Happiness | With an Open Heart

Apr 23

Weekly Gratitude: Tiny Pleasures from Nature and Friendship

This past week busy, busy, busy! I hardly had a moment to rest. But it was a very productive week nonetheless.

As a part of my commitment to self-care I tried very hard to make a conscious effort to give myself some time to just chill and do things for my own enjoyment. Making time for myself made a world of difference in my mood and ability to cope. I certainly hope to make a commitment to this new habit that almost always go to the back burner. Read more

Apr 22

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9 Fears that Keep Us from Achieving Our Dreams and Purpose In Life

There is no better place for growth then when we face our fears. Take the leap and see what happens. If you constantly hide behind your shadow, and stand stagnent paralized by your fears, you’ll never know all that you can acheive and where your fears might take you. Read more

Apr 16

Weekly Gratitude: The Harder I Tried to Be Grateful, The Less I Was!

Last week I started writing this “Weekly Gratitude”, post to keep my spirits up as my life quickly got crazy, to keep my mind focused on what matters most, and hopefully (both fingers crossed!) help myself let go a little and relax! But all week I ended up struggling to figure out what I have to be grateful for, or at least that were worthy enough to write about. The harder I tried, the less I felt grateful. Writing this post became more of a chore that needed to be done perfectly, rather than a tool to help me reflect and relax a little. As I whined about this post to a friend, he said, “Nina, just be thankful that you’re even able to juggle your schedule right now”. Isn’t that the truth…

Music is What Feelings Sound Like: A Beautiful Video of Music Changing the Mind of Old Man

The function of music is to release us from the

tyranny of conscious thought

~Sir Thomas Beecham

Music has always touched me in an emotional way. The musical gene runs in my family, and run through my blood. Music has simply always had a way with me. I feel it, and comprehend it in a way I cannot express fully with words; it’s just natural, I just get it. It’s not my many years of classical piano training. It’s something more. Music has the ability to reach me deep within my mind and soul. Frankly, I cannot image a world without music. Life without any artistic expression would simply be dark. Read more

Apr 13

6 Comments

Anger of the Mind is Poison to the Soul

Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it

~Seneca

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About two weeks ago, I was out with a friend for dinner. We had a nice meal, discussed our days, and then I headed home to pack for my trip to Trinidad. On my way home driving through downtown Minneapolis, I spotted a bicyclist a little ways ahead me. He was swerving between lanes, biking in the car lane rather than the designated bike lane clearly marked to the right of me, and seemed to be oblivious to other cars on the road. As the distance between us grew smaller, and I was coming up behind him, I began wondering what direction he was planning on going when we reached the red light up ahead. Was he going to make a right hand turn at the light like I was planning to do? Read more

Apr 9

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9 Ways to Positively Influence Your Health and Happiness [A Reblog courtesy of Always Well Within]

Sandra Pawula, author of Always Well Within wrote a wonderful article today about the power of positivity, and the impact optimism and consciously practicing positivity can have on your life, your emotions, your relationships, your health and your happiness. Sandra offers so many wonderful links, quotes, and inspirational words, that I had to share her post for others to read. Her blog is truly wonderful, and one I highly recommend visiting frequently. Enjoy! Read more

Apr 8

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Weekly Gratitude: The More You Recognize the Beautiful Things in Life, the Less You’ll Worry About the Ugly.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”

– Thornton Wilder

In the mist of my panic over the major changes beginning in my life today, I’ve realized that I’m spending a lot more time panicking, looking at my crazy schedule, complaining, and feeling overwhelmed, than I am being thankful that I am even able to actively participate in these changes. Read more

Apr 5

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The Experiences That Don’t Come Around Everyday Should Be Cherished

This post is a bit atypical I suppose, but I felt it was actually more relevant than not. Almost a year ago, I took a trip to Thailand with my friend Gina that was nothing short of amazing. We traveled through Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Krabi, and Phanang Bay. Thailand was simply amazing in so many ways. It was a trip that I desperately NEEDED at the time. I was working far too much, juggling a course load that was far more difficult than I had ever imagined, and I was completely and totally burnt out. This trip was a great refresher; the much needed relaxation that helped me get back to reality and a hold of my life again. Read more

Mar 28

19 Comments

[FEATURED POST] Happy Birthday to My Sister Jessica: The Epitome of Unconditional Love, and Living With an Open Heart.

