair spot or a gaming corner. Plan to let your imagination run wild!

3) Celebrate Holidays

Once you reach adulthood, you realize the true reason for holidays.

Read Full Article: 10 Ways to Have More Fun in Your Virtual Office

How to Make Time For Fun

by Amy Matthews | Jun 2, 2016 | 0 comments

How to Have More Fun:

Being effective at time investment…

It isn’t about just getting more things done. It’s also about freeing up time and space in your schedule so you have more time and energy to have fun! (For those of you who need to focus on having more discipline and less play, you may need to refrain yourself from reading on to avoid any further decline in your motivation.) But for those on the other side who feel frustrated that life seems like an endless string of obligations, read on!

Step 1: Define What is “Fun” For You.

Sometimes you don’t end up doing “fun” activities when you have the time and energy for them because you haven’t clarified what you find enjoyable. Then when you don’t have clarity, you tend to slip back into either doing more work, surfing the Internet, or watching a TV show you don’t care about simply because it’s the path of least resistance.

Clarify your action-based priorities. “Fun things to do” can be part of those. Here are some examples of what could be on your “fun” list:

Go to a jazz concert.
Invite friends over for dinner.
Read a book.
Practice guitar.
Talk with my significant other or friends.
Cook a new dish.
Walk along the shoreline.

– See more at: http://www.creativitypost.com/psychology/how_to_have_more_fun#sthash.nszzJRgU.dpuf

Read Full Article: How to Have More Fun

11 Rules To Break To Set Yourself Free