HEY AGAIN!
Or if not again, welcome to The Attitude Of Adventure Blog!
I'm Morgan Deane and my mission with this blog is to give great, applicable advice and funny stories, so that you get a laugh, leave with something helpful, and keep coming back!
I'm a Christ follower, I'm married to the LOVE of my life, we're parents to Winston BARKtholomew Deane the Goldendoodle, and I love drinking homemade smoothies every morning!
{Want to know More About Me? Check it out!}
And now, for the reason you came here today!
I'm Morgan Deane and my mission with this blog is to give great, applicable advice and funny stories, so that you get a laugh, leave with something helpful, and keep coming back!
I'm a Christ follower, I'm married to the LOVE of my life, we're parents to Winston BARKtholomew Deane the Goldendoodle, and I love drinking homemade smoothies every morning!
{Want to know More About Me? Check it out!}
And now, for the reason you came here today!
I've been listening to a lot of podcasts and reading a lot of books on self help and being a happier, healthier version of you. Something most of them have in common is surrounding yourself with things that make you happy. It seems like a simple idea, but if we're not intentional about it, we go through the motions every day and lose the little things we love.
But what makes me happy? What are the little things that every time I experience them, I'm more relaxed than I was the moment before? What things stress me out? I started paying attention to my actions and reactions with people and things. What I discovered changed the way I interacted with those things. I didn't take those that made me happier for granted anymore and stopped interacting with those things that gave me stress.
WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY?
When I asked myself this question, I thought, "Wow, I know exactly what makes my husband happy." He likes candles, mood lighting, and romantic music; simple foods, hot showers and sleeping in. Those things allow him to thrive! If he doesn't get enough sleep, he's grumpy and short going into the day. If the burger he orders is on a fancy bun and has more toppings than meat, he might politely try it, but he's happiest with a ketchuped hamburger on a white bun.
But what makes me happy? What are the little things that every time I experience them, I'm more relaxed than I was the moment before? What things stress me out? I started paying attention to my actions and reactions with people and things. What I discovered changed the way I interacted with those things. I didn't take those that made me happier for granted anymore and stopped interacting with those things that gave me stress.
Below I broke my things out into the 5 senses: sight, taste, touch, hear, and smell. Of course we have more than 5 things that make us happy, but if I can focus on the ones that make me the happiest, I'm on my way to being a happier person. It's better to focus on the few, than get overwhelmed with the many.
I love a clean house.
If you know me, you know I love being organized and I'm also a bit of a perfectionist (I'm workin on it.) I try to keep my house in order all of the time. At any moment, I want it to be ready for someone to walk in. Does this happen? Not always, but that's the thing I dream of. When I wake up to a dirty house, it ruins the rest of my day. I start by trying to clean what I can, then I'm stressed about it at work. When I get home from a long day, the last thing I want to do is clean up the mess leftover from yesterday.
I love smelling candles.
SIGHT
If you know me, you know I love being organized and I'm also a bit of a perfectionist (I'm workin on it.) I try to keep my house in order all of the time. At any moment, I want it to be ready for someone to walk in. Does this happen? Not always, but that's the thing I dream of. When I wake up to a dirty house, it ruins the rest of my day. I start by trying to clean what I can, then I'm stressed about it at work. When I get home from a long day, the last thing I want to do is clean up the mess leftover from yesterday.
Action
I started going to bed with a clean house. I run the dishwasher every night or at least have all the dirty dishes off of the counter and out of the sink. I hand-wash what needs to be washed and put away what I can. Then I make sure that if I haven't folded all of the laundry, that it's in a basket and not all over the floor. I pick up all of Winston's toys that he strewn around the house during the day. These simple actions set me up to sleep well and start tomorrow with a great attitude.
I love pizza.
Yo, if you have an allergy that doesn't allow you to eat pizza, I can't even tell you how sorry I am. I love pizza with a passion. If the world ran out of pizza, I think I would just wither away and die. I have, on multiple occasion, cried for the lack of pizza that night. I even cried thinking about the possibility that I might not like pizza one day. (Hey, sometimes I get emotional and irrational, okay.)
TASTE
Yo, if you have an allergy that doesn't allow you to eat pizza, I can't even tell you how sorry I am. I love pizza with a passion. If the world ran out of pizza, I think I would just wither away and die. I have, on multiple occasion, cried for the lack of pizza that night. I even cried thinking about the possibility that I might not like pizza one day. (Hey, sometimes I get emotional and irrational, okay.)
