Get Your Happy Back!

The definition of happiness varies for each of us at different times of our lives. When I was in my twenties happiness meant being married with 2.5 kids, living in a house with a white picket fence.... you know the American dream! As I got older I stopped looking for people or materials things to make me happy. Happiness now is more of a state of mind it's not about the material things, it's a feeling of being content with my life and the choices I have made. Since I no longer rely on people to define my happiness I have no one except myself to blame if I lose it.

Unfortunately many of us base happiness on the successes or failures of our relationships with men. This is the ultimate happiness stealer. Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with being happy with the one you love but when you do not have happiness as a state of mind then it can be stolen. It took me some years to get it right, but I have finally learned that in order to love and be loved the way I deserved I had to be content with me. I had to lay down some rules for my happiness. I was determined to get my happy back...by any means necessary! So I am sharing with you some surefire ways to get your happy back:

Put YOU First - I know to some people this seems selfish especially when we have families who needs us constantly, but you really have to make yourself a priority; if not you will become burned out, resentful and unhappy.

Reassess Your Circle - Surround yourself with people who aren't joy stealers. Deep down you know who these people are. They are the ones who constantly criticize your looks, words, clothes and decisions. Most of the times these are the people who are the closest ones to you and that is why they are able to rob you of your joy, sometimes without you even knowing.

Consider the Source - I realized that sometimes people tried to give me advice based on their issues NOT mine. Nope...not gonna happen! Just because you are unhappy in your situation doesn't mean I have to be unhappy in mine.

Understand Your Worth - This one is the most important to me. We all deserve to be happy! You don't need anyone to determine your level of happiness or your sense of worth. Only you control that and no matter how much you love someone you should never give them that power!

So go ahead and take it all back!! Get your SEXY back, get your JOY back and GET YOUR HAPPY BACK!!!!!

I Love Myself Affirmation

Today I am feeling especially inspired. I guess it was the wonderful Spring Break week I had as well as the celebration of Easter one of the most important holidays in my life! So I decided to share with all of you the I Love Myself Affirmation by Louise Hay. I hope it inspires you as much as it inspires me!

Deep at the centre of my being,
there is an infinite well of love.

I now allow this love to flow to the surface.
It fills my heart, my body, my mind, my consciousness,
my very being, and radiates out from me in all directions
and returns to me mutliplied.
The more love I use and give, the more I have to give.
The supply is endless.
The use of love makes me feel good,
it is an expression of my inner joy.

I love myself;
therefore, I take loving care of my body.
I lovingly feed it nourishing foods and beverages,
I lovingly groom it and dress it, and my body lovingly
responds to me with vibrant health and energy.

I love myself; therefore provide for myself
a comfortable home, one that fills
all my needs and is a pleasure to be in.
I fill the rooms with the vibration of love
so that all who enter, myself included,
will feel this love and be nourished by it.

I love myself; therefore I work at a job I truly enjoy
doing, one that uses my creative talents and abilities,
working with and for people I love and who love me,
and earning a good income.

I love myself; therefore, I behave and think in a loving
way to all people for I know that that which I give out
returns to me multiplied.
I only attract loving people in my world,
for they are a mirror of what I am.

I love myself; therefore I forgive and totally release
the past and all past experiences and I am free.

I love myself; therefore I live totally in the now,
experiencing each moment as good and knowing that
my future is bright and joyous and secure,
for I am a beloved child of God
and God lovingly takes care of me
now and forever more.

And so it is.

Living My Life on Purpose!

I recently realized that I am in constant competition with myself. When I finished grad school I was so relieved not only to have my masters in education but also to finally have some free time. But then I had that feeling again…that feeling of what else should I be doing? So I joined a committee at work so that I can help create professional development goals for teachers. But was that enough? No! So I volunteered to be a member of my school’s PTA executive board because I wanted to plan more opportunities for parents to become involved in their child’s education. Then I started a blog, and now I am constantly thinking of ways I can use it to inspire more people. I couldn’t figure out why I always have this need to do more? Then it hit me, I am trying to make my life count. I am trying to live my life on purpose!

