Feeling like you want {or NEED} a more HAPPY Family?
You know the saying… when MOMs happy everyone’s happy. It may seem like a silly cliche, but we tend to believe that MOMs have a special way of igniting the family spark.
Typically we picture MOMs as holding the space of taking care of the family needs… so if MOM is feeling content her energy usually permeates to everyone else… which makes a happy family.
And if she’s not… you better run as fast and as far as you can!!! LOL! But oh so true!
However not all MOM figures are female and not all families have MOM as the more predominate parent with the kiddos. In our family, daddy {Darsana} is equally present with our precious kiddos and we have an amazing balance of energies that totally compliments and enhances each other.
And regardless of however your family team is comprised, I feel it is equally important for both parents to be happy and full of life… to inspire a happy family.
We didn’t all grow up in a happy family – with fun, loving attentive parents, however I believe that every parent desires {and in most cases intentionally works} to create a happy family.
A happy family is not something you have, it is an atmosphere of love, laughter, caring, sharing, empowering and exampling positive values that you nurture daily – reflecting your priority and commitment to your happy family.
I believe being happy is like exercising any of your body muscles… the more you stretch them, the more you build them… the stronger they become… and the happier you become.
I did not grow up with happy role models, so I personally have invested everyday of my life into exercising and strengthening my happy muscles to become more and more happy.
And sometimes the journey seemed so long… sometimes I wondered if I would EVER feel happy…
But I believe I can make the greatest contribution to my family and our society by how I live my life everyday… and I always kept the faith!
And my greatest priority is nurturing a HAPPY family!
My life is a loan from God and I want to give back with interest!
Ask my badass kiddos, Jivani and Jamaili, they will tell you that they have watched me grow happier and happier over the years… and being the {very happy} angels they are – they have always been very loving with my growing process {and I always assured them that my issues and unhappy moments were not about them and nothing they did}.
Our happy family just recently watched the Happy Movie:
Does money make you HAPPY? Kids and family? Your work? Do you live in a world that values and promotes happiness and well-being? Are we in the midst of a happiness revolution?
Roko Belic, director of the Academy Award® nominated “Genghis Blues” now brings us HAPPY, a film that sets out to answer these questions and more. Taking us from the bayous of Louisiana to the deserts of Namibia, from the beaches of Brazil to the villages of Okinawa, HAPPY explores the secrets behind our most valued emotion.
I found it very interesting that according to some of the research from the Happy movie – being happy is a combination of 3 main factors…
50% genetic
10% circumstances
40% intentional activity
Which explains why I’ve felt that I had to work more diligently at growing my happy muscles. And why I intentionally choose to think and speak positively and surround myself with only positive people and environments.
It also shared that Positive Values {seems like a no brainer} definitely enhance your happiness.
And something that our happy family is so passionate about… being in harmony with nature {in fact it said nature is good medicine} and we take it a step further… with all humanity and animals as well.
Some more key ingredients to BEING happy (not feeling happy, because feelings fluctuate) are:
• a spiritual practice that connects and grounds you
• resilience to adversity, able to make a quick comeback
• having INTRINSIC goals – which is personal growth, relationships and community focused rather than EXTRINSIC goals – which are money, image, status and popularity focused – NOTE: From my personal experience you can use money to live an extraordinary life doing great things – so I don’t subscribe to being happily poor
• gratitude for who you are and what you have to express/give rather than what you don’t have posession of
So here’s a beginning list of Empowering Simple Actions you can do NOW {if you’re not already} to exercise your HAPPY muscle for a MORE HAPPY FAMILY.
1. Be the HAPPY example for your kiddos
2. Be empowered effort not perfection
3. Choose gratitude, forgiveness and optimism
4. Be committed to a spiritual PLUG IN each day
5. Grow your emotional intelligence by engaging in positive, empowering activities {rather than mediocre and mindless} – try the Wild Ride to the Heart board game from HeartMath Institute
6. Choose empowered habits – meditation, affirmations, visualization
7. Be in the present moment
8. Make your home environment nurturing
9. Be together in daily connection and play time as a family {not just meal time}
10. Enjoy some fun and contagious laughter
11. Give your items you no longer use and let your kiddos choose toys to share with other kids
12. Watch films that model loving behavior between family members and show others participating towards good in our communities and world
13. Be involved as a family in community activities
14. Be interested in your kids and what they lik {even if you don’t really enjoy it show enthusiasm}
15. Be available to listen
16. Make family time a priority
17. Spend time reading and being together at bed time
Bonus: Feel free to add all the awesome things you do already to this list
It really is very simple… FIRST and FOREMOST anything that you want to see in your kids you must first see in yourself. Anything you want them to be you must first be yourself.
Be a strong example for your kids of a growth mind set embracing each new day as a gift to be enjoyed and new experiences to express your full potential.
Most importantly realize that kids look to us as parents even when it doesn’t seem like it.
So the greatest results will come from our kids seeing us being happy, expressing our soul’s calling, living our dreams, being caring and compassionate and making a positive impact with all humanity, animals and our planet.
MOM, if you’re not expressing your soul’s calling – who you came here to be – which is not only a MOM, you will be experiencing many of the day to day pressures {of unhappiness}, which look like busy schedules, overwhelm, exhaustion, lack of self care, etc. If you’d like my assistance helping you get into powerful inner alignment or reveal your soul’s calling I’m abSOULutely delighted to.
And remember BEING HAPPY {like anything else in life} is a moment by moment – day by day CHOICE of exercising and strengthening your HAPPY muscle.
A Happy FAMILY begins with each Happy PERSON.
Sharing is Caring: If you resonate with this message and feel it’s helpful in your journey then please share the love and wealth with others… just press any of the share buttons at the side or bottom of the post to share with those you’re inspired to.
Commenting is Courageous: Go ahead… leave your footprint in the sand… I’d love to hear your insights. So please join in the comment conversation below.
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Living Happy, Kalyani
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