I experience happiness in infinite ways, including the ability to fly off recently on a spontaneous trip to Kauai with my daughter before continuing on to a family wedding in Asheville. In the past, obstacles to making it happen so quickly might have kept me home; but these days, having upgraded my mindset, this unexpected opportunity aligned perfectly with my newly tweaked life goals. So off we went.

I’d like to share with you some of the happiness tools I use and share with new Natural Awakenings publishers in the belief that they’ll help them be more successful. Judith Fertig’s feature story “Happy All Day: Simple Practices for a Happier Life,” starts us off well, and I’ve added my own favorite practices to help inspire you, too.

Take time each morning to “get your head on straight”. Meditate, pray and journal about what you want to create and experience in your life. Ask the Divine to connect you with the people and experiences that will enable you to make the most effective difference.

Declare that everything that happens is perfect. Act as if all your challenges and setbacks are by design, and that on some soul level, you’ve chosen them. Accept everything and everyone as a gift or opportunity—the irate driver, divorce, health challenge—all of it.

Be grateful for everything, all day long. Go on a complaint-free diet for 21 days and see how your life changes (even one complaint and you must start over). Be grateful for the little things, along with the big things; the challenges, as well as the special times.

Be loving to yourself. Nurture yourself; learn extreme self-care and speak lovingly to yourself and others. Place yourself at the top of your priority list.

Surround yourself with positive people. Be with people that believe and support a grander version of you and that force you to grow.

Accept whatever you are feeling and experiencing without making it “wrong”. Love and forgive yourself and others; it helps to free us up and keep energy from becoming stuck. Take mindful minutes throughout the day to breathe and center yourself.

Have fun! Whatever you are doing, lighten up; there are no mistakes. Don’t sweat the small stuff and as the saying goes, “It’s all small stuff.”

At heart, the goal is for all of us to make increasingly better choices that will lead to experiencing more happiness. A good place to start is by taking the time to see the goodness already around us… and dance under the summer moon as often as possible!

Happy summering,

Sharon Bruckman, Publisher

P.S. This month, we bid a fond farewell, with great gratitude and happiness, to our finance manager of seven years, Amie Delozier, who will be camping under the stars and climbing new heights around the world this summer. You’re the best and we will miss you.