28 Secrets to Happiness

• Live beneath your means and within your seams.
• Return everything you borrow.
• Donate blood.  (um...I can be happy skipping this one, thank you.)
• Stop blaming other people.  (but what if it's always THEIR fault?!)
• Admit it when you make a mistake.  (what if I never make mistakes...?)
• Give all the clothes you haven't worn in the last three years to charity.
• Every day do something nice and try not to get caught.
• Listen more; talk less.  (...still working on this one....)
• Every day take a 30-minute walk in your neighborhood. (Kudos!! Starting tomorrow. :-) ha!)
• Skip two meals a week and give the money to the homeless.
• Strive for excellence, not perfection.
• Be on time.  (...it would take a miracle...)
• Don't make excuses.
• Don't argue.  (Ppbbfftttt...yeah right!  But I'll try.)
• Get organized.  (I'm totally working on this one right now...slowly, but surely)
• Be kind to kind people.
• Be even kinder to unkind people.  (This is a tough one for sure.)
• Let someone cut ahead of you in line.
• Take time to be alone.  (This is one of my favorites!  Alone time is golden.)
• Reread a favorite book.  (I do this all the time...even right now!)
• Cultivate good manners.
• Be humble.   (Eeeeek...this one is pretty darn tough, too, especially for me.)
• Understand and accept that life isn't always fair.
• Know when to say something.
• Know when to keep your mouth shut.  (Another tough one.)
• Don't criticize anyone for 24 hours.
• Learn from the past, plan for the future, and live in the present.
• Don't sweat the small stuff.  (I'm really, really trying.)

These come from Jane Luhrs book The Simple Living Guide, which I'm currently reading (along with about 4 other books).  So far, I'm really enjoying it.  It's so inspiring and reminds me that I need to be more aware, more present in my life...living consciously, living intimately, appreciating every minute of my life.  This can be hard, especially when there are so many things going on every day.  It's very easy to get distracted.  Of course, there are a few of these "secrets to happiness" that I personally am not real interested in taking part in, but I'm sure they bring happiness to some people...just not mwah (i.e. my blood is staying where it belongs...in MY body).  There are others that I believe in whole-heartedly, but that I haven't quite achieved yet.  But I'm getting there!!  I'll let you know if the book continues to be inspiring and helpful as I move through it.