Many of us live such busy lives following the same routine not giving much thought about what our purpose is on this earth. For years I thought my only purpose was getting up every morning and getting my kids off to school, going to work, coming home, cooking dinner and starting it all over again the next day. While taking care of my family is a big part of who I am, I know now that I was made intentionally for a purpose.

My purpose in life is to educate, inspire and empower others. This is my passion, this reflects who I am inside. However, in order for me to realize this I had to:

1.Step out in faith and try new things that interested me.
2.Listen to that little voice that was pushing me to follow my dreams! (It was God!)
3.Be patient.

Each day I try to fulfill my purpose in some way. This has not only brought me a new kind of happiness but it has helped me to love the life that I am living even more!

What is your passion? How are you living your life on purpose?

Weekend Inspiration!

Here is a quote to keep you inspired this weekend!

“Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.

Have a fabulous weekend! Inspire yourself and others!

Nikki

Let Your Hair Down!

It is funny that the older I get the more fun I want to have. Maybe it is because I had the responsibility of being a mother at a young age and was afraid to be silly for fear of what people might think about me.  Now that I have a healthy disregard about what people think from time to time when the feeling hits me I get as silly as I want to! Sometimes when I feel myself thinking about something that may get me down I just break out in dance right in front of the television even when the rest of the family is watching it. Just for fun! My daughter usually looks at me like I am insane but it makes her laugh which makes me laugh. We can get so bogged down with the responsibilities of everyday life that we forget that it is okay to be silly once in awhile and just have plain ole fun!

When I was in grad school my weekend consisted of doing research and writing papers. So when I completed my Masters last year I made a promise to myself that I would start enjoying my weekends by doing something other than household chores, lesson plans and preparing for the work week ahead.  I work hard and I should play hard, right?  So whether it be movie night with the family, hanging out with friends, or date night with my husband I intend to make my weekends fun! This past weekend I played Rap Star and Just Dance 2 with my family and our good friends! I learned that I can rap like Lil’ Kim and can still shake it like a Polaroid picture! I had a blast! Why not? Don’t we deserve to have fun and laugh at ourselves every now and then! I know I do and will continue to let my hair down!

Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself......

I am Nicole the third daughter of five, a middle child...(yes I had the middle child syndrome).  I am Worley- the nickname my loving and incredibly supportive husband has given me. (It's a long story but it has something to do with my maiden name) I am Mommy to two beautiful daughters who keep me young and on my toes! I am Nikki-the friend of a chosen few. I am teacher to all the little ones who enter my classroom door each year. All of these titles combined is what makes me who I am but in order for me to be the best I can be in all of these roles I had to go back to just being Nicole and learn how to love myself unconditionally!

Let me explain....
At some time or other I let each one of these roles define me. They controlled my level of happiness and how content I was about my life. Now don't get me wrong each one of these roles play a major role in my life and I would not have the wonderful life that I have now without them. However, I didn't always love myself no matter what. In order to do that I had to just be Nicole again. The Nicole that didn't have all these other roles and titles...the Nicole who only had herself to care for. Before the kids, the husband, the degrees, the house in the suburbs and the career.

This past summer I was determined to get to know her again.  So I made a little deal with myself; I would join the gym and get in shape and as I drive to the gym each day I would think about all the things that worried, depressed or burdened me. However, I promised myself that as soon as I walked through the gym doors I would not think about anything else except ME and leave all those stresses behind. At first it wasn't easy because as ran on the treadmill my mind kept going back to the last conversation I had with my daughter or what I was going to cook for dinner or if the all this hard work with my trainer was worth it all.

But eventually it worked. And with the help of Mary, Sasha Fierce and some of the many of gospel songs on my playlist I was able to tune out the world for two hours a day, six days a week, focus on ME and lose 40 pounds! This began the amazing rediscovery of me and learning to love myself from the inside out! I am still a work in progress but I am so excited about the rest of the journey!