Have FUN today!

Is it just me or do you ever feel like you can only have fun when you're out somewhere or around other people doing something special? 

Today at the gym, I overheard something that made me re-think this mentality. While I was doing some ab exercises, a man passed by and made some small talk with the guy working out next to me. Right before the man walked away, he turned to the other guy and said "Hey, have fun today." It was clear that the guy did not have anything especially "fun" planned for the day, but he smiled and said "You know I always do!"

This got me thinking: why do we need to wait until we are doing something fun in order to actually have fun? Why can't we just have fun every day for the sheer fact that we are enjoying life??

You don't have to wait for some special occasion in order to have fun. You can have fun around the house, at work, at school, in the car, with friends, without friends, etc. if you let yourself. It is all in the way you choose to feel (more in depth blog post on this to come soon). If you choose to, you can have a blast cleaning the house, or driving to school, or working in your office.

Moral of the overheard conversation today? Have FUN today and everyday, no matter what you are doing! How will you have fun today?

It's the Little Things

Is it just me or do you ever seem to go through your days sometimes without anything really remarkable happening? Nothing truly huge has changed in your life, nothing worth writing home about has happened during your week, and you just live day to day in a kind of ordinary manner.

While it can sometimes be a good thing that nothing crazy is going on in your life, it is so important to remember that your life is anything but ordinary. You don’t need something “remarkable” to happen every day in order to be happy and grateful with the life that you have.

Sometime last year, I downloaded this app on my phone called Gratitude 365. The app is nothing special, really—it's basically a calendar where, each day, you can write down some things that you were grateful for that day. You can add a picture to make it look pretty, but that is basically the gist of the app. Now, I went through a period of a couple months where I didn’t touch the app at all. But recently, I began trying to use it every day, and I have been getting so much out of it.

The purpose of the app is not to brag about all of the amazing things that happen to you each day. For me, it has become a way to realize and appreciate all the little things that make my days special. I will give you a few examples of the types of things that I write down in my app:

• I got a cup of coffee from Dunkin Donuts today and it was delicious.
• I put in a request to have some of the lights fixed in my classroom, and this morning when I walked into the room, it was noticeably brighter in there!
• I started reading a new book that I absolutely love.

 As you can see, none of those things are out of the ordinary. But without those little reminders that my life is good each day, I have a feeling that I could be quite miserable. As a former teacher of mine used to say constantly, "It's the little things."

So, I challenge you to at least think about three good things in your day, every day, and see how much of a difference it makes in your life. I think you might find that you are quicker to smile, quicker to laugh, and quicker to appreciate the little things.

What are some of the "little things" in your life that you are grateful for each day?