And it wasn’t long after that, when I was laying in bed trying to get better, that I thought to myself: “This isn’t fair.” I had work to do, deadlines to meet, and another trip looming just 3 days later. That was when I gave myself a much needed kick in the pants. Not fair? How could my sickness be unfair? I had so much to be thankful for, and I’m pretty sure getting the flu was just life telling me to take a rest.

So I started thinking about all of the things I am grateful for. Gratitude has been a big part of my life over the last year. I’ve been trying to incorporate it into everything I do and the way I see the world. I’ve long since known that gratitude is one of the top factors in happiness, and so I try to be thankful for each and every little thing that comes my way.

And, since I can’t stop myself, here is even more mega gratefulness spewing your way!

1. I’m grateful that people signed up for the retreat I was hosting in France to make the trip possible, and that I could make 13 amazing new friends for life.

2. I am grateful for the hotel in the Moscow airport so we could get some extra sleep while traveling.

3. I am grateful for getting sick so that I could take some time to rest after an exhausting 12-day trip.

4. I am grateful for my friends who traveled with me and went beyond their assisting duties to make sure I was nourished and feeling good.

5. I am grateful for my husband and sister-in-law who have been taking care of me since I returned.

6. I am grateful for not stepping in a giant pile of lo mein on the sidewalk outside of a restaurant yesterday (that would not have been fun to clean).

7. I am grateful for jumping in a waterfall at sunrise with my new friends (<– Definitely had this flu coming).

8. I am grateful for EVERYTHING!

I believe that the more grateful we all our, the more our lives can thrive…that includes whatever your passion is, be it photography or otherwise. I create in a much more fulfilling way when I focus on the good things in my life. My mind is free to find inspiration when I am not tied down by negativity.

What 3 things are you GRATEFUL for that happened last week?

I realized, in that moment, that I was making a choice. I did not choose to wake up in a bad mood, but I was choosing to stay in one. No one was forcing me. When I evaluated what was wrong, I came up with nothing at all. There are some days when I feel this way and it lasts, and I listen to my body and rest. But on this day, something was different, and I wanted to explore how to change my feelings.

I thought more about change, and how powerful we are to create it. We can create change in ourselves, and only then can we change others. So today I decided to proactively take control and make myself happier. Instead of choosing to be in a bad mood, I decided to focus on the good…after all gratefulness is the best mood enhancer there is.

I thought about 5 different things, be it places or people or situations or ideas, that make me grateful to be alive.

1. I am creative enough to express myself. 

2. I am thankful for my other half.

3. I am fortunate to be surrounded by nature.

4. I am powerful enough to overcome negativity.

5. My life is just beginning.

I took my number 5 from this wonderful article on the Huffington Post about affirmations, that I think is a fantastic list that I’ll go back to frequently. And this is just my list for today. Who knows what will work for tomorrow, for there are endless affirmations to inspire us as our situation changes.

I saw this quote the other day by Eckhart Tolle that resonated with me so much, and really brings this post full circle:

“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation, but the thoughts about it.

Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking.”

So true in so many ways. We must remember that whatever our feelings towards our circumstance, we have the power to control our reaction and move forward with a brighter outlook.

What are your affirmations?

*Image courtesy of Russell Andes, taken of me when preparing for my last creativeLIVE class.*

1. Figure out when you should be waking up.

I have always naturally been a morning person, but lately I’ve been really reveling in getting up early. I’m not talking 4am early, because I’m not crazy, but I am talking sunrise. I wake up everyday at 6am. That’s just when my body says EXCUSE ME PLEASE WAKE UP! And so I do. But lately I’ve been taking advantage of the unusual happiness and energy that radiates from me in the mornings. I wake up. I drink a big glass of water. I go outside to watch the sunrise while stretching and doing yoga. Afterwards, once the the sun has peaked, I sit and “meditate”. And so, onto number 2!

2. Guided daydreams.

I usually don’t say “meditate” for fear it will scare people off. Truth be told, I’ve never been taught meditation, I don’t totally understand what it is, and I’m a bit sad to admit that. However, I do something for myself which I assume is quite similar. I go on guided daydreams. After my morning exercise I sit and daydream. I force myself to clear my mind and simply let myself have a big, meaningful, fairytale-filled adventure in my mind.

For example, yesterday I imagined myself running across rolling green hills and then climbing a tree so tall I sat above the clouds and looked down at a village below.