One of the most important people in my life is my older sister Jessica. Jessica was born with Down Syndrome and today is her 28^th birthday. It’s hard to believe she is that old; she’s not even five feet tall, and still looks like a kid. She still acts like a kid actually, which is one of the wonderful things about Jessica. She is easily pleased, almost always happy, and see’s life through an endlessly positive lens. Read more

Mar 21

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Changing Requires a Paradigm Shift. No one said it was going to be easy!

This morning I came across this post by A Thousand Shades of Gray discussing the paradigm shift we go through as humans whenever we’re in a process of personal transformation and growth.

Kurt Lewin developed the Change Theory that is today, the epitome of change models. Lewin is also regarded as the founder of Social Psychology and contributed vastly to the field. On the most basic level, Change Theory describes the process of change that occurs in humans, society, organizations, etc., as conscious and in three phases: Read more

Mar 20

6 Comments

What Are The Consequences of NOT Moving Toward The Unknown?

Even if we can’t physically see it, everything in this world is constantly changing one way or another. Everything. Some of us embrace change, and choose to move toward unfamiliar grounds, while others try desperately to hold onto familiarity, -to comfort. What is it that makes one person fearful of the unknown, and the other excited? Is it nurture? Is it biology? Although I have not sought out research on this topic, I’m willing to bet it’s a combination of both.

I recently reread a silly book I was given years ago by my cousin and came across an old fable on the topic: Read more

Mar 13

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Can You Ask For Anything More Than Sunshine??

It’s SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY in Minnesota!! It’s March and it’s 61 degrees outside. In Minnesota! Crazy, but I’m going to take it. There is nothing I like more than sunshine; how it heats up my body, how it glimmers through the sky and onto everything around me. My whole world seems better when the sun is out. I see things more clearly, and feel much more balanced. This makes Minnesota winters difficult, and I honestly despise them, but I will not complain this year. This year was wonderful!

[FEATURED POST] You Are What You Think! Think Happy to BE Happy!

Each day, roughly 60,000 thoughts will cross your mind. What are you thinking about? Are your thoughts positive or are they negative? Do you feel happy most days or sad? Of these 60,000 thoughts, it’s up to you, to make sure that 59,999 of them are not wasted on negative, self-defeating thoughts.

We’ve all heard that you are what you eat, right? But what about You are what You think? Every thought you have creates a physiological response in the body. Read more

Feb 29

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[FEATURED POST] Sometimes the Biggest Risk…is Not Taking One at All.

When you think about what it takes to be strong, honest, courageous and authentic, you may or may not include vulnerable to your list. In fact, synonyms of vulnerability include: defenseless, sucker, susceptible, unsafe, weak, and in danger. Quite the contrary to anything strong and courageous!

I’m not even going to try to lie and say that now that I have my first post out there, and my biggest hurdle is behind me, that I no longer feel vulnerable. I most certainly do, -and I feel susceptible and exposed too! But that was sort of the point now wasn’t it?

As humans, we thrive through honest, vulnerable, trusting connections to others. We are born vulnerable to everything around us. If we experience love, tenderness, physical and emotional connections and safety, we grow up to be healthy, happy, functioning adults (well, most of us). Vulnerability is essential to human existence. Yet, so many of us fight it. We fight, because Read more

Feb 22

6 Comments

[FEATURED POST] What is…With an Open Heart??

What is …With an Open Heart? Well, it’s my best attempt at making a change in my life and opening myself, and my heart to the world. There are so many things I could try and say to explain this little blog, and the reason why I’m started it, but every time I try, I struggle to find the words. So let me just start by explaining my feelings leading up to this blog.

Feelings: I’m afraid of them!!

I’ve been running from them for nearly eight years. At first, this was easy, and made life a hell of a lot easier. How do you feel? Fine. Did that bother you? I couldn’t care less. I basically just shut down. I turned off my feelings and stopped caring. Read more