Action
I started eating more pizza and not feeling guilty about it. This is a food that brings me more joy than eating something healthier would. I'm overall a pretty healthy eater. I don't stick to a specific diet, but I don't drink sodas more than 5 times a year, but rather drink lots of water and when I want something else, I might get orange juice or lemonade from the store. I don't keep sugary snacks in the house, but rather, I have lots of fruits, vegetables, hummus, and Lara bar type snacks around. We also don't eat a lot of fried food and because of the lack, when we do, we don't feel super great. We eat pretty healthily and though pizza isn't always the healthiest option, I will eat it until the world ends.
I started eating more pizza and not feeling guilty about it. This is a food that brings me more joy than eating something healthier would. I'm overall a pretty healthy eater. I don't stick to a specific diet, but I don't drink sodas more than 5 times a year, but rather drink lots of water and when I want something else, I might get orange juice or lemonade from the store. I don't keep sugary snacks in the house, but rather, I have lots of fruits, vegetables, hummus, and Lara bar type snacks around. We also don't eat a lot of fried food and because of the lack, when we do, we don't feel super great. We eat pretty healthily and though pizza isn't always the healthiest option, I will eat it until the world ends.
TOUCH
I love fresh sheets.
This is something that surprised me when I looked at my happy triggers. Every time I clean the sheets and make the bed, I am so thrilled to climb in that night. But I really detest taking them off the bed, washing them, and putting them back on. The bed spread isn't a big deal because it's on top of the bed, but with the sheets, you have to take everything else off as well.
Action
Once I realized how much joy clean sheets give me, I stopped looking at washing them as such a chore. It actually excites me when I take the sheets off the bed because I know that when they come out of that dryer and climb in, it'll be so worth it!
This is something that surprised me when I looked at my happy triggers. Every time I clean the sheets and make the bed, I am so thrilled to climb in that night. But I really detest taking them off the bed, washing them, and putting them back on. The bed spread isn't a big deal because it's on top of the bed, but with the sheets, you have to take everything else off as well.
Action
Once I realized how much joy clean sheets give me, I stopped looking at washing them as such a chore. It actually excites me when I take the sheets off the bed because I know that when they come out of that dryer and climb in, it'll be so worth it!
HEAR
I love pump-me-up music.
Over the years I've had many playlists by different titles: Favorites, I Feel Like Dancing, and Happy to name a few. With the years, the songs, artists, and even genres change with the titles, but the theme remains the same: songs that make me feel powerful and happy and in love with life.
Action
The name of my most recent playlist is Empowered. I added songs that make me want to get up and jump around the house. They get me going, they're the songs I take on my runs, the ones I use when I'm sad. These songs take me out of my negative space and turn me into a determined, ready-to-get-stuff-done human. Each person will have different music that pumps them up and it may change with different seasons of life, but I think that everyone should have a pump-me-up playlist.
Action
The name of my most recent playlist is Empowered. I added songs that make me want to get up and jump around the house. They get me going, they're the songs I take on my runs, the ones I use when I'm sad. These songs take me out of my negative space and turn me into a determined, ready-to-get-stuff-done human. Each person will have different music that pumps them up and it may change with different seasons of life, but I think that everyone should have a pump-me-up playlist.
SMELL
But I hate flames. Flames stress me out because my family never had candles burning in our house and when, on rare occasion, we did, dad was always so scared that someone would knock one over and cause a fire. Even now when I don't live in a house with kids, I'm nervous to light a candle. What if I gesture too vibrantly when I'm talking with my hands and knock it over? What if the dog jumps on the counter and knocks it over? What if I forget to blow it out before I leave and the house somehow catches fire? It makes me so nervous.
Action
At my surprise bridal shower a woman I didn't know very well at the time, gave me a Scenterpiece. I was skeptical at first, but after using this electric wax warmer, I fell in love. The scent of the candle, which is the part about candles that I like, could aromatize the house without fear of fire. I have since gotten a smaller one that plugs into the wall so I can have one upstairs and one downstairs. They're the best!
Action
At my surprise bridal shower a woman I didn't know very well at the time, gave me a Scenterpiece. I was skeptical at first, but after using this electric wax warmer, I fell in love. The scent of the candle, which is the part about candles that I like, could aromatize the house without fear of fire. I have since gotten a smaller one that plugs into the wall so I can have one upstairs and one downstairs. They're the best!
FIND YOUR 5 THINGS
So what are your 5 things? What little things make you happy, but won't cost you a lot of time or money. What can you easily fit into your busy schedule, but will make a big difference in your overall happiness? Let me know in the comments!
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
I hope you enjoyed today's topic!
If you want to see more by me, check out my full list of blog posts.
Comment below or shoot me an email at AttitudeOfAdventure@gmail.com
Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, & Facebook @AttitudeOfAdventure
If you want to see more by me, check out my full list of blog posts.
Comment below or shoot me an email at AttitudeOfAdventure@gmail.com
Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, & Facebook @AttitudeOfAdventure