Another day I daydreamed I was swimming in a vast ocean with hot air balloons floating near the surface.

And another day, I imagined myself on top of a glacier overlooking an expansive land with a beautiful hot pink sunrise.

It doesn’t matter what you think about, just that you are exercising your mind in a creative way and allowing yourself to go to that place that you envision. It helps to clear your mind of stress, think creatively, and relax.

3. Challenge yourself .

I work on goals, I always have and probably always will. I love to set myself deadlines and see if I can complete them. So each morning I define what is most important to finish, and I choose a time to finish them by. Usually between 12pm and 3pm I start to get restless and need some outdoor fun, so I typically choose a time in between there.

But let’s go further. Don’t just challenge yourself with everyday tasks…have an ADVENTURE. Go out and do something completely unique and memorable. Create a life not just worth living, but one that you feel fortunate to call your own. Do something outrageous. Do something silly. Do something that will make you laugh or cry…or both. Seek adventure.

4. Reward yourself.

Once you’ve completed those tasks, big or small, reward yourself! It is okay to pretend you’re a dog playing dead to get a treat…because really, we aren’t that different! We want to feel good after completing a task, so why not reward yourself with something fun. Examples are a walk, a snack, a TV show, a hot bath, etc.

5. Make friends who will hold you accountable.

You don’t have to believe me, but I hope you will…there are people out there, all over the place, who are willing to be your friend. What I have learned about any type of creative individual is that there are more out there. We are all unique in our own ways, and yet there are many of us. Find a friend who is into the same kind of thing you are. Push each other, and challenge each other. And most importantly, let them know what you’re up to so that you have someone to encourage you when you’re feeling low.

I am very lucky to have many of those people in my life. I have my husband to make me do the business-y things I don’t like doing, like taxes and email organization and so forth. I have my best friend and now assistant Kelly to keep me on top of important tasks. And I have countless creatives from ALL over the world who I can count on instantly to give me the motivation to push further and harder.

6. Create a routine.

I am really big on routines. As you can probably tell from my morning routine, I think that it is important that we have some sort of order in our lives. I am all about being nomadic and traveling and being free-spirited, but at the same time we need to have order, even if it is chaotic order, to feel organized. I feel more productive and a lot happier when I understand what has to be done, when I’ll do those things, and how long they will take me.

When I am home, my routine is to go through my morning ritual, work from about 7am-3pm, take a break to go on a walk or hike, make dinner, and enjoy that time with family. And then I usually do more work in the evenings.

7. Don’t beat yourself up for “off” days.

You can’t move at 1,000% speed all the time. You are human, and its okay to feel like a human! You are allowed to be sad for no reason, happy for no reason, disorganized or overwhelmed or stressed. But know that it will pass, and let yourself have those days that might just have to be relaxation days. Sometimes, when we feel emotions for no apparent reason, it’s our bodies telling us to slow down and focus within.

8. Give yourself dedicated time off.

I always give myself dedicated time off. When I started working for myself I realized quickly that the whole WORK ALL THE TIME thing wasn’t working at all. My husband and I thought it would be great because we’d be together all the time, but what we found was that we worked constantly and never truly saw each other.

Now, we eat every meal together at the table. We cook together. We go on a walk together once a day. And we pick full days where we go out and have adventures. You need to schedule down time because it is the only thing that will keep you going strong when you are working.

9. Begin to let everyone around you know that you are not a work horse. You will work when you have time because health is your priority.

Let people know that you are going to do the best you can when you’re working, and when you aren’t working, you aren’t concerned about it. I started to realize that the more I put myself out there, the more people expected from me. I started getting emails without a polite word in them demanding that I write back and answer all of the questions contained within. I started realizing how valuable time is, and I started to do something very important: I used my time to give to others as often as I possibly could, and when I just couldn’t do it anymore, I didn’t stress over it.

Do as much as you can, but don’t over-exert yourself. You will be giving everyone less than 100%, and no one wants that at all.

10. Cut the people out of your life who don’t make it better.

There are people who will lift you up and people who will bring you down. Make changes in your life to be less influenced by those who will bring you down, and surround yourself with those who lift you up. That is one of my main motivations for starting this blog. Those of you who comment are always so uplifting, and it is one big blog hug of wonderfulness for me. I surround myself with you because it makes me feel elevated, and I believe that one person lifting another elevates many.

So, in the words of Radiohead, what will you do to be “FITTER, HAPPIER, and MORE PRODUCTIVE”?