As the world is beginning to open up again, people are finally making plans to see family and friends. After having been home for so long, holed up with Netflix and popcorn and maybe a zoom or two, we are starting to reconnect—and for many of us it’s causing a bit of anxiety.

Before you pick up where you left off, take a little time to reevaluate your friendships. Think about who you truly miss, and who you’d really like to see. It sounds crazy but making a conscious choice can be very freeing and empowering!

Ask yourself, were all your relationships healthy? Which ones made you a better human being? How many of your friendships really added value to your life? Spend some time reflecting on who you want to spend time with before rushing right back in.

When you’ve taken stock and know who you want to reconnect with, remember that it's been a hard year, we’ve all experienced it differently and we’ve all changed in some way. Some people have suffered great loss and maybe they’re struggling just to wake up each day and put one foot in front of the other. Part of reconnecting is trying to be understanding of wherever the other person is at.

Finally, consider how this year changed you. Negatively for many reasons of course, but what were the positives? How are you thinking and behaving differently now? It’s something to talk about with your good friends in an authentic caring way.

We all need connections. Let’s just make them with genuine love and understanding!

To learn about the ingredients for happiness, you can purchase my book: The Recipe for Real Happiness, on Amazon!!! Click here.

Sending you so much love!

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We all naturally wonder (and worry) about what others think of us. Everyone wants to be liked—it’s human nature. But... have you ever thought about how much you really care?

As I’ve gotten older, with years of learning, living and loving 🥰 under my belt, I realize that I care less and less about what other people think of me! And believe me, I’m a very kind, loving person. I’ve just learned that not having the pressure of making people like me is very liberating.

In other words, I “do” me and if I connect with someone, great— if not, that’s ok too!

I guess my message is just be you. Be the authentic, best version of yourself and trust that you’ll naturally connect with “your people.” Spend your time and energy with those who respect and appreciate you and who enhance your life, and don’t waste your time repeatedly trying to win over those who don’t!

To learn about the ingredients for happiness, you can purchase my book: The Recipe for Real Happiness, on Amazon!!! Click here.

Sending you so much love!

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I woke up the other morning and I asked myself, “How do I want to feel today?” I thought about it—and decided that it was “calm. I want to be calm.”

And that’s it. I simply decided that my intention was to practice being calm, no matter what the day would bring. As it turned out… I got my 3rd flat tire in 4 months! Imagine that, how annoying! But I was able to control my response because I know that using various mental tools and practices on a consistent basis makes it that much easier to tap into them when you need them. I must say, my purposeful intention truly helped me stay centered and relaxed.

There are so many ways we can choose to “be” on any given day, we just need to select—confident, humorous, loving, thoughtful, a good listener—and the list goes on.

We are human and we are NOT perfect. We all need tactics and reminders so we don’t go into a stressed-out default mode. Put your intention on your phone, write it on a post-it, ask your friends to check in on how you’re doing… do whatever you need to get support.

This week, when you wake up and start your day, STOP and ask yourself, “How do I want to be/feel today?” Taking on the day with intention puts you in charge of the outcome!

To learn about the ingredients for happiness, you can purchase my book: The Recipe for Real Happiness, on Amazon!!! Click here.

Sending you so much love!

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I love sharing everyday practices that make life better. Here’s one that I’ve been doing lately. I call it my “ACG’s.” It is a practice of consciously paying attention every day to things that I have Accomplished, Contributed, and Gotten (or Learned).

This is what my ACG sheet looked like the other day:

Accomplished:

Made that nagging phone call to the insurance company;

Balanced my checking account.

Contributed:

I recommended a great doctor to my friend;

I showed a lot of patience to someone in need.

Gotten:

I learned that there is another set of steps leading to the river at the park near my apartment;

I learned that I felt SO good bringing my reusable bags into the supermarket.

As simple as they are…by paying attention to these practices (like an ACG practice)

and making them habitual, we can create new neural pathways in our brains that will increase positivity and an overall sense of wellbeing.

Write down your ACGs every night! They can be anything—there is NO right or wrong. You’ll begin to notice that you accomplish more, contribute in many ways and get a lot more from your day than you think!!!

To learn about the ingredients for happiness, you can purchase my book: The Recipe for Real Happiness, on Amazon!!! Click here.

Sending you so much love!

