What are you grateful for today? #GratitudeCircle

 On this Thanksgiving day, what are you grateful for?

A simple ritual like creating a Gratitude list is scientifically proven to bring joy to our lives. Did you ever try it?

I have been writing Gratitude lists every month this year (ofcourse, I missed it 2 times :-p), and it gives me a satisfaction and brings me a realization of how fortunate I am than many others in different aspects of life.  

This time, I am writing a gratitude list for 3 months - September, October, and November. 

I am grateful for -

1. Career

My career has become a major part of my life. The last few months have been a good learning experience and I am grateful to my colleagues and friends who helped me grow. 

2. Family

Nothing might have been easy without the love of family members and their support. Accomplishments in both work and dance might have been impossible without themhelp.

I am thankful to God for keeping me in the abundance of love. 

PC:www.pixabay.com

3. Dance

This part of my life is completely unplanned and I am grateful to God for giving me opportunities to showcase my dance skills at the right time.

 I am indebted to my Guru A. Parvathi Ramachandran and my parents for introducing this art form.

I have started my website as well this week. One more thing to be thankful for!

https://kaladeepika.com/

4. Travel

We, as a family enjoy traveling and I am grateful to be staying in Colorado. 

In September, we traveled to South West Colorado covering the Black Canyon of Gunnison, Million Dollar Highway, and Telluride. The other travelogues would be published soon on my blog.

This month, we went for a scenic drive - A dirt road from Colorado Springs to Victor and the winding road to Phantom Canyon. Just a day trip of 5 hrs drive due to Covid. Couldn't stay anywhere as cases are spiking to the maximum.

5. Birthdays

We celebrated my husband's birthday in September and my younger one's birthday in October. Covid couldn't discourage us much, we decorated the home with Angry bird's theme and balloons as usual, just didn't invite all of our friends. 

A sumptuous meal and cake completed the celebration. I am thankful for these little joys of decorating the house, cooking/ordering elaborate meals, and eating cake on birthdays. 

PC: www.pixabay.com

So, that's it on my Gratitude list. I will have good news to share on my next gratitude list!

 Have a safe and happy time at home.

We are just 1 month and a few days away to ring in the new year 2021. Are you waiting for the new year?

Until next time,

Linking this to #GratitudeCircle hosted by Vidya Sury. 

Being Happy and feeling happy #QuotedStories

Many people are confused about what makes them happy. Some are bored with their routine lives of work, kids, planning for next day and so on. Some misunderstand that happiness is associated with luxury, power, and money. But, after getting all these also, happiness is not guaranteed. A few find happiness by helping others and making someone smile. A few find happiness in their family's happiness. Some find happiness in their hobbies and some in their passion for work.

Where do you find happiness? Did you think through what makes you happy? 

I think about it sometimes and I found following make me happy:

1. Being positive
Even though we have problems, if we can feel positivity and hope that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel and move forward, it makes us happy. Of course, this is the hardest part when we have a lot of problems and are facing many failures and are completely off the track. But, we have to try. I try to keep my positive spirit in those tough situations. Facing challenges and coming out successfully gives happiness.

2. Being grateful 
Being grateful helps me to be happy. Appreciating every little thing in my life and counting my blessings make me happy.

Ex: I am happy -

• when my toddler completes his lunch without me running behind him for hours to feed.
• If I need not cook for that day :-)
• If I get some house help from my family
• If I get time to read a good book
• If I could meet or talk to an old friend etc.,

3. Making others smile

Sometimes, even a small gesture and a kind word can bring a smile on others' face. Helping other moms to engage their kids makes me happy as I know how frustrated moms will be the whole day managing the kids without anyone's help. Striking a casual conversation after a long time with a friend will bring a smile to the friend. Indulging kids in chocolate/ ice cream once in a while and doing some naughty things along with them is more fun.

4. Activities that bring happiness
I love drawing, making crafts, meeting friends, dancing, traveling and writing. There are some activities which relax us and bring out our creativeness. What do you love to do? Explore a lot of activities, try and decide which activity you enjoy. Start practicing that activity at least once a month to start with.

5. Letting go of bad
I am not very good at forgiving people but I keep my space from negative people. I don't try to take revenge or hurt them but I want to go away from them. Forgetting past problems and remembering only the lessons the bad incidents gave us is really a boon. I am still trying to learn it. Someday, I might succeed. If we can forget negative incidents, learn from failures and forgive someone who has done bad to us, we are really in the ideal case.

In conclusion, I choose happiness and I feel, I am alone responsible for my happiness. I want to be so happy that people surrounding me feel happy too. As we know that a smile is contagious, can we make happiness also contagious?

Until next time,

Linking this to #QuotedStories hosted by Upasna.

Word of the Year and 3 ways to stay positive #WOTY2018

Word of the year is some word that you want to focus on in the coming year. 

I have set the Word of the year in 2017 as 'Aggressive' even though I didn't publish on my blog. It seems negative but I wanted to move things fast from my end. I wanted to make drastic changes, leave monotony and adapt to new things by taking more initiative. I could implement a lot like starting dance classes, searching for more freelance software testing work, getting a driver license and driving to places on my own and learning a new art like Zentangle. 

This time, my word of the year for 2018 is "Positive spirit/ Positive Attitude". I want to accept things in my life as they come and be positive throughout irrespective of successes/ failures. I am planning to be more grateful for every small thing and count my blessings than worrying about things going wrong.

I think these 3 ways help me to stay positive in the coming year. Let me know in comments what makes you stay positive in your life.

1. Being Grateful
I observed from the last year that counting my blessings is an effective way to stay positive. I feel blessed to have a good family, time to pursue my hobbies and to have food and clothes that are needed. I am happy for my health and happiness. When I browse my old photos, I feel grateful for the memories that I have created with family, friends, and colleagues. Positivity is everywhere, just we have to pause and appreciate.

2. Pursuing hobbies
Any art form is a blessing. Dance, music, and painting let me forget all negatives and take me into a new world of happiness. It is difficult to explain how any art impacts our heart and brain, but we have to experience it to understand. When I feel low and stressed, 30 mins of drawing a Zentangle will remove the gloominess for me.  Even gardening and reading books help me to cheer up quickly.

A recent Zentangle of mine

3. Travelling
Fortunately, I could travel more in 2017. I hope the same with 2018. Travelling is like opening myself to new environments and constantly learning something new. An Added bonus is the beautiful nature. I am amazed at the beauty of mountains, lakes and different hues of the Sky. Travel at least once in 3 months to stay positive. Change in the routine work and place is relaxing. Even though it's tough to travel with 2 kids (one is a toddler), it helps me to escape from negative thoughts. 

Did you set any word for the coming year? If not, Is there something that you want to focus on this new year? Do let me know in comments.

Until next time,

Linking this post to #WOTY2018 link-up hosted by Corinne @everydaygyaan.