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I am feeling more hopeful these days. This pandemic has certainly taken its toll on all of us, but those dark days are literally over now that we’ve changed the clocks and can enjoy longer, brighter, sunnier days. We can finally see the light at the end of the long, dark tunnel we have been living in!

It’s important to have hope. Hope is essential for our sense of wellbeing. Having positive expectations combined with a sense of faith and trust that something good will happen has never been more important. And we have good reasons to be hopeful now: More venues are increasing their indoor capacities, the number of new infections continues to decrease, and more people around the country (and world) are getting their vaccinations.

I sincerely hope that by summer, the guidelines and restrictions will ease up so much that we’ll be able to gather with our families more freely and return to some sense of normalcy. I’m looking forward to celebrating all those happy occasions we have not been able to do in more than a year, and I’m sure you are too. We must always keep hoping!


To learn about the ingredients for happiness, you can purchase my book: The Recipe for Real Happiness, on Amazon!!! Click here.

Sending you so much love!

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The other day I called my daughter Alex and caught her at a moment while she was focused on work (she creates beautiful websites). She said, “Okay mom, hang on a sec, I need to take off my work hat and put on my wedding hat” because I had a question about her upcoming wedding. 😃

The concept of wearing many hats is not new, of course, but Alex’s comment caused me to wonder how often we multitask (in all those metaphorical hats) without thinking about giving our full attention to any one thing at a time.

When Alex mentioned switching hats, I thought that was a wonderful idea—in fact it’s one that promotes ingredient #3 from my book: Mindfulness. What I love about Alex making a conscious shift from one task to another is her purposeful intention, and her knowing that doing one thing at a time is always less stressful.

This week think about changing hats when you change activities—whether it’s for a few moments (like my chat with Alex) or for a longer period of time while you’re cleaning your house, taking care of kids, or spending time with your significant other. We all wear so many hats. . . shift gears, stay focused and think about which hat you need to wear!


To learn more about the power of mindfulness and the other ingredients for happiness, you can purchase my book: The Recipe for Real Happiness, on Amazon!!! Click here.

Sending you so much love!

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Respect. It’s only seven letters, but what an important word! Think about its meaning:

1) To feel admiration for (someone or something)

2) To regard (someone or something) as being worthy of acclaim because of good qualities

3) To act in a way which shows that you are aware (of someone's rights or wishes)

4) To treat or deal with something good or valuable in a proper way

Respect covers so many areas—respect for yourself, for other people, animals and nature in general, material things, and much more. Some people think respect should be earned, others feel it should be automatic, and then there are those who may never really think about it.

As you can probably tell, respect has been on my mind lately. I always strive to live my life being consciously positive and I genuinely believe the path to any successful friendship or relationship is to start from a place of love and respect.

This week consider whether you purposefully show respect, admiration, and appreciation when and where it’s appropriate. Ask yourself, “Am I respecting myself (my body, my feelings, my needs), other people, my home and possessions? If not, start NOW! Let's all make this week leading into spring about renewed

R - E - S - P - E - C - T toward everyone and everything!

Sending you so much love!

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I was so inspired by Jane Fonda on the Golden Globes the other night. At 83, she looked so stunning and spoke so eloquently; all I could think of was how I want to age just as gracefully.

Now. . .we all know she’s had her share of plastic surgery and who knows what other anti-aging treatments. But it wasn’t just her physical beauty that stood out for me during her acceptance speech—it was her wisdom and love. She didn’t talk about herself, she lifted others up.

I’ll never be a movie star, but I can use the knowledge and experience that I’ve gained in my almost 60 years of life to guide me and others as much as possible in a loving, gracious way.

This week I encourage you to think about what you want to impart to others. How do you want to be thought of? Go out of your comfort zone and be that gracious, kind, inclusive, loving, warm, friendly (socially distant, of course) person you want to be. Your inner and outer beauty will SHINE so much more!

If you missed Jane Fonda’s speech, click here and let me know if she inspired you, too!

Sending you so much love!

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I love the saying, “The more you practice gratitude, the more you see how much there is to be grateful for.” After all, there are so many things we can be thankful for in our lives—just waking up and getting out of bed every day is one example!

In my book, The Recipe for Real Happiness, Four Simple Ingredients, gratitude is my #2 ingredient. I wrote, “By actively practicing gratitude, you see the value of everything in your life. As a result, you will enjoy life more.” Take a moment to think about this. When you express or show gratitude regularly, don’t you feel happier?

When you let others know you are grateful—even for the smallest of things—they feel joy and appreciation and will be more inclined to pay it forward. And as gratitude becomes an intrinsic part of your everyday life, you will find life's challenges less burdensome. Practicing gratitude truly strengthens your resilience.

I am so grateful to all of you for subscribing to my Motivational Mondays! Let's all keep showing our gratitude (for big and little things) to our family, friends and, even strangers!

To learn more about the power of gratitude and other ingredients for happiness, you can purchase my book: The Recipe for Real Happiness, on Amazon!!! Click here.

Sending you so much love!

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Covid has made it mandatory to be unsocial. You may not always mind it—after all, there’s no pressure to make plans, and you can wear whatever you want whenever you want. But there are consequences to being alone too much—it can have a major impact on your mental health. Loneliness can lead to anxiety, loss of interest in things you once enjoyed, hopelessness, sleeplessness, and depression.

We’ve been diligently taking care of our physical selves (mask-wearing, social distancing, washing our hands), but we can all probably do a better job nurturing our emotional selves.

Each of us has the power to choose connection over isolation. Think about family and friends who you haven’t seen in a while and really miss. Send that text. Make that call. Accept that video-chat invite. Make plans for something to look forward to when this is all over—and it will be!

Self-love is ingredient #1 in my book, The Recipe for Real Happiness. Start taking care of yourself today!

You can purchase my book:The Recipe for Real Happiness here on Amazon!!!
https://www.amazon.com/Recipe-Real-Happiness-Ingredients-Practices/dp/0692048944/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+recipe+for+real+happiness+melissa+garson&qid=1608835197&sr=8-1

Sending you so much love!

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The other morning when I saw little Zoe lying on my bed, the first words that came to mind were “living art.” Just looking at this little being brings me so much joy and love! I am so grateful for many things in my life, and she is right up there!

Take some time this week to notice the things around you and in your life that could be considered “art” to your eyes. It doesn't have to be an actual work of art or anything material—but it could be! Maybe it’s a plant that has been growing in an unusual sculptural shape, or a coveted designer bag that you only use for very special occasions. Perhaps it’s a photo of your child or grandchild that reminds you of the beautiful person they are becoming.

By performing this exercise, you will be putting into practice the #2 ingredient—Gratitude—from my book The Recipe for Real Happiness. We must make time to recognize, even when the days are especially challenging, that there is always something in our lives (big, small, living or inanimate) to be grateful for.

You can purchase my book: The Recipe for Real Happiness here on Amazon!!!
https://www.amazon.com/Recipe-Real-Happiness-Ingredients-Practices/dp/0692048944/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+recipe+for+real+happiness+melissa+garson&qid=1608835197&sr=8-1

Sending you so much love!

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It's right about now (typically the second week in February) that about 80% of us have given up on our New Years' resolutions.

It's okay- it is not too late. One of the four main "ingredients" from my book, The Recipe for Real Happiness, is #3: "Live in Learning Mode," and it's great for helping you refocus on your goals.

I wrote about how important it is to learn from the past: You have probably had your goal (among others) on your list for years. I know because I did the same thing.

I had "meditate and live mindfully" on my New Years' resolution list every year for many years. But… it wasn't until I developed the simple habit of sitting in stillness for 5 minutes every morning that I finally achieved my goal (that overall sense of calmness).

The truth is the difficulty of your objective isn't nearly as important as developing the habits that allow you to achieve that goal. Intentions are great, but unless you start doing things differently and have a plan …a goal is just a wish, and your chances for success are slim.

So, let's fix that by setting yourself up for success!

• If you want to start eating healthier, get rid of the junk (or at least keep it out of your constant view) and create a weekly menu!

• If exercise is your goal, have a specific workout plan: 20 sit-ups, 20 push-ups, etc., and lay out your workout clothes and sneakers the night before.

• If your goal is to stop overreacting, put a reminder on your wrist to breathe before reacting.

Use your knowledge of what may not have worked in the past to take charge of your life and create healthy habits that help you achieve your goals!

You can purchase my book: The Recipe for Real Happiness here on Amazon!!!
https://www.amazon.com/Recipe-Real-Happiness-Ingredients-Practices/dp/0692048944/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+recipe+for+real+happiness+melissa+garson&qid=1608835197&sr=8-1

Sending you so much love